Covenant News

California Group Ministers to AIDS Victims

SANTA BARBARA, CA (October 17, 2001) - A group of eight people from two California Covenant churches recently returned to the United States from South Africa where they ministered to AIDS victims and pursued partnerships with South African congregations.

"I can assure you that we felt the presence of God in a tangible way throughout our trip," said Dennis Wadley, pastor of Community Covenant Church in Santa Barbara. "We attributed it over and over to those of you who were keeping us covered in prayer."

Wadley and four other family members were part of the team along with Dion Mucciacito and college ministry associate pastor Amber VanLeeuwen. David Moore, pastor at New Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, was also part the team.

The team originally was scheduled to fly from Atlanta, Georgia, to South Africa on September 11. Terrorist attacks delayed their flight. The team waited two days in Atlanta and their plane was allowed to fly to Johannesburg September 13. It turned out to be the lone flight completed in the United States that day. "That news reassured us that God wanted us in South Africa," said Wadley.

The mission team met with pastors, ministry leaders, AIDS activists, government officials and AIDS patients. Community Covenant hopes to send another mission team in the spring of 2002 and eventually develop a ministry tailored to provide training, home care for those dying of AIDS, small business development and care for orphans.

"Conservative estimates project that 250,000 will die of AIDS in South Africa this year," he said. "The economy is in turmoil, families are being decimated and the suffering is unimaginable . . . we felt like we lived at least two months of life in the two weeks were there."

For more information about Community Covenant's vision for AIDS ministry in South Africa, call Wadley at 805-967-2671, extension 103, or email him at dwadley@community-covenant.org.

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