Chapelites 25 Anniversary Edition by Nairobi Chapel

Exodus 5 ‘Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ’’ 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.” That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” 6

God commanded Moses to go tell pharaoh to free the Israelites. Pharaoh refused and made life harder for the children of God by commanding his overseers to stop supplying the Israelite slaves with the necessary straw needed for brickmaking, without reducing the quota of daily production, so as to make life harder for them. When the people discovered that they were being punished because Moses had gone to Pharaoh to demand their freedom, they cursed Moses with these words -

The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the LORD look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 19

They were caught in the middle of a miracle, but they missed the point. They were so focused on the details of sweating it out, that they missed the big picture of deliverance and what God was doing. They even called upon God to judge Moses. Looking back from our perspective of full revelation today, it’s easy to judge the Israelites. But we too frequently get caught in the same trap – we focus on the immediate pain, and miss to see God’s greater plan in our suffering. We too can be caught in the middle of a miracle, and totally miss the point. What’s happened at the Chapel over the last 25 years is a miracle by anyone’s standard: 59 churches planted, many

conversions to faith, people’s lives impacted, the poor lifted up, and on and on it goes. This growth and impact is a work of God, but I must admit that several times through the journey, I missed the point and wanted out. In fact, four times in this journey, the pain level of leadership became so great, I wanted to quit. How glad I am now that I stuck it out. Moses has become my favorite character in the Bible because I understand him. He too went through some of the leadership challenges I have faced, so with him as my leadership coach and learning from him has been helpful to keep my eyes on the task. From him I’ve learned to “go up the mountain for perspective and encouragement”, but also to come down into the valley, hunker down, and lead. Billy Graham used to say “The mountain top is good for vision and perspective, but fruit is grown in the valley”. I pray that reading the story of the Nairobi Chapel will encourage you in your own journey and ministry. Beware of losing perspective because problems have pilled up. Make ‘going up the mountain’, spending time with God and realigning your sights, a daily discipline. That is what will sustain you for the long haul. Today we want “instant everything”, but in truth, any work of significance takes time to build – 25 years, 40 years and even longer. Instant successes can often be a short lived with no lasting foundation. No farmer keeps pulling a shoot out of the ground to see if it’s growing well. He plants the seed, and exercises patience, until the harvest is ready. So hunker down and put your back to the work God has called you to. Come up for air after 25 years, and marvel at what God has done.

Oscar Muriu Senior Pastor

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Word from Pst Oscar

Faces of Chapel 4 The Chapel Timeline 6 1955; The Year of Change

Lookig Back; Mary & Bernard Wilson

God at Work at the Chapel; David Dunkerton

Surprised by God; Jane & Njogu Njeru

Path of Eldership 16 Ebenezer; For this Far the Lord has Brought us

A Vision in the Making

My Boundaries have fallen for Me in Good Places

The History of Church Planting at Nairobi Chapel

Current & Upcoming Church Plants

Faces of Chapel 30 To the Summit 32 Let the Children Come to Me

Testimonials; Devouring Spiritual Food, Drops of Life

From Here to There

A Beacon for Teens

Unlocking the Potential 42 The Ultimate T-Track 44 One Lamb; Many Lives

Breaking Bad 48 Taking Advantage of the Delay

Faces of Chapel 52

Cover Photo: Thandiwe Muriu

Special thanks to our Contributing Writers Anne Mucheke, Pst Bea Muriu, Vincent Matinde, Rosebella Oloo, Pst Faith Mugera, David Dunkerton, Muriu Makumi, Bernard Wilson, among others. Text Editor Elaine Muigai, Rayana Githae & Pst Faith Mugera. Photographers: Thandiwe Muriu, Archive Photos. Layout & Concept Christine Ndirangu. WWW.NAIROBICHAPEL.ORG

ANNIVERSARY EDITION NOV 2014

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1952

1972

February 4 - Nairobi Chapel opens its doors to the public.

Adult membership has dwindled to forty-five but the Sunday school boasts of seventy children.

1984 - 1986

CHAPEL TIMELINE

Only three people attend the Wednesday Prayer Meetings.

1957 1980

First Sunday School Classes held

Adult membership drops to approximately thirty people.

1955

Chapel broadcasts an evangelistic evening service called the “Gospel Hour” on the Voice of Kenya (now KBC) Radio.

‘70s ‘80s ‘90s ‘00s

1963 Kenya is granted independence from colonial rule. Drawing mainly from the white community in Nairobi, Chapel finds itself at crossroads as: 1) They lose many members and leaders who decide to move back to England; and 2) They lack ministries that target the Kenyan population, particularly the student population within the neighboring University of Nairobi.

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1989

1990

1975

Chapel establishes a Junior Bible Class to cater for the Sunday School.

‘50s ‘60s

Pastor Mutava Musyimi of Nairobi Baptist Church sends an Intern, Oscar Muriu, his wife (Bea), and seven other families to lead the Church.

The oneyear intensive Internship Program to develop ministry and life skills is established.

1982 After a failed coup d’etat, the ‘Gospel Hour’ broadcast is discontinued after the government imposes a curfew forcing everyone to remain indoors between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The future appears bleak.

2007 Congregation relocates to Ngong Road. The first drive to form new functioning small groups (eGroups) is undertaken.

Lifespring Chapel in Embakasi is planted under the leadership of Pastor Steve Maina.

2014

Jubilee Scholarship Fund is launched.

1996

A Sunday afternoon Chinese Service is introduced.

2000

First group of Coventant Members are admitted.

God provides a 14.2 acre piece of land off Ngong Road.

1999

2008

2002

1997 1992

Production of first live worship albums.

The Capital Campaign is officially launched in April. This is a development campaign to develop the Ngong Road property.

2009

Climb to Mt. Kenya to raise money for purchase of Ngong Road property

Plug-In Discipleship experience is launched.

2006

2013

Move to Impala Grounds where the Sunday services are held.

BLITZ 4.1.2 - Young Adults Service is launched. Karura Community Chapel is planted under the leadership of Ngari Kariithi

The Kawangware Primary School Program is launched. Prisons Ministry Program is launched. Chapel holds its first ever ‘Live Recording’ Worship experience. The ‘Man Enough’ experience is launched

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THE YEAR OF “IT WAS SIMPLY DRAMATIC,” PETER HOOK WRITES.

I’m talking about the spectacular opening of the new Gospel Chapel on the 4th of February 1955. The City’s notables including doctors, religious leaders and government officials all crammed into the doors to see what this new Church was all about. As part of a gospel campaign, buses drove through the City with banners written, “It is later than you think” in big bold red lettering attracting even more people to the new Church. Evangelists from South Africa and the United States spoke to the curious people.

The British settlers living and working in Kenya had sought a Church that had no strong clergy – laity divisions and decided to begin one. Many of the settlers paid homage to the Church of England, so they would congregate at the Anglican Church which used to meet near the Uhuru Park. A few families, who could not quite fit in with the Anglicans, had begun meeting at the Old Girl Guides Headquarters at the Nairobi Arboretum. This first congregation at the Arboretum was known as the Nairobi un-denominational Church.

Needing more than £90 pounds to purchase a Church organ, the leaders had challenged the congregation to give towards this goal. Despite never attending the Nairobi Chapel before, people gave so willingly that by the end of the service more than enough money had been raised for the organ! “Everyone was

The legacy of the Church was taken from the Plymouth Brethren, a movement of very small congregations, usually 50 people or less, due to their lack of formalized leadership. They were nondenominational and everyone felt at home with their different religious backgrounds back then. The Plymouth Brethren originated among the educated elite in England and did not need pastors because they were all educated and trained. Their devotion to the scriptures has been admired for years. True to the congregation’s desire to not have a strong clergy-laity division, there was no pastor. This would be true for 37 years!

keen to play his or her part in assembly growth,”

Hook concludes. God had started something special.

