ALARM Combined Feed

ALARM Big Day of Giving 2015

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 19:16:42 +0000

September 11, 2015

My dear friends,

On behalf of the entire ALARM family, I want to express my deep gratitude for your participation and contribution yesterday. Because of you, we raised over $92,025—far exceeding our initial goal and our total from last year. With the matching funds, we raised a grand total of over $142,000 in ONE DAY!

ALARM Big Day of Giving was bigger than we dreamed. We are humbled and grateful for your partnership and continued support of the life-changing work of ALARM in East and Central Africa.

Thank you for standing with us as we enter our third decade of ministry. We believe the Gospel message of hope and healing is the only way forward for broken and hurting communities. And we KNOW one BIG day of giving really does lead to a lifetime of change in these places. Thanking God today for each one of you and the good work set before us.

We are honored to serve with you.

Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.

President and CEO

On September 10 (from 7 a.m. to midnight CST), ALARM will host a special one-day-only online initiative—ALARM Big Day of Giving, now in its second year. Mark your calendars now and join us for this special day of giving.

In 2014, friends of ALARM, with matching grants of $50,000, were able to raise an unbelievable $126,678—providing nearly 10 percent of ALARM’s general funds. That means in ONE day, we raised enough funds to cover nearly all of our overhead costs for the year in Burundi, D.R. Congo, and Tanzania combined! You turned our inaugural ALARM Big Day of Giving into a great day of generosity, and we cannot wait to see what unfolds this year as we prayerfully stretch our goal to meet the growing demands of our ministry.

If you’ve never been a part of a one-day, community-wide push to stand with the men and women of ALARM, would you consider joining us this year for ALARM’s Big Day of Giving? There is nothing quite like it! This annual fundraiser is the best opportunity for friends of ALARM to come together in a united effort to transform and bless the ministry of ALARM. With a generous $50,000 available again in matching funds, your donation will go even further on this special day.

Thank you for partnering with us to equip and empower the church in Africa to be agents of spiritual change, social transformation, and tribal reconciliation. As we enter our third decade of ministry and continue the work of transforming lives in East and Central Africa with the Gospel message of hope and healing to hurting communities, we need your support now more than ever. September 10 is the day.

What are YOU doing on September 10?

One big day of giving. A lifetime of change.

Make your gift on September 10 by visiting: alarm-inc.org/BigDay

You can download our calendar reminder HERE and then be sure to join us on September 10 from 7 a.m. to midnight (CST) at alarm-inc.org/BigDay. You can also sign up for our email list HERE and we will keep you up to date.

We have some resources available to help share on social media that you can download HERE. You can also post directly on Twitter now by CLIKCING THIS LINK.

Pray that September 10 will be a special day for the ministry of ALARM and for boldness as we strive to reach BIG goals.

New Rwanda Country Director

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 16:13:41 +0000

We are honored to welcome Mrs. Liberata Mukandekezi as the new ALARM Rwanda Country Director! Liberata received her master’s degree in business administration from Leicester University (England) and her bachelor’s degree from United States International University (USIU-Nairobi, Kenya).

From Rwanda, Liberata is an experienced manager working with both local and international organizations. Before joining ALARM, Liberata worked for Oxfam Great Britain and Compassion International in various roles.

Liberata is active in her home church in various ministry roles including preaching, women’s groups, leading Bible studies and prayer meetings.

Liberata lives in Kigali, Rwanda, with her husband, Mr. Froduald Munyankiko, and their three grown children. Please join us in welcoming Liberata to the ALARM Family!

2014 Annual Report

Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:16:33 +0000

We are delighted to share with you our brand-new 2014 annual report! With the support of our faithful friends, ALARM was able to train 15,205 Christian leaders in eight countries across East and Central Africa. Because of your faithful and generous support, we now celebrate the hope and peace that forever alter future generations through these trained servant leaders. 2014 also marked ALARM’s 20th anniversary and more than 100,000 leaders trained to date. That is cause to celebrate! We are so grateful for your partnership with us!

Click here to read or download our 2014 annual report.

Welcome The Newest Member of ALARM’s Family: Coffee!

Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:25:00 +0000

On the shores of Lake Kivu in Western Rwanda, the beautiful hills of Cyimbili were once home to one of Rwanda’s largest and most prominent coffee production plantations. With 24,000 plants, each producing about four pounds of coffee a year, Cyimbili provided sustainable jobs for many and stability for thousands in the community. Not only did it bring the people of Western Rwanda economic promise, its revenues continually offered hope to thousands of children and families who benefited from the school, church, and social services made available through its success.

But in 1994, everything changed.

The Rwandan Genocide forever altered the face of Cyimbili and the country of Rwanda when more than 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. As a result of the extreme violence and unrest, villagers found themselves with no clean water, electricity, sanitation, or access to basic needs like food and shelter. Production at the once-thriving coffee plantation stopped entirely, and the village was left to ruin. Hope had all but vanished.

Dr. Celestin Musekura knows firsthand. He attended high school in Cyimbili at the very school funded by the coffee plantation. The school and community gave new life and a future to Dr. Musekura. In response to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, Dr. Musekura established ALARM, which works to develop servant leaders who reconcile relationships, thereby transforming war-ravaged communities in East and Central Africa. Three years later, Dr. Musekura experienced the horror of genocide when members of his own family, along with 70 members from his home church and village, were murdered in revenge killings. He watched as the country he loved and the places of his youth, like Cyimbili, fell into chaos. But hope dies last.

In 2008, ALARM, in partnership with the Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda and Hope for a Thousand Hills, returned with an audacious dream—to rehabilitate the once-prosperous plantation back to its original form.

Today, Cyimbili Coffee Plantation is fully restored, operational, and buzzing with new life. There are more than 40,000 coffee trees and nearly 170 workers growing and harvesting coffee. With a new medical clinic, school, church, and two new water wells on site, there is once again hope in these hills. But, the work here is not yet done. We dream of the day Cyimbili is producing some of the world’s best coffee. More important, we dream of strong communities, transformation in the lives of everyday Rwandans, and hope for a sustainable future.

Twenty years ago we saw the complete destruction of a plantation and community. Today there is life again. Can a simple cup of coffee change lives? We sure think so. Just look to the hills of Cyimbili. They are full of hope.

U.S. House of Representatives Honors ALARM’s 20th Anniversary

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 21:23:57 +0000

Hon. Robert B. Aderholt of Alabama recognized ALARM’s 20th Anniversary in the United States House of Representatives on December 10, 2014. We are incredibly grateful for Congressman Aderholf and this prestigious honor! To read the full remark from the Congressional Record, visit: https://www.congress.gov/crec/2014/12/10/CREC-2014-12-10-pt1-PgE1771-5.pdf

ALARM Announces the Appointment of Mr. Athanase Ndayisaba as Vice President

Mon, 05 Jan 2015 18:25:11 +0000

DALLAS, TX. (January 5, 2015) - ALARM is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Athanase Ndayisaba as Vice President for Programs and Development. In this role, Ndayisaba will develop, drive, and strengthen fundraising strategies to advance the mission and vision of ALARM. Ndayisaba will be based in the ALARM Africa office (Nairobi, Kenya), and will be working with ALARM's eight country directors, as well as ALARM UK's Executive Director and the ALARM U.S. office (Dallas, TX).

Ndayisaba received his master's degree in sociology from the University of Nairobi (Nairobi, Kenya) and bachelor's degrees in Accounting and Business Administration & Management from Daystar University (Nairobi, Kenya).

Prior to arriving at ALARM, Ndayisaba served as country director for World Concern Chad (part of Crista Ministries based in Seattle, WA) and as a program manager for Geneva Global, Inc.

Ndayisaba lives in Nairobi, Kenya with his wife and four children.

Celebrating 20 Years

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:12:04 +0000

Dear friends,

2014 is a significant year for ALARM!

Twenty years ago this year, while visiting my family in a Rwandan refugee camp in Goma, Congo (then Zaire), the ministry of ALARM was born. Out of tragedy from the genocide in my home country, God gave me a vision of a strong Biblical Church in Africa transforming and reconciling communities. My commitment then, as it is today, is to see Christianity in Africa change from tribal to Biblical—where our identity in Christ supersedes our tribal identity.

What started in Rwanda 20 years ago with my wife Bernadette and I, God has now grown to eight countries—Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda—and a team of 55 dedicated African staff serving across East and Central Africa, eleven staff members in the U.S., and one in the U.K.

