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For a number of years, Friendship Church helped to support the missionary efforts of Mavis and Al Streyffeler, now retired as active missionaries after spending several years working in Senegal in the Western part of Africa. For more information about this hard-working couple, see the biographies below, which were written as they started their service in Senegal a few years ago. The biographies are taken from the website of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. |
Reverend Alan Streyffeler is a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries working in the northwestern African nation of Senegal to develop a United Methodist presence there. He and his wife, Mavis, are stationed in Dakar, the coastal capital of Senegal. They, along with two other couples, are the first United Methodist missionary presence in Senegal.
Mr. Streyffeler's beginning work in this new initiative is to explore and initiate opportunities for urban ministries. Reflecting on his ministry he says, "We serve a global church and attempt to identify with the struggles of people across the world. As a student of the Bible, I believe it is absolutely critical that Christians know the Story. To be in mission with God in the world is to assist others in knowing and living out the Biblical story." Prior to this assignment, the Streyffelers were serving at Nyadire Mission in Zimbabwe where they were involved in education and farm ministries. He taught moral and religious education at the college. He also managed the 4,000 acre mission farm which has a beef operation, a full modern dairy, chopping program and a fledging horticulture project. They were involved in the building up of the extension work in the adjacent communal farm lands as well. Before becoming a missionary Mr. Streyffeler was a pastor in the Northern Illinois Conference. He pastored Richards Street UMC, Joliet, IL, as well as Albany and Wheadon churches. He was a person in mission in Tanzania, East Africa from 1977-79. Mr. Streyffeler holds a bachelor of arts from Westmar College in Iowa and the Bachelor of Divinity from Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also has a masters degree in systematic theology from Andover-Newton Seminary. He is married to Mavis and they hold membership in the Northern Illinois Conference.
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Mavis Streyffeler is a missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries working in the northwestern African nation of Senegal to develop a United Methodist presence there. Married to Rev. Alan Streyffeler, the Streyffelers are stationed in Dakar, the coastal capital of Senegal. They, along with two other couples, are the first United Methodist missionary presence in Senegal.
Mrs. Streyffeler's beginning work in this new initiative will be to explore and initiate a ministry relating to education. She states that she and her husband are, "preparing our hearts and minds in both French language and Islamic studies for work in Dakar. Our assignment is to proclaim Christ and to develop a United Methodist Church in Senegal." Prior to this assignment, the Streyffelers were serving at Nyadire Mission in Zimbabwe where they were involved in education and farm ministries. She was a mathematics teacher at the Teacher Training College which trains primary school teachers for rural Zimbabwe. She also worked with a group of "master farmer women" in making the economic transition from selling doilies to milking a herd of seven Jersey cows. The Streyffelers helped organized the "Nyadire Missioners", groups of teachers-in-training who are commissioned to evangelize and start churches during their second year of teaching practice in the rural schools. These preachers/teachers are recognized by the Zimbabwe Annual Conference. A native of Iowa, Mrs. Streyffeler's undergraduate alma mater is Westmar College, Lemars, Iowa. She holds a master of science degree from the University of Illinois and a certificate of advanced study in comparative education from the University of Chicago, Illinois. She is married to the Reverend Alan Streyffeler and holds local church membership in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference.
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As part of their missions communications, Mavis and Al send emails to their supporting churches, with comments about their life as missionaries and the difficulties of working in a nation like Senegal. These letters offer a fascinating glimpse into their lives and the lives of those they work with in Senegal. Do not expect a continuous story in these letters; these are representative samples of the occasional letters we receive. During the late summer and fall of 2001, the Streyffelers returned to the United States for some rest, relaxation, and time to share their experiences with congregations here in the Northern Illinois Conference. They recently returned to Dakar, Senegal. |
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It is Ascension Day in Senegal--a holiday! It wasn't until we were in language studies in France that I was made aware that the French took this particular church festival quite seriously, at least in terms of a day off from work. That in turn is one of the perks for being a former colony of France. We get to celebrate all of the Roman Catholic festivals, all of the U.S. holidays, all of the Senegalese political holidays and, last but not least, all of the Muslim festivals. Most of last week was given over to the Maggal as we shared with you in the last letter. Ascension Day! "And he Ascended into Heaven!" we say each week in the Apostle's Creed. As I was sitting on the balcony this morning pondering the meaning of this day in the life of the church, Mavis and I were talking about the liturgical year. When did we first become aware of it? When did we first become aware of Ascension Day? As Evangelical Protestants that came very late in our church experience--probably France in 1996. So what does Ascension Day mean for our Muslim neighbors other than a day off from work which seems a strange anomaly in a land where so few are "employed!" But that's another subject. Or to put it another way, "Who is the Ascended Christ for our Muslim neighbors? Since my Quran is in a box within a container which is on the Atlantic just now, I shall rely upon my memory and trust that there will be others of you who will scurry to the local library and check it out. There is considerable material in the Quran about Jesus. There is room for the Ascended Prophet Jesus in Muslim thought and belief. This is not the Suffering Prophet Jesus! This is not the Crucified Christ! This is not the Risen Christ. But there is room for an Ascended Jesus who will come again to convert the world to Islam in the Last Days. Ponder this thought as you "celebrate" the Ascension of Jesus the Risen Christ! Does his ascension continue to have a hold over us? "He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God from whence he shall come to judge the living and the dead!" That final "fear" has considerable sway over our Muslim neighbors. It is the knife edge which hangs over their heads. Are we prepared to share with our Muslim neighbors who this Jesus is who will come again? And how does that belief shape our "access" to the one whom he called his Father, the one with whom he was in intimate relationship? Judgment Day is so determinative of Islamic thought and practice. Just check out the continued reports of so-called "suicide bombers" in Jerusalem and see if the reasons for their actions are reported; namely, they gain immediate access to Paradise. And thus Judgment Day is Now! |
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I had spent the week-end in the Mbour area, first of all, assisting with
the construction of the auxiliary building at Pointe Sarene and then leaving early Sunday morning for Thiadiaye where arrangements had been
made for me to "do" communion at the nearby village of Pecc Maxa and then on to Nobodane for a late Sunday afternoon gathering of a new
people of God there. It was one of those days when I was open to some new adventures and I was not to be disappointed. |
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Sunday morning I was scheduled to visit the Thiadiaye congregation which is located about a 45 minute drive East of Mbour. A congregation of
mostly children involved themselves in the spirit of worship. Following the worship
experience I sat under a tree in the courtyard waiting for things to "develop!" Emmanuel, the pastor, indicated that the people at Nobandane were expecting us to come. After a plate of spaghetti
prepared especially for me, we piled into the truck to head into the bush. Now Thiadiaye is a wide spot in the road between Mbour and
Kaolack so to head off the road along the sandy trails toward the village of Nobandane is really camp furthest out! |