The Church at preindependence That dramatic service had actually begun three years earlier in 1952.

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Although few in number, these early Chapelites have been said to have had a great impact on missions. Desiring to expand its reach beyond its doors, the Chapel began two new endeavours in the mid to late 1950s. The first was to broadcast an evangelistic evening service

F CHANGE called the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gospel Hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the Voice of Kenya (now KBC) radio. The show quickly grew in popularity so much so that people from across the City would come to the Chapel to see what they had been hearing on radio. Word quickly spread about this Church and the numbers began growing such that the Arboretum could not contain the congregation. With a desire to expand its influence and a congregation that was fast growing, the Church purchased prime land on Protectorate Road (now Mamlaka). Its first building was a little tin building located smack in the middle of Protectorate Road in pre-Independence Nairobi. In 1957, the Chapel began a Sunday school at the boys and girls boarding schools nearby. The purpose was clearly evangelism. In fact, there would be days when 15 or more children would commit their lives to Christ on a given Sunday! Following Sunday school, young men would pass out gospel tracts in the outer districts. Not surprisingly, many children, youth, and adults committed their lives to Christ and began attending the Nairobi Chapel through both of these new initiatives. The growth was so tremendous that Chapel soon had to expand its sanctuary even though it had just been built!

events caused a rapid decline in numbers in the 1960s. The clamour for independence had been won and in 1963, Kenya was granted independence from the British colonial rule. Since many of the congregants were members of the British army, they immediately moved back to Britain. From its inception, Nairobi Chapel targeted the expatriate white community in Nairobi. While it did not exclude Kenyans from its fellowship, Chapel drew mainly from the white community in Nairobi. Nairobi too was rapidly expanding. The Chapel, which had been in the middle of a residential area on the outskirts of the City, soon found its neighbourhood vacated as the residents sought to move away to make room for this expansion. Those members who relocated to the outlying suburbs started attending Churches there. Previously, the Church had not made any obvious attempts at reaching the locals; particularly the students of the nearby Royal College, which itself had experienced

Changes at postindependence The growth of Nairobi Chapel, however, would soon reverse itself dramatically. Two major WWW.NAIROBICHAPEL.ORG

tremendous growth during this period. The students saw the Chapel as an ‘all white’ Church and were reluctant to join the services, limiting the Chapel’s impact on the campus. Over the next several years, Chapel’s membership continued to decline. Yet in the midst of this decline, there was clear evidence that God was still working at Nairobi Chapel. For instance, while the adult membership at Nairobi Chapel in 1972 had dwindled down to 45 members, the Sunday school boasted of 70 children. By 1975 the Sunday school grew to the point where the Chapel had to start a junior Bible class. Likewise the ‘Gospel Hour’ radio broadcasts continued to have an impact across Nairobi despite the low numbers in attendance. As the Church entered the 80s, even these ministries faced hardship. In the early 1980s membership had dropped to around thirty people. By 1988 the membership dropped to an all-time low of twenty people. The tithes and offerings coming from this group was not enough to support the running of the Church. Facing the reality of a declining Church that could no longer support its ministries financially, the remaining members of the Chapel decided to pray. Mureithi Muita, an African member of Chapel in its early days notes that, “The Lord started to stir the hearts of the congregation and leadership to evaluate the reason for their existence. A nagging feeling began to permeate the hearts of many of us that something needed to be done to revamp the Church; that God was in the process of doing a new thing at the Chapel.” In fact, in 1989 the members took the drastic step of suspending the evening services to devote the time to pray for the direction of the Chapel. Bernard Wilson, a member of Chapel from 1957 until the early 1990’s and part of this faithful group of people, says “where men and women are committed to the will of God, God honours that commitment and causes fruit to be produced.” This is exactly what happened. As they prayed, the members began to increasingly feel that God was asking the Church to indigenize so that it could grow spiritually, financially, and numerically. Furthermore, Chapel wanted to increase its influence amongst the students of the University of Nairobi. With this desire, the members of Nairobi Chapel approached Nairobi Baptist Church (NBC) for help through Rev. Mutava Musyimi who had previously been

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invited to minister to the congregation. After prayer and consideration, Nairobi Baptist Church through Rev. Mutava sent an intern, Oscar Muriu, his wife, and seven other families to lead the Church. A new dawn had just begun.

THE YEAR OF

Chapel in the Early 90s With a new focus on evangelism and vibrant contemporary worship, Chapel soon found itself flooded with students and young families. As Nairobi Chapel grew, new ministries started springing up including discipleship, community outreach to the poor, and counselling. By 1993, the number of people attending the Chapel was so great that, despite multiple services, the sanctuary was no longer adequate to hold the numbers. Many would stand outside throughout the entire service. Thus, another expansion project of the sanctuary was necessary with wings added to both sides, allowing the Church to hold twice as many as it had previously. Likewise, it was soon necessary to construct Sunday school classrooms for the rising number of children. Through the mid to late 1990s the Chapel continued to grow at an extraordinary rate. In fact, Nairobi Chapel hit a 6000% growth rate in just ten years! It became necessary to not only hold multiple worship services at the current location but to hold simultaneous worship services at Ufungamano House further down Mamlaka Road. With this expansion, Chapel found itself holding seven worship services each weekend, and a separate worship service (SALT) for university students on Thursday nights where five to six hundred students meet each week. Chapel even started a Sunday afternoon Chinese service for the growing number of Chinese business

men and women in Nairobi. Today, approximately 3,500 people attend Nairobi Chapel.

New Developments at Nairobi Chapel In 1999 the leaders of Nairobi Chapel began praying about the need to move to a larger property to cater for the rapidly growing congregation. In 2000, God answered these prayers by providing a 14.2 acre plot off Ngong Road which could eventually be used not only for a large Church that could cater to 20,000, but also for a school, a publishing house, a computer institute, a medical clinic for the people of Kibera, and a multi-media studio. Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supernatural work would once again be evident. As the deadline approached for the full payment of the Kshs. 40M Chapel found itself several million behind. At this point Oscar decided that he and the leaders would simply pray that God would miraculously bring in the money by the celebration service that had been scheduled at Bomas of Kenya. God proved faithful once again!

F CHANGE

Only a couple of days before the service, Chapel received an extremely generous unsolicited gift that brought the amount raised to Kshs. 40M! But God was not done. Believing that God wanted Chapel to tithe from this Kshs. 40M to ministries in need, Pst. Oscar announced to the congregation that God had provided the Kshs. 40M but since they were going to tithe; there would still be a Kshs. 4M deficit that needed to be filled within a few days. The night before the full payment was due, once again Chapel received an unsolicited gift that covered the Kshs. 4M! Over the next three years, as Chapel planned to move onto the new property, the congregation raised a total of Kshs. 74M through a summit climb to Mt. Kenya, as well as other fundraising initiatives. In March 2003, Nairobi Chapel planned to move part of the congregation to the Ngong road property and have some remain behind at the Mamlaka location. Only a month before the move, however, the government of Kenyan issued a directive to halt any development near forests pending investigations as to how the land was acquired. Since the Ngong road property was in the vicinity of Ngong Forest, Chapel had to put its plans to move on hold for more than two years awaiting the review process. Nonetheless, the Government has continually reassured the leaders that Chapel is the legal owners of the property and even went beyond the requirements of the law to make sure they were the rightful

owners of the land. While this may seem as a setback, Chapelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders felt that it was, in many ways, a blessing. During this time, the leaders were able to slow down and formulate even more strategic plans for the future.

The Worship Team At the core of the Chapelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rebirth in 1989 was a commitment to vibrant contemporary worship music. Led by the late Peter Macharia, a team of young musicians began this dramatic change in the worship style. Now instead of an organ there were keyboards, drums, electric guitars, and bass guitars. The new worship team, working under the notion that students are attracted by good music, began to develop a unique style. In fact, Pst. Oscar was so committed to having excellent worship that he taught himself how to use the P.A. system, often running it before he would get up to preach! Muriithi Wanjau, a member of the original worship team, remembers that when the team began there would often times be more people in the worship team than in the c o n g re g a t i o n ! In order to alleviate this problem, some of the worship team members would sit in the audience with the rest of the congregation. This problem would not last long, however.

