Submitted by Marilyn Reid
Rev. Jean Claude Masuka Maleka and his wife Francine Ilunga Mpanga Mufuk are United Methodist missionaries with the General Board of Global Ministries assigned to evangelism and church planting in Côte D’Ivoire.
The couple recently itinerated in the Pacific Northwest Conference visiting Grace UMC in Seattle, Ronald UMC in Shoreline, White Salmon UMC, and Vancouver Heights UMC. They also met with retired clergy at Wesley Homes with the assistance of David and Marian Zaske, had lunch with members of Des Moines UMC, and met with and benefitted from hospitality provided by Rev. Jon Short, pastor of Vancouver First UMC. They are leaving soon for another itineration in the Florida Conference.
This biographical text was submitted to Marilyn Reid by Rev. Jean Claude Masuka Maleka. It was edited for clarity.
Missionaries who reach new communities with the holistic Gospel
Jean Claude is a church planter who is opening new churches in areas of Cote d’Ivoire where there no Christian churches exist. From 2013 to 2018, Jean Claude has planted six churches and believes every church has a role to play in advancing the gospel and winning souls for Christ. These churches, which are self-supporting, self-governing and self-reproducing, have been planted in a response to a need to open churches in many regions of Cote d’Ivoire.
Connectional support is used in constructing small churches and individuals can volunteer in their construction. Many people are coming to Christ. Jean Claude is inviting partner churches to assist the evangelism effort and to have friends who can pray to save souls and build the Kingdom of God on earth.
Francine is serving as coordinator for Young Girls Ministry in the Côte d’Ivoire Annual Conference.
Planting churches by providing clean drinking water
In reaching different villages in Cote d’Ivoire, Jean Claude is preaching a holistic gospel. Constructing a water tower in a remote town a great way to open a new community of faith as many villages are struggling to get clean drinking water. Friends in Christ and churches can construct a water tower with Jean Claude to provide clean drinking water.
Jean Claude is deeply committed to the development of viable churches that can help address the critical needs of the community that emerge from times of crisis. His invitation is to all churches that would like to be in covenant relationship with him in preaching a holistic gospel; one where the word of God is delivered alongside love by delivering clean drinking water.
A ministry to help young girls escape poverty
The girls Francine works with have often been violated, abused and sometimes rejected by the family when they divorce from early marriages. In Cote d’Ivoire, girls have less opportunity to attend school or continue their education. They have less access to information about HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The girls most vulnerable to HIV are those who are orphans, early school leavers, socially marginalized, migrants, and who live in impoverished conditions.
Francine has almost 150 girls in need of support. The program is a ministry of reconciliation, moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others. In many villages where her husband has planted churches, young girls are facing challenges. Many have been married at young age and some divorced after bad experiences. Many girls are now single mothers, and others are working in prostitution.
Francine’s vision is to empower and provide different skills to these girls. They are learning hairdressing, sewing, cooking and how to be a housemaid with the objective that these most vulnerable girls overcome extreme poverty.
Francine invites your prayers as she raises money and friends who can volunteer to construct a “Young Girls Center” where girls will be empowered and rehabilitate in the community. The center will work with young adolescents, aged 10 to 14, who are living with either one or no parent in rural, remote, or isolated geographic areas. Francine is eager to have a covenant relationship with individuals and churches who have the passion for making a difference for the glory of God.
Click here to learn more about Francine’s ministry and how you can support her on the Global Ministries website (#3022068).
Click here to learn more about Jean Claude’s ministry and how you can support him on the Global Ministries website (#3021390).
Click here to learn more and support “Evangelism and Church Planting Project” in the Cote d’Ivoire (#3021990).