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Although we chose to live along the ocean because of the moderating influence it has upon temperatures, there is a down side--salt air and rust. We spend considerable energy trying to keep electrical appliances working. Several weeks ago I finally gave up on replacing the rusting antennas which brought CNN and Canal Horizon into our home and had a satellite dish installed which the technician promised would not only bring CNN but a multitude of Arabic stations some of which carried English-language movies. From late November, 2001 Dear friends and colleagues, This Advent text pulls us into the future just as we are still adjusting to "leaving" the US of A and to "being back" in Dakar. On Saturday I shall meet with the Whole Church Christian Education Committee as we plan for the preaching, worship and teaching ministries for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany tide. Together the congregations will learn the Kwazulu words to "We are Marching in the Light of God!" Our return to Dakar was "uneventful" even though I must admit a sense of relief each time the plane set down in Paris and eventually in Dakar. The specter of war hangs over us just as it did that first Advent and possibly every Advent since. While riding in the taxi on Wednesday I was listening to a call-in talk show discussing the Fall of Kabul--or its rise! Every Senegalese whom we have met for the first time upon our return inquired of our well-being and wondered of our proximity to the New York attacks. Nevertheless, we are Marching in the Light of God! We found our time in the States to be most challenging and renewing. We certainly felt affirmed by you our connectional colleagues and renewed by the opportunities which were ours to preach, teach, tell stories and reflect together upon the contradictions of culture and faith which were brought home so dramatically on Sept. 11. We give thanks for those of you who reached out to us by making the effort to attend the Seminar at G-ETS, by opening your congregations to our presence, by challenging the people of faith called United Methodist to help build the church in Senegal. Certainly, we are marching in the Light of God! Tuesday I shall make my second trip to Mbour since our return to seek a piece of land for the construction of the building which will become the home of the Mbour United Methodist Church. This coming Sunday Mavis and I will visit a new congregation (four weeks old) which has been begun by Esther Peters in Grande Mbau. Between 25 and 30 adults and children have been gathering in a home there to witness to their claim to be Christian. Certainly, they are Marching in the Light of God. Soon the 40' container will be leaving Wilmette bound for Springfield, MO to add several "African Tabernacles" to the other building supplies which Trinity Church has been collecting. From there it moves to Sebring, OH to pick up more roofing steel, used clothing and rough cut lumber and then on to the port on the East Coast. A work team from the East Ohio Conference is preparing to be with us late in January or February to assist with the construction of the church building in Mbour. Certainly we are Marching in the Light of God! Those of you who have not had the opportunity of contributing toward church construction in Senegal may do so through Program Advance # 012594-2. Indicate that it is for Church Construction. Siahamba kuka kwea kikos--For we are Marching in the Light of God!" Al Streyffeler, missionary From early June 2001 Dear folks, I walked into a room of incredible energy when I stopped at the Guest House on Friday night to see if the 14 young women and 2 young men--Sunday School teachers from each of the 8 UM Churches had begun arriving. They had come by local bus to participate in a Lab School to prepare the lessons for the Season of Pentecost. And I had just spent 2 full weeks preparing all the materials in French and Wolof (not my idea of a good time) I was tired and anxious about my 60 year-old tongue (and brain) mixing up the Wolof and French grammar. Saturday we began at the crack of dawn; each team had prepared one of the lessons. We are following the Lectionary scripture lessons and the children's lessons are coordinated with the sermons. MaryAnez circled up 8 teachers (pretending to be children in her class) on the low benches. She started with prayer and a naming song. She quizzed them on their Bible verses from last week and told them the Story of Pentecost from Acts 2 accompanied with pictures and then had the children (teachers) re-tell the story. Then they acted out the drama. What fun! The Lord's Prayer was shared from memory and she began to teach them the Apostles' Creed. She did a fantastic job! More singing was shared in preparation for the Great Day of United Methodist Singing-Pentecost which will be held on July 1st. in Thies. MaryAnez is 19, is educated, the oldest of 11 children of the pastor from Thiadiaye and is traveling each week to teach Sunday School in a near-by village; already there are 45 in her class there. She is fluent in French, but does all her Bible teaching in the Serere language. And then Paulette taught the lesson on the Stoning of Stephen--the themes for Pentecost are the growth and persecution of the church--the NT church and the present day Senegal Church). Whoops, what happened? In the midst of throwing "stones" at Stephen, one of the teachers fell to the floor, mumbling and writhing. The common wisdom of the teachers' is that she is possessed by a demon which acts up every time she is with other Christians. Rev. Ndjungu says that she is the keeper of some very powerful family idols. Al says she is having an petit mal epileptic seizure. Myself, ever practical Mavis, I cover her with the tablecloth, make sure her tongue is not blocking her throat, carry her to a quiet place, circle up the rest of the teachers and we pray mightily for her safety in Jesus' name. After 15 minutes, she returns. Meanwhile the teachers have been telling