Africa: A Remarkable Conference and State Dinner with President Gnassingbe, Togo!
The African recruitment conference was a great success last week, resulting in new Ministry Leader candidates from 10 nations who are being considered to take the Gospel to government leaders in French-speaking Africa countries.
“We would greatly appreciate our supporter’s prayers for these candidates as they look to begin discipleship ministries in West African nations,” said Ralph Drollinger, Founder of Capitol Ministries who met and interviewed candidates at the conference with his wife, Danielle.
The recruitment conference, which was held at The Hotel Ibis in Lomé, Togo, September 1-3, was organized for Capitol Ministries by Jon Cassel, Regional Director for The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), French Africa, and Christian leader Romain Zannou, of Benin. Both men are also Directors of French African nations for Capitol Ministries.
After Cassel and Zannou identified candidates, assembled their CVs, references, and letters of motivation, the qualified candidates were flown in to the conference to meet with Drollinger and others on the Capitol Ministries team. Those candidates selected will be flown to Washington, D.C. in November for the Capitol Ministries annual training conference.
Zannou arranged for the Drollingers to meet with a number of national leaders from three African nations, including his friend, Faure Gnassingbe, President of Togo, who gave a State Dinner in Capitol Ministries’ honor that was attended by 200 people.
Throughout the dinner, Christian hymns were sung and people strolled from table to table talking to the guests about Capitol Ministries and its mission of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to political arenas around the world.
“It was quite an evening,” Drollinger said. “President Gnassingbe is a fine young, noble man who was educated at The George Washington University in D.C. and is being looked upon as a leader by his peers throughout Africa. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a state dinner being thrown for a ministry. We were honored.”
President Gnassingbe would like to see Capitol Ministries’ discipleship Bible studies planted in all of the 53 African nations, and said he will promote the ministry to other leaders at the annual African Presidents’ Conference, Drollinger said.
Later this month President Gnassingbe plans to attend a Members Bible Study in the Senate that will be taught by Drollinger. He will be in the United States to attend a United Nations conference and will fly to DC to spend the day with the Drollingers, US Senators and House Members.
Planting discipleship Bible studies in Africa is part of Capitol Ministries’ mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the political arena around the world. In addition to planting over 40 ministries in state Capitols, Capitol Ministries has launched CivicReach, a ministry to local Public Servants at city halls and county government offices across America.
Conference Attendees Pictured from Left to Right: Anatole Banga, Central African Republic; Attorney Daniel Glymin, Ghana; Jon Cassel, CBN French Africa and Capitol Ministries French Africa Director, Senegal; Koffi Esaw, former government cabinet member, Togo; Raymond Koffi, Pastor and CBN Cameroun representative, Cameroun; Emile Ve, former national assembly member, Cote d’Ivoire; Mianbe LeGondje, Chad; Danielle and Ralph Drollinger; Habib Barth Afolabi , pastor and CBN Togo representative; Obi Onwuzurumba, involved with ministry to public officials, Nigeria; Romain Zannou. Pastor and Capitol Ministries French Africa Director, Benin; Dr. Sylvester Rogers, involved in ministry to public officials, Sierra Leone; Dr. Felix Oisamoje, CBN English-speaking west Africa, Nigeria; Martha Onwuzurumba, Nigeria; Charles Nduwumukama, Pastor and CBN Burundi representative, Burundi.