Compassion Togo held its first Pastors’ Conference

© Afreepress (Lomé, April, the 11th 2014) — “Church Development Strategies including partnership with Compassion”. This was the theme that brought together Compassion International Togo and its church partners on April 3, 2014 at FOPADESC in Lomé.

Nearly a hundred pastors and several church committee members have responded to the call of Compassion International Togo to relook at children’s situation across the country. It was the National Director of Compassion Peter Komlavi Ataty who opened the Conference with words of welcome and thanks to pastors and church committee members who responded to the call. He also recalled the context in which this conference was planned and stated that it is the role of the church to take care of children. For Mr. Ataty, if the church refuses to take care of children, it is rejecting his call, for the Lord Himself love children.

Rev. Dr. John Laba, the current Spiritual Formation Advisor of Compassion in Africa (former Area Director of Compassion International in West Africa), was the main speaker of the day. In his presentation, Dr. Laba explained the need for the church to care for children. For him, it is a biblical mandate and any serious church pursuing the same goal as the Lord Jesus should not forget it. He also made observations about children’s situation in churches and communities, how they are quickly forgotten and ignored. According to him, it is an aberration when a church, instead of encouraging children for a better future, discourages them. He seized the opportunity to invite pastors and church committee members to reflect on the context of children and especially to be prepared to defend them. "Every church should have a development plan and a development plan must include children. What do we want them to become? A church that has no place for the child has no future. Likewise, a nation that has no place for the child destroys its own future," he stressed.

The conference ended with the ratification of partnership contracts between Compassion International Togo and its 99 church partners.

To recall, Compassion International is a Christian NGO that exists to advocate for children by releasing them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty. Compassion International was opened in Togo since 2008 and has more than 20,000 children in the Sponsorship Program and about 210 children and mothers in the Child Survival Program. It also helps communities to solve major challenges like Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Water related diseases, lack of safe water, lack of school classes, by providing those communities with trainings, water filters, mosquito nets, school classes and boreholes.

By B.A.