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Rev. Samuel Maduma
Country Director - Christian Formation Ministries in Tanzania

In 2010, Rev. Maduma was given a NBF grant for his personal use to help purchase textbooks as he is also a student studying for BA in Theology with Education at St. John's University.

The other grant was for his ministries. The goal of this ministry is to bring the gospel to those who live in remote areas as well as teaching the youth the word of God. Please refer to article in the Spring 2011 issue of the Newsletter.

He is pictured on his scooter traveling the back roads ministering to his people. The classroom picture shows Evangelists at one of the CFM seminars.

St.Brendan's Church, Sewickley, PA
Joyce Donadee, Sunday School Director

In September of 2009, St. Brendan's Sunday School received a MOP grant for Beulah Christian education materials. Since receiving this new material, their attendance more than doubled. This financial support not only provided them with an appropriate program for the children, but support from the larger church community.

St. Martin's Church in Des Plaines, IL
Rev. Steve Godfrey, Rector
Teacher: Patti Malartsik
In 2009, the parish decided to begin a new class aimed at younger children and chose Godly Play curriculum. The program has drawn children into a relationship with God in a very engaging way using stories illustrated with manipulative objects that the children can then play with as they question and learn.

I started distributing personal prayer books to the women at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center five years ago when I began serving that facility as an Episcopal Deacon. I had been involved in prison ministry for several years prior to that and knew the important role that faith played in the lives of the incarcerated. The new Christian church is very present in Oklahoma prisons and extremely available to the inmates. You can literally attend church every day in prison and although most of the services may not be considered as main line denominations, they are bringing Christ to the marginalized just as Christ instructed us to do.

I began serving the men’s facility at Jess Dunn Correction Center about three years ago and although the number of residents attending services is much smaller, it is growing. I don’t find a lot of “cradle Episcopalians" at our services, but I do find many who love the Episcopal liturgy and especially the Book of Common Prayer. I have distributed over 30 prayer books a year on average. The most common question I hear is, “How can I get one of those books?” Imagine hearing that weekly at a regular Episcopal service. I wish I could give out a BCP every time some one asked, but financially it’s not possible. At the men’s prison, I have replaced three prayer books that simply fell apart from use.

For our regular service at both prisons, we have a supply of used pew prayer books donated from various churches in Oklahoma. The residents are deeply appreciative of their own prayer books. Many of them follow the Daily Office as their personal worship, some incorporated parts of the BCP into the lay led services within the facilities. Frequent questions relate to assigned readings for the Daily Office associated with the Apocrypha.

Most residents have never heard of the Apocrypha and having a Bible with these additional writings included is not common. Many are intrigued that these books exist and are anxious to learn about them.

Our average attendance at the women’s facility is 20 and six at the men’s facility. The residents are their own evangelists and bring new people to the services through word of mouth. The frequent teaching tool about the Episcopal faith is an inmate’s copy of the Book of Common Prayer. The residents use the books to explain our faith to others, to understand the faith more fully themselves and for personal worship and prayers. I have heard, more than once, a resident tell a new person that there are even prayers for prisoners in this book, an astonishing and comforting fact to many.