Lumenations

The primary focus for the first half of the year was to look into the feasibility of helping out an international church in North Africa - Sousse International Church. They had been shut down since the beginning of COVID in early 2020 and had no Pastor to work with them. The church has a need for a minister but no salary or funds to pay for one. The ministry work available through the International Church align very well with the vision of Lumenations. Partnering in the ministry with this church would include having Kenneth Shackelford (Lumenations Executive Director), move to Tunisia with his family. Exploring this opportunity to serve included visiting with many churches and supporters to gauge support for this move. It also included a trip to Tunisia in June of 2021 to meet with the church and those the Shackelford family would be working with if they were to go in this ministry direction.

After exploring this amazing opportunity to minister and partner with the Sousse International Church in Tunisia, North Africa, the decision was made for Ken and Tanja Shackelford and their family, including 6 children, to move their work and ministry to Sousse, Tunisia. The opportunities for ministry and service align perfectly with the vision of Lumenations. Part of this work includes Ken stepping into the role of Pastor of the Sousse International Church. This is an unpaid position so Ken is able to do this because of the support received through Lumenations in accordance with his role in this work. The vast majority of these expenses were to get their family moved from the U.S. to Tunisia, get a small van for transportation, and get them set-up in a home there. All of these funds were provided by donations from the Downtown Church of Christ to Lumenations for the ministry of the Shackelford family.

Lodi Church of Christ, in Lodi, California, has been a supporter of the Shackelford ministry for many years and they have supported Lumenations since it began. In June of 2021, Ken and Tanja Shackelford led a weekend "Raise the Sails" Disciple-Making Conference and Workshop. Much of the training that was done there is a part of what Lumenations has been working on and putting together in the past years. This was a great opportunity to put it to use in person and get real-time feedback from everyone who attended. This was also a good time to visit supporters on the West Coast to share about this move to do ministry, training and service in North Africa.