The journey, however, has not been easy. We experienced first-hand physical and emotional torture—hatred from both extreme Hutus and Tutsis who did not want to hear the message of forgiveness and reconciliation because of deep-seated desires for revenge. We experienced bombings in South Sudan before the peace agreement, and an ambush in Darfur, Sudan. Some of our staff have been tortured and threatened—intimidated because of confronting corrupt leaders and fighting for the rights of vulnerable widows and orphans against their own governments. But you, our friends and partners, stood with us and gave us strength to endure, persevere, and hope.

The African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go farther, go together,” has been true for us the last 20 years. Our partner churches, foundations, families, and friends like you have made it possible to witness the change and transformation of more than 100,000 Christian leaders in Africa. On this journey we have experienced many milestones, for which we are grateful to God and faithful partners who have walked this journey with us.

So today, we celebrate God’s faithfulness over the last two decades, but we also look ahead with anticipation for what God will do in the next 20 years. With the Lord’s help, ALARM will continue to strengthen the African Church by developing and equipping 200,000 Christian servant leaders in the church and marketplace.

It is my prayer that you will stand with us as we commit to train servant leaders who will reconcile and transform communities for future generations. Together we are stronger. Thank you for joining the journey with us!

Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.

President and CEO

It’s a bold goal.

But we believe in a BOLD God.

That is why we are committed to training 200,000 new servant leaders in the next twenty years.

Since 1994 we have witnessed the life-changing transformation that occurs in communities when African pastors and community leaders are equipped and empowered to lead well. Twenty years and 100,000 lives later, we know first-hand that hope and transformation in Africa are possible when local church and community leaders, trained in servant leadership, use their positions of influence for the good of their community and nation. We still believe Christ-centered leadership matters and commit to faithfully follow the call that started 20 years ago when a man from Rwanda stood in a refugee camp in D.R. Congo. Imagine what we can do together the next 20 years.

With your continued prayer, partnership, and commitment to developing Christian leaders, we are dreaming bold dreams that will profoundly impact Africans for generations to come.

We can’t do it without you.

ALARM UK’s New Executive Director

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 15:01:35 +0000

It’s an honor to welcome Mrs. Julienne Munyaneza to the ALARM family! Born in Rwanda, Julienne lives in Gloucester, UK, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Malachi Munyaneza, and their three children. Before joining ALARM UK, Julienne worked for the government of Rwanda as the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, focusing on women’s empowerment, gender equality, child protection, and family promotion. Pray for the Munyaneza family as Julienne begins her new role as executive director of ALARM UK.

ALARM UK is a UK-registered charity seeking to support the work of ALARM in Africa. To find out more about ALARM UK, read out blog HERE.

ALARM Big Day of Giving

Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:44:33 +0000

September 5, 2014

My dear faithful friends,

On behalf of the entire ALARM family, I want to express my deep gratitude for your participation and contribution yesterday. Because of you, we raised $76,280—far exceeding our initial goal of $50,000. With the matching funds, we raised a grand total of $126,678 in ONE DAY!

You turned our inaugural ALARM Big Day of Giving into a great day of generosity! You have uplifted and encourage all of us with your support!

Your generosity enables our ALARM staff to continue the work of transforming lives in eastern Africa with the Gospel message of hope and healing to hurting communities. Thank you for partnering with us to equip and empower the church in Africa to be agents of spiritual change, social transformation and tribal reconciliation.

 We are honored to serve with you.

 Grace and peace to you and your family,

Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.

President and CEO

UPDATE: On September 4, your gift to ALARM will now go even further! We are thrilled to announce that generous donors have offered up to $51,500 in matching funds for our Big Day of Giving. ALARM will now receive BONUS funds for every donation made from 7 a.m. to Midnight through alarm-inc.org/BigDay on September 4, 2014.

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On September 4, ALARM will host a special one-day online initiative—ALARM Big Day of Giving. This strategic fundraiser is an opportunity for friends of ALARM to come together in a united effort to see servant leaders raised up to reconcile broken tribal relationships for sustainable community transformation in East and Central Africa.