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As the numbers grew, so did the worship team’s ability. Soon they began to write their own compositions, formed a choir, produced cantatas, and attracted top quality musicians from Nairobi. One of these musicians was Marcy Nderitu (now Muhia) who in 1992 assumed leadership of the worship ministry. Gifted with an extraordinary voice and ability to train others, Marcy continued the fast growth of the worship ministry. The worship team continued writing its own songs and developed a distinctive, lively, African approach to worship. Congregation members found themselves not only singing the songs but dancing in the aisles. Soon Chapel began to produce its own live worship albums, with its first album, Milele Shukurani (Forever Grateful), selling many copies throughout East Africa. This would be followed by Ni Wewe Tu (Only You), Imbeni Africa (Africa Sing), Nakutamani (My Soul Longs for You), Tangaza (Proclaim), Sehemu Yangu (instrumental), Furahini, Sifa Kwako, Ahsante (Thank You) throughout Nairobi continue to play the songs from these albums regularly. With the number of services expanding to seven the worship was forced to multiply itself rapidly. By 2002, more than one hundred people comprised eight separate worship teams. In addition, Chapel worship leaders started separate music ministries such as Sauti Music and SIFA with the purpose of reaching out beyond Chapel’s walls during the week. During this growth Bob Kikuyu and Kyama Mugambi continued the strong leadership of Marcy. The worship ministry continues to be a defining mark of Nairobi Chapel. As Dick Robinson, Senior Associate Pastor of Elmbrook Church (USA), says, “You have never worshipped until you have worshipped at Nairobi Chapel.”

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THE YEAR O

Looking Back

We arrived in Kenya on 19t h February 1957 and on the following Sunday began We were welcomed and ma our love affair with Nairob de to feel ‘at home’ immedi i Chapel. ate ly and for the remainder of 2000 we enjoyed fellowshi our time in Kenya until the p at the church. Just after year our arrival Charles Smith the chapel and we both got was keen to begin a Sunday involved setting it up and sch ool at taught in the school for a number of years. On 30th March 1958 we were both baptised at the Chapel by Dr Winteler wh organist. It was at about o was then an Elder and this time that the building the chapel wh ich was only three years the large numbers in the old was extended to accom congregation - especially modate for the evening gospel me ‘doorkeeper’ for the evenin eting. For several years Ber g meeting and even after nar d wa s the the extension it was norma became an independent l for the church to be full. country in 1963 there wa Aft er Kenya s a significant reduction Kenya and there began a in the size of British troops decline in numbers. It did sta tion ed in not prevent us however from ‘Tell Nairobi’. We invited a holding a mission to the city well known evangelist, Fra ent itled nk McConnel, to lead the theme chorus ‘All your anx mission which ran for a we iety, all your care, bring to ek with the the mercy seat, leave it the re. Never a burden He can not bear, never a friend like Jes us’. The mission was great fun and attracted people to the various meetin gs.

OF CHANGE

The original building and the first extension were built by a Jewish contractor - Mr Zaum. Wh ilst he would not discount the agreed contract price he presented the cha pel with a Hammond org an which was a great boon for the congre gational singing. It led, in tim e, to the Kenya Broadcasting Company, afte r hearing the organ being use d for a vocal recording by the daughter of a member, to the chapel bei ng offered the opportunity of broadcasting live the evening service on occasion. The first one generated a lot of excitement and it went out well and was well received. Thereafter we did broadcasts several times eac h year and on one occasion it fell to Ber nard to lead it using as his tex t ‘Th e preaching of the cross is to them tha t perish foolishness...’ During the 60’s and 70’s both Mary and Bernard ser ved as Deacons in the chu rch.

During the years of our involvement Bernard con ducted weddings, carried out baptisms and dedication services for infa nts as well as taking a share of responsib ility for preaching the word and leading Bible studies. Mary meanwhile was very supportive of act ivit ies in the church and increasingly so as the numbers continued to dec became involved with Bib line. In the 80’s she le Study Fellowship and eve ntually took over leadershi not strictly a Chapel activit p of the ladies’ evening cla y, the class did initially me ss. Although et in the chapel with a gro up of around 45/50 ladies. The power of the Holy Spi rit which has always bee n evident throughout all was with this movement the years of Nairobi Chape which grew over the nex l’s ministry t 11 years so that when we fina the class had outgrown the lly reti red and retu rned to the UK, chapel and had an enrolm ent of 600 meeting in Na during this period of Mary’s irobi Cathedral. It was, of ministry that, following a course, request for help made to Pastor Oscar and Pastor Bea Nairobi Baptist Church came to join us and assum that e the leadership at the cha believe that God has blesse pel. d Pastor Oscar’s ministry We in a remarkable way and so grateful that we have live we are d to see that ministry flou rish. We are truly blessed grateful too for so many hap and are py memories.”

Bernard and Mary Wilson

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GOD AT WORK

AT THE NAIROBI CHAPEL

BY: DAVID DUNKERTON My family and I came to Kenya in 1974 and were involved with church planting with the Africa Inland Church - AIC in Nairobi. We worked with Ziwani AIC, and planted Plainsview AIC back in 1976. In 1984 we were looking for a new local church to serve in. I was familiar with the Nairobi Chapel because of my Plymouth Brethren background, and during the 1970s I had sometimes attended the Sunday evening film showings at the Chapel led by Bert Banzaf. The Chapel would be filled to overflowing with University students watching these films. When we visited the Chapel in 1984 there were only a dozen or so regular attenders; it seemed to be struggling to find a new identity as it transitioned from its expatriate past to the future, and we sensed God’s voice saying this is where He wanted us to be involved. At that time I was a lecturer at Daystar University, and over morning tea one day with some of our Master’s students (all of whom were graduates from the University of Nairobi), we got to talking about the Nairobi Chapel. I asked if any of them had attended the Sunday evening film showings at the Chapel and some of them had. I then asked if any of them had ever attended the Sunday morning services there and they laughed and said, “No, we don’t feel comfortable being there on Sunday mornings; that’s a ‘mzungu’ church.” When I became an elder at the Chapel I shared this story about the University of Nairobi students’ impressions of the Chapel with the other Elders, and we began to pray and discuss what needed to be done to reach out to the thousands of students who stayed in the residence halls on three sides of the Chapel. We believed that the Lord had a mission for this small local church which He had so strategically placed on Mamlaka Road. In 1988 we decided that we would approach

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Nairobi Baptist Church and ask them for help. I called Nairobi Baptist and made an appointment to meet with their pastor, Mutava Musyimi. Dale Hamilton and I met with Mutava and shared with him our needs and vision for a local church that would be able to reach out to the University of Nairobi students. We asked if Nairobi Baptist Church would be willing and able to help. Pastor Musyimi was familiar with the Chapel and its location, and I will never forget how his visionary eyes lit up as we talked. After some negotiations, Nairobi Baptist agreed to send some of their congregation to the Chapel along with one of their interns, Oscar Muriu, to serve as pastor. In addition, they would pay Oscar’s salary for the first two years. The results of those discussions are now a 25 year history. Under Oscar’s God-anointed leadership and preaching, the Chapel grew exponentially during that first year, and at the end of that year, the Chapel leadership told Nairobi Baptist Church that we were very grateful for their financial support, but God’s blessing on the Chapel had made it possible for us to pay our own way now including Oscar’s financial support. One of the great joys of my life was being a small part of the Chapel’s transition and serving under Oscar’s leadership. I served as an Elder at the Chapel until in January 1993 when our home church in New York called us to come and serve as their pastor. But during those first few years, it quickly became clear that Oscar was the one God had chosen to reach the thousands of University of Nairobi students. But I do not think any of us who were involved in the Chapel’s transition had the faintest idea how, over the next 25 years, God was going to enlarge the Chapel’s outreach to include, and go far beyond, the University to the City of Nairobi, the Continent of Africa and to other continents of the world. To God be the glory!

