Interview With Dr. Bright Mawuodor, Deputy General Secretary, All Africa Council Of Churches
On ground zero of the Africa Evangelical Centre, Dr. Bright Mawuodor, Deputy General Secretary at All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), poses for a photo with AEA General Secretary Rev. Dr. Aiah Foday-Khabenje, it’s been an intense morning, but his effervescent nature is contagious as always.
On this March day, Dr. Bright has just attended a building committee meeting, constituting construction, finance and legal experts offering direction and advice to AEA throughout the construction process.
He takes a minute to narrate his experiences and how he was drafted in to the AEA building committee and his vision for what he refers to as a “modelling Project.”
“Over the past 15 years, AACC has embarked on a sustainability programme due to dwindling donor support. Through this sustainability programme, AACC has set out an ambitious goal to be a donor organization by 2020. I joined the AEA building committee as part of what the AACC does for many partner Christian organizations, ultimately hoping we can share our experiences.” Says Dr. Bright. He adds that projects like the Africa Evangelical Centre and the AACC complex in the Westlands area, here in Nairobi, serve not only as landmarks, but signify the shift towards self-sustainability and dignity of Christian organizations in Africa.
He adds, “The ultimate goal is to demonstrate to AACC members and the larger Christian community that sustainability models do work and such projects guarantee income to support programmatic needs of Churches. A personal key output in my role as Deputy Secretary General Secretary of the AACC has been to advice Churches on sustainability.
My vision for AEA, is that after finalizing the 1st phase of the building construction, they would have a proper management scheme that would maximize the investment on Valley Road, Nairobi. My experience has been that churches have had continued challenges in management and maintenance issues, but these bottle-necks can now be overcome.”
Dr. Bright trusts that AEA would model this concept of sustainability programmes to its members, and that they would also start investment strategies aimed at supporting core work of their ministries.