In recent years, ALARM has had the benefit of participating in Donor Bridge’s North Texas Giving Day, receiving a significant amount of financial resources from this annual event. This year ALARM learned that policies for the North Texas Giving Day had changed, requiring that participating organizations invest largely in the North Texas area. With this mandate excluding ALARM from eligibility, ALARM’s Big Day of Giving was born!

September 4 will be a special opportunity for ALARM’s friends to come together and connect with the ministry of ALARM in a strong way. For our partners who have supported ALARM in the past via this annual event, please mark your calendars for September 4; if you wait and look for us on Donor Bridge, you won’t find us. And if you’ve never been a part of a one-day, community-wide push to stand with the men and women of ALARM, would you consider joining us this year for ALARM’s Big Day of Giving?

Make your gift on Sept. 4th by visiting: alarm-inc.org/BigDay

VIDEO PREMIERE: I Carry…

Fri, 23 May 2014 13:26:45 +0000

Goma, D.R. Congo is the rape capital of the world. This is where ALARM lives and works, ministering to deeply victimized and traumatized women. ALARM Congo is dedicated to teaching and sharing God’s word that they are not forgotten. That they can be made whole again.

We are thrilled to share with you a brand-new video from filmmakers Paul and Sarah Stehlik about ALARM’s work in D.R. Congo. It’s a powerful look at women who have learned to let Jesus carry their fear, unforgiveness, and desire for revenge so that they can rediscover hope, joy and freedom.

ALARM Big Day of Giving: We Need YOUR Help!

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 14:13:44 +0000

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Dallas! I have just returned home after spending the last four weeks serving alongside our staff in D.R. Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. ALARM Africa staff members continue to boldly lead and serve communities who face incredible challenges, but also have vast opportunities for growth and change. My heart is full after witnessing our staff's faithfulness and commitment to transforming lives in Africa. I am more convinced than ever that the work of training servant leaders, engaging local communities in reconciliation and trauma healing, and bringing the gospel to the heart of Africa is the only way true change and peace will come. In many places, ALARM is the only ministry on the ground equipping our African brothers and sisters, and they rely on our faithfulness as they bring the gospel to the most broken. So once again, I humbly come to you in great anticipation of what God can accomplish when we are faithful to the work He has given us.

TOMORROW, September 10th, is our annual ALARM Big Day of Giving and we need your help.

Last year, friends of ALARM were able to raise an unbelievable $126,678—providing nearly 10 percent of ALARM’s general funds. In ONE DAY, we raised enough funds to cover nearly all of our overhead costs for the year in Burundi, D.R. Congo, and Tanzania combined!

With $50,000 in matching funds available again this year, your gift to ALARM tomorrow will go even further. Will you join us and give boldly? Visit alarm-inc.org/BigDay between 7 a.m. and midnight (CST) tomorrow (September 10th) to donate or for more information.

ALARM continues to be a testimony of God’s grace and a reminder that Africans have the potential to change Africa for better. My prayer is that God continues to grant ALARM the grace and wisdom to be His instrument in the healing, transformation, and reconciliation of Africa.

I am grateful for each of you as you stand with us in providing financial and spiritual support to our Africa staff. Together we are making a difference. What a privilege we have to co-labor and bring light into the darkness.

I pray you will stand with us tomorrow, as we commit TOGETHER, to empower African leaders to transform their communities. One big day of giving, a lifetime of change.

Grace to you all,

Celestin Musekura, Ph.D.

President & CEO

In Short Supply: Trained pastors are vital to lasting transformation but hard to come by

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:15:11 +0000

By Sarah Stehlik

Pastoral training doesn’t have quite the social fervor behind it as, say, clean water or fair trade. It doesn’t appear to carry the same sense of urgency as something like refugee aid. In today’s volatile landscape, where the news is a steady stream of one humanitarian crisis after another, something like “pastoral training” might not seem breathtakingly vital.

But it is.

After living in Rwanda for almost three years, I think pastoral training is the most important thing ALARM does.

During our time in East Africa, we have visited many churches. When it comes to the vast majority of them, we’ve heard a lot of prosperity gospel, we’ve heard a lot of moralism and legalism, and we’ve heard a lot of shouting about the devil. But we have heard very little gospel. Very little Biblical exposition, very little straightforward teaching on what it means to live everyday life as a follower of Christ.

