Rwanda Church Improvement and Ministry Expansion Project

Construction and improvement of facilities for worship, ministry and administration.

The United Methodist Church in Rwanda is rapidly growing, but faces several significant challenges. The first challenge is the lack of adequate church facilities in most districts. The Rwandan government has passed legislation containing strict requirements for church facilities. Among these requirements are that each church campus must measure at least 5000 square meters and must have a garden and adequate parking, in addition to modern toilet and sanitary facilities. Many United Methodist churches in Rwanda do not meet the government’s requirement and are in danger of being closed. Most United Methodist churches in Rwanda have small sanctuary spaces that are inadequate for conducting ministry and community outreach activities. There is a significant need for church facilities that have large enough spaces to support ministry and community activities as well as worship and a parsonage for the pastor. Also, at present, no adequate spaces exist to house conference and district administrative activities or ministries that will meet the educational, vocational and child-care needs of Rwandan communities.

The project will provide church facilities that conform with current government guidelines and have adequate space in which to conduct worship, ministry, community outreach, and conference or district administrative and training activities. The project will also construct facilities in which pre-school activities, secondary education, and vocational training can be conducted. This will provide stability, promote church ministry, and instigate growth of the church.

The primary goal of the project is increase the permanent United Methodist presence in Kigali, the Kibungo district, the Gisenyi area, and important locations in Rwanda by building church structures and campuses that meet the specifications of the Rwandan government, expands the potential for United Methodist ministries and witness, and provide space for community use, conference and district activities, worship, local church ministries, evangelism, leadership development and church growth. This goal includes construction of facilities that will provide space for conducting important community outreach activities such as pre-school, secondary education and vocational training activities in towns such as Remera, Mahoko and Nyakibila. The project will eliminate the threat of governmental church closings, improve the evangelism and ministry capacities of local congregations and increase educational opportunities by providing affordable and accessible education for children, secondary education for youth, and vocational training opportunities. This will result in a higher level of children prepared to enroll in formal education, stimulate cooperative activities among parents, increase the intellectual and skill level of the communities, assist the social and economic development of local communities and the nation, reduce the level of unemployment and poverty in the community, and raise the level of hope among unemployed youth by offering possibilities for generating income in the near future.

The success of this project resides first in raising the funds needed to purchase land, to begin and complete construction of regulation-compliant facilities, and commence education, ministry, community outreach and conference-related activities in the completed facilities. Success of the project will also be indicated by: 1. having no United Methodist churches closed by the Rwandan government due to a lack of adequate facilities. 2. an increased number of children who have received a pre-school education (target 20% annually) 3. An increase in the number of youth from impoverished families enrolled in secondary school (25%) and corresponding higher secondary school graduation/completion rate for students (20% increase in completion rate). 4. Reduction community unemployment and poverty levels (20% or greater). 5. Less youth-related infractions in the community 6. increased church attendance (target: 25% by December, 2019), increased participation in United Methodist activities by local community members, and the establishment of new United Methodist ministries in by local churches.