KUMASI, GHANA, West Africa – Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Vestal, All Africa Baptist Fellowship (AABF) General Secretary Frank Adams and CBF Global Missions Co-coordinator Barbara Baldridge signed a three-year ministry partnership agreement during a recent 10-day tour of ministry locations in Africa, with stops in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The three-year, renewable agreement will deploy CBF resources and volunteers to conduct mission and ministry projects with Baptists in those countries as well as help AABF work for reconciliation among various African nations and groups.

“God has called us as a Fellowship to be the presence of Christ in the world,” Vestal said. “One of the ways in which we can answer that call is to walk alongside our African brothers and sisters who are being the presence of Christ here and have been the presence of Christ for a long time. We are blessed to begin a more official relationship with the All Africa Baptist Fellowship.”

The CBF and AABF will coordinate the work of American volunteers and selection of ministry projects. Also included in the partnership will be conferences on peace-making, holistic development and theological education, which will benefit from CBF grants of $5,000 for three years, the leaders said.

"Our mission," said CBF Global Missions Co-coordinator Barbara Baldridge, "is to collaborate with churches and other groups to engage in holistic missions among the most neglected people in the world. This partnership furthers that mission and will help us learn more effective ways to be the presence of Christ in Africa."

The partnership will include prayer and volunteer support for AABF projects and connect AABF with U.S. churches seeking ways to minister with and learn from African churches.

AABF will be particularly helpful to the Fellowship through its commitment to sponsor conferences on peace-making, holistic development and theological education within Africa.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.