Assembly of God Pastor's Trip to West Africa Has Town Fearing Ebola Spread; Congregants Rally Together in Prayer
An Arkansas church gathered Tuesday night to pray for their pastor's safety as he travels to West Africa despite concerns about the spread of Ebola in the continent.
Cloverdale Assembly of God Church pastor, John Martin, and his wife, Tammie, left the comforts of Crossett, Arkansas, Sunday to embark on a mission trip to Senegal and then Gambia. The couple will be volunteering in a local church there.
Church members are rallying together in support of the Martins despite local concerns that their return may bring the fatal virus that has killed 4,500 people across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to their town.
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Church members organized a prayer meeting in a local park and crafted white "prayer ribbons" with gold crosses for supporters to wear.
"This is a chance for the community to band together and show our support for Pastor John Martin and Tammie Martin as they begin their mission trip to Africa. We will be handing out prayer ribbons for you to wear to show your support to them for doing God's work. We will have singing along with prayer," church member Jana Nichols Chandler wrote on the Cloverdale Assembly of God Church Facebook page.
She emphasized, "This is not about an Ebola crisis or prayers for them to not go. It is prayer in support for our pastor and a time to encourage each other in the community."
Three weeks ago John Martin wrote on his Facebook page "Less than 3 weeks to go till we embark on a missions trip to Dakar, Senegal. And then on into THE GAMBIA !!!!! We are so excited to see our life long friends ..... But even more excited to see what GOD has in store for this country !!!!"
According to local news station KARK, word of the Martins' trip ignited a flood of concerns on the Facebook page, Voices of Ashley County. The page's administrator David Pruitt told KARK, "Everybody should know Jesus Christ, you know, but right now is just not the time."
Senegal has one reported case of Ebola; Gambia has none. The Martins have been planning this mission trip for two years – well before the recent Ebola outbreak began – and have reportedly received a protective suit from the Centers for Disease Control. They are expected to return from the African nations in two weeks.
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