Vol. 7: No. 2
May 29, 2019

Ministry of Word and Deed in Karamoja: 

A Fresh Perspective from a First Time Visitor

by Rev. Chris Cashen, Missionary Deacon Subcommittee, Committee on Diaconal Ministries,

The Word of God shared with those waiting at the OP Uganda Mission's medical clinic

EXCERPT:

Usually when I anticipate experiencing something new, I create an image in my mind as to what I expect to see. However, in May 2019, when I was given the extraordinary opportunity of visiting the OP Uganda Mission with Mark Bube and David Nakhla, any pictures I had created were quickly erased.

Uganda is a land of wonder and great possibilities for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The land is beautiful; full of wildlife, majestic mountains, and flat lands. And what I found to be most glorious was the work that the Lord is doing in and through our missionaries at the mission station in Karamoja...

One of the OPC’s first works in Karamoja was the establishment of a medical clinic in 2001. From intake, to getting vital signs, to lab work, to nurses, this is a full service, modern, loving, medical clinic -- in the middle of the African bush... 

Missionary deacon/doctor Flip Baardman's dedication to providing the best care and showing the love of Christ is evident in his gentle manner...

Like Jesus, the clinic is not merely where one can receive loving, tender-hearted help for physical ailments. It is also where the word of God can bring to life broken and dead hearts. On the morning that I visited the clinic, as patients gathered in the open-air waiting area, missionary David Robbins entered with a translator to open the word of God...

Monday through Friday, men and women come to the gate of the mission compound seeking work for the day. It was such a tremendous encouragement to see that, as they waited at the entrance, facilities engineer/missionary deacon Mark Van Essendelft delivered a brief devotional. It was translated into Karamojong, and was targeted at their hearts. After the devotional, the group (which could number 60 or 70) set off to their respective work places...

Top: Devotional delivered by Mark Van Essendelft to those waiting for work.
Middle: Typical home in Karamoja; David Nakhla and Mark Van Essendelft.
Lower: Clinic staff member with Dr. Flip Baardman; local church meeting place.

CDM Administrator's Report:
Spring 2019

by David Nakhla

L to R: Joel King, Seth Long, John Voss, Ron de Ru, Ron Pearce, Al Zarek, David Nakhla, Nathan Trice, Chris Cashen, Chris Sudlow

The spring meeting of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries took place March 28-29, 2019, at Matthews OPC in Matthews, NC. Here's a quick overview of some of what took place.

The CDM continued the discussion it had begun at the fall 2018 meeting, formulating a proposed vision for its labors over the next ten years. Due to some large financial commitments made recently, the CDM realized there is the prospect of leaner years ahead, unless the Lord were to surprise the committee with giving that exceeds the norm received by the CDM.

At this meeting, the CDM determined to continue its funding of:

• The OP Uganda Mission's medical clinic in Nakaale.
• The clinic director, missionary deacon/doctor Flip Baardman, MD.
• Facilities engineer/missionary deacon, Mark Van Essendelft, who labors in Karamoja.
• The drilling of wells for the village churches in Mbale.
• The ministry expenses of evangelist Chris Cashen, who serves refugees in Clarkston, GA.
• The ministry expenses of evangelist Nick Lammé, who continues the outreach to hurricane victims in Houston, TX.

Plans were discussed for the Presbytery Diaconal Summit for members of presbytery diaconal committees in October 2019, and the National Diaconal Summit for all deacons in 2021.

Mr. Christopher Sudlow reported on his recent visits to four OPC churches as part of the Diaconate Visitation Program to which the CDM has assigned him. It was apparent that much is being learned from this field work.

The fall meeting of the CDM is scheduled for October 31-November 1, 2019, in Willow Grove, PA. Please pray for the committee in its many labors.

A Resolution of Thanks to The Rev. Ron Pearce

The Committee on Diaconal Ministries of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church hereby resolves to thank The Rev. Ron Pearce, upon his retirement from service, as follows:

Dear Ron,

Your heart of compassion for the needy within reach of the CDM’s ministry has been an inspiring example to all of us of the heart of our Lord Jesus for the poor.

Your steadfast commitment to the work of our committee over the course of eighteen years has contributed profoundly to the stability and increasing maturity of our ministry.

Your careful attention to the details of our work, and capturing them as our secretary (even anticipating some of them!) has been utterly indispensable to our achievements.

