In the middle of Nigeria, where Mike and Becky Stonecypher live, riots have been all too common in the past few years.
The nation of Nigeria is characterized by about a 50-percent Muslim concentration in the north and a correlating population of Christians in the south. In the past, the Christians and Muslims have coexisted peacefully in Nigeria, noted the Stonecyphers, who are longtime missionaries to that country. But during the past three to four years, a political tension has developed between the two groups.
Plus, the president of Nigeria, who is both a Christian and a Baptist, is facing re-election this spring.
“Nigeria needs a lot of prayer right now for peace and unity,” Mike said.
Yet, amid the tension, something exciting is occurring. A new strategy is afoot, reaching out to people who may have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, many Christians — from Nigeria and all over the world — are acting upon their own spiritual burdens to bring the people of that country to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Since about 1999, the Stonecyphers have been strategy facilitators in central Nigeria, based in the city of Jos. Their new emphasis, they explained, is part of the strategy of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to target unreached people groups.
This plan, explained the Stonecyphers, divides West Africa and a portion of Cameroon into eight ministry regions, geographically gathering various tribes or peoples into affinity groups of shared backgrounds. By grouping them as such, the different tribes can be ministered to either as a large group or as individual ones.
The Stonecyphers, who are attending First Baptist Church, Glencoe, in Etowah Association while on stateside assignment and will return to Nigeria in July, said their duty is to find out everything possible about the approximately 200 tribes designated under the broader term of “Plateau” people. (The name “Plateau” refers to the terrain in that area, which is about 3,500 to 4,000 feet above sea level.)
Of the 200 tribes on which the Stonecyphers are to focus, about 35 would be classified as “unreached.” Mike said that means there are not enough Christians among those groups to reach out to others. “In most cases, there are almost none,” he reported, referring to Christians within the groups.
Prior to embarking on this new strategy, Mike was the principal of Baptist High School in Jos, and his wife was a teacher for students with learning disabilities who attend Hillcrest School for missionary children.
Going from their work as educators to a focus on affinity groups “was a big change for us,” Mike said. At the time he felt divine guidance leading him and his wife to this new direction on the missions field, Mike was transitioning from being a principal to letting a Nigerian take over that post.
Called to a new direction
Mike had been an educator for 24 years and his wife for nearly 20. Yet, they didn’t feel adequate for the new job as strategy facilitators. Nonetheless, God showed them that they were the ones for this work.
“We obeyed, even though we had no idea what we were doing,” Becky said.
When they did obey, they found that people rushed to help with this new strategy, Mike said.
The Stonecyphers — who are the parents of 13-year-old Rachel and 11-year-old John David — went through intense training in Singapore on reaching people groups.
For about two years, Becky — with the help of Cynthia Atherton of the International Service Corps — researched through publications the tribes included in the “Plateau” category.
“Each group,” explained Becky, “has its own unique way of looking at things.” It becomes the responsibility of her, her husband and others ministering to the various groups within the Plateau people to find what works best to convey the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, showing a video would not be the appropriate avenue for every people group.
“Our desire is to make (the message of Jesus Christ and salvation) as clear to them as people did to us,” Mike said.
His wife pointed out that the more research she does, the more she discovers small, indigenous groups who already are doing God’s work among some of the Plateau tribes. It is obvious, she continued, that God is laying the groundwork.
In fact, God is calling out laborers and putting a burden about Nigeria on the hearts of Christians around the world, Mike reported.
Most notably, Nigerian Christians are feeling divine prodding to tell their countrymen about Jesus.
“God was giving this burden to Nigerians so we could work side by side,” Mike said. “We have been delightfully surprised at their eagerness and response.”
He noted that Nigerian youth groups go on missions trips to minister to unreached groups in their country.
Before the Stonecyphers left Nigeria for the United States, Becky had trained about 80 people in chronological storying of the Bible. And Mike had assisted pastors and other leaders to come up with a plan of action, based on the needs and identity of each people group.
The Stonecyphers also have worked to raise awareness of the needs of the Plateau people among Christians in Nigeria, the United States and elsewhere in the world.
They have found that Christians in Brazil, Korea and Singapore are particularly enthusiastic about sending missionaries, what the couple sees as fruit of missionaries past.
They said plans are being formalized to have missionaries from Brazil and Korea to go to West Africa. Nigerians, they said, also are sending missionaries, mostly into West Africa.
The Stonecyphers said fervent and constant prayer is needed so the unreached can come to know Christ. That is why they developed the 31-day prayer guide to help Christians anywhere to prepare the way spiritually for the Plateau people. Also, prayer walking trips to West Africa are being planned.
Already, the Stonecyphers are finding that others are feeling the call to minister to the unreached.
They gave as an example a Nigerian pastor and some young adults in his church who heard about an isolated people group called Dalong Pai, up in a mountain. The Dalong Pai were so uninformed that they still wore leaves for clothes and believed they were the only ones on Earth.
The pastor and the young adults hiked 24 hours to reached the Dalong Pai, giving this tribe its first contact with outsiders.
The pastor and his group approached the Stonecyphers for assistance in ministering to the Dalong Pai. Becky taught storytelling and Mike helped them think through a plan of outreach. But the Stonecyphers say they will not go to the Dalong Pai people for a while yet. Just finding out that they’re not the only ones on Earth probably has been somewhat of a trauma to the Dalong Pai. Seeing a Caucasian for the first time may be even more traumatizing at this point, said the couple.
Another instance of Christians laying groundwork can be found among the Dirim people. A group of Nigerian missionaries has been going into Dirim areas to start schools. From that, they have been able to start six churches. Mike has helped these missionaries obtain tapes of Bible stories in the language of the Dirim people. Currently, Bible translations in that language aren’t available.
Only recently have the Dirim people begun learning praise and worship choruses in their own language, the Stonecyphers said.
In addition, two Dirim men have felt called out to minister to their own people, the couple stated.
The Stonecyphers say they expect within the next two or three years to see people groups being adopted and the gospel of Jesus Christ being presented among previously unreached groups. Already, some of the Dirim people have prayed and asked Jesus to come into their hearts and be their Savior.
The Stonecyphers said prayer is needed to undergird this new strategy. They are eager to hear from people who want to receive prayer updates, the 31-day prayer guide or to be a part of prayer walks.
The Stonecyphers may be reached by phone, 256-442-6761, or by e-mail, MBStone01@aol.com.
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