“SURPRISED BY GOD” Faces of Chapel: Jane and Njogu Njeru

Jane: I remember that I took no interest when it was announced at Nairobi Baptist Church - NBC that a core group of families should volunteer to move to Nairobi Chapel to help plant a “new” church. I was happily settled in my comfort zone. My husband was a church Elder and I was involved in the Sunday School ministry. Besides, we had many friends at NBC some of who were old time high school classmates and we just loved serving God together at NBC. Eventually after a few families had moved to the Chapel, Pastor Oscar approached my husband and I and made a personal request, “Please come and join the Chapel. We need older couples.” After a few months of prayer, we felt led to join. During our first service there, however, it felt socially cold. There were hardly 30 members occupying a few benches! However, the few were committed to prayer and witnessing. Once a week, we visited the University Halls of Residence and aggressively witnessed to the students in pairs. All converts were directed to the Chapel. There were even ‘nyama choma’ student evenings. All available means were used to witness and encourage church attendance towards discipleship. Meanwhile, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the serious teaching of the Word in the Sunday Services as well as the vibrant singing. Before long, I was asked to take over the leadership of the Children’s Ministry. For the first time in my Sunday School

teaching, I had a class of less than 12 children. It was exciting. I got to know every child and gave each of them personal attention. I do not know how quickly the Church grew. The rate of growth was pretty fast. In fact, phenomenal!

Njogu: I was serving as an Elder at NBC when the request to consider making Nairobi Chapel a daughter church project of NBC came through. It was a welcome idea. While NBC had already planted 2 Churches, this request was unique since the Chapel was already established. As my wife and I considered the move, we felt that a smaller church would offer a lot of opportunities for service and development of individual gifts. I was immediately put in leadership as an Elder and Church Secretary. Always the indefatigable dreamer, Pastor Oscar determined a lot of the momentum for growth and direction. He took the challenge so seriously that at one stage the Elders had to get him to observe ‘supervised’ family times. I really enjoyed the glorious signs that God was present. The growth in church membership and attendance was phenomenal. In less than 2 years, we were talking about problems faced by churches of 200 attendees and more, having grown from less than 20! The first challenge was the development of ministry areas including Preaching, Worship, Sunday School, Missions, Women’s Ministry, and the Youth Ministry. All in all we as a family greatly appreciated this opportunity to see God’s faithfulness in building a people that are His very own, growing and serving together.

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the P

ELDER

The leadership at Nairobi Chapel has always constituted a commissioned team of high integrity men to serve as oversight leaders. From as early as the 1980’s, the Mamlaka Elders’ oversight team has been guided by the nine principles; Missional integrity, Institutional integrity, Doctrinal integrity, Moral integrity, Financial integrity, Pastoral integrity, Public integrity, Trust integrity and Successional integrity. The Mamlaka Eldership days were exciting ones. This was a time when the Elders directly took part in various ministerial activities in the Church. The team welcomed congregants every Sunday, took part in discipling believers, offered marriage counselling, mentored young people in colleges and participated in the ministries such as SALT. The Elders also represented the Church to the external public and other stakeholders. The Elders’ board was the main policy researcher for the rapidly growing Church and established structures such as Human Resource, defined clear directions to all the ministries and supported the Church both financially, spiritually and in the Church planting initiative. The growth of the Church triggered by the vision and mission of Chapel saw to the initiation of Church planting starting with the move from Mamlaka to Impala Club. This was later followed by Karura Community Chapel, Mavuno Church that was then worshipping at South-C Sports Club, Mavuno Mashariki, Mavuno Downtown and Mamlaka Chapel. The planned move to Ngong road, required

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the oversight team to come up with avenues to generate the needed funds in acquiring the 14 acre piece of land at Jamuhuri. One such initiative was the Mount Kenya Summit trip held in 2002.

The Mount Kenya Climb attracted a group of devoted members from the Elders’ board who left behind their spouses and children for the great task of raising funds to buy land for the Church. The climb brings back many beautiful memories to Cosma Gatere, one of the Elders then. He sighs as he narrates the story, “We trekked up to Lenana Point,

back

then,

only professional mountain climbers had the privilege of reaching Batian, the mount Kenya peak.” He reminisces and goes on to add, “The view was

beautiful and majestic with unbelievably white snow all over the place. It was great fun as we looked back at the many steps we had made to reach Lenana point.”

The creation of the Land Search Committee was another initiative towards the fund drive. It was chaired by Cosma Gatere and authorised to source for an appropriate piece of land at a good rate. One challenge experienced during the land search, were high land rates from which the Church was not exempt. From the early days, Chapel had defined clear plans on the path that it wanted to take, however, with the rapid growth and multiplication of the Church, the role of the Elders took on a broader perspective, as they still held the oversight role in all these Churches. This has since changed as the daughter Churches now commission their own Elders’ board.

Path of

RSHIP “The Elders’ composition back then had an excellent chemistry”, said Cosma “Our spouses were really

supportive to us as an oversight team of the Church.” It is no wonder that this second generation Elders was bestowed with wisdom from God evident from the excellently executed roles, effective teamwork and cohesion that existed among them.

o f

These memoirs clearly define a path from the past to present that has seen successful transition of the Eldership mantle to the new Elders’ board.

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My first conversion was one of convenience rather than a real encounter with Jesus Christ. As a student in form two at Lenana School, I needed an escape from the bullying we suffered in the hands of the bigger boys and so I joined the fellowship of Christians in the school. Upon graduation to form three, I stopped being a Christian and became so critical of Christianity that I started seeing myself as an atheist. I longed to enjoy freedom from rules and regulations. Opportunity came my way to go and study in India. But by this time, I felt deep within me that I needed to change and begin a new life altogether. I made up my mind that I was going to do whatever possible to take my studies seriously. I even quit smoking and drinking as a step in this direction. Life in India was difficult. Students would be so broke that some ended up nervous wrecks while some misused their money in riotous living. From the word go, I tried to keep away from such crowds. I learnt to budget and be frugal as a way of living within my means. I had been watching Christians closely and I admired their lives. I realized that their relationships and support networks were real. I decided to keep their company although I greatly enjoyed debating with them on their faith. It was easy to link up with this group of students because one of them was an old acquaintance from Kenya. She was taking legal studies and I liked arguing a lot with her, mostly about her faith. What I admired about her and her group was that their arguments were always consistent, and their logic rock solid, but mine wasn’t as convincing I admired the Christian ladies around me because they were principled and knew their boundaries when relating with the opposite sex, unlike other women on the campus. I fell in love with a Christian girl but her fellowship challenged her to break up with me because I was not a Christian. On the night we broke up I was so angry with God that I threatened to hurt his people. The next day riding on a bus I heard a voice clearly asking me, “Why do you refuse to get

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saved?” I was startled because there was not a single person on the bus who could know me yet the voice was so real! As if to make an emphasis, the voice again asked the same question. As I began to ponder on what this could possibly be, I saw a vision of an ant holding out its fist to threaten a man. I immediately saw my foolishness in trying to threaten God for taking my girlfriend away from me. The words of Isaiah 40 came alive and immediately I understood the importance of the question I had been asked. By the time I got off the bus, I cancelled my mission and found a friend who helped me receive Christ into my heart. Not long after this, I began thinking through my career. I had chosen aquaculture, fish breeding, because of the money I could make. As I studied the Scriptures intently however, my eyes and heart were caught by the words of Jesus, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.” I prayed that God would send other people, not me, into the mission field. As I prayed however, I felt a nudging in my spirit that the Lord could actually be calling me to the ministry. The final examinations were just around the corner and I started to think about which direction to take after them. A tempting idea was for me to pursue a master’s degree in zoology. I took a short break after my exams to visit my folks at home. Amazingly God connected me to Rev. Mutava Musyimi of the Nairobi Baptist Church. I met him and after close fellowship and prayer, he discouraged me from pursuing another degree in Zoology if God was calling me into ministry.

