It's Dr Carson's first visit to the African continent but not his first to a developing country. He travelled to Nepal in 2007 in support of two members of his Portadown congregation who were working there at the time.
"While a visit like this makes you appreciate home comforts there is always something to learn from fellow Christians in the way that they conduct their ministry and witness in their local communities and to the people they have been called to serve."
One of the Churches supported by World Development is the Kale Heywet Church that, across Ethopia, has around 6m members and 6000 congregations. It has recently committed itself to a series of programmes aimed at supporting initiatives that directly help local people and communities and it's doing this through special urban ministry programmes and giving assistance to the establishment of self help groups.
And on his first Sunday of his visit, August 2, Dr Carson will have the opportunity to see at first hand the urban ministry programme when he preaches at morning worship in the Kale Heywet Church in Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa.
Dr Carson's travels then take him out of the city, first to the Meta Robi District to the west of the capital and then on to Hawassa and Ossa. The economies of these rural areas have been hit by climate change and the small subsistence farms no longer provide enough to keep a farmer and his family.
Tearfund and Christian Aid are both involved in establishing and supporting several hundred self-help groups with a membership of between 15 and 20 people each. Individuals are encouraged to save a weekly amount and, with some additional help, small loans can then be made that allows members to start alternative businesses that supplement their small incomes. Alongside this, environmental help, healthcare and educational projects for both young and old and clean water programmes are giving thousands of people the opportunity to support themselves and their families in very difficult circumstances.
"World Development is all about helping people to help themselves through sustainable development," added Dr Carson. "I'm looking forward to seeing the part that the African Churches are playing in transforming their communities, learning from them and finding out how we can help one another in our shared mission of proclaiming the Gospel."