National, Political, and Religious Background

Serving the Lord in Togo means navigating a difficult socio-political and spiritual landscape. For more than six decades, the nation has lived under autocratic governance marked by economic hardship, limited employment opportunities, and widespread poverty that leaves many families in severe financial distress. Religiously, an estimated 42% to 49% of the population identifies as Christian, spanning Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions, while roughly 14% to 19% practices Islam. More than a third of the population continues to follow indigenous African animist beliefs and Vodou traditions, resulting in widespread syncretism and deeply entrenched ancestral worship, particularly throughout rural communities.

Spiritual Opposition and Active Persecution

Because of these enduring traditions, church planters and new believers regularly encounter direct opposition and social hostility. In rural areas such as the village of Agbanake in the Maritime Region, where community identity has centered on idol worship for centuries, those who turn to Jesus Christ face fierce local resistance and ostracization. Church workers and converts in urban settings have likewise endured active physical and spiritual hostility from non-Christian neighbors. Through these intense trials, the ministry team continues to report divine protection and a steady resolve to carry forward the Great Commission.

Evangelistic Fruit and Church Planting

Despite this spiritual resistance, notable breakthroughs are unfolding across the country. In recent months, Pastor Sika and his team celebrated 37 souls coming to faith in Christ and 24 converts entering the waters of baptism, alongside the planting of one new local church and the initial evangelization of another village. A central achievement came in Agbanake, a settlement historically resistant to Christian missionaries and long considered the most impervious to the gospel in Togo’s Maritime Region. By the grace of God, the ministry established the first church ever planted in that village.

Partnering with AWANA to engage youth through sports and Bible lessons, the team gathered both children and adults, resulting in multiple professions of faith among the youth, six adult converts, and three former idol worshippers stepping forward to accept Christ.

Radio Broadcast Outreach

To reach listeners beyond direct physical access, Pastor Sika maintains regular gospel broadcasts over Grace Radio. These programs reach households across multiple communities and have yielded immediate spiritual fruit. Following recent broadcasts, a local couple, along with a mother and her son, surrendered their lives to Christ and were placed under the direct spiritual discipleship of a local pastoral couple. The radio ministry continues to serve as an effective tool for evangelism across both remote and urban areas.

Leadership Training and the Loss of a Co-Laborer

Developing national leaders remains an essential priority. In cooperation with Equipping Leaders International, extensive training conferences have been held, including an in-depth pastoral study on the Epistle to the Romans in the northern city of Kara and marital leadership seminars in Lomé. Future sessions are scheduled in Bas-Mono for couples’ discipleship, along with a multi-national leadership conference bringing together pastors from Togo, Benin, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Amid these expanding opportunities, the ministry experienced deep sorrow following the sudden death of Pastor Sika’s principal co-laborer, Pastor Dogbe, who worked faithfully alongside Pastor Sika in church planting and radio broadcasts. His passing has left a significant void within the leadership structure, and behind him, his widow, Yawa, and their three children — Elom, David, and Venunye — who now rely heavily on the prayer and compassionate support of the Christian community.

Compassion Outreaches: Care for Orphans and Widows

The work in Togo pairs the proclamation of the Gospel with hands-on care for vulnerable children and widows through the Joseph Project and newly established initiatives in Agbanake. Several older youths in the Joseph Project have reached important milestones: two earned high school diplomas, two are currently apprenticing and interning in masonry, and three others have found independent employment to support themselves.

Significant material and medical needs remain urgent. The ministry recently took in six young orphans from Agbanake who lost their parents to terminal illness or accidents. Additionally, an orphaned boy named Samuel battles congenital HIV and requires consistent medical oversight and proper nourishment. Caring for these children are elderly Christian widows — seven in the Joseph Project and three in Agbanake — who serve as sacrificial surrogate caregivers despite their own advanced age, physical ailments, and humble living conditions.

Current Goals and Areas for Prayer

Pastor Sika and Lucie convey their heartfelt gratitude to every donor and ministry partner whose support sustains their family provisions, orphan care, and ministry tools, including a motorized water pump to drain severe basement flooding after seasonal downpours. Continued prayers and support are requested for the following:

• Continued peace, political stability, and economic relief for the people of Togo.
• Spiritual protection and physical safety for Pastor Sika’s family, the orphan homes, and the new converts facing persecution in Agbanake.
• Complete health restoration for Lucie as she manages a gynecological ailment, for their daughter Annah, and relief from ministry-related exhaustion.
• Ongoing material and emotional support for the widow and children of the late Pastor Dogbe.
• Provision of a video projector setup to facilitate village and school evangelistic presentations.
• Sustained funding to cover monthly airtime expenses on Grace Radio.
• Provision of essential first-aid supplies and medicines to equip a pharmacy care box for the orphans.
• Resources to construct a residential shelter room at the orphanage for widow Djatonsi, who is battling severe illness.
• Tuition and living expense provision for Pastor Sika’s college-age children.