their personal experiences of being persecuted and harassed for being Christians in this Muslim land; boulders dropped on the roof during worship, stones hurled at them when they sang on the street. And we fit all this into the Whole Pentecost Experience. We practice a new hymn that Louise has written for Pentecost, Matilda leads the lesson on Paul in prison, and surprise, the children (teachers) are pretending they are all 3-4 years old and are wandering around, punching each other, crying. Finally she hits upon singing with them, making up the words from the story as she goes along. There is so much creativity in these young people. We are truly experiencing a full Pentecost here (I am reading the Book of Acts in a whole new light). And another reality is: The teacher from AUMC can not read or write. The teacher from BUMC got into a brawl with the nutrition coordinator over the Sunday school benches. This is the first time any teacher from CUMC has come to the lab school; they have resisted having any Sunday School for children. When the DUMC worship service got too crowded, the pastor sent all of the children (20) into the hall to sit for 2 hours. The pastor at EUMC hides the pictures for the children in his desk. Children are severely marginalized in this culture; and this often shows up in behavior in the churches. I hear echoes of the letters of the Apostle Paul to the young churches under his care. And like him the leadership of the United Methodist Mission Church in Senegal is attempting to train pastors, and teachers, and parents to become advocates for children--in the words of Jesus, " to bring the children closer to him!" For of such is the Kingdom of God! Mavis From June 30, 2001 Occasionally a 3rd. grade Sunday School Class somewhere in the Midwest will write an email asking us to tell them what a missionary does anyway? Well here goes--Friday, June 29, 2001. I left the house early and was at Ndjungus by 8:00 to pick up the band equipment to transport it to Thies where we were going to have the One Great Day of United Methodist Singing on Sunday--all 9 churches are coming in Car Rapides. After loading the boom boxes (which I dub "Wesley's Revenge"), two pianos, a set of drums, mixers etc. Sam called to ask where I was; "I am coming just now!" At 8:30 I am in front of the office and Sam Onwu, a recently appointed missionary joins me for this epic day. Alassane, workshop manager is with us as well. As we move slowly onto the autoroute looking like a Senegalese equivalent of the Beverly Hillbillies we look for Mariamu in front of Grand Yoff but she is nowhere to be found. She is to accompany us to Thies to assist with the chicken slaughter there. We wait for ten minutes before proceeding to the Round Point which takes us either to down-town Dakar or off the Peninsula toward Rufisque. Off to our left Alassane spots Mariamu and we take on our last passenger--Mariamu, you may recall was baptized on Good Friday and this part-time work with the chicken project pays her rent and provides her with a little food money. We pass through the intersection at Ndiamnadio at 9:30 and Alassane gets off; we calculate what he is going to be spending in Mbour for bricks, cement, sand, gravel, reinforcing rod, etc to start the church structure in Pointe Serent; I give him 300,000/Fcfa (About $500.00) and he takes a car rapide South along the coast to Mbour. The rest of us proceed to Thies where we unload the band equipment at the parsonage/church when the phone rings (where would I be without my mobile phone). Its Dauda from the American Club, "Do you have any chickens? Do I have Chickens! We're slaughtering today. I'll see you at 7:00." We pass by the Fitness Center and drop off Mariamu, greet Marcel and Alice--staff there, see that they have what it takes to begin the ritual process, and Sam and I head down-town to find freezer bags (yes they do have them in Thies), and ice, which is a little more difficult to find so that we can pack the 80 "bodies" for the return trip to Dakar. We load up a drum, wheel-barrow, shovel and Alassane's belongings and head for Mbour--its now 12:30. 70 Km. and an hour and a half later we reach Mbour and stop by Pastor Jerome's house to see if Alassane is there. I call him on my cell phone and he answers me on his cell phone--they have changed my life. We catch up with him five minutes later at the brick yard where he and members of the Pointe Serene congregation--a new congregation birthed out of the Mbour church--are loading bricks onto a truck to haul to the church site in hopes of building a tent structure to provide shelter from the rain soon to come. Mary Agnes is there--it is her village--mostly animist--which she has brought into the United Methodist orbit--some 60 adults and a hundred children have been gathering just two short months after they invited the Mbour pastor to share the Gospel with them. Let the people say, Amen! We unload the stuff for Alassane and being satisfied that he is on top of the situation we head back to the parsonage for lunch with Fatimata, the pastor's wife. After lunch its time for a nap before heading back to Thies to pick up "the bodies!" Marcel, the fitness trainer from Thies has joined us on this junket to Mbour where he lives. He wanted me to see his house--thatched--where he wishes to build a metal roof to protect his wife and 6 children