Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I want to make you aware of an urgent need among the saints in Rwanda. During my time there the past two weeks, roughly 2000 churches were shut down by the government for various reasons, mostly related to new requirements by the government related to their facilities. The government continues to close churches as we speak. These churches are scrambling to meet the requirements and be allowed to reopen (or remain open if they've been given a deadline), but the time allotted is short. Many face permanent closure. Our host estimates that these 2000 churches represent about 60% of the country’s Christians.

All Saints Presbyterian Church is in partnership with churches in Rwanda through our ministry partner ELI. The churches we serve have not escaped the closures. In our network of 61 churches, 33 have been closed or threatened with closure if they do not get the required work done within a month or less. This includes the church of our host, who oversees these 61 churches.

We are committed to helping Rwanda's Christ-centered churches overcome these technical issues in order to reopen their doors for worship and fellowship. We have established a fund at All Saints that will distribute money to vetted churches in need so they can complete the work the government requires in order to be allowed to reopen. We will be wiring funds directly to a Rwandan bank account managed by the church in Rwanda. The first $3,000 will go to Harvest Christian Church which serves as our home church when in country. Any additional funds received will be used for churches in the network, a need estimated to total $19,000. These funds will be distributed in coordination with ELI's national coordinator and our primary contact, Theophile Rugubira. ELI has had a ministry relationship with Theophile for nearly 10 years now and I have come to love and trust him very much as a brother in Christ and partner in ministry. Every dollar we receive will go to meeting this need. If we receive more than what is needed, all additional funds will be reserved for our future ministry in Rwanda. All Saints is committed to a long-term partnership with these churches in Rwanda, and we appreciate the opportunity to serve them as a conduit for mercy and support.

If you have any questions, please don't hesistate to ask! 

Please consider helping us meet this need, and due to the suddenness of the need and the speed with which it must be met, please do not delay in contributing what you are able.

Make your check out to All Saints Presbyterian Church - Memo: Rwanda Fund. Checks can be sent to 101 Creekside Crossing, Ste 1700-212, Brentwood, TN 37027.

Or you may also make your donation online at our website, http://www.allsaintspres.net/online-giving. Please be aware, Paypal takes 2.2% of your donation as a processing fee. If you choose this method, please indicate on the Paypal payment page that it is for "Rwanda Mission" so we will know to designate it for that purpose. If you forget, you can email us at finance@allsaintspres.net and let us know as well.

Thank you very much! Please pray for the Church in Rwanda!

Matt