Your gracious and humble way of expressing yourself in our deliberations has been a model to all of us of what a churchman, doing the work of the church, looks like.

Your wit and infectious laugh has time and again sweetened our labors together, and contributed deeply to the Christian friendship we’ve enjoyed together. 

Your godly character and reputation within the OPC have lent credibility and winsomeness to our committee’s relationship to the larger Church;

In short, your “fullness of wisdom and of the Spirit” (Acts 6:3) have exemplified for all of us the true qualifications for diaconal service in the church of Jesus Christ.

Ron, we are deeply grateful for your eighteen years of continuous service on the Committee on Diaconal Ministries. We view your retirement with a deep sense of loss, yet with the happy awareness that by your diaconal service with us you have gained “a good standing for yourself, and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:13).  And we look forward with you to the commendation of our master one day: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25: 21, 23).

Missionary Deacon/Doctor Update

Photo of Dr. Baardman from video on OP Uganda Mission by missionary Christopher Verdick

Flip Baardman, MD, missionary deacon, doctor, and director of Akysion A Yesu Presbyterian Clinic (AYPC) in Nakaale, Uganda, provided a brief update to the CDM at the time of its spring meeting in March:

• We saw 14.000 patients in 2018! Lord willing we can increase this number even more in 2019.
• Last month our chaplain returned to Kenya. He had worked for the mission for many years so it was a disappointment to us when he left, especially since we were planning on expanding the ministry of the word at the clinic.
• I am busy training on the new ultrasound machine. We hope to start using it in a couple of months.
• In July, I will be in the USA for two weeks to complete my tropical medicine training.
• In 2018, we were able to improve our obstetric care. Since hiring the midwife, there have been many more women delivering at the clinic.
• With AYPC Administrator Christopher Verdick on furlough, my work has shifted a bit from seeing patients and supervising the staff to doing more administrative/logistic tasks. Although I am enjoying it and it is good to develop these skills, I look forward to Christopher's return so that I can again focus more on interacting with patients.

Working at the clinic has really been a privilege. I enjoy the work and managing the staff. We thank our Lord for the great things he has done through your support, and pray there may be many more to come.

Refugee Relief Update

Grace Ann Cashen with a refugee whose family she and Chris are sheltering in their home; at Niagara Falls after an immigration court hearing in New York state 

Rev. Christopher Cashen, Evangelist to refugees in Clarkson, GA, provided a brief update to the CDM at the time of its spring meeting in March:

The ministry to sojourners, or those seeking refuge, continues here in Clarkston, Georgia. We praise God for the opportunities He has provided thus far.

• We have rented an apartment in one of the many apartment complexes in Clarkston that provides a central and consistent location for ministry.
• Helping with homework appears to be a key to drawing children. It also allows us time to share a bible passage. Students from Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Mexico, and Tanzania attend the program.
• The need for those from all nations to acquire English in order to function and survive opens doors for mercy, as well as gospel, ministry.
• We are trying to figure out a way to teach people from various nations/languages in a single group. I anticipate using funds to purchase bibles, as well as tablets that may help in translation.
• We are supporting a family that fled Congo in May 2018 as a result of political persecution. The family is living in our home and I am representing them in their petition for asylum. They are worshiping with us at Redeemer OPC in Atlanta, which provides an opportunity for the broader church to step in and share the love of Christ in a biblical and tangible way.
• I continue to teach youth at a local Ethiopian church. The children appear hungry for the truths of Scripture, and I have been blessed to be able to teach them reformed doctrine. An Ethiopian pastor who has been working with OPC Foreign Missions plans to come to the Clarkston area next month. It is our hope and prayer that he will be able to join in the Clarkston ministry as there are many Ethiopians in the area, and no one, to our knowledge, is teaching reformed Christianity.
• There is also the possibility of working with the PCA’s Mission to the World work here in the Clarkston area.

Prayer Requests:

• For wisdom as we seek to promote the ministry to the local community, as well as to the OPC.
• For insight as we try to discern if the Lord would have us establish a second place of ministry in the Clarkson area.
• For more volunteers for the after-school program, English program, and visitation with refugee parents in their homes.

We are very thankful for the prayers and financial support provided by the Committee on Diaconal Ministries.

Registration is Open for PDS IV

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