Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Monday, May 05, 2008
Pastor Tim Erickson: Ministry to Africa and New Orleans
Tim Erickson, senior pastor at Bible Evangelical Free Church, has spent much of 2008 on the move.
Erickson, who came to the Bible Evangelical Free Church in 1989, has spent time in Africa and New Orleans, LA, during the past several months. He spent Feb. 6-18 in Africa, where he visited several countries and ministries.
“We went to several regions,” Erickson said. “It was a real blitz. We went with three others and a team leader on what we called an Africa vision trip to see different types of ministries.”
Along with his team, Erickson spent four days in Rwanda, one day in Sudan, and another four days in Tanzania. Erickson said that he viewed several ministries and came back to Tomah with ideas to reflect upon. He also said that the ministries he witnessed throughout the continent were very different from one another.
“There were a lot of differences,” Erickson said. “Rwanda had established churches, and the ones in Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania) were from scratch. Sudan was kind of in between.”
Erickson preached twice while in Africa, and he said that the experience was spiritual and enjoyable. He also said that despite the many differences amongst the ministries in Africa, they were all connected through the same message.
“It was surprisingly comfortable, and we had a commonality because of our common faith,” Erickson said. “It wasn’t what you might see here (in Tomah). There was a lot of dance, choirs, music and a three-hour service. We didn’t understand what was being said, but we had that unity. It is a different world, and a different culture, but we have the same essential needs and the same faith.”
Not long after his return from Africa, Erickson was off to New Orleans, where he spent March 30-April 6 helping with the on-going clean-up efforts from Hurricane Katrina that hit the city in 2005. It was the second year in a row that Erickson went with a team to New Orleans, where they have a missionary. He took a team of 19 people to help with the efforts.
“Since (Hurricane) Katrina, there have been teams working there every week, year-round,” Erickson said. “Working with construction was a great opportunity for people that aren’t verbal or teacher types, but are good skilled workers, to have a ministry.”
Erickson is back in Tomah, continuing his ministry at the Bible Evangelical Free Church. He said that he returned from his trips with ideas and knowledge to think and pray about. He is also proud of the impact that his ministerial teams have been able to make.
“It was a good experience,” Erickson said. “It makes an impact.”
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