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I therefore enrolled at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology for a Masters of Divinity degree. It was during this time that I met and married my wife Beatrice. After completing my studies, I joined Nairobi Baptist Church as a trainee, and did administrative work to help around. During that time an offer came from the Nairobi Chapel for Nairobi Baptist to revitalize its ministry with special focus on the University of Nairobi students. Those first months were difficult for me. It was the first time Chapel had a pastor and I had no prior experience. I had no real idea of what I was supposed to be doing since my time as an intern at Nairobi Baptist had not exposed me to the life and work of a pastor. The congregation followed a Brethren tradition and a good number of the members were older than me and I did not know how to lead them. One or two moved out after I took over, which was quite discouraging for me as a young pastor. At first, I took this personally, as a sign of failure, I remember Rev. Tom Houston advised me to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Always leave the front door of the church wide open so many can come in but to also leave the back door a bit open so that those who need to leave can do so, otherwise they would become trouble makers.â&#x20AC;? That really encouraged me. I began praying for inroads to the adjoining University of Nairobi campus. Some of the first students to join us were Pastor Muriithi Wanjau, Janet (Mutinda) and Mary (Wamae). Paul and Ciiku Njagi, working with the Navigators, were very instrumental in supporting this work. Dr. and Mrs. Elijah Ndegwa helped us realize that if we desired to draw adults to our services we needed to change our language, among other things, to include them as well. One of the changes we made was to make expository preaching our focus while running a strong Sunday school. That first year was largely one of laying foundations for ministry. God was good to us and the church began to grow on different fronts. The rest is history.

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In 2004, with the Ngong Rd. development still halted by the government, the leaders of Chapel sat down and asked, “If the plans for relocation never took place, what is God calling Nairobi Chapel to do?” The leaders went back to the mission statement of Chapel, “Equipping God’s people to disciple the nations for Christ” for guidance. In so doing, they believed that God had given them four distinct pictures for Chapel over the next twenty years:

Plant 300 Churches: Believing that the church is, as Oscar says, both God’s Plan A and Plan B for the world, Chapel desires to begin a church planting movement in Kenya, Africa, and around the world. These church plants will in turn vigorously plant other churches so that the final outcome of 2nd and 3rd generation churches will be much larger than the 300 stated. Lead 1,000,000 People to Christ: Nairobi Chapel wants to be passionate about sharing the gospel, and to be an advocate for evangelism. By 2020, the leaders believe that God is calling them to be instrumental in leading 1,000,000 people to Christ through Chapel’s various ministries, contacts and networks. Jesus came to “seek and save the lost” and Chapel desires to take His mission seriously, both here in Kenya and around the world. Change the Face of African Missions: Believing that God is calling the church in Africa to take its place in global missions, Nairobi Chapel intends to take this mandate seriously. In particular, Chapel intends to become a missions’ catalyst for the church in Africa, working together with other churches across Africa to define African Christianity and propel the African church to impact world missions. Globally, Chapel desires to see churches engaged in a new mission paradigm of global church partnerships. Through these partnerships Chapel will learn from churches from around the world and engage in missions together. Disciple 100,000 FAITHful believers: Nairobi Chapel desires to train and disciple 100,000 believers in its churches towards maturity in Christ. As mature followers of Christ, these disciples will allow the Bible to penetrate every area of their lives: social, relational, emotional, psychological, financial, and political. They will be believers who “walk in the light” and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. As a result, they will exhibit the following characteristics:

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F - Firm Foundation in the Word A - Active Devotional Life I - Involved in the Kingdom T - Transformed in Character H - Heart for the World With these four pictures in place, the leaders of Nairobi Chapel believed God was calling them to expand the original plan for relocation. Instead of God calling Nairobi Chapel to start two major congregations in Nairobi, the leaders believed God was calling Nairobi Chapel to multiply into five major congregations by mid-2005! These five churches would be located in each of the five districts of ekklesia groups (small groups) of Nairobi Chapel. So in 2005 Nairobi Chapel launched a major initiative entitled “GO!” with plans to send the congregation to different parts of the city to begin flagship churches. These churches, in addition to the current location, will be located on the major roads in Nairobi: Ngong Rd. (the original relocation site), Mombasa Rd., Jogoo Rd., and Waiyaki Way. The pastoral staff also will be sent to the different areas to lead these churches with Oscar leading the Ngong Rd. church, Muriithi Wanjau leading the Mombasa Rd. church, Charles N’gan’ga leading the Mamlaka Rd. church, David Githugu leading the Waiyaki Way church, and Gowi Odera leading the Jogoo Rd. church. Each of these churches plans to develop its own unique culture specifically geared towards the community in which it finds itself. These five churches, along with Karura Chapel and Lifespring Chapel (two former church plants), will become major hubs to ensure the four visions of Chapel become a reality by 2020. The response to this new initiative has been tremendous with giving increasing at more than Ksh 1M per month, the number of volunteers increasing by at least 500%, and the congregation continuing to grow. In August 2005 a new chapter will be written in Nairobi Chapel’s history when these churches begin. While the leaders do not know what exactly will transpire, they do know that they will continue to be caught in the middle of a miracle!

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My boundaries have fallen for me in pleasent places! When I found out that I was going to pursue my university degree at the University of Nairobi, I became apprehensive as I had just recommitted my life to Christ. I had also watched some of my friends make wrong choices after joining the University. Determined not to compromise my beliefs as they had, I purposed to choose a different path. This would prove to be a challenge with the University located within the Central Business District. An old friend, Andrew Wanjau (now Pastor Muriithi of Mavuno Church) who had joined the University a year before, encouraged me. He informed me of a young pastor and his wife who had begun a church right in the middle of the university. Andrew was confident that under their leadership, I would receive the guidance required in my faith journey while at college. I also learnt that the couple would occasionally engage with campus students over a meal of burgers and chips. It was during my first few days at the University

that I attended my first

social event at the church, a nyama choma, organized for new students by the Pastor and his wife. It was then that I met Pastor Oscar and Pastor Bea and was introduced to what has been my Faith-Family ever since. I got involved in the worship team and was part of the commissioning service at what would be the new chapter of the Nairobi Chapel. My relationships from this environment allowed my faith to find root as I got involved in several ministries; a Young Ladies ministry called DADAS, the hospitality ministry where we helped serve tea every Sunday and a one-on-one discipleship journey with Pastor Bea. It was here while studying the book ‘Who you are when No one is Looking’ that I learned what integrity really is. Just before I graduated, Pastor Oscar asked me if I would be interested in joining the internship program. Though I do not recall what he said, but how he said it convinced me that it was an opportunity in waiting. Pastor Janet and Pastor Muriithi who had completed the one year internship, had now joined full time ministry at Chapel. With mixed feelings, I joined the internship program in 1993 and had an amazing year of self-discovery, understanding who God is and exposure to many facets of ministry. I joined a short-term mission trip to the island of Kahunda in Tanzania, hosted many international teams and even learned to preach from the scriptures. During this time, I read more books than I had ever read at the University. I also learned to keep a prayer journal and experienced my first silent retreat - three days dedicated to prayer and the study of scripture. I also organized challenge weekends in high schools and I got my driver’s license! It was an amazing year where I made life-long friends, understood my short-comings, and what it meant to love the Lord with all my heart, soul and might. I also got to understand what loving others as I love myself was like. This year was the defining moment that got me to the place of ministry that I am in today, and I am so grateful for that conversation with Pastor Oscar that got me here.

