ICC: Intercultural Communications Course & French Church

Knowing how to build and sustain healthy relationships is paramount to success in any multi-cultural global team organization. To help prepare for serving as a missionary in Cameroon, I am taking an interactive Intercultural Communications Course July 26-August 24 in Waxhaw, North Carolina. It is a growing, stretching experience, much evening & weekend homework/assignments, but an awesome course.

The course includes:  Authority Issues; Crisis Management, Security Issues and Contingency Planning; Interpersonal Skills; Language and Culture Acquisition; TCK (Third Culture Kid) Identity and Transitional Issues; Working in Multi-Cultural Teams; Worldview, Spiritual Vitality, and more. Required reading was Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer...I highly recommend it.

One highlight of the course is attending an ethnic church the four Sundays during the course, participating in church activities, looking for opportunities to serve the church. It is my privilege to attend the Nazaréene Francophone Church of Holiness (French Congolese) in Charlotte NC along with Paul and Christy Dubois and their children Jessica and Casey, also headed to Cameroon. With their regular children’s church worker out with a new baby, I found my opportunity to serve quickly. 

  Here we are singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" along with book beautifully illustrated by Kadir Nelson. I asked children to suggest motion for various verses - here "He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands." Youngsters helped with the story of "Jonah and the Whale" from both rebus and rhyming pop-up books; they shared their own scenarios for "Running Away" scripture application game where they stepped forward if child in their situation listened and obey, stepped back if child ran away from God. We did action songs "Hallelujah praised ye the Lord" and "Father Abraham" that I had experienced children in West Africa singing and had fish crackers for snack. 

To give added support to the children's ministry here AND other children's ministry workers stateside and abroad (including me), I developed a Children's Ministry Resources page attached to this blog  with mostly free online materials. Click that tab above. I welcome suggestions of additional helpful children's ministry web sites to link (email me @ wkw353@yahoo.com).

Rev. Paul-Jean Olangi, pastor;  Paul and Christy Dubois , KW; Christine Olangi. 

Those were a precious four weeks of worshiping with and learning from our French Congolese brothers and sisters in the Lord. I was extremely relieved to find parts of the services translated into English. Even during the French parts when I didn't understand the words, I sensed God's presence in the blessed intensity of prayer, singing, teaching and preaching. Our hearts were in one accord in worship. Paul, Christy, their children and I so appreciate the warm friendly welcome we received. I leave part of my heart there and hope my schedule allows return visits in the future.