City Ministries of ECWA - Nigeria

Street children in Jos, Nigeria, come from poor families with too many children and no food. They also come from broken homes where the dad moved to Lagos or the mom just walked out. And from villages bound by superstition where youth get the blame when someone dies. There are gangs and beggars and boys who work the streets to generate alms income for the local mallum. No one thought of doing much about these kids until the mid 1990s when SIM missionaries decided to offer them food. It started as once a week and grew. Soon children came for food, medicine and genuine care. They also heard about Christ. A downtown center materialized with the name “Gidan Bege” meaning “House of Hope” in Hausa. It offered real hope for children and others. Widows, lepers, orphans, cripples and the generally marginalized, all found help. Children without homes soon had one as the work expanded to include CARE centers, residences built just for the kids. Within a few years City Ministries spread to additional cities following the pattern started in Jos. The result was several more “Gidan Bege” centers or “Mission Stations.” The ministry stays with the child or adult providing discipleship, education and the tools needed to become independent. In the case of needy children, extended family or family connections provide an avenue to return or “reconcile” back to regular Nigerian life whenever possible. Spiritual guidance is the key and the basic reason for all the work at City Ministries. See the results in the faces and lives of the hundreds in the program. Witness it especially as a child first walks into Gidan Bege and meets with a staff person: a meeting that often leads to a prayer to receive Jesus. Project Vision: To provide a safe haven for the destitute and homeless. To reach out with food, shelter and medical help to those with no other place to go. To love, educate and bring each of these to the Christ.