from the rains soon to descend. We work out the finances and his re-payment plan and its back into the truck for the return to Thies. Fatimata joins us because she comes to Dakar once a month for a pastor's wives' gathering. On the way we are observing the driving habits of a long-distance bus-driver from The Gambia who succeeds in forcing two on-coming cars off the road in the space of 1 Km. (Its always a blessing to be able to return safely from driving in Senegal!) We reach Thies at 5:00, load the drum of birds with the assistance of several "big bodies" from the fitness room, pay several young girls for assisting with the chicken-plucking, and we're back on the road at 5:30. I call Mavis to ask if she might call the Am. Club to tell them that I will be a bit late. We reach Dakar at 7:00 and drop off Mariamu, Sam and Fatimata and I head toward the Am. Club where Dauda is waiting to weigh, price and write up the bill for the 50 bodies which he had requested. They will soon become patriotic offerings to Americans on Sunday the 1st. of July when we have our 4th. of July party. At 8:00 I drop off the rest of the bodies in the deep-freeze at the office and head on home as the pastors' wives are just finishing a delicious meal prepared by Fatou. Mavis has invited them to share some fellowship together and I share the meal that has been prepared. I feel as if I deserve a treat and so its chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and Senegal peanuts on top. I then clean out the truck to haul the pastor's wives--several of them unceremoniously in the back--to the guest house. Upon returning the apartment I talk with the guardian for a few minutes about the day and as I am preparing for bed Alassane calls to inform me that he has been unable to find a room for the night in Pointe Serene. Nothing I can do about it but he just wanted me to know. I wish him well and Good Night! It was an amazing day! Al
From April, 2001 "Dying and Rising with Christ!" The words in pastor Ndjungu's sermon echoed through my head as I considered the candidates for baptism--most of whom had never been through Easter week. What were these words meaning to Mariamu, Awa, Paulette, Sonore, Zainabou, Madi, and 10 others who would soon be immersed in the Atlantic Ocean in the name of the Triune God? The singing and dancing had begun at 10:00 as we waited for the Car Rapide from Thies with the other candidates for baptism. Following the sermon 8 children were baptized using the bowl which had been gifted to us by the Community Church of Naperville; Graham Wills, mission chairperson was present from that congregation to re-affirm the Global Connection. Bouncing from French to Wolof we sang "How Great Thou Art," danced in the crowded space, prayed that "God's will might be done," spoke of Jesus having suffered and died for our sins and the sins of the whole world. A huge timber cross was lifted onto the pickup as some 80 people crammed into two Car Rapides, a Pajero and the pickup for the 10 mile trek to the ocean. On the beach in front of the old Hotel Meridian the cross was "planted" in the water and Ndjungu and I received the candidates for baptism one-by-one. "Mangi lay soobu ci ndox mi ci tuuru Yalla, ci tuuru Yeesu ci tuuru Xel mu Sell mi." I baptize you in the name of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit! The first candidate stumbled toward me on crutches, Awa in fear of drowning slugged me on the way down and I lost my balance, two "toubabs"(white tourists from France) were on the beach with their video cameras filming the action to report on "local events" in Senegal. Exuberant new Christians entered into traditional dances on behalf of the Resurrection! For the Golf Sud Wolof Congregation this was the culmination of 15 months of prayer and worship, reflection and shared ministry, harassment and growth, pastoral formation and call to commitment. Once again I thought of Col. Samb whom I met five years ago at a local fitness center. Because he had received training in the U.S. he had befriended me and we shared meals together as families on several occasions. I have not forgotten his comment to me: "You may be here 10 years but you will be lucky if you have one Muslim convert." Yesterday we had 7 adult converts from Golf Sud alone. Let the people say, "Amen!" I do not speak triumphantly but certainly we can affirm that the Spirit has called certain Muslims to follow the Way of Jesus as demonstrated by the United Methodist Church. To say that it was "A Good Day" is certainly an understatement. It was a Good Friday to remember and celebrate! Peace and Resurrection Joy to you. Al
