An international Christian mission agency working in more than 85 countries worldwide is holding its annual outreach this week in South Africa following three days of orientation that began on June 29.

Nearly 300 participants have gathered from all over the world for Operation Mobilisation’s South Africa's annual short-term outreach. From June 29 to July 11, participants will work in partnership with 32 local churches in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape province.

"This region is one of the poorest in South Africa with a veneer of Christianity over ancestor worship and traditional religious practices," OM South Africa reported in a statement released today.

Experts say the Eastern Cape remains one of the poorest provinces in South Afrcia largely due to the extreme poverty found in the former homelands, where subsistence agriculture predominates.

"The churches are excited to see what God will do and have arranged teams of intercessors to support the outreach," the agency added.

According to OM, teams will be involved in many different types of ministry: running children's holiday clubs, helping at homeless shelters and supporting HIV/AIDS ministries.

As an international Christian mission agency working in more than 85 countries around the world and onboard two ocean-going ships, OM is involved in evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and literature distribution and also by providing relief and development in many areas of the world.






David Enwright
Christian Today Correspondent