Greetings friends! As promised, I will try to flesh out some of my experiences with members of Icuga church and parish. The Icuga parish consists of five churches spread throughout the community (similar to smaller versions of presbyteries) During the span of five and a half days, I spoke with approximately 43 plus members of Icuga parish churches and three different congregations from other denominations....as you can imagine, I gained a wealth of knowledge from speaking with so many people in a such a short time. For now, I will only include some of my highlights here and hope to be able to share more about evangelism among the Icuga parish later. I spent a great deal of time visiting with a variety of people of all ages and backgrounds. Through hearing their stories about growing up in the Christian church, going astray as a youth, and then coming back to the church, I was able to recognize similarities in my Christian story and the faith journey of other Christians in the USA I know. Many of the challenges, such as youth wandering away from the church due to lack of interest and love from adult, that are found in some churches in the USA are found in Kenya. I was especially struck with the importance of prayer used by Christians I've met in Kenya thus far. Before we travel, go to sleep, wake up in the morning, eat, discuss, and after arriving at a destination, prayer is involved. Christians here really and truly believe in the importance and power of prayer.
On Monday, I was able to visit several of the partnership schools around Icuga. The children were so interested in seeing a tall white, American girl walking around, if you can imagine, as a foreigner, I was quite a sight for them. :) Many wanted to hold my hand, touch my hair, and were amazed at my skin. I shared a bit with them about the US, and the purpose of my coming to Kenya. I spent much time visiting with members of the church in their homes which meant lots of Kenyan tea....it is tradition and culture to welcome a guest in your home by serving them a cup of tea. I learned about a special training group in Icuga known as T.E.E (Theological Education by Extension) which works to train elders and deacons so they are able to lead Bible studies and assist with preaching and discipleship. The Icuga church also has a healthboard which works to educate members on health issues such as HIV, stroke, common colds, malaria and also counseling. The healthboard uses these talks as ways of evangelism as they not only seek to treat the health conditions but also pray for the patients and provide spiritual nurture as well. Since the community is mostly Christian, most of the evangelism is done to bring back those who have gone astray from the local church due to drug and alcohol related issues (also lack of interest in some). The local churches also work together (Catholics and various other denominations) to hold crusades and open tent meetings for evangelistic purposes. During these events, many who have left the church for various reasons, are inspired to go to church again through an intense time of preaching, Bible study, community building, and musical celebrations. Since the culture of the villages are so close-knit and community based, events such as weddings and funerals are also excellent evangelistic opportunities.
Other various evangelism techniques include: offering a service strictly for orphan children and providing a meal after the service, special youth prayer nights when youth come together to pray, have bible study, and worship with much music..youth in the church are highly encouraged to come and invited their friends who may not be Christians..this event is less threatening as it is just youth gathering together with few adults...food is involved in these events as well as music. One of the youth I spoke with stated that about five youth per prayer night begin returning back to church. Another evangelism technique that is well used among the people in the village is door to door evangelism. In the US, as far as I know, this doesn't produce great results..but because the villages in Kenya are so community based, it is not an usual thing to walk around and visit with those you don't know. The Christians I spoke with stated this method works well because people are open to forming new relationships with those they know and don't know. The culture is one that is very welcoming (I can greatly attest to this as I received hospitality that trumps southern hospitality) :) During these visits, the evangelist takes time to get to know the person and their struggles in life. Then they share verses from the Bible relating to those struggles and have a time of preaching. Before leaving they offer a pray. One person I spoke with said they brought ten people a month to church using this technique. While others I spoke with said this presents some challenges as sometimes people are not willing to listen. As I met with leaders from other churches, one pastor in particular spoke about the importance of all Christians sharing the gospel with the yet to be believers. He cited verses in the Bible, stating it is our mandate as Christians to share the love of Christ...whether we do so as ordained elders and ministers or not...every Christian has the calling to evangelize. He said we don't always have to use words reminding me of the famous quote, "preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Christianity is not only spoken, it is lived. One church I visited continues to remain under construction as it now holds 800 but they would like to continue to grow as their numbers grow.
One of the questions I've been curious about is the method of follow up with new members in these churches. Since so many of the churches I've visited throughout this whole experience are growing at a rapid pace, I wondered about the quality of the Christian education being offered to new believers. One thing I am observing is the leaders of these churches striving to make every effort that those who are new to the church KNOW what they believe and are paired with other believers in some type of mentoring program. This has been encouraging to watch as new believers are welcomed and quickly taken under the wings of other believers..but in this process, it is not just the new believer who is learning. It also provides a chance for church members to serve and grow in the faith as well.
As you can imagine, my notebook is filled with various stories from Christians in all these countries. I was encouraged by my time with members of Icuga church. They were very welcoming and worked extremely hard to not only make sure I talked to as many Christians and church leaders as possible, but made sure I stayed well, and spent time in fellowship with me which I greatly appreciated. LPC friends, Lucy, Jennfier, Joseph, Timothy, James and the rev. send their love and greetings. During my visit, we shared, laughed, and prayed together. It was a great time of fellowship. Please pray that one day they will be granted VISAs in order to come visit us in the US.
Today, I was able to do a bit of sightseeing around Nairobi. I went to a local giraffe center that breeds and rehabilitates giraffes. They are fairly tame and come up to eat from your hand. If you are willing to place some of their food in your mouth, you may even get kissed by a giraffe. (which, as an avid giraffe lover, I gladly did...if we are friends on facebook, check out the pictures.) It was quite an experience which I greatly enjoyed and will treasure the memory of being so close to one of my favorite beautiful animals that God created. I also went to visit an elephant orphanage...which honestly broke my heart. All the parents of these elephants were killed by hunters for their tusks. Some of the baby elephants were found in traps. The center does great work in taking care of the orphans and working to set them safely back into the wild. Saturday, I hope to visit Nairobi National Park and observe some more wildlife. So far, I've seen giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, a monkey, and a warthog. Later this weekend, I will attend services at Nairobi Chapel (one of the largest congregations around the city) and on Monday I will visit a near by home for orphan children and learn more about ministry and evangelism through the home for orphans. I know this will be a difficult day, as I will have the chance to hold, feed, and love on many children without homes. Please pray in advance for all the children I will meet and for all those workers who take care of them.
Love and prayers in Christ,
Amanda
*again, please excuse any typos as I am trying to record many things in a short period of time. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment