David and Cherie Bulger
South Africa - Trainers of Pastors International Coalition (TOPIC)
David and Cherie live in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. They are missionaries with TOPIC, a coalition of ministries that work together to equip and develop pastors.
David serves as the Executive Director of TOPIC Southern Africa. In that role, David develops working relationships amongst pastoral training organizations (Bible schools, non-formal training ministries, denominations, missionaries, etc.) in order to increase the amount, and quality, of training for pastoral leaders in Southern Africa. Under David's leadership, TOPIC SA develops projects and strategies to help trainers work together; provides training of trainers; conducts research to identify training needs identified by pastors; develops curriculum and resources; and helps strengthen the efforts of pastoral training organizations. TOPIC SA also develops international strategies with TOPIC in other parts of the globe.
Cherie's primary ministries are in the areas of children/youth and with those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. She is part of a team that leads an after-school ministry to 250 children that live in an informal settlement (or ?squatter camp') outside Johannesburg. That ministry focuses on the children's relational, spiritual, emotional and physical needs through a variety of means. Cherie's main focus is in program design and mentoring and shepherding the adult volunteer leaders. In 2008 Cherie began a complementary Saturday morning ministry for high school students from the same community - again with the same focus.
Cherie also serves in a local AIDS hospice care center, ministering to the adult patients that are housed there while battling HIV/AIDS - typically in their final stages of life. She is sort of a chaplain to the patients, helping to encourage and minister to them through the building of friendships, serving practical needs, conducting memorial services for those that have passed away, and bringing the love of Christ into a very hurting community. Cherie also heads up a team that is developing an HIV/AIDS ministry within our local church in Johannesburg.
Contact Information:
David: dbulger@topicsa.net or Cherie: cbulger@topicsa.net
Stories: www.bulgerbulletin.blogspot.com
Pictures: www.picasaweb.google.com/davidgbulger
TOPIC: http://www.topic.us/
Snail mail: P.O. Box 13092, Norkem Park, 1631, Republic of South Africa
Phone: +27 (11) 972-6919
General Prayer Points
As you pray for us, please pray for the following:
- Our relationship with God: growth, depth and transparency
- Our health (for vitality, and against allergies and serious travel-related illnesses)
- Continued development and deepening of friendships
- Our families and our relationships with them
- Our marriage: growth, depth, unity
- Safety in travel - thousands of kilometers on the road each year
- Continued faithful prayer and financial support from our support team
- TOPIC - working relationships, for additional teammates to join the effort, for effective strategies and projects, etc.
- Cherie's AIDS ministry - relationships, for additional teammates, for deep conversations and meaningful ministry with patients
- Cherie's youth ministry - working relationships, for additional volunteers (especially men), for eternal impact on kids
The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. James 5:16b