Pst Faith Mugera

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AA 25

In the early 90’s the vision of Nairobi Chapel focused more on reaching out to Nairobi University students with the aim of targeting the immediate neighborhood. Within a short time, the church witnessed exponential growth and the next milestone was to figure out a working solution. The next agenda was to plant churches that would be home churches to the growing numbers. The church planting mission was then concretized in the late 1990’s and early 2000. Nairobi Chapel’s first church plant was within Nairobi; Karura Community Church. The mission was to plant a church within the major entries in Nairobi: Limuru Road, Jogoo Road, Mombasa Road, Langata Road, Magadi Road and Waiyaki Way. The essence of church planting within these major localities in Nairobi was to answer the question where do people go after leaving the city?

What was the next step after outgrowing the six services during the weekend? In 2005, after Nairobi Chapel had grown to a level where the capacity could not be contained at the small facility at Mamlaka, the church sought to multiply into five churches. The churches formed were Mavuno Church which is now known as Mavuno Hill City, Mavuno Downtown, Mavuno Mashariki, Mamlaka Hill Chapel and Nairobi Chapel. The Planting of these churches was a response to the call of planting 300 churches by the year 2020.

With the given history of church planting can we say that Chapel is on the verge of attaining 300 churches by 2020? Nairobi Chapel’s approach of attaining 300 church plants by the year 2020 is through multiplication and not additional as such. This simply means that the churches we plant contain the Nairobi Chapel’s DNA which is to ‘plant churches that plant other churches’. Every church plant is given the mandate of planting other churches which in essence becomes a multiplication approach. For instance, Trinity Chapel Addis Ababa has already planted two new churches in a span of two years since its inception, while Trinity Chapel Mombasa is working towards planting a church in Malindi. Trinity Chapel Kigali is also blazing ahead as it has its eyes focused on planting a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Have the Church Planting Missions had specified strategies? Yes indeed! As Nairobi Chapel Churches, we have aimed at planting churches in the middle class areas of the cities with the notion that these areas have a high capacity of influence on the core sectors of the society. Dating way back, our first strategy had been to enter a nation through a major city. The second strategy was entirely focused on the youth and children, putting in mind that these have always been the two crucial groups to reach out to in the African societies. Our focus has been on the 4-14 window; an age bracket that is most active and open to receiving the Gospel of Christ. Each time we planted a new church,

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we asked ourselves the question - who would fulfill the need of reaching out to the children and youth? In each church planting mission, we saw to it that the team sent out comprised of a children’s leader, a DJ who could reach out to the youth and an overall team leader.

THE HI

CHU PLAN

The third strategy we carried out was through partnering with people and other churches that supported the vision and mission of Nairobi Chapel. We believe that for us to attain our vision, we need to work together with others who have same beliefs as we do in Ministry.

AT THE NAIR

What can you say have been the accomplishments and challenges when planting Churches? We have managed to plant several churches around Africa through the grace of God within a very short period of time. One of the early church planting initiatives, that is a huge accomplishment, was the planting of the church in a church in Mwanza Tanzania. The Nairobi Chapel has also been in a position of finding people who have bought into the church’s vision of planting churches that plant other churches. Through the grace of God, many people have viewed the vision as captivating and have in fact come knocking at our doors. Such has led us to focus in various areas and regions globally, something that we had not initially strategized upon. Additionally, God has provided thoughts, imagination and mobilized needed resources out of our budget. Regardless of it being an expensive venture when it comes to going out and establishing churches, the Lord has graciously offered funding to spearhead the new churches. However some of the churches we set out to plant did not manage to thrive. Establishing a church with passion and great vigour then seeing it all dwindle is like the analogy of a new born baby that is brought into the world, tended to and yet does not live to its prime age and succumbs to the hands of death. An example is when we simultaneously planted churches in Eldoret, Athi River, Ongata Rongai, Thika, Meru, Thika Road and other designated places, the church Eldoret

did not thrive as expected. Another challenge has been in terms of funding. In essence, it is correct to say that God always provided and in another essence we could not reach out

ISTORY

SCHOOL OF CHURCH PLANTING

URCH NTING

ROBI CHAPEL

in the church, train and allow them take over the leadership of the church. In that case, a Kenyan for instance in Rwanda has to find and train a Rwandese national within a period of five years service in the country. The Kenyan missionary then has to handover leadership to the Rwandese to serve in the church plant with the hope and vision that through this integration the church would thrive.

Launched January 2012

immediately to go out and plant churches b e c a u s e of financial challenges.

A third hurdle was getting the right people who would assist us in carrying out our vision. It is one thing to plant a church and entirely another to establish a church that is infused with the DNA of Nairobi Chapel. We have had to invest heavily in finding the right people to plant churches with. This investment has involved training through a formulated strategy carried out by Kinara, a Leadership Development Program at Nairobi Chapel that recruits, every quarter, young leaders for an apprenticeship period of 12 months before being sent out to new church plants. Initially, we used to employ a different strategy and would randomly pick men and women of God for church planting initiative. Additionally, some of the places that we have reached out to start the church plants were not welcoming or stable and yet, we still needed to respond to the call of spreading the Gospel. A good example was the new church plant in Juba in the year 2013. Due to political instability of this country, we had to pull out after only three months when the war broke out.

Did you ever consider bringing in locals from different countries before sending them back to plant churches? We would have loved to. As explained earlier, that one of our challenges has been getting the right people to work with. Our strategy has been to work with Kenyans that we have been training and sending out to international fronts where they have been based for a period of five years. The sole reason behind this is to attract the local people, absorb them

INTAKES January 2012 6 Church Planters September 2012 10 Church Planters September 2013 16 Peri-Urban Church Planters 2 Trinity Church Planters January 2014 40 Peri-Urban Church Planters 6 Trinity Church Planters

CHURCHES PLANTED SO FAR

33 14 15 8

Peri-Urban Churches (Some

planted in partnership with others)

Daughter Churches Grand Daughter Churches

Trinity Churches

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MONROVIA GHANA

KEY

Planted Churches

Upcoming Church Plants

DAUGHTER CHURCHES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

KILELESHWA COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH MAMLAKA HILL CHAPEL LIFESPRING CHURCH EMBAKASI MWANZA INTERNATIONAL CHURCH MAVUNO CHURCH KARURA COMMUNITY CHAPEL MAVUNO, MASHARIKI NAIROBI COMMUNITY CHAPEL THIKA COMMUNITY CHURCH SPIRIT OF LIFE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (CHINESE CHURCH) TRINITY CHAPEL, MOMBASA TRINITY CHAPEL, MERU TRINITY CHAPEL, RUIRU TRINITY CHAPEL, KISUMU TRINITY CHAPEL, NAKURU NAIROBI CHAPEL, ONGATA RONGAI NAIROBI CHAPEL, UTAWALA, EMBAKASI NAIROBI CHAPEL, WAIYAKI WAY NAIROBI CHAPEL, LANGATA* NAIROBI CHAPEL, NGONG

ZAMBIA

21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

TRINITY CHAPEL, ADDIS ABABA TRINITY CHAPEL, MONROVIA TRINITY CHAPEL, KIGALI TRINITY CHAPEL, BOTSWANA* TRINITY CHAPEL, LILONGWE* TRINITY CHAPEL, KAMPALA* FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, KAMUKUNJI KIBERA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, AYANY KIBERA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, SAIKA, KAGUNDO ROAD FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, UZIMA CENTRE, DANDORA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, NGANDO FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, KANGEMI FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, OLYMPIC KIBERA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, KARIOBANGI FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, D.C. AREA KIBERA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, KISERIAN FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, DANDORA FAITH MINISTRY CHAPEL, MAI MAHIU HIGHER GROUND SANCTUARY, KIKUYU JAMHURI WORSHIP CENTRE (JAMUHURI SHORT TERM PRISONS) 41. FOUNTAIN OF HOPE CHAPEL, ONGATA RONGAI

