Just a few days after accepting the role of Gafcon’s General Secretary, Archbishop Ben Kwashi’s home in Jos, Nigeria, was attacked.  11 cattle were stolen and his neighbour, Adamu Dung, was killed, for flashing a torch at the invaders.  The Archbishop paid tribute to him on his Facebook page:

“...Adamu Dung..

A simple driver of a COCIN (Church of Christ in Nigeria) chairman...

Has a family a wife and children, living in an uncompleted house of his own. The doors and widows waiting to be bought to be fixed. He had hopes of finishing his house and living peacefully with his family.

The story changed last night...

He was shot through the head because he flashed his light when he heard footsteps of cattle being rustled...

The cows were mine...

Adamu was killed...

He is no threat...

He is an ordinary citizen struggling with life and doing every honest job to make ends meet.

When I saw the widow and the house I could not help myself, my tears flowed freely and my heart shattered! I still carry the image of the house, the widow and the children...

And Adamu died...killed by rustlers in front of his house!!!

Many blood blood blood blood .....”

Speaking a couple of days later to Gerald McDermott, Ben Kwashi said, “I am not afraid to die, I continue to live my normal life as you have seen but I do nurse the fear that I might get killed. My sure faith, however, is that until my time is over and assignment completed nothing shall yet happen to me. So, I live between these tensions.”

In the video above, Archbishops Ben Kwashi and Foley Beach, speak of their new responsibilities and their reliance on God as they seek to carry them out in order to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost.  On hearing of the attack, Foley Beach put out the following statement:  

“It was an honor and joy to share Christian fellowship with my brother, Archbishop Ben Kwashi last week.  He has long been a good shepherd to his people, and while his life was spared in this latest attack, I grieve with him at the death of his neighbor.  The lack of basic security around Jos is not a new story, but it is an important one that has been underreported.  Please pray for courage and protection for our brothers and sisters in Jos, and the surrounding region.  Pray also that the Nigerian government will be proactive and successful in ending the violence and instability.”