This edition covers a fortnight, after no digest appeared for Week 39. Its lead story is historic: the free evangelical family gathers on African soil for the first time, as IFFEC Worldwide 2026 opens in Kenya. Around it lies two weeks of news spanning Ukraine, Cuba, Liberia, Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Estonia, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and the United States.
Kenya — free evangelical churches meet in Africa for the first time
The International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches opens its Worldwide 2026 gathering this week at Brackenhurst, near Limuru in Kenya's Kiambu County, under the three-word theme Follow Jesus. It is the first time in the federation's history that its worldwide assembly has been held on the African continent. Delegates from national federations across the world meet from 28 September to 3 October.
Rwanda — the church law that emptied thousands of buildings
Five years after Rwanda's Law No. 72/2018 set standards for faith-based organisations, its effects are still being counted: thousands of churches were padlocked after a fortnight of inspections, and congregations moved online or dissolved. The law gave five years' notice before enforcement, and this Connexion analysis traces how the inspections unfolded and who was hit hardest. Neighbouring East African states are watching closely, since the same regulatory logic is now being debated across the region.
Uganda — training pastors before the law arrives
Uganda is debating who may lead a church, after a public intervention suggesting that unregulated pastors could face arrest and that church leaders should hold at least a degree in theology. In Buikwe, Pastor Eria Ssekandi reports that pastors and church leaders are already seeking formal accreditation because of the impending policies. His aim is to get them trained before any new rules take effect.
Ukraine — Kramatorsk congregation's building devastated in a bomb strike
Allianz-Mission, the German FeG mission agency, reported on 19 September that a bomb strike had largely destroyed the community house of the Free Evangelical congregation in Kramatorsk, near the front line in eastern Ukraine. No one was in the building when it was hit. The congregation had been meeting in a local school for three and a half years, holding two to three services each Sunday with between 275 and 350 people attending.
Liberia — from a refugee camp to a national church fellowship
Orphaned as a child and educated in exile, Moses Womleh now chairs Liberia's newly formed Free Evangelical fellowship — elected five days before his 58th birthday. He has planted churches and built a seminary branch of more than 200 students. This week he travels to Kenya for his first international conference of its kind, meeting the worldwide Free Evangelical family.
Germany — FeG president calls congregations to be 'spaces of trust'
Henrik Otto, president of the Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden (FeG), has closed a three-part magazine series arguing that local congregations must be "spaces of trust", and restating the federation's zero-tolerance position on the abuse of power. The series in Christsein Heute is extracted from his book Was die Welt am meisten braucht (What the World Needs Most). Otto writes as someone who grew up in a FeG congregation, later pastored it, and then led the federation.
Sweden — New Testament 2026 published with notable translation choices
The Swedish Bible Society has published NT26, a new translation of the New Testament, presented at the Gothenburg Book Fair. Several decisions have drawn wide attention: Judas no longer "betrays" Jesus but "hands him over"; Paul is described as a "slave" rather than a "servant"; and the name long rendered Junias appears as Junia, a woman. The free church newspaper Sändaren asked three voices from across Swedish church life to respond.
United States — EFCA board nominates Rev. Carlton P. Harris as next president
The Evangelical Free Church of America has named Rev. Carlton P. Harris as its nominee for the denomination's next president, with the unanimous support of the EFCA Board of Directors and after what leaders described as a rigorous search. Harris has served as acting president since early 2024. His nomination now goes to credentialed delegates for election at the EFCA One conference in 2027.
United States — Billy Graham's granddaughter nominated as ambassador for religious freedom
The White House announced on 14 September the nomination of Jane "Cissie" Graham Lynch, a granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, as US ambassador for international religious freedom; the nomination awaits Senate confirmation. The office leads American religious-freedom diplomacy grounded in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and produces annual reports on the state of religious freedom worldwide.
Cuba — from an empty pantry to a dining hall for fifty elderly people
In Cárdenas, in western Cuba, an Alliance pastor and his wife who once knelt in prayer before an entirely empty pantry now run a feeding ministry serving fifty elderly people twice a week. Their congregation is still remembered in the city as "the church of the swimming pool". The account was published by the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
Burkina Faso — a young woman who lost her village finds new life through the church
A young woman in Burkina Faso whose village was destroyed in a religious-extremist attack has found healing, community and a new livelihood through a local Alliance church. The account was written by an Alliance international worker serving in West Africa, who describes how a person's identity in much of West Africa is inseparable from their village — and what it costs to lose one.