If the church is to be the salt of the earth--if it is to be the light of the world--yet it is full of Biblical illiteracy, spiritual error, immaturity, and corrupt, abusive leadership, then where does that leave people? Consider Rwanda in 1994. As much as 90 percent of the population were professing Christians, but look at the devastation that can unfold in the vacuum of a church that is neither salt nor light.

It is hard for us to remember sometimes. It is hard for those living in the land of bookstores, libraries, amazon.com, podcasts, and constant online access to virtually every kind of information anyone could want…it is hard to remember and fully appreciate what the opportunity for Biblical and pastoral training means to a rural pastor in East Africa. It means a lot.

When leaders like Pastor Nahimana in Gihorwe, Rwanda, are taught how to open up God’s Word and feed their communities with Truth, the impact is beyond what you can measure with numbers and statistics. The kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus, is not like data that can be quantified and analyzed. It is like a mustard seed that begins as the smallest kernel of potential and grows into this great, living, life-giving thing. And while initiatives such as public health, economic development, and education are worthy investments and important avenues when it comes to loving our neighbors, they are not a substitute for the power of God’s Word and God’s Spirit to redeem broken people and transform broken communities. God’s Word brings hope and healing, not only for the vapor that is this life, but for life beyond.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Gospel-centered pastors are in short supply. As we follow Jesus’ command to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers…” we also have the privilege of partnering with Him in teaching and training those laborers. Laborers like Pastor Nahimana, who are willing to spend their lives to see communities transformed by the truth and grace of Christ.

When you give on ALARM’s Big Day of Giving on September 10, you are equipping pastors with the gospel training they need to effectively transform their communities. Well-trained pastors in Africa’s most tribally divided communities are in short supply--but they don’t have to be. Will you join us in training pastors who will work faithfully to change their communities? With $50,000 in matching funds, your gift on September 10 will go even further. Visit alarm-inc.org/BigDay between 7 a.m. and midnight (CST) on September 10 to donate or for more information.

Special thanks to Paul and Sarah Stehlik who have spent the last 3 years living in Rwanda with their family helping tell the story of Pastor Nahimana and countless others ALARM serves in Africa.

Saving Sudan: God’s Work in Impossible Situations

Tue, 04 Aug 2015 14:30:23 +0000

Christians are in short supply in Sudan. As the long-standing minority, they make up only 1 to 3 percent of the population of 34 million people. Before separation from South Sudan in 2011, Sudan had relatively well-trained church leaders, but after separation, most of these leaders left (or were forced to leave), and the Church that remains has been weakened by infighting and racial tension. Rather than speaking truth and love, church leaders have too often responded to the local religious, ethnic, racial, and political conflicts just like everyone else—calling for violent retribution and revenge rather than forgiveness and reconciliation. As it stands, the Church in Sudan is essentially made up of traumatized, ill-trained pastors who are leading traumatized and undiscipled congregations. The situation is urgent. If pastors are not encouraged and equipped to lead their churches well, to teach and disciple their parishioners to embrace their identity in Christ, then the Church will continue to fracture and fail to fulfill its prophetic role of calling people to lives of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

It is in this environment that, in addition to various leadership and discipleship programs, ALARM has initiated a three-year program to equip pastors to meet the unique challenges of their environment, including making peace and building bridges between Muslims and Christians. The miraculous results have demonstrated the power and grace of God to work in impossible situations.

Like the Sudanese pastor who lost all of his fingers when he was tortured 20 years ago and, since that time, has been consumed with anger, hate, and the desire for revenge. After attending ALARM’s workshop, he publicly forgave those who tortured him and has now started his own peacebuilding ministry.

Or the imam and university professor who thanked a pastor in a room full of Muslim and Christian leaders for helping him resolve a conflict with a fellow Muslim leader.

And then there is the Christian pastor and Muslim imam who recently attended an ALARM interfaith workshop in Sudan—striking up a friendship after their time together. Several months after the conference, the area where they lived and worshiped experienced flooding in which many homes and buildings were destroyed, including the pastor’s church. On the day designated for rebuilding, the unbelievable happened when the imam and a large group of Muslims from the mosque arrived at the construction site to help rebuild the church. This act of kindness shocked and encouraged the Christians, and since then, the two groups have come together to gather relief supplies for refugees from South Sudan. Christians and Muslims working hand in hand to strengthen their community looks a lot like God’s saving grace in Sudan.

