“Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1 NLT).
After a decade of dreaming, planning, fundraising, setbacks, and construction, the hydroelectric dam at Mbingo Baptist Hospital is now operational and powering the hospital! No longer will the sickest patients be put in jeopardy because of loss of power to the hospital. One of the immediate benefits of this is the oxygen generation plant, which was unable to operate using the national electrical grid due its instability, is now also fully operational. As Dennis and Nancy Palmer shared in their newsletter from May, a steady supply of oxygen is crucial to care for the influx of patients suffering under COVID-19. The functional hydroelectric dam has alleviated that concern, and many others, allowing the doctors and staff to provide the best care possible to the patients at Mbingo.
Based on the projections of experts involved, it appears the dam will be able to generate twice the amount of electricity needed for the hospital at its peak demand. Even if the hospital somehow requires more power than the dam can produce, the hospital generator will be able to pick up the slack.
Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support throughout this process. Dennis said, “This is far and away the largest special project the NAB has undertaken, I’m sure. I am very grateful for the support the NAB has provided to the medical work here. We could not do much at all without that.”
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Identity: Part 2 – Our Beliefs
Over a span of six weeks, we will be sharing a series of articles from NAB Executive Director Harry Kelm about our identity as the NAB. You can read the second article below or find all of them here. You can also follow the link below to watch a video from Harry that recaps the first article.
In the last article, the first in a series of six about our identity as the NAB, I shared about the value of being connected to one another in the NAB. Our unity with each other is based on our unity with God in Jesus Christ. We share a common faith in Jesus and a common view of what we believe. As a conference of churches, we hold a statement of beliefs that gives direction to what we believe. Our statement of beliefs is firmly anchored in God’s word to us. Psalm 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” God’s word gives us direction and insight.
When we drive down a street, we follow lane lines that dictate where to drive. These lanes help us know the direction to go and keep us from running into each other. Our statement of beliefs works in a similar manner. It direct us in God. It keep us from running into those things that would harm us spiritually. It points us to who God is and who we are in God.
The NAB statement of beliefs does not delineate every nuance of the earthly life or the spiritual life. It does not address every theological viewpoint. The intention is to define and describe the primary issues of our beliefs as an NAB community of faith.
We recognize there are individual and personal beliefs we are willing to have divergent viewpoints on. We do not pretend to agree on everything. We recognize that even godly and Christ-like people see some things differently, and we are willing to look beyond these differences and hold onto the commonalities, especially those found in the statement of beliefs.
The statement of beliefs is the single most important document that shapes our identity as the conference of churches we call the NAB. Our beliefs tie us together and provide for us the framework of who we are in Jesus. Our statement of beliefs reminds us our only hope is a redeemed life in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
The Bonfire Is Just Days Away
There is still time sign up to join The Bonfire gathering taking place in only a few days, September 27–28. Anyone who has participated in Blue Ocean, Ethos, or Light Blue Ocean is invited to join this annual gathering of individuals within the NAB who are journeying together on this missional/formational pilgrimage.
Mark Nelson, author of the book Reframation, will be leading much of this time, but he will also be joined by others, including his Reframation co-author Alan Hirsch, missiologist and author Michael Frost, and Rich and Anna Robinson, founders of Catalyse Change.
Joining Mark will be Alan Hirsch, Michael Frost, and Rich and Anna Robinson. For more information about this year’s virtual Bonfire, follow the link below or contact Sara-May Cardy.