Kenya — African evangelicals gather in Nairobi for a digital technology and faith forum
The Association of Evangelicals in Africa convened the Africa Digital Technology & Faith Forum 2026 in Nairobi on 21–22 September, bringing together around sixty delegates — business leaders, technology innovators, AI practitioners, academics, faith leaders and emerging young leaders. The forum ran under the theme "Leveraging Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Africa's Future — Innovation, Leadership and Faith".
Global — World Evangelical Alliance marks 180 years
The World Evangelical Alliance is marking 180 years since its founding in London in 1846 with a season of prayer and celebration. Churches worldwide were invited to an online Prayer, Celebration and Commitment gathering on 23 September and to a worldwide WEA Day on 27 September. The alliance brings together national and regional evangelical bodies from more than 140 countries.
Germany — FeG 'Conference of Cultures' draws 200 to explore intercultural mission
Around 200 people from FeG congregations across Germany, representing many cultural backgrounds, gathered at the Kronberg Forum in Ewersbach for the Konferenz der Kulturen, organised jointly by the Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden and its mission agency Allianz-Mission. The event ran under the motto "Wake up! Rediscover missionary power!". FeG congregations have been increasingly shaped by migration in recent years.
Switzerland — Federal Fast draws two contrasting visions of faith in public life
Switzerland's Federal Fast prompted markedly different readings in the canton of Vaud. Christians close to the organisation Prière pour la Suisse invited people to celebrate at the site of the battle of Grandson, praying on the lands where the Confederates prayed before the confrontation, and for a return of the country's inhabitants to God. The Vaudois Council of State issued its own message for the occasion, framing the day rather differently.
Netherlands — free evangelical union trains church confidential advisors
The Bond van Vrije Evangelische Gemeenten has announced an online training session for the confidential advisors — vertrouwenspersonen — who act as a first point of contact in local churches. The webinar runs on Microsoft Teams on Monday 5 October, 19:30–20:30. Across the union's congregations these contact persons are increasingly the first people members approach when something feels unsafe or troubling.
Finland — Papua New Guinea Bible translation project gains independent status
A Bible-translation project launched by Finnish Free Church missionaries in Papua New Guinea in 1982 has received official NGO status and the ability to operate independently. Long-term missionaries Arjen and Maija Lock report that the Abau-language New Testament, completed two decades ago, now stands alongside a well-advanced Old Testament translation and a network of mother-tongue schools. It is among the longest-running single-language mission efforts connected to the Finnish Free Church.
United States — first Alaska Native MARC pilot flies children to remote Bible camps
Joel Oyoumick Jr. has become the first Alaska Native pilot for Missionary Aviation Repair Center, a ministry based in Soldotna that flies children and staff to Bible camps across dozens of remote villages. Last season MARC carried 428 children and staff to five camps across thirty-six villages. For many of those young people, the flight is the only practical way to reach camp at all.
Switzerland — free church training college names new adult formation coordinator
The French-speaking free churches of Switzerland have named David Richir as the new adult-formation coordinator of FREE College, the training programme of the Fédération Romande d'Églises Évangéliques (LaFREE). The role focuses on forming the volunteer lay leaders who guide local congregations — elders, church-council members and pastoral counsellors — while holding down ordinary jobs. Richir said the college exists to answer a simple question: who trains the churches' volunteer leaders?
Switzerland — free church student groups see renewal after pandemic setbacks
Student Bible groups in French-speaking Switzerland are showing signs of renewal after several secondary-school groups faded during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jean-René Moret, secretary general of the GBEU de Suisse romande, says groups in Geneva and Fribourg are being reborn. Moret, a former pastor of the FREE church in Cologny, described his first year in the role as "wonderful and eventful".
Estonia — free churches to host 'The Creator's Face' education conference
The Free Evangelical and Baptist Churches of Estonia will host a one-day education conference, Looja nägu ("The Creator's Face"), in Tallinn on Saturday 31 October. The day will explore what a school could look like when it supports human creativity and helps students grow into the creators God made them to be. Registration closes on 28 October.