ALARM’s Sudanese staff is committed to the high calling of strengthening the Church to shine its Light before men, that they may see these good deeds and praise our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). In the midst of seemingly impossible situations and the many challenges inherent in living in Sudan, our staff is encouraged daily by God’s faithful provision and protection in difficult circumstances.

Leah M. Boyd, Esq.

Director of Justice Initiatives

Photo: Church service in Sudan

One Life, Many Transformations

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:06:28 +0000

Some transformations strike with immediate force.

Like when you watch a Karamajong cattle rustler put a bullet through your mother—when she dies in your arms, and you spend hours hiding under your bed until another gunman discovers you and drags you out into the open. You change in a split second. It “disorganizes the mind,” as Juliet says. “It seemed I was transformed--like there was no human being left in me. I looked at humans like beasts, like wild animals.”

But other transformations unfold over time.

The first day Juliet attended an ALARM Women’s Conference in Kampala, Uganda, she held her bitterness tightly. The facilitators spoke about forgiveness, and all she could think was, “You don’t know.” She nurtured that resistance until the third day of the conference, when things grew more complicated for her: Celestin Musekura shared his own story of loss, forgiveness, and how reconciliation is truly possible. She was so desperate that she was finally willing to do anything—to surrender fully to the grace and power of Christ at last.

A new transformation began. She will tell you she left the conference a changed woman, but that it was not enough for her. She did not want to forgive in theory only but to reconcile practically with those who had wronged her. She calls it “the yardstick—to measure if I have really forgiven.”

When she traveled to Karamoja the first time, to offer a place in her home and in her school for their most vulnerable children, she was despised. A Karamajong widow, with bitter reluctance, sent her youngest son with Juliet out of sheer desperation. Three school terms later, she was changed by what she had seen Christ do in her son through Juliet. “And when that woman died,” Juliet says, “she died with Christ.” Transformation.

Juliet’s own family was furious with this vision of reconciliation. “Have you forgotten our mother?” they accused…until they saw the beauty of the love of Christ lived out and embraced it themselves. Transformation.

“They come with nothing,” Juliete says of her students, “and it is the prayer of my heart that they go back and change their communities, that they win men for Christ.” Transformation.

The day the Lord reached out to one woman at an ALARM Women’s Conference, we now see He was also reaching out to families and entire communities—one life, many transformations. Juliet says it best, “Come, and see what God is doing!”

Special thanks to our filmmakers Paul and Sarah Stehlik for helping us tell the story of Juliete and countless others ALARM serves in Africa.

Signs of Hope in a Hopeless Situation

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 16:07:15 +0000

During the last 20 years of ALARM, I have encountered dangerous situations—but never have I been caught in a country where a coup d’état unfolded. On May 13, we had just concluded a two-day consultation for Burundi church leaders in preparation for the upcoming elections when mutinous soldiers announced on private radio that they had overthrown the government.

For four days we were stranded in Bujumbura—a city that was potentially going to experience extreme violence—because all flights in and out Bujumbura were canceled. But I don’t believe my delay was an accident, because God showed me something incredibly special during this time.

The night before we were finally able to leave Bujumbura, a friend of mine—a high-ranking police officer—visited me in my hotel room. We had not been in conversation long when a voice on the other side of his radio said, “We caught dozens of youth who were throwing bottles and rocks at us—and they might have been involved in burning a member of another group. What do we do? Should we kill them?” After he instructed his subordinate to stay calm and make sure the youth were safe and protected, he looked at me and said:

“Five years ago, if ALARM had not trained me and other Christian police officers on the Christian view of sanctity of life, human rights, and dignity, and on how to serve as servant leaders and agents of reconciliation, my answer could have been, ‘Yes, kill those rebels.’”

My eyes and ears could not believe what he was saying! My heart was rejoicing while at the same time my body was trembling. How can people have such power in their hands and heads to save or kill human beings? I learned that night that if ALARM-Burundi had changed just this one man, our struggles would have been justified. But this is not the end of the story.

