Kenya Missions Update

December 06, 2006

Eldoret Area Churches of Christ Missionary Report December 2006 by Keith A. Gafner

Let me call this a Praise Report of all the wonderful things that are going on in the ministry at the moment. And as we know, the present impacts the future, so we are looking for even more exciting blessing from the Lord as we work together as a body of believers!

Churches of Christ in Kenya – Unity is coming back into the fellowship. In years past there was a national meeting. But because of division and power struggles etc. this meeting has been just a Western Kenya affair for the last four years. Several people have wanted it to once again to become a national meeting. Two men, Clement Maiyo and Paul Bwire from our area had it on their heart to organize and unite us in this. From 8th – 12th December, that meeting will take place at Eastleigh Church of Christ in Nairobi. Praise the Lord!

Eldoret Area Churches of Christ – There are 148 churches that are meeting on Sunday and 18 churches that have been started but have ceased to exist. 92 of these 148 churches receive the newsletter that send out from time to time. Many who don’t receive the newsletter have no post office box. The churches are spread out in an area that can be as far as 80 miles from Eldoret town.

Because the majority of the Churches are in the rural area, communication is not always easy. When the missionaries were here, they served in that role. But now with us being the only family remaining, it is difficult to serve in that role. In fact when we were in America for sabbatical in 2004, very little communication took place and Christians became a bit discouraged in their faith. Postal services and cell phones are there, but they both are expensive to use.

So, in order for this movement to be self-sustaining and to move forward in Kingdom proclamation and maturation, something new had to be done. Two elders went to the former Kitale mission team area and attended a meeting of how they have organized themselves in a post missionary presence. This team started many churches in Western Kenya. They are working wonderfully together and are now dedicated to the Great Commission of our Lord. But for a number of years, churches and cluster of churches closed their doors. Now many of those churches and others are meeting together.

So, it was decided after consulting elders, younger men involved in ministry and women just how we should move forward. One person told the elders at a meeting, “If you will lead, we will follow!” They felt that no leadership was taking place among the elders and church leaders which did not have elders. So, they are in the process of adopting a structure somewhat similar to the Western Kenya structure.

The major purpose of this structure is to help facilitate communication and to help the church to do as we read in Ephesians 4:12,13. “Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and fully grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.”

There have been monthly meetings with seven men and myself who have been chosen by the brethren. We meet once a month. Each cluster (there are 27 clusters in our mission area) has chosen a man to represent them as well. We have met three times with these men and in the future plan to meet 4 times a year with them. We have been going out to the clusters by twos answering any questions and encouraging them in the Lord. Important church issues are now being addressed that have not been addressed for years. Names are being deleted, resubmitted or added for who can perform weddings in our area. A faith statement is being worked on so that we all have a common ground of what we believe. Vision statements are being written for churches, clusters and our ministry area. People are being called upon to pray for both physical and spiritual needs of the church. Certificates are being made so that we have uniform certificates which are important in this society. The church now has its own stationary, rubber stamp and Post Office Box.

Other great things are also happening. Coordination and participation in fund raising. Finally a vision to do something with the Saroiyot Christian Training Centre (SCTC) plot that is owned and title deeded in the name of the Kenya Church of Christ. This is 1˝ acres just 3.5 miles outside of town. Funds are to be received before the end of the year, each cluster is trying to give about $50. This money will be used to build structures on the plot for a future meeting place here in town, which is almost the center of our mission work area.

There is also the vision to start a LTE (Leadership Training by Extension) school at SCTC. Meetings have been held and interviews will take place on January 19th. Hopefully the school will start in March or May, 2007. This school will be an extension of the Churches of Christ Theological school in Nairobi (Nairobi Great Commission School). The plan is to start with the upper level courses that will be taught in English. Then in time these students will be used in going to the cluster level and teach all possible students in their own language, who do not use English as their primary language. It is hoped in this way, over a few years that we can educate as many people as possible in this way.

What is the Keith’s role in all of this. I see myself as being able to provide many things that can help lead them to independence. I encourage them to do many things that the missionaries formally did. All correspondence with the Kenya Church of Christ National Secretary, Berkley Hackett, has been done by them. I help to provide ideas, some financial support and administration at this point. As well as best possible, providing spiritual nourishment to the brethren. We also knew that we needed a common place to meet. We also own 1 acre next to the SCTC. We have built a complex that will seat and sleep 24 people. Also there is a kitchen and office area. Presently, we have a filing cabinet there for ourselves and the other groups to use. It is hoped that these buildings will be temporary and that they will build their own facilities. On this land we have our agricultural and technology demonstrations. We are also using the SCTC for maize, millet and sorghum experiments and for food production for when we host meetings.

A couple of weeks ago, I met with a church leader who I have not seen in some time. I explained to him all the things that are going on. He begged me to be involved and not to withdrawal too quickly. May the Lord grant us wisdom in the process of turning it all over to the National Brethren to fulfill the mandate given by our Lord, Jesus when he said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Matthew 28:19,20.

Pray with us in this ministry, May the Lord be Glorified in all things,
Keith A. Gafner