Dear friends, it is with much sadness that I write this e-mail to let you know  of the death of Dr. Charles Kittle on Thursday. He died of a massive heart attack. 

Charlie was such an integral part of the Rwanda Task Force before we were even an official task force. A number of us stayed in touch with Charlie after he retired as CEO of the Baptist Home and moved to WVA. 

As most of you are aware, he was fully committed to the eye clinic in Rwanda which was established under his leadership and followed through by personal trips over the years as problems/questions occurred which needed his expertise.

He was a one-of-a kind man - a person who could do anything and do it well. He had high standards for himself and all of the rest of us. 

Several years ago, he coined the term "Charlie's Angels" to refer to the relationship between Liz Congdon, Martha Poling, and myself. He was so pleased that such a deep friendship had developed as a result of our working together with the Rwanda mission.

It was a privilege to know Charlie and work with him. It is an honor to call him "friend". 

His obituary link, also found on ABCNJ.net:

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/506376.html?nav=5062

Blessings,

Judy Hart

ABCNJ-UEBR Partnership Coordinator

Our region’s relationship with the Baptists in Rwanda has been special for many years. Our ABCNJ Rwanda Task Force, under the direction of Judy Hart, has worked very hard to maintain and grow our ministries in that country.

The missionary service of Vern and Dathene Stanley, commissioned by ABCNJ as short-term volunteer missionaries at the 2007 One in Christ Symposium, brought home to ABCNJ the reality that our partnership with the Union of Baptist Churches in Rwanda (UEBR) was in need of some special attention. After receiving the report of the Stanleys, the Rwanda Task Force voted that ABCNJ call for a leadership summit meeting between the senior staff of ABCNJ, the executive staff of the UEBR, and UEBR’s international partners (the Baptist Union of Denmark, Baptist World Aid of the Baptist World Alliance, and International Ministries, ABCUSA).

The planning for a multi-national leadership summit meeting with our Rwandan Baptist partners began in earnest in September of 2007. After extensive negotiations between all parties involved, we agreed to meet in Nairobi, Kenya. On December 27, 2007, Kenya erupted in civil war. Eleazar Ziherambere, IM/ABCUSA area director of Sub-Saharan Africa, recommended that the team meet in Entebbe, Uganda. This turned out to be a perfect place to hold our meeting! See Rev. Familiaran’s blog article to learn about ABCNJ’s new relationship with Ugandan Baptists, which came out of this meeting!

Our group met for three days of intensive and constructive conversation (February 22-24, 2008). The international partners formulated a common set of expectations and hopes for our relationship with the Rwandan Baptists. All parties shared their hopes and dreams for the future, and we spent considerable time reviewing the course of the relationship to date. In response to my invitation to set the stage for future cooperation, the Rwandan delegation created the following document for our consideration.

 Follow-Up Report on Visit to AEBR Kigali, Rwanda

Jan. 12 to Jan. 27, 2008

By: Dr. Charles G. Kittle

Observations: I visited the AEBR eye lab was to train personnel in the importance of doing preventative maintenance and having and following a good business plan.  I was expecting to find the lab running in some fashion.  That was not the case.  It seems as though the optician that had been employed to run the lab had suddenly left after working there for approximately three months.  Another person had been working there also in some capacity as an assistant.  They were both gone along with all of the small screwdrivers that are used to assemble the lens into the frames.

This Trip: The first three days there were used in inventorying the supply of lens and frames and obtaining electricity to run the equipment along with showing how to change and clean filters in the water tank.  Rev. Andre MFITUMUKIZA also went into Kigali and found some small screwdrivers that could be used to assemble lens into frames.  I had also converted another tool to a screwdriver after we received power to run the grinding wheel that we use to remove sharp edges from the thick lenses.

Now we were able to run the lab and again I reviewed with the previous trainee Donat how to run the equipment and assemble eye glasses.  The previous trainee was not part of the duo who had worked there for a while.  He had been back to nursing school and had now completed his studies for the semester and was available for more training.  The AEBR want him to be the optician of the future because he is a member of their church there in Kacyiru.  He is doing an adequate job for the time being in making monocular eye glasses.  He can block a lens and use the edge grinder and smooth the sharp edges by using the grinding wheel.  He can assemble the lens into frames.   

Data regarding the need for an eye clinic was collected during previous medical missions by the First Baptist Church of Haddonfield (FBCH) that indicated a need for eye care for the Citizens of Rwanda.  After much consideration about the method and type of services needed, a group consisting of Rev. Dr. Michael Feicht, Rev. Elizabeth Congdon and Dr. Charles G Kittle visited Dr. Bert Souryal (Ophthalmologist) on the faculty at Georgetown University to discuss ways to best serve and help the population.  It was determined as a result of that visit that to make the glasses in Rwanda would be a better delivery system and provide some economic benefit at the same time. 

To provide a more accurate and better appearance was also desirable since most used glasses are old and out of style.  (They also must be cleaned and repaired and have the prescription read before they can be used.) 

This become too large a project for one church to support and was presented to the ABCNJ at the conclusion of the grinding mill project.  ABCNJ endorsed the project and supplied monies to purchase equipment and supplies during 2002-2003.