On Friday and Saturday, two days after we concluded the training, we were receiving text messages and phone calls from the pastors we had just trained. They were already using what we taught them to advise, encourage, and exhort the youth in their churches not to join the demonstrators on the street who were violently burning others from different parties and throwing rocks and broken bottles at the police. We thought we were preparing them for elections in a few months; we did not know they would need those tools and skills just a day after the training! In four days I saw the fruit of the past seven years come together to bear life-changing results in a deadly situation. It was truly a sign of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

I am grateful to God for partners and friends of ALARM who provide financial and prayer resources that enable our staff in Burundi, D.R. Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda to develop servant leaders, reconcile relationships, and transform their communities.

Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Behind the Scenes: Kapchorwa, Uganda

Fri, 01 May 2015 17:57:21 +0000

Have you met the Stehlik’s? If not, you really should! Paul and Sarah Stehlik, along with their three sons, are on a three-year mission in East Africa to tell the stories about the work God is doing in and through the ministry of ALARM.

Paul spent a week recently filming the story of a remarkable woman in rural, far eastern Uganda—a woman who once staggered under the weight of rage and violence. But she doesn’t anymore. It’s not that she doesn’t know hard things… like the injustice of a gun pointed at someone she loves, stealing a life away right before her eyes. She does. But she also knows the Redeemer. And He changed everything for her and is changing a community through her.

We’re so grateful to Paul for putting together this story to share with everyone soon, but in the meantime, we thought you might enjoy a quick look behind the scenes. If you were ever curious what it’s like to capture ALARM's stories, take a few minutes and follow Paul to Kapchorwa, Uganda…

To learn more about the Stehlik's and their work in Africa, visit thestehlikchronicles.com

Frontline Heroes

Fri, 01 May 2015 17:50:24 +0000

FRONTLINE

adjective | front·line | \ˈfrənt-ˌlīn\

1. located or designed to be used at a military front line.

2. of, relating to, or involving the forefront in any action, activity, or field:

3. highly experienced or proficient in the performance of one’s duties.

Since the 1994 Rwandan Genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus, the ALARM staff have been my frontline heroes. They have been on the frontline of training, coaching, and equipping pastoral and professional Christian leaders to fight against tribal Christianity, Biblical and theological illiteracy, social injustice, corrupt and self-serving leadership in the church and community, tribalism and ethnic violence, demonization and dehumanization of neighbors who are different (in tribe, ethnicity, religion, or race), and the radicalization of our youth.

Why are ALARM staff members heroes of mine? Because they remain on the frontline when most Christian organizations, especially Western organizations, leave their posts because of insecurity, tribal violence, political turmoil, terrorism attacks—the list can go on and on. As a friend observed on his visit to Kenya in 2008, “When most organizations are running out of the tribal fire, ALARM staff are running in to help pastors care for those who have been traumatized by the brutality.”

When most missionary and relief organizations left South Sudan for safety during the recent tribal crisis between the Dinka and Nuer tribes, Bishop John Gattek Wallam (Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Bentiu Diocese) wrote his colleague, American Bishop Jerry Drino, saying:

“ALARM is the only organization working for all tribes, without discrimination, even within this current crisis of South Sudan. ALARM was the first organization to have access to the IDP [Internally Displaced Persons] camps in Juba that are under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) right from January 2014 to date. This week, they had a two-day training on trauma healing, which was attended by Nuer, Dinka, and Murle pastors [tribes that are actually killing each other in South Sudan].”

This February, these frontline heroes of mine met together in Nairobi for a staff retreat, joined by their spouses, our U.S. staff and some of our American partners and friends to minister to and encourage them. Indeed, it takes a strong home base to have frontline heroes, and our partner churches, families, and friends in the United States have been a constant support base for our staff. But without your continued support, prayer, giving—and yes, sometimes even your presence alongside our staff on the battlefield—the ministry of ALARM would not be possible. It takes allies to win the war. May I introduce to you, pictured above, my frontline heroes.

Rev. Célestin Musekura, Ph.D.
President and CEO

Never Forget - 21st Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:54:23 +0000

21 years ago this week, more than 800,000 people were killed in 100 days in ‎Rwanda. The Rwandan Genocide demonstrated the desperate need for African leaders who are willing to put the needs of their constituents first and who will work to resolve long-standing, deep-seated tribal and ethnic conflicts. ALARM stepped into this gap in 1994 and continues to develop servant leaders who reconcile relationships and transform communities.