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In May of 1998, a group of people from the Northern Illinois Conference visited the Streyffelers in Senegal. Rev. Debbie Fisher, then Aurora District Superintendent, sent three emails back about their experiences in Senegal. Those letters follow: Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, This is Day Two of our marvelous trip to Senegal. There are seven of us from the Northern Illinois Conference who have come to visit Al and Mavis Streyffeler. We arrived about 1 am Sunday morning. It was a long trip, 14 hours flight time and an 11 hour layover in Brussels. So we expected to feel very tired during the day on Sunday. We could not have been more wrong. We worshipped at the first house church that Al and Mavis have begun. It had the feel and the spirit of what I imagine the early church to be. We crowded into a living room .. children as young as 14 months up to 14 years and many adults; there were 47 present. We sang over an hour in Wolof, French and English. The children can sing fluently in all languages. The seven of us were greatly helped by them. We heard the scriptures read in English and French and the Lay Pastor, Alice, preached a marvelous sermon. We "concluded" with more singing. The benediction officially ended the service, but we stood and continued to sing and clap for much longer. This is a United Methodist Church so after the service we ate, of course. The Senegalese method of eating is for eight people to gather around a common bowl. It gave meal time fellowship an entirely new meaning. The travel weary found that the aches from being on the airplane disappeared and were replaced by a spiritual exhilaration. We are so proud to be United Methodist and see the work that is happening in Jesus' name here in Senegal. This house church is the first of three that are planned for this region. Al and Mavis plan to have the others planted by this time next year. I hope to return with another group to see the progress and worship with the new churches. This is an open invitation to all of the covenant partners with them. Let me know if you want to come. We will spend today in the market practicing the Wolof phrases we learned yesterday afternoon. Tomorrow we will go to the island where the slaves were kept before they were shipped to other countries. We will have prayers of repentance and reconciliation in each of the prison cells where dozens and dozens of people were crowded together in inhumane circumstances. I will write again after that experience. Joy and peace, Debbie Fisher.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, After four short days in Senegal, I have come to the conclusion that the Senegalese are people of gracious hospitality. We have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the people of the church, the people of the neighborhood and the teachers and students of the literacy class. They laugh at our attempts to speak Wolof, but do so with marvelous grace and joy. We manage to communicate in spite of the language barriers. Tuesday we went to Goree (Slave Island) This is the place that people were held until they were sold as slaves either to South America, Cuba or France. Only the best, strongest and most beautiful were selected to be slaves. They were held in cells that cannot be more than 10X10. Dozens and dozens of people were crammed into those cells. The children were separated from their parents and kept in their own cell. It is safe to assume that there were no child care workers for them. It was a very emotional day for all of us. We went into each cell and had prayers of repentance. We prayed for the sins of racism of our ancestors and for our own racism. After the time spent in the prison we went for a meal together and the first act during the meal was to break bread. It was a spiritual experience that almost defies description. Today we are going to the women's prison to paint one of the rooms, to have prayers with the women and eat lunch together. We have taken many, many pictures (I know they will be great quality as Linda Rhodes is taking most of the pictures) and we look forward to sharing them with you when we get home. May our gracious God sustain and bless you. Joy and peace, Debbie Fisher
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, We just finished a marvelous Pentecost Celebration with over 50 people in attendance as we had a covenanting service for the first United Methodist Church in Senegal! It felt very much like the original Pentecost as we spoke in several languages, but the Spirit moved to unite us. Alice Separau, the Lay Pastor, led the beginning of the service. There was a time when those who planned to unite with the new church took the membership vows and signed their names on the Covenant. Those of us who were visitors signed the Witness paper. After each person signed the Covenant they were given a pin with the Cross and the Flame. Of course there was much singing and clapping during the entire time. Rev. Ndjungu, the newest Missionary from the Congo serving in Senegal, gave the sermon. During his sermon he said that the image of missionaries in Africa is that they are white. He said, "As you can see, I am not white!" This was met with great applause. A goal of our Board of Global Ministries has long been to send a black Pastor to serve in Senegal. The dream is a reality with Rev. Ndjungu. He and the Streyffelers have a wonderful relationship. Praise God. After the sermon and prayers Linda Rhodes presented a baptismal bowl which is a present from Community United Methodist Church in Naperville. I then presented a chalice and paten which are gifts from the Aurora District. We then participated in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Since we were an official United Methodist congregation, we had a wonderful meal immediately after the service. It is a Pentecost none of us are soon to forget! We felt the power of your prayers for us during the entire worship service. We are deeply grateful. Joy and peace, Debbie Fisher |
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