Finland — free church identity revisited through the legacy of Sulo Santeri Salmensaari
What is the identity of the Finnish Free Church, and what kind of church do its members want to help build? Those questions framed a lecture by Tommi Karjalainen of the Finnish Theological Institute, drawing on Sulo Santeri Salmensaari's 1957 history of the church. Karjalainen's emphasis was confessional: the Free Church is not a confessional church — it is bound by Scripture.
Sweden — Equmeniakyrkan board moves from vision talks to concrete priorities
Equmeniakyrkan's governing board met for its first autumn session with the follow-up to the Vision26 church conference at the top of the agenda. Chair Dick Simonsson said the time had come to move "from conversation to action" after a summer spent gathering reflections from local congregations. Vision26, held in Örebro in June, brought the denomination together to consider its long-term direction.
Czech Republic — Church of the Brethren brings BrodFEST to the town square
The Church of the Brethren in the Czech Republic brought its BrodFEST festival into the centre of Havlíčkův Brod, with a full day of free public talks, live music and discussion on Havlíčkovo náměstí. Církev bratrská is one of the country's historic free evangelical churches, a small minority in one of Europe's most secular societies. Taking the festival into the town square was a deliberate act of public witness.
Finland — Free Church Workers' Days open at Kiponniemi
The Finnish Free Church's annual workers' gathering, Työntekijäpäivät, opened on 22 September at Kiponniemi, the denomination's conference centre, drawing both first-time participants and long-serving veterans of congregational ministry. The church's workers' association, Työntekijäliitto, held its annual meeting during the gathering. The event gives pastors, youth workers and other staff a yearly opportunity to meet and take decisions together.
Finland — prison ministry afternoon to share stories of life change
A joint Christian prison ministry afternoon will be held in Hämeenlinna in October, bringing together speakers whose lives were turned around by faith amid crime, addiction and deep personal loss. The gathering is designed to encourage those involved in prison chaplaincy and outreach. Prison ministry has deep roots in the Finnish free church tradition.
Finland — a youth worker's journey from Australia to Pori
Jonathan Kyffin, a youth worker at the Free Church in Pori, reached Finnish free-church ministry by an unusual route that began in South Africa and passed through Australia. Born in South Africa, he moved to Australia as a child and met his Finnish wife, Hanna, while doing youth work there. He has served the Pori congregation since 2019.
Sweden — missionary in North Africa says mission starts with a cup of coffee
Aron, a missionary sent by the Swedish Evangelical Mission (Svenska Alliansmissionen) and now living in a Muslim-majority North African city, says relationship-building over coffee is at the heart of his work. In local café culture, striking up conversation with a stranger is entirely normal, and conversations blend Arabic, English and French, body language, pictures and translation apps. Unlike in Sweden, where faith is often treated as a private matter, belief in God is a natural part of everyday life.
Voices — should Christians sing 'Buddha is dead and Allah is silent'?
A new worship song, "Dead Idols" by American singer-songwriter Bailey Redmond, has been circulating on social media with the lyric "Buddha is dead, Muhammad's in the grave, Allah is silent, they're all dead idols". Writing in Premier Christianity, UK worship leader and songwriter Richard James Butt admits his first reaction was to cringe, then asks deeper questions about what the church should sing about other religions.
Voices — why our Baptist forebears wouldn't support blasphemy laws
A dispute over a new book by R. Albert Mohler Jr. has put an old question back on the table: may the state punish blasphemy? Mohler argued that government has the full right to restrict and punish blasphemy, then withdrew the claim after an outcry. Writing for The Gospel Coalition, an essay uses the episode to untangle the historical, legal, theological and ecclesiological questions behind blasphemy laws.
This fortnight's news turns repeatedly on one question: who forms the people who lead churches? IFFEC's first African Worldwide gathering, Liberia's new national fellowship, and the registration and training laws now reshaping ministry in Rwanda and Uganda all point to the same need — pastors and lay leaders grounded theologically before the pressure arrives. Worldwide Evangelical Seminary exists to meet that need, forming free church leaders through distance theological education, and works alongside initiatives such as AFECF to equip leaders where they already serve.
The Connexion is provided by Worldwide Evangelical Seminary — forming free church leaders for faithful ministry worldwide.
