Gilroy’s South Valley Community Church, 8095 Kelton Ave., has
been a major resource for South County residents during its nearly
24-year existence. Not so well known is its outreach to other areas
of the world.
Gilroy’s South Valley Community Church, 8095 Kelton Ave., has been a major resource for South County residents during its nearly 24-year existence. Not so well known is its outreach to other areas of the world.
Last week the church’s senior pastor, the Rev. Eric Smith, left for Nigeria to join his wife, Carol, and other members of the congregation. They are involved in several projects to ease suffering and help in the development of this West African nation.
Nigeria, located on the Atlantic coast of the continent just above the Equator, is Africa’s most populous country. The population is approximately 50 percent Muslim, 40 percent Christian, and 10 percent followers of indigenous beliefs. This volatile mix is responsible for much civil unrest since its independence from Britain in 1960. Although blessed with valuable oil deposits, corruption has kept 95 percent of the population desperately poor.
The Gilroy church as been involved in helping Nigerians overcome poverty for three years; this year the focus is on a project called the PEACE plan. According to Pastor Smith, there are five “Global Goliaths” responsible for suffering in Third World countries:
– Spiritual emptiness
– Self-serving leadership
– Poverty
– Pandemic diseases
– Illiteracy and lack of education
The United States government has spent billions of taxpayer dollars over the past five decades trying to alleviate poverty in Africa. Unfortunately, dishonest local officials have siphoned off much of the money, leaving Africans poverty-stricken.
For this reason, Christian leaders in Nigeria and the U.S. have established this new program to give them a “hand up, not a handout.” There are many important components of this plan, which emphasizes equipping local people and empowering them to change their society and lives:
P = Promoting reconciliation
E = Equipping servant leaders
A = Assisting the poor
C = Caring for the sick
E = Educating the next generation
Joining the Gilroy contingent in Owerri, Nigeria, is Dr. John David Arnold, executive director of Project PPEP (Portable Practical Education Preparation). He has had notable success in Arizona through organizing “micro-businesses and loan programs,” which provide startup funding for very small enterprises.
He has worked through the Minister of Commerce to establish the Owerri Cooperative Thrift and Credit Society. SVCC has donated $30,000 to begin this fund to help innovative small businesses. Five loans are scheduled to be funded next week. The 4 percent interest which borrowers pay will cover all administrative expenses for the co-op.
SVCC is supporting an umbrella organization known as the West Africa Center for Missions. It operates a hospital, seminary and various outreach organizations. Its seminary is the venue for two conferences being held this month.
Carol Smith was one of the speakers at a week-long women’s conference attended by some 1,200 Nigerians. Eric will be one of the teachers at a pastors’ conference which some 2,000 local clergymen are expected to attend. Both gatherings are focused on studying the Bible and applying it to the problems plaguing Nigerian society.
The congregation of SVCC donated $70,000 in a month to fund this mission.
Besides the micro-loan program, money will be used for medical supplies, renovations at a local school for the deaf, support for widows and orphans, and other pressing needs.
The church has also shipped a 40-foot container with items purchased like backpacks, CD players, sound systems, eyeglasses, sewing machines and other goods difficult to find in Africa. According to Pastor Eric, this is all an example of South Valley Community Church’s philosophy of being “full service: getting out of the four walls to preach the Gospel and serve peoples’ needs.”
For more information, call (408) 848-2363.
