Knox Fellowship partners with East Africans; special account established
The Layman, August 9, 2004
Knox Fellowship has entered into a partnership with the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, according to a news release from Rev. Dr. Robert A. Pitman, founder and president of the organization. “This is a perfect match,” said Dr. Pitman.
“The Presbyterian Church of East Africa, growing at the rate of more than 100 new congregations each year, leads one of the world’s most vigorous evangelistic efforts. Obviously, there is a lot that they can teach U.S. Presbyterians about evangelism.”
Knox Fellowship is an independent ministry, working with congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to advance evangelism and discipleship. At the invitation of presbyteries and local church sessions, Knox teams offer training events that enable Presbyterians to share the good news of Jesus Christ. “A key element in what we do is leadership training,” Pitman told The Layman. “The East African churches are growing so rapidly that they have a real leadership problem. There are not enough ministers to go around, and developing lay leadership is a key need. We believe that Knox Fellowship can help them with that part of their ministry.”
Knox Fellowship has been alerted to the possibility that the East African church might suffer declining income from Presbyterian Church (USA) agencies because of its decision to sever relationships with U.S. presbyteries that declare that homosexual behavior is not contrary to God’s will. In order to mitigate any such losses, Knox has established a special fund for evangelism and leadership development in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. “All contributions to this fund will be transferred directly to the African church,” Pitman says.
In contrast to the Presbyterian Church (USA) national office, which levies a 5 percent administration charge on all donor-restricted gifts, Knox has declared that it will absorb any administrative cost involved in maintaining this independently audited account.
Tax deductible contributions may be sent to:
The East Africa Account
Knox Fellowship
800 Airport Blvd., #304
Burlingame, CA 94010