Welcome to the Summer edition of Impetus.
As the summer season unfolds, we’re excited to share our latest news and updates with you all. Don’t miss the powerful article from our partner, Daniel Deng Bol, detailing the opportunities and challenges of ministry in South Sudan.
Enjoy, and thank you, as ever, for your generous and prayerful support for APF.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to the Spring edition of Impetus. The first quarter of 2025 has been busy and productive, as I hope you will appreciate as you read our latest news. Enjoy, and thank you, as ever, for your generous and prayerful support for APF.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Happy New Year!
Welcome to Impetus. January 2025 marks my 10th anniversary as CEO of APF. During that time there have been many encouragements, a few setbacks, a pandemic, and the major innovation for APF being a digital tool – the eVitabu app.
As an organisation, APF has embraced ministry in the digital age in terms of delivery of training and resources in Africa, but also as a tool for communications with donors and supporters in the UK. Whether we like it or not, for the majority of our readers digital media has become an ‘embedded, embodied, and everyday’ fact of life.
With this in mind APF is changing the way we communicate with supporters. Impetus has become a streamlined eight-page journal, and much more regular email and social media updates will be posted online.
This will increase the frequency with which we share up-to-date stories, encouragements and prayer needs, but also reduce the amount of printed material and mailing costs to the charity. We are confident this is the trajectory of travel for charity communication and will result in strengthened relationships with supporters.
To receive more regular digital updates by email instead of a printed copy of Impetus, click here and complete the online sign-up form.
I hope you continue to find Impetus informative and encouraging, and we remain grateful for all your support in prayer, giving or any other way.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to Impetus.
At the time of writing, I have just arrived in Uganda to prepare for a major conference being hosted by APF at the campus of Pastors’ Discipleship Network in Kampala. The conference will gather around 35 representatives from our key African training partners from across eastern and southern Africa, together with APF personnel from the UK and Kenya.
By the time you are reading this, I will probably be back in the UK and Geoff will have travelled on to Tanzania. We anticipate the conference will have been an important inspirational and strategic opportunity to review APF operations in Africa, especially eVitabu uptake and impact, and explore some future possibilities: hearing the voices of our African brothers and sisters.
The conference is set against the backdrop of the lead articles in this edition: a new round of church closures in Rwanda, and the need to respond and help in appropriate ways; and the sudden loss of our dear friend and long-standing partner, Bishop Lloyd Chizenga in Malawi. No sooner will I return to the UK and, after 40 days of mourning has passed, there is the need to plan an urgent but unexpected visit to Malawi in the autumn. This will be to stand with Lloyd’s family in their loss, and meet with those who will succeed Lloyd as overseers of the 200+ congregations comprising the New Life Christian Church network.
One of my favourite memories of Lloyd was on an early visit I made to Malawi. Driving on the road south from Blantyre to the Shire Valley with Malawi to my right and Mozambique to my left, we paused so I could sample mbewa (boiled salted mice or rats on a stick). I rarely refuse food but, on this occasion, I made my excuses, which Lloyd found hilarious. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
It is always a great privilege to be able to offer personal, pastoral and political support to our African partners but it does mean substantial additional cost, much of which could not have been anticipated. If you are able to make a gift to help meet some of these needs, or were planning to make a gift later in the year but could do so now, that would be a huge help as we prayerfully seek to respond to these, and so many other, needs.
As always, with our thanks and gratitude,
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to Impetus.
At the time of writing I am taking a break from checking through the footnotes of my final dissertation for the Masters in Digital Theology I commenced a little over two years ago. The title of my research project is ‘The Smart Pastor’ and it is an in-depth exploration of the training needs and opportunities for church leaders in Africa in our digital age.
I want to take this moment to publicly thank the trustees of APF for allowing me the chance to study. I realise this debt of gratitude places me in a similar category to the thousands of African pastors who benefit from access to training, resources and encouragement through the ministry of APF.
To celebrate the completion of my course I am inviting APF supporters to participate in an online digital theology taster session later in the year. This will be similar in content to the sessions I have presented in Africa over the past two years. Details of when these will take place will be published in the next edition of Impetus, but it would be helpful to get an indication of interest, so please drop me an email if you think this might be something you would like to join.
In the meantime, I hope you find the articles and updates in this edition of Impetus inspiring and informative. Thank you, as ever, for your prayers and financial support as APF works to enable effective ministry in Africa through our dedicated training partners.
In Christ,
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to the first Impetus of 2024.
In November and December, I spent nearly five weeks in Africa engaging with partners, teaching at conferences, monitoring projects and making new connections.
Among the highlights were a few days spent with Walubo Jude in Kamuli district in Uganda. There were two eVitabu workshops in churches, hospitality included six meals in one day, and around 500 trees planted at two different schools.
I planted the mahogany tree in this picture at Bulogo Primary School on one of my first trips to Africa as APF CEO. Its growth is remarkable! Somehow it symbolises the reach and influence of APF, especially through eVitabu and our dedicated African Training Partners in the intervening years.
Let us commit to pray for one another – and all we work alongside in Africa – that throughout 2024 each one might be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:3).
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to the latest edition of Impetus.
We have to let you know some important banking changes…
The increasing frequency and size of international transfers we’re making to support dedicated pastors serving in remote and marginalised parts of Africa is great news to us and those we work with. However, supporting church leaders in insecure parts of Africa appears to have posed a challenge for our bank.
About a month ago, we were contacted by CAF Bank who told us that they did not have the capacity to monitor our account effectively any longer and in May 2023 our account would be closed. From then on, any donations to our CAF Bank account (sort code 40-52-40 / account number ****6972) would be rejected and returned to the donor.
If you donate to APF by standing order or internet banking (faster payments) through our CAF Bank account, direct from your own bank, please kindly change your donation to our new Virgin Money Charity Choice account detailed below:
Account name: African Pastors Fellowship
Account number: 30479282
Sort code: 82-11-07
Please note, this change only affects direct donations into that account and doesn’t include other gifts you may make through our website, eVitabu sponsorship, Stewardship, Charities Trust or CAF Donate which will continue as normal.
If you use internet banking, use these details to set up a new donation and cancel any old donations to our CAF Bank account through your bank’s website or app.
If you prefer to use a standing order mandate, please contact your bank to cancel your old standing order mandate and use the form enclosed with this edition of Impetus to set up a new standing order. Simply post this form back to us in the reply-paid envelope provided and we’ll contact your bank on your behalf to restart your giving.
We are obviously very concerned about losing donors in this process and the knock-on effect this will undoubtedly have in Africa. We are always hugely grateful to each and every donor and trust that this banking change will not mean a loss of financial support. Instead, we pray that all affected donors will be able to easily update their giving and even consider a small increase if that is at all possible. Please do contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to the latest edition of Impetus.
We are hugely grateful for your continued interest and concern for APF.
Thank you especially to those who responded to our recent cost-of-living appeal. We have not yet turned the corner but remain faith-filled as we embark on a new year with ambitious plans to scale up eVitabu and support a growing network of African partners in their teaching and pastoral ministries.
As part of our commitment to our friends and supporters, we are offering an exciting new opportunity for you to engage directly with APF’s UK personnel and, from time to time, African partners through something we are calling Impetus Live!
Impetus Live! will be an hour long interactive gathering taking place by Zoom in the month following each new publication of the Impetus newsletter.
The online meeting will include verbal and visual updates, a brief inspirational message, as well as opportunities for interaction and prayer.
The first Impetus Live! will take place on Tuesday 17th January at 7pm.
The Zoom joining details are as follows:
Zoom Meeting ID: 87101408353
Passcode: 200863
Please contact me if you need any assistance in joining the call – or for any reason at all.
Thank you again and a Happy New Year from all of us at APF and from our partners in Africa.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
Welcome to the latest edition of Impetus.
You’ll notice that it’s a little slimmer than normal. Reducing the number of pages in our newsletter is just one of several small steps we are taking to try to minimise costs to the charity.
Despite there being fewer pages in this edition, I think you’ll agree, there is no less activity being reported and exciting opportunities coming up.
With costs increasing, we’re working hard not only to maintain our work in Africa but to grow it. Please pray for our staff team and trustees as we make important decisions about doing just that.
How you can help
Firstly, if you use email, we would encourage you to receive Impetus in digital form rather than on paper. Please let us know using the enclosed form if you would like to do so in future.
Secondly, we always love to meet supporters and share what God is doing through his Church across Africa. Why not invite us to a Sunday service or midweek meeting at your church? We’re taking bookings for online and in-person engagements during 2023 now.
Perhaps you might be able to host a fundraising event for APF? Invite friends and neighbours to an advent coffee morning and we’ll help by sending you some resources to promote APF.
Or you can get in touch to order your Christmas cards or purchase some beautiful African notebooks from us.
Finally, we’d be very grateful if you might consider including a gift to APF in your will.
Most of all, we continue to value your interest and prayers.
Thank you!
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
I have always prided myself on being able to recall names, faces and details of the people I meet. As a pastor, it’s a very useful skill. In many African contexts where local dialects and languages make pronunciation and recall more difficult however, this can be more challenging. But I think the same is true in reverse. Only this morning, I received an email from someone I recently met digitally addressed: ‘Dear Steve’!
Names are important.
This is especially true in Biblical thought: Adam means ‘man’, Eve means ‘life-giver’, Ruth means ‘friend’ and David (I have always liked this one) means ‘beloved’.
Above all, Jesus means ‘God who Saves’.
Ever since my early involvement in APF there have been conversations about the name ‘African Pastors Fellowship’. How does it communicate to a largely white British supporter base? Does it adequately describe organisational priorities around training and equipping Christian leaders? To what extent does it suggest a forward thinking and pioneering 21st century mission?
The most common response I get when I tell people I work for African Pastors Fellowship is, “but you’re not African!”. We need to be serious about the possibility our name could actually be a barrier to some opportunities.
The conversation is on-going and I would warmly welcome comments from supporters and friends of APF, both positive and negative concerning our name.
In the meantime, I hope you will be encouraged by this edition of Impetus which contains a significant section of prayer requests submitted by African friends and partners and has been prepared in response to your requests for more of a focus on prayer.
Every Blessing,
Dave (not Steve!)
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
