How City Ministries Began

Week after week in 1996, U.S. missionary Dorothy Ardill shopped in the Jos, Nigeria marketplace, and was often confronted by hundreds of street boys. They seemed innocent and yet tragic, moving from person to person, seeking a handout. Dorothy wondered, “Where do they sleep at night?… Don’t they go to school?” She prayed, talked to others and learned. More importantly, she took action!

Dorothy learned that many boys living in the street play a role in Islamic religion; they are Almajiri (Disciple) boys. Their own parents are indifferent or unable to give them a proper home. Almajiri support the “giving of alms” activity by being needy ones who beg. They look poor, they are poor, and they will stay poor. Unfortunately, the money they bring in from the street usually goes to the Islamic teacher who “takes care” of them. It’s no life for the boys, and promises no future.

Dorothy wondered if some bare necessities such as food could be offered to these boys. She also wanted them to hear the Gospel. She and her husband, Dr. Bill Ardill kept praying and with God’s help they established the first Gidan Bege (“House of Hope” ), a downtown center where children of the streets could be ministered to. A lunch program reached out to the first 17 boys once a week. Telling Bible stories began in 1996 and actually deterred about half from coming due to the predominant local Muslim culture. Participant numbers dropped from 50 to 25 but later in the year climbed to 110! Girls and blind beggar women also began to come.

In 1999, Peter and Miriam Fretheim, along with additional full-time missionary workers, arrived to administer more leadership, including mentoring many Nigerian staff and workers. By the year 2000, Gidan Bege had become City Ministries with the addition of medical outreach, sports outreach and expanded care given to the destitute of all kinds.

Organization

City Ministries was founded by SIM. http://www.sim.org/ and receives financial assistance from various organizations which also provide help and care for the people of Nigeria:

GO Nigeria
Mission Africa
Help West Africa
Danish Sudan Mission

City Ministries is a division of the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS), which is a branch of the Evangelical Churches of West Africa (ECWA). Currently ECWA has approximately 7,000 local churches and 6 million members. SIM is also a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and the Interdenominational Foreign Missions Association (IFMA). All SIM finances are reviewed regularly by the SIM USA Finance Committee, The SIM USA Board of Directors, and the International Board of Governors.