“When we are in the mission, we notice a lot of demands and needs of the people. Oftentimes, we lack the funds to attend to these needs,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest said.
Beyond spreading the gospel, Fr. Okonkwo said missionaries encounter fundamental human needs such as food, education, and healthcare, which require financial resources to address.
“We find that the major challenge in the propagation of the gospel is that we are met with a lot of social demands. And these are fundamental human problems that need to be attended to so that the body and soul will be together in worship,” he explained.
To bridge this financial gap, missionaries must learn how to source and manage funds effectively.
“The missionaries don’t have the funds, so we have to reach out to those who have the means and are ready to support the social needs of the people. That’s why we have to learn how to source the funds in order to be more effective in meeting the objectives of the mission,” Fr. Okonkwo said.
The Nigerian member of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CMF) further said, “Whenever we come to the issue of mission and evangelization, we know that fundamentally, funds are necessary. Through prayers, we can get a lot of things done. But equally, we know that we need funds to provide some basic needs.”
He emphasized that the training aims to equip participants with knowledge on how to access funding opportunities and utilize resources efficiently for the mission.
“The essence of this training is to make us understand ways, modalities, and places where we can source funds to help the propagation of the gospel,” the 47-year-old Nigerian Catholic Priest said.
He acknowledged the difficulties faced by missionaries working in regions affected by insecurity, particularly areas plagued by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram.
Fr. Okonkwo advised missionaries in such territories to develop strategic approaches to their outreach efforts.
