Righting a Wrong for Pastors on the Scrap-Heap!

Sometimes it’s just plain wrong…
and we have to do something about it.

It is wrong that a pastor serves God faithfully his whole life and then ends up with no pension, in total poverty, abandoned by his children, dying penniless and uncared for, sometimes regretting he’s given his life to the Lord’s service in the first place.

And yet such a scenario is relatively common in a country where very few people get a pension. Daniel was a pastor for 36 years before retiring. He reminisces:

“I taught the Word of God in schools, planted many churches and mentored many people… but now I’m 81. I’ve got diabetes and other health issues. I can’t do any physical labour in the fields. I live a lonely life in total poverty.”

That is wrong.

John is 76. He served Jesus for 46 years, planting multiple churches and leading many to the Lord. When the war kicked off in 1993, he lost his wife and six children but kept going. He says:

“Now I’m too old to work and I’m desperate. An old injury means I can’t walk far. My shack leaks when it rains. I go days without food. My surviving children live far away and don’t help.”

Again, it is just plain wrong that he laid down his life and now lives in misery.

I can’t imagine that happening to my pastor.

So with your help, we are going to right that wrong!

Last year, GLO partner UCE bought some land upcountry to build a retirement village for precious brothers like Daniel and John. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to enable dozens of these faithful servants to live out their latter years in peace – well-fed, nurtured and valued?

That sounds right to me!

One of the proposed buildings at ‘Christian Hope Centre’ retirement village.

Whilst another organisation is committing funding to the building work, we want to help the whole project be self-sustaining by buying a lot more of the available surrounding land to develop for farming to feed the community.* Sowing into this means that whatever you give will keep on generating blessing for posterity!

There’s also a dream for it to one day become a place of refuge and discipleship for new Muslim-background believers suffering persecution. I love this! Do you want to be involved?

  • 100m² costs £25 / $30
  • 1000m² costs £250 / $300
  • 10,000m² (1 hectare) costs £2,500 / $3,000

Whatever you can give, it will have a beautiful long-term impact, providing crops year after year after year – the gift that keeps on giving!

We want to be part of the fulfilment of King David’s promise in Psalm 37:25: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

Click here if you want to help. Thank you!

Quite right!

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3 comments

  • This is truly a wonderful project and how I do pray that it is going to happen the soonest possible.It comes to respond to a very serious problem to which I personnally have been confroted with. I can forget this past who had served in our church for many years but in his old age and because he was very poor, used to work a very long distance so that we can give him some litlle money, clothes,etc.And I know there are many in that situation and I do thank God for bringing up this project through his servants.I have no doubt that this is God’s idea and very soon it will be a reality. My appeal is to all churches and believers in Burundi to purpose to be part of this project. Lets purpose to give something from whatever God is helping us to get because this is our project!

  • Sounds like a wonderful idea. I know in projects I’ve been involved in that construction timelines can often get delayed. What can we do to help these Brothers get by until it is built?

    • Hi Eric, UCE who are heading up the project have an ongoing relationship with and supporting Pastors like Daniel and John. The best thing would be to give directly to their ministry using this form: greatlakesoutreach.org/partner-donation/uccd

      Thanks for your support!

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