Ebenezer Sikakane

Partner Relationships

Ebenezer Sikakane, a gifted Zulu evangelist, is a close friend and associate of Michael Cassidy.  They have been associated since 1962 through African Enterprise's first city mission in Pietermaritzburg.  Ebenezer was teaching at a Bible Institute then and interpreted for Michael during the Mission.
He then helped in other African Enterprise missions before joining as an evangelist full time in 1970.  Ebenezer held popular weekly radio broadcasts for youth and also conducted evangelistic missions in both large cities and rural situations within South Africa, often to over-flow crowds.  In 1973 he was a featured speaker at the Congress on Missions and Evangelism in Durban.
In 1975 he conducted evangelistic missions to the cities of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and to Limon, Costa Rica with African Enterprise.  In the closing night in Puerto Cabezas, it was estimated that 25 percent of the city's population attended.  In 1976 he served on the Planning Committee for the Pan (all) African Christian Leadership Assembly.  This was the first time seven hundred leaders from 50 African nations met to plan a strategy to evangelize the continent of Africa.

Unfortunately by 1978, due to the pressures of Apartheid, he and his family had no option but to leave South Africa and emigrate to Canada.  This was not only extremely painful for him but a great loss for African Enterprise.  Michael Cassidy recently commented, ³had [Ebenezer] stayed on in South Africa, I would have handed the leadership of the South African team to him many years ago.²  Indeed, Michael has stated that Ebenezer was ³one of the finest Zulu preachers in southern Africa [having] access to the very highest political leadership of the Zulu people [initiating] the first Prayer Breakfast of the Kwa-Zulu cabinet, [and building bridges] between Christians of different denominations.²  He sees Ebenezer as ³one of the great personal privileges of my life...[and] a true man of God.²  In Toronto Ebenezer began teaching at Tyndale College and Seminary for sixteen years, heading up its Intercultural Studies department.  He retired from lecturing several years ago and is now African Enterprise¹s North American Partner Relationships Officer.  He is extremely well placed to speak about African Enterprise and the African context.  He is also a gifted teacher, preacher, musician and accomplished writer.

Personal Profile:

Birthplace:
   Republic of South Africa

Education:
   1985 - Dr. of Missiology, from
          Trinity, Deerfield, IL
   1977- Th.M. from Fuller
          Theological Seminary, CA
   1972 - B.A in Theology from the
          University of South Africa,
          Pretoris, South Africa

Vocation:
   1992 -          Volunteer AE Ofice
         Canada
   1990 -  2003  Parttime Pastor,
         Churchill Community Church
   1980 - 1996  Coordinator,
          Intercultural studies, Tyndale
          College, Toronto
   1978 - 1980  Pastor, Sept-Isles,
          Quebec, Canada
   1970 - 1978    AE Team member

Denomination Affiliation:
   Ordained Baptist Minister

Family:
   Wife - Emily and
   5 grown children

Home:
   Toronto, Ontario, Canada