Conowingo and Fulakunda: A story of people group adoption

By Rev. J. Russell Reaves
Pastor, Conowingo Baptist Church

Which one is the unreached people group? If you guessed Fulakunda, you are correct. Conowingo is the name of our town, and the name of our church. When I came to Conowingo in 1998, the church had “adopted” several missionaries. I soon realized that this “adoption” meant little more than spending some ink to list their names on a weekly prayer sheet. I began to contact the missionaries through e-mail and ask their needs. Soon they asked us to consider adopting their “people group.” We said, “Sure!” After all, adopting the missionary had not required much commitment, so how much different could adopting a people group be?

One of the first things we tried to do with this newly adopted people group was to organize a volunteer trip. However, for a variety of reasons, no one was interested in going! The missionaries were disheartened by the lack of interest on the part of our church. I think I was as disappointed as they were.

A short time later, I was invited to attend the Global Priority Conference at the Missionary Learning Center in Richmond. I went to the conference with little expectation and little willingness to commit to much more than we already had done. But I was overwhelmed when I heard pastors and laypeople talking with excitement and enthusiasm about their adopted missionaries and adopted people groups--overwhelmed and very much ashamed. I knew most people in our congregation knew nothing about our “adopted” people group! I made a commitment at that conference to allow God to direct us to the place and people that He desired for us to engage.

When I returned to the church, I asked several people who had an interest in missions to consider serving on a mission strategy team. I knew if we called it a “missions committee,” nothing would be done! Once assembled, I shared with the mission strategy team that I felt that our church was not burdened for our adopted people or our adopted missionaries, and that perhaps God would open a different door of opportunity for us if we would seek Him. The team was in agreement, so without delay we spread a map of the world across our meeting room table and began to discuss the different regions of the world.

I asked the team members to state what area was on their hearts, and around the room, it was unanimous: AFRICA. So, we decided to go to our homes and pray about what part of Africa: North, South, East or West. As we came back together around our map, we were in near unanimous agreement that God was directing our church to engage a people group in West Africa. I shared with the committee that, coincidence or enormous God-thing, I had just met a couple who served as coordinators in West Africa at the Global Priority Conference. Their names were Al and Karen Hodges, and the next day, I contacted them and asked what their top priority people groups were.

Al sent me profiles of about five high priority people groups in West Africa. I shared them, along with several others I had found, with our team and again, asked them to take them home and pray over them. When we gathered in our next meeting, we were in agreement: God was directing us to adopt the Fulakunda of Guinea-Bissau.

At that time there were no IMB personnel serving in Guinea-Bissau because of several episodes of political unrest. We knew that this would be a difficult challenge, but were confident that this was the direction God was leading. A few of us began searching the Internet for missionaries serving with other agencies in Guinea-Bissau and missionaries serving among the Fulakunda in Guinea-Bissau or other countries. We also began contacting every mission agency we could find to inquire whether they knew any information which might help us. We were able to build several key relationships with people from other agencies who were engaging the Fulakunda and serving in Guinea-Bissau.

Not long after we began to compile this information, I was contacted by Al Hodges, who said that there was a couple interested in serving with the Fulakunda in Guinea-Bissau. We contacted them and began to pray for them. We also were informed of another couple, the Bradfords, who were going to be heading to Guinea-Bissau to open up IMB work there among the Manjak people. The Bradfords only lived about an hour from our church. We began to build a relationship with them as well.

Our team felt led at this point to take a volunteer trip to Guinea-Bissau for prayerwalking. As we began planning it, God intervened and the Bradfords were reassigned to work among the Fulakunda. So, when we traveled to Bissau for prayerwalking, we knew that one of our objectives would be to prepare the way for our newly appointed missionaries who were coming to engage our people.

The folks at Conowingo began to really get behind this effort. The Guinea-Bissau flag was placed in our sanctuary. Several people began wearing Guinea-Bissau flag lapel pins, and many gave toward the expenses of the volunteer team. A team of seven went in June 2002 and returned encouraged and committed to the continued effort to reach this people group for Christ. In the winter of 2002, the Bradfords left for Guinea-Bissau and are there today.

Shortly after their arrival on the field we received word from them that they were very discouraged by a variety of hardships they were facing. So, Conowingo launched “Operation Barnabas,” a volunteer trip which will take place in June 2003. The objective of this trip is to go to Guinea-Bissau and encourage the Bradfords that they are not alone, and that we are committed to supporting them in their labor. Three volunteers will go as representatives of the entire church body. It is our hope that through this project, and continued partnership, we will continually discover new ways to be strategically involved in the effort to see the Fulakunda come to Christ.

In October 2002, I announced to the church that I would be leaving them at the end of April 2003 to attend seminary. I write these words one day after my final day as the pastor of Conowingo. In a variety of settings, I have shared with the Mission Strategy Team and others in the church that I would be more saddened to learn that this adoption had fallen by the wayside than to learn that the building had burned to the ground. But I do not fear. I have seen the people of this church move from complacency to commitment, and I am assured that they will continue in their labors for the Fulakunda of Guinea-Bissau. In my brief pastoral experience, I have never been involved in anything that I felt was more directed or blessed by God than the effort of this church to reach this people group. God has opened every door and has thrust us into His harvest fields. I pray that all who read this testimony would find a similar experience.

I would love to correspond with you about how you and your church can join God on mission, whether it is with the Fulakunda or some other people in some other place. You may contact me at pastorruss@711online.net.