* Churches being planted now

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ADDIS ABABA

KENYA

KIGALI

LILONGWE

BOTSWANA

CHURCHES PLANTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHERS 42. ARK MINISTRIES (HARC – HOPE AND RESTORATION CENTRE ) 43. JESUS HEALING MINISTRIES, KAWANGWARE 44. JESUS AMBASSADORS CHAPEL, KARATINA 45. GOSPEL MISSIONS CHAPEL, MWIMUTO 46. JESUS PROPHETIC MINISTRIES, UMOJA 47. JESUS VICTORY, KATWEKERA, KIBERA 48. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, RAILA, KIBERA 49. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, KISUMU NDOGO, KIBERA 50. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, FUATA NYAYO 51. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, MUKURU KAYABA 52. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, GROGAN, KOROGOCHO 53. TUMAINI WORSHIP CENTRE, HIGHRIDGE, KOROGOCHO 54. TUMAINI CHURCH, GITUAMBA 55. CALVARY TEMPLE LEAGUE, BANANA 56. JESUS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS MINISTRY, RUIRU 57. HEART OF CHRIST MISSION, KIBERA, OLYMPIC STAGE. 58. PILLARS OF HOPE, KAMANGU 59. GATE OF HOLINESS, KABETE

GRAND DAUGHTER CHURCHES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

MAVUNO DOWNTOWN MAVUNO, BERLIN MAVUNO CHURCH, KAMPALA MAVUNO CHURCH, LUSAKA MAVUNO CHURCH, BLANTYRE MAVUNO CHURCH, KIGALI LIFESPRING, ATHI RIVER MAVUNO CHURCH, 58 TANDAZA CELEBRATION CENTER (K3C) KARURA COMMUNITY CHAPEL - KABUKU LIFE TRANSFORMATION CHAPEL LIFESPRING, KIMILILI LIFESPRING, SYOKIMAU SHEPHERD GREEN CHURCH KITENGELA (K3C) 15. THIKA ROAD COMMUNITY CHAPEL

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ANNIVERSARY EDITION NOV 2014

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The Challenge

nt a flag for the Lord on the apel will link hands to pla Ch from ple l, peo 250 r r ove l take the flag from Chape TO THE SUMMIT: This yea il 50 children aged 7 – 12 wil Apr In k! Pea , ian tres Bat me ya’s kilo Ken and walk it 140 highest point in Kenya – Mt. youth will then take the flag 100 ust Aug In 00 n. 10,0 tow at ka to Thi climb, Met station and walk it 40 kilometres the mountain n on to the base camp for the and ru, Mo ro Na to y all the wa up Mt. Kenya to the youth and climb the flag feet. Here 20 ladies will join . ber ft above sea level) in Septem Mackinder’s Point ( 14,000 the flag to point with the ladies and carry The men will then relay b higher than clim g peak on Mt. Kenya. Any Lenana – the highest walkin es rop and suitable ional mountaineers with this would call for profess at Batian will be final task of planting the flag climbing equipment. The or Ministry leader al team, led by our Outdo the honour of a profession Nairobi Chapel hia Karianjahi. Pastors from and mountain guide Mu nder’s Camp. cki l flag this team off from Ma and 7 partner churches wil

The Mountain Mt. Kenya, rising 17,058 feet abo ve sea level, is probably most famous for its snowy pea ks Lenana and Batian. It is probably the only place on the equator that boasts of snow but this mountain has other feat ures unique only to itself. For instance, did you know that there 13 plant species that are common on Mt. Kenya? Mos t notable among these is the giant lobelia, an alpine plant whi ch grows staggering heights of 20 feet or more on the mountai n. Beautiful lakes, various animals and birds, and breathtaking scenery are only part of what you r eyes feast on while the wind blows gently by.

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The Strategy

ody exciting way for everyb To the Summit was an the of rs women, and partne – children, youth, men, t. jec Pro ds for the Relocation Nairobi Chapel to raise fun a to rise to a life time for you Here is the opportunity of ul utif bea enture, see more of challenge, experience adv s, friends and makes new one old Kenya, fellowship with s ide bes t’s tion fund. And tha and contribute to the Reloca h eac for is ess level! The plan raising your physical fitn ing cific amount. We are believ participant to raise a spe ea rais n shillings. If 50 childre God for 17 million Kenya s. Ksh e rais each, 100 youth minimum of Kshs. 15,000 30 h, eac raise Kshs. 120,000 25,000 each, 20 ladies raise each, and 7 participants 0 men raise Kshs. 200,00 0. ,00 750 20, e a total of Kshs. 1,300,000 each, we will rais ble ena l wil 0,000 in expenses This amount less Kshs. 3,75 budget. As challenging as tion us to service the Reloca p, I can conquer step by ste this may seem, you and ! way to The Summit shilling by shilling, all the

The Climb

mountain soon discovers Anyone venturing up the l n. As you ascend you wil that it has a life of its ow in pla rial ato Equ the from encounter vast contrasts bamboo belt, ancient the h oug thr , tion at Met Sta nd, and on to permanent rainforest, mountain moorla ana. Numerous sparkling ice and snow at Point Len n on their way to the streams bubble merrily dow ter for the leopards, rhinos, Indian Ocean, providing wa elopes, colobus and vervet lions, elephants, bongo ant . that inhabit the mountain monkeys, and rock hyrax cKinder’s you are literally By the time you get to Ma ts and clouds swirl around walking in the clouds! Mis . hike towards the summit you as you continue the this live t tha ls ma ani y few Rock hyrax, among the ver surrounding rocks as you the on er mp sca high up, g, far, it has been an excitin walk into MacKinder’s. So the to you ed tch stre t has adventurous journey tha . nce ura end r limits of you

The Peak

Next stop af ter MacKind ers MacKin Hut at 15,0 der ’s is Aust 00 feet, the rian last camp b the summit efore you re . You can h ac h ardly sleep are too exci that night… ted to! Tom yo u orrow you fin mountain w ally conquer hen you reac the h Lenana at it is time to sunrise. Final go – you h ly urriedly bun warmest clo dle into yo thes. The ea u r rly morning the twin pea light glisten ks of 17,036 s o ff – foot Nelio foot Batian n and 17,058 as you clam – ber up towar high Lenana. ds 16,300 fo Snow crunch o t es beneath you strive to your feet as wards the su mmit. Finally! You r target is in view. Aaa satisfaction. h, the joy The gloriou of s view from has been w the summit orth it all – the tired fe muscles, th et, the sore e unfamili ar weather, an fundraising d the effort. Your heart rejoic you marvel es in God as at the grand eur of His cr how far yo eation and u have com e on the ques Summit. No t To the w you can te ll everybody you did it!

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SUNDAY SCHOOL Quest is a vibrant Ministry at Nairobi Chapel with a vision to nurture children of faith who grow DEEP in their personal relationship with Jesus, reach WIDE in impacting and loving others. It provides a fun and engaging Sunday church experience where children easily connect with God, enjoy His presence through worship, and learn His Word. Our prayer is that as they graduate from Quest, each child would be equipped with FAITH: A Firm foundation in the Word, an Active devotional life, be Involved in praying and sharing their faith, be Transformed in character and have a Heart to reach others with the love of Jesus. Our Ministry is based on volunteer work, with parents and congregation members to forming part of our team teaching and caring for the children.

THE LEADERSHIP The first Children’s Ministry director was Kendra Long, an American whose husband served as a leader in Nairobi Chapel. Others who served in the same capacity were Mary Wamae, who served between 1996 to 1999, Muthoni Ragoi fondly called Mama Njeri and Jessie Mbuvi. Beatrice Muriu, the current Children’s Ministry Pastor at Nairobi chapel, took over the Children’s Ministry in 2003.

KEY DISTINCTIVE AREAS WITHIN THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY OVER THE YEARS: COMPOSITION We have divided our children into two main groups; Kiota, catering to children between the ages of 2 to 5 years and Jasiri who are between the ages of 6 to 11 years.

