Paul and Barbara Siaki are second-generation missionaries. When they graduated from university in California, they were part of a little church plant in their area, where Paul was ordained. Although they knew they wanted to serve the Lord on the foreign mission field, they decided to gain work experience in the US first. Paul worked in business and Barbara as a teacher. They applied to OC International in 1995 and arrived in South Africa in November 1998. They have been working to partner with and equipping national leaders to grow the Kingdom of God ever since.
Pauls ministry revolves around church planting, renewal and training. He is especially active with the worldwide Anglican Church. Paul provides Fresh Expressions training, missiology teaching at the University of Pretoria and he consults for Heartlines as they seek to meet social issues with the gospel.
- An outstanding moment for Paul happened recently in a church leadership conference in London. As part of the ‘Plant Anglican’ team, he helped to form and promote the goal of planting 1 million new churches in the next 10 years!
Paul has written two books: ‘Becoming Church Unusual’ (about Fresh Expressions church planting) and ‘Church Interrupted? Or Church Reset? What will the Post-Covid Church look like?’.
- Both these books are available for purchase on the OCAfrica website. Click here to view.
In addition to their other ministry tasks, Barbara and Paul invest a lot of their time in discipling youth in an informal settlement called Zandspruit.
- A highlight from the Siaki’s long service in South Africa relates to this ministry in Zandspruit. They met Nhlanhla Mubuyisa when he was a 16-year old who loved to dance and was nicknamed, “Crazy Legs”. He attended the youth program and God got a hold of his heart in a big way! Today, about 15 years later, Nhlanhla is leading the program with Paul and Barbara assisting him! He is ordained and is pastoring an open-air church from the front stoep of a Zandspruit shack. He is newly married and leading by example the value of faithful commitment to wife and family in an area that has few solid male role models. The Siakis are overjoyed to have been in South Africa long enough to have seen this happen. And who knows what else God will do?
Barbara’s focus is on empowering young people and those who teach them. She teaches Fourth Grade at a local Christian school. She also conducts Sunday School teacher training seminars along with her teammate, Jenny Teichert. The goal is to equip teachers to educate their students about the God in creative, child-focused ways.
- The Sunday School teacher training seminars that can be done as a Full-day overview of topics or in half-days of focused topics. A manual and a free one-year Bible curriculum are offered as well.
- Local Sunday School teachers interested in joining the team to train others are most welcome.
- People interested in helping with the youth in Zandspruit are welcome to share their Christian experiences with the large group or to commit to weekly small-group mentoring which takes place on Friday afternoons.
- There is also a need for financial support to help with the purchase of food parcels from time-to-time for the families of the youth or to assist the soccer team with the purchase of new equipment, balls, and transport to matches.