“For Christians, the Rwanda Genocide is a reminder that when your tribal or racial identity trumps your Christian identity, the Church loses its salt and light in the community.” —Celestin Musekura, Ph.D.

May we never forget.

Use It Well

Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:51:22 +0000

“Being a pastor—it’s hard work, and it’s good also. Because even Bible tell us that the little you have, use it well.” —Geoffrey Okello

Once a rebel soldier, Geoffrey Okello is now a husband, father, farmer, pastor, and a graduate of ALARM’s three-year Pastoral Leadership Training Institute.

We talk a lot about training local African leaders and pastors, but sometimes it’s hard to understand the full scope of that work until you see it for yourself, which is why we are thrilled to share with you our brand-new video, “Use It Well.”

Before ALARM’s training in Uganda, Geoffrey didn’t know how to prepare a sermon or help the members of his congregation deal with their conflicts. He didn’t know how to show them the Biblical call to forgiveness and love.

We are honored to share Pastor Geoffrey’s story with you—a story that represents thousands of others who have been through ALARM’s training programs. A story that shows us all what it looks like to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ. May we follow Geoffrey’s lead and use it well.

youtube.com/ALARMinc

Special thanks to our filmmakers Paul and Sarah Stehlik for helping us tell the story of Pastor Geoffrey and countless others ALARM serves in Africa.

Under The Shade Tree

Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:54:00 +0000

Under a small grove of shade trees deep in the heart of Rwanda, the kingdom of God is on full display. Mutilated and left for dead at the Ntarama Church massacre, Alisa survived the unthinkable. What happened next has brought a taste of heaven to earth.

Very few countries have had to tackle the aftermath of a conflict in which hundreds of thousands were killed by hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens like Rwanda had to do following the genocide in 1994. As cases and suspects became identified, the number of individuals facing prosecution rose to 400,000, an impossible task for even the most advanced of nations. To handle this, the government re-established an old village system of justice called “Gacaca.”

Pronounced ga-cha-cha, the word means the grass or the lawn—symbolic for a gathering place. Under the shade trees, villagers would gather with informal judges, respected individuals chosen from the community, and listen to the testimony of the accused and their victims. The Gacaca panel of judges then had the authority to pass judgment: prison or freedom.

One fateful morning in 1994, Alisa and her family fled to the local church in Ntarama to seek refuge from the incoming Hutus at the height of the genocide. Her husband and baby were tragically murdered, and Alisa’s hand was chopped off, a spear run through her left shoulder, and her head cut by a machete. She was left for dead but miraculously survived.

Nearly 10 years later, she came to know a new kind of life through faith in Jesus and began to pray that one day she would be able to forgive. She became involved in the community and was selected to serve as a judge on a Gacaca court. It was then, in 2003, that Alisa came face to face with Emmanuel.

He stood before her in the Gacaca courts and struggled to confess his involvement in the genocide, including the killing of 20 people in three separate attacks. He remembered Alisa. He remembered chopping off her hand and leaving her for dead. Emmanuel stood before Alisa that day and asked for her forgiveness. In that holy moment, the shade-tree court became a place where forgiveness was shared and reconciliation began between torturer and tortured.

Today, at the Village of Testimony and Forgiveness, villagers gather for a weekly meeting to tell stories and give testimonies of the ongoing work of reconciliation and rebuilding in their community. Among them are torturers, prisoners, refugees, and genocide survivors. Alisa is the president. Emmanuel is the vice president. The group started in 2003 as a way to heal the community, and ALARM has been walking alongside them in this gospel work of forgiveness, reconciliation, and care for the community that Alisa and Emmanuel lead together. Victim and killer serving side by side.

In a village there was once a shade-tree court that represented division and justice. But now, villagers gather alongside Alisa and Emmanuel and bear witness to the One who is making all things new.

Pictured: Alisa (left) and Emmanuel (right) with Cécile Nyiramana, ALARM-Rwanda’s peacebuilding coordinator

Special thanks to Keith Hileman from Trinity Fellowship Church for capturing the story of Alisa and Emmanuel while on an ALARM trip to Rwanda.