Pastor from Nigeria to speak at Coshocton Christian Tabernacle
COSHOCTON – Sheldon Mencer is traveling around Ohio with Pastor Peter Adigwe from Benin City, Nigeria, to help spread the word about their project.
“We are building our very first building in Nigeria and we hope to gain new friends who can begin to see our vision and our goal to build a safe place for children to live,” Mencer said.
Mission 3:16 will present Pastor Adigwe at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Coshocton Christian Tabernacle, 23891 Airport Road. The program will be followed by refreshments at 7 p.m. and Mencer also may sing a song.
“This is a mission organization founded by my wife Tammy and me in 2009,” Mencer said. “Our goals are to educate and take care of the humanitarian needs of people around the world while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now our primary focus is a children’s home in Nigeria.”
Mencer has known Pastor Adigwe for 10 to 12 years and he is the contact person for the Mission 3:16 project.
“We’ve been traveling around meeting Christian business people, pastors, church leaders and mission organizations during his two weeks here in Ohio,” Mencer said. “We hope to gain prayer and financial support from new and old friends.”
They also hope to raise the $45,000 needed to complete their first building in Nigeria
Mencer has visited the country four times.
“It’s a third world country, possibly even a fourth world country,” he said. “It is a little more commercialized than most countries in Africa, but it has no middle class. You are either on the top or bottom and the cost of living is much like it is here in the United States.”
The Nigerians Mencer has met are very appreciative of his help.
“Nigerians as a whole are very kind, loving and accepting of Americas,” he said.
Mencer first met Pastor Adigwe in 1997, when he was in the United States.
“I heard his heart’s cry for help,” Mencer said. “When someone is crying for help it is hard to turn away.”
He hopes that those in attendance Oct. 6 also are moved by Pastor Adigwe’s stories and his own about trips to Nigeria and will begin to see the joy of helping others.
“It will be a great opportunity for people to come and hear a lot of new updates,” Mencer said.
josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
Category: Faith
