Presbyterian Mission Agency Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo

West African church seeks volunteer teachers

October 6, 2017

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo, known by its French acronym EEPT, is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partner in this small West Africa nation, which is about half the size of Ohio. The church trains its pastors in the city of Atakpame at a beautiful setting atop one of the hills in town. Mountainous Atakpame is where the southern rain forests of Togo give way to the country’s central savanna.

A road in the Togolese city of Atakpame leads to the hilltop seminary, which was constructed after World War I with the help of French missionaries.

The seminary’s library — the open door on the left — is a room about 10 feet square with at most a few hundred books.

Joshua Heikkila (right) is with the Rev. Dr. Kossi Ayedze, who received his PhD from Princeton Seminary and was principal of the EEPT seminary in Atakpame at the time of his death in 2014. He was dedicated to the improvement of the school and to the well-being of the students educated there.

According to the Rev. Dr. Kossi Ayedze, the Princeton Seminary-educated principal of the school who passed away from cancer in 2014, the seminary was built with the help of French missionaries after World War I. It’s an interesting setting, with stone walls and terraces reminiscent of southern France but in Togo’s tropical African environment.

One of the problems the seminary faces, as is the case in many French-speaking countries in Africa, is the lack of appropriate educational resources, particularly for theological study. The seminary’s library has at most a few hundred books, and many of them are decades old. In order to address this issue, the seminary is considering making English language study mandatory for all students, which would allow it to make use of more readily available English-language resources.

The EEPT has expressed a need for volunteer English teachers who could dedicate one or two years to teaching at the seminary. If you are interested in supporting the church in Togo or its seminary, that can be done through PC(USA) World Mission.

Joshua Heikkila, West Africa Regional Liaison

Today’s Focus: Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Meg Rift, PMA
Christy Riggs, PMA

Let us pray:

Dear God, help us recognize that all of the good things we own come from you. Give us the courage to share what we have received from you for the furtherance of your work. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Daily Readings

Morning Psalms 84; 148
First Reading 2 Kings 19:1-20
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 9:16-27
Gospel Reading Matthew 8:1-17
Evening Psalms 25; 40

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Categories: Mission Yearbook
Tags: EEPT, evangelical presbyterian church of togo, learning english, mission yerabook, west africa