This Bonus episode of The Eden Podcast is about Tabitha Center #316 – reaching and disciplemaking among at-risk women through vocational training based on the positive insights from Eden. Claudine Selenga and her husband Nubako Selenga founded and direct this ministry to 7,000 at-risk women in Kinshasa, DRCongo and beyond.
The story: Claudine and her husband Nubako had served as the leaders of their denomination in the northwestern region of the DR Congo. They moved south to the capital city of Kinshasa as Nubako began international travel heading up a new missionary association to other countries in Africa. Meanwhile Claudine was raising their six children and was open to what her next ministry activities would be.
Here is the remarkable timeline of the ministry that grew from one center in their home to multiple centers serving 7,000 at-risk women in 2024! Now located in 300 local churches they spread the Good News through Bible study and vocational training.
They discovered that many of the young neighborhood women had resorted to prostitution due to their extreme poverty. Many lacked the skills for gainful employment. Most did not know the Lord or how to grow as Christians.
So Claudine started a home Bible study group. Her first priority was evangelism and discipleship. And she has retained that priority in all that has developed since the start.
She observed their lack of marketable skills. Being a seamstress herself, among other things, Claudine got two hand cranked sewing machines and began teaching sewing to the young women. She called the work The Tabitha Center.
The young women loved the song time, the Bible lessons, the prayer time, the skills classes and more! A dozen young women started attending at first. Then 20, 25 and more started coming!
They added lessons on home economics, small business management skills, cosmetology classes, restaurant management and more.
The Kinshasa City Team led by Pastor Nubako Selenga ministry now includes these outreaches:
- Tabitha Centers (reaching at-risk women with discipleship training and vocational skills)
- Global Fingerprints Tabitha (an extension of Tabitha that includes literacy training)
- Follow Me (reaching men through vocational training)
- Kids Action Network (teaching children through Bible storytelling)
- Planting 100 new churches (growing healthy, holy churches in Kinshasa, pop. 17 million)
Links:
www.Tru316.com/donate (Mention that your gift is for Tabitha Center 316)
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081143602379 (Tabitha Center Facebook Page)
The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner