news around the world

Free Will Baptist International Missions serves churches, pastors, and people by helping them fulfill their role in establishing churches beyond North America so unreached peoples can know the joy of a relationship with the living God. To find out more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist International Missions, visit www.fwbgo.com.

Jimmy Aldridge Called Home

Jasper, Alabama—Jimmy Aldridge, former missionary to Côte d’Ivoire, entered his eternal home late Sunday evening, July 9. The 79-year-old, who entered hospice a couple of weeks earlier after a serious fall, battled Alzheimer’s for several years.

Born January 18, 1938, he accepted Christ as Savior at the age of 13. After graduating from Welch College in 1960, he attended Columbia Bible College for one and a half years. Appointed as missionaries in October 1962, Jimmy and his wife Janie, an R.N., departed in July of 1963 for language school. Once in Ivory Coast, they served primarily in the Bondoukou area.

Jimmy and Janie shared responsibilities in the French-speaking Bible institute in Bondoukou. Jimmy worked to establish preaching points throughout the area. The couple served in Ivory Coast four terms for a total of 22 years.

During their stateside assignment in 1984, Jimmy was offered the newly established position of overseas secretary for the Mission. The role included counseling, advising, and troubleshooting for the various mission fields. For 15 years, the Alabama native made Nashville his home as he served in the Mission office. He retired in 1999 and returned to his home in Alabama.

Jimmy leaves behind his wife Janie as well as extended family members. The funeral was held in Jasper, Alabama, on Wednesday, July 12. Janie requested donations to International Missions to complete a church building in Ivory Coast.

Ivorian Leaders Visit States

Madame Solange Kambiré, president of the Free Will Baptist women’s organization in Côte d’Ivoire, and Vice-president Madame Deborah Amiezi (pictured below) traveled to the States for a month-long visit in July. Femmes de Bonnes Nouvelles (Women of the Good News) sponsors an annual evangelistic outreach, bi-annual women’s retreat, training for women and teens, and raises funds for a national project. Currently, the national project is a women’s center to provide safe housing for girls who leave villages for education and training in the city of Bondoukou.

The women participated in local, district, state, and national Women Active for Christ meetings throughout the States. As they traveled (experiencing the hospitality of women in West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina), the women shared their testimonies and thanked American women for sending and supporting missionaries in Côte d’Ivoire. They also raised funds to help a Cuban doctor with flight costs for her and her family who plan to work full-time at the Doropo Hospital.

Snapshots Around the World

Côte d’Ivoire—E-TEAMers assisted the Abobo Free Will Baptist Church in beautifying their rented facility. The Abobo congregation rents a storefront building in an area of Abidjan with a high concentration of Muslim inhabitants. Congregants replaced the leaky roof and tiled the floor. In June, E-TEAMers assisted church members in painting the inside and outside of the building (pictured below).

Panama—Recognizing the importance of Christian education and training, Panamanian Free Will Baptists recently formed a Christian education commission. The group conducted a workshop on the Chame seminary campus to inform local church representatives from around the country of planned activities and gain insight into local church needs.

Cuba—For many years, Los Cedros de Libano (Cedars of Lebanon) seminary trained Cuban Free Will Baptists pastors, evangelists, and leaders. As evangelistic efforts expanded to the other side of the island, transportation and other resources limited who could receive training. Professor Boris Sarlabous recently announced an extension nucleus in the Jiguani Free Will Baptist Church in the province of Granma. Almost 600 miles from the seminary, 12 students began training in July. 
India—In July, India granted Carlisle Hanna a visa for a year. He departed India on August 11 with plans to return early in 2018.

Brazil—After holding two services each Sunday to accommodate the number of attendees, the Jaboticabal Free Will Baptist Church in Brazil has begun a new building. Pastor Jeancarlo Achê hopes the new building will encourage more growth.

Cuba—Cuban Free Will Baptists interested in medical missions concluded the Perspectives Course of training in July. Thirty-five physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel covered the biblical basis of missions, cultural differences, language learning, cross-cultural communications, world religions, and more.

Côte d’Ivoire—The Free Will Baptist church in Bougou (northern Ivory Coast) is growing! Having run out of space in their current building, they are building a much larger facility.

Côte d’Ivoire—The missions committee of the National Association of Free Will Baptist Churches of Côte d’Ivoire designated the historic town of Kong in the north of the country as an area for evangelism and church planting. Once an Islamic stronghold, the majority of the population still claims Islam. The committee purchased property in the city. An evangelistic team held meetings June 15-18 (pictured above). Construction of a house for the church planter began as well. 

Uruguay—Ladies from Uruguayan churches gathered for their second annual women’s retreat (pictured above) July 3-5. Ariadna Riesgo, a missionary from Cuba and Panama, spoke to the ladies concerning their worth in Christ over the course of five sessions.