David W. Graves, jurisdictional general superintendent for the Africa Region, ordained the first elders of the Ouagadougou District Church of the Nazarene during a recent ceremony. The ordination on Sunday, March 20, 2011, makes these new elders the first from Burkina Faso.

The elders received academic training and practical insights about ministry and leadership. They continue to use the district library so they can gain a depth of knowledge that comes from the study of theology, church history, and other related subjects, said Friday Ganda, Burkina Faso and Mali ministries coordinator for West Africa.

"We celebrate not because we have finished the work but because we have achieved almost 80 percent of what we believe needs to be done to the people on training here in Burkina Faso," Ganda said.

"We have tried our best to be sure to avoid raising up leaders and churches that may be a generation away from being disconnected from our biblical and theological heritage," he added. "As Mary and I watched them being ordained, we could not hold our tears. I whispered to God, 'Here they are; use them as you want.' When I came here, I was the only ordained elder. Today we are seven. What a joy and celebration."

Ganda thanks the Church of the Nazarene for standing with West Africa as partners, both in prayer and financially. He asks people to pray for the work in the country of Mali, which is north of Burkina Faso and now part of the West Africa Field. "We now have 12 churches," he said. "Two of their pastors have joined our training institute here in Burkina Faso, and I am traveling there this weekend to purchase land for our district training center."