BAPTISM We dedicate children of all ages, however baptism by immersion is open to children who have turned 10 and have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. Parental consent is required and the children are guided through baptism classes. It has been a delight to see fathers baptising their children during the main services and to witness the general celebration of children who have decided to the take the bold step to make this outward confession of faith.

KIDS CAMP Children love getaways and Mombasa is one of the most popular camp venues. While at camp, children participate in small group’s interactions, Scripture mastery, Bible crafts and fun

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activities. We also have an exclusive camp for the 10-11 year olds known as Johari.

DISCIPLESHIP At the heart of the Children’s Ministry, is growing Christ-like disciples. Discipleship is conducted through small groups guided by parents or mentors. These groups tend to be formed around geographical or age clusters. In the early years, Pastor Beatrice Muriu began mentoring young women at the university and as she mentored these young ladies, they in turn began to mentor the younger girls, thus beginning of an intergenerational mentorship. This is how discipleship groups within Sunday school began. There are different names assigned to the groups. The boys are referred to as Soaring Eagles while Johari Gems is the name given to the girls aged 10-11 years.

Today, Quest continues to keep up with the Vision 2020 in collaboration with the eGroups department, by starting Bible clubs in every neighbourhood actively involved in eGroups. We have seen children, who are non-church goers, attend Bible clubs, hear the gospel and impact their communities positively. Bear in mind that the most receptive period where children are able to accept the gospel and invite Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, is between ages 4 to 14 usually referred to as the 4 to14 window. We have also seen many adults visit the Chapel, and stay on as a result of their children loving the Sunday experience. Later, these parents get to rededicate their lives to God or make decisions to follow Christ because of the transformation of their children and the phenomenal Sunday sermons.

The discipleship key focus is a one hour Bible study while the other hour equips the children on life skills. Parents are directly involved and commit to regularly pray for their children in addition to serving as good role models. A practical curriculum, which was developed at Nairobi Chapel, is used throughout the year.

BIBLE CLUBS Under the umbrella of discipleship are Bible clubs. These are groups of children who gather together to study God’s Word within their neighbourhood under the supervision of an adult. Fun activities take place like Bible trivia’s, testimonies, games, scripture memory, snack time and even making new friends. Currently Nairobi Chapel Children’s Ministry has five active Bible clubs in the following neighbourhoods: 1. Kenya Science Bible club: Kenya science teachers college opposite the Junction Ngong Road 2. Santack Bible Club: Santack Estate along Ngong rd 3. K-West Bible Club: Suna Estate 4. Ngummo Bible club: Magiwa Estate 5. Jamhuri Prison Bible club: Jamhuri prison

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”

L FOOD A U T I R I P S G N I “DEVOUR

Lynette Bay l: e p a h C f o s e Fac

as Nairobi. I w stop over in ur ho ted gh st ei ho l hape had an bers at the C 1977 when I Banzarfs, mem in November e as ay from the Th w w l d. y pe an er al ha ev itional in with the C nd, New Ze r ad la tr te e ry tiv un ve na co d y en m small an My first sionary from pel was rather d friendly. mbia as a mis member, Cha re welcoming an I t ry enroute to Za ha ve w e er om w Fr , er d. ev rio w al ief pe ople, ho n in the Centr me for that br hing. The pe my workstatio e Biblical teac om th fr al to k tu ea iri ng br sp su a hymns ing real me for 94 when I ca e I was receiv 19 lik in lt e fe be I nc d ld O an ou e. k ther freshing Chapel w out of my wor with Nairobi s extremely re ll r ge pu te sa un to es e co m m en e g th My next R forcin quickly found stability in CA blic (CAR). I as political in w e er African Repu th 96 19 ed ds the end of food. Towar being challeng Chapel. e th at f ices without el rv ys k se m al e d w th un n fo ed tia I again r attend my Chris nged about as that I neve le w l al th pe ch w ha ro so C G g e bein ons. me about th ot remember over the serm at impressed yself mulling Actually I cann m d e. ere early so lif th un y t One thing th fo m I ge l to to pe messages d one had but at Cha it s an lp on pu ed e rm ck th se pa y d s alway to appl ly remembere services were e past, I hard three Sunday e th before. In th at th ic m e l was so dyna mzungu in th at the Chape ! I was the only at as se . o a rs s to is t be m ea em gr to m t as no at was group ther with my all groups]. Th ge m to [s ps ng ni ou ar gr le and new ekklesia pport, sharing n walk. ed one of the d me to real su se own Christia po y In 1997 I join ex m p d re ou gr he rt e fu th d of an rt e a pa ed m e me group. Being s to challeng both challeng ord continue e Bible study w th ’s d od le g as I G tin es of ci ex The tim teaching so been hapel and the cation has al C lo e re th e th of ng ee ni er regular attend d praying conc have been a rs watching an ve lie our hearts. Since 1998, I be in e g th in irit’s nudg en part of Sp be e g in th av to H se . on greatly r faith in resp to exercise ou we have had

“DROPS OF LIFE”

Faces of Chapel: Jennifer

Maxwell

One brother and I were born in Kenya, another in Tanzania and my two Primary School where I sisters in Malawi. In 195 met a girl who was a dau 4 my parents sent me to ghter to missionaries, An Nairobi to be super religious and dy and Dorothy Lozier. did all we could to make My friends and I thought her life miserable. I led netball. When I began att her a ‘gang’ and was popular ending Delamere High for running, hockey, and School (the first secondar year, I quickly realized tha y school to start out as t I knew nobody else apa a co-ed school) the follow rt from this missionary ing kid! I had no choice but to befriend her. Our friend ship grew and I started started taking me to her visiting her home out on church, the Nairobi Chape Thika Road. Eventually l. Prior to this my family , she one of my visits to Chape had attended mass at Ho l, a guest by the name Jim ly Family Basilica. Durin Vos Wiretrapper came fro I had never heard of an g m the United States to spe altar call and salvation ak. Up until this time, but Wiretrapper ’s presen knew it I was at the front tat ion of the gospel was so outstand asking Jesus to come int ing that before I o my heart! I was later baptized at the Chapel. In 1999 a friend took me back to the Chapel. My husband, John, and I had parched as the land itse lived in Kitui for 10 years lf. I remember sitting the and were about as dry and re from the start of the ser like drops of life on a ver vic e sobbing through the son y parched and dry soul! gs and sermons. It was I remember thinking to myself, “How come I nev er found this place before We decided that we mu ?” st come in every weeke nd. We came in from Kit on. Upon our relocation ui until we completed to Nairobi, we have attend the project we were wo ed regularly and tried to rking was accepted as an intern be involved in various chu and it was the most bri rch activities. In 2001, I lliant year of my life. It I graduated from the pro was very difficult when gram. Nairobi Chapel the year came to an end had become like my sec another. It gave me a vie and on d family. The experienc w of the inner workings e can never be traded of the lea der for shi p. I pant and pant and wonderful to see Africa want to know so much ns moving in this spirite more. It is so d way. Rejoice Africa!

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Welcome to The Hermitage Garden, Nairobi, a learning and therapy program for children with special needs. At The Hermitage Garden our purpose is to offer fun and learning to children with special needs in three categories:1) An Early intervention program (0-6years) 2) Special education needs learning program (7-15 years) 3) A vocational rehabilitation training program (above 16 years) We also offer Occupational Therapy as well as Speech and Language Therapy Contact Us on: T: 254

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717 341 342 E: info@hermitage.co.ke W: www.hermitage.co.ke

Memoirs of a Chapelite’s move from Impala Club to present land A Sunday at Impala Club was no ordinary day right from reception at the entrance into the well orchestrated service event that was filled with new learning experiences, spiritual growth and nurturing insights brought out with well designed ideas and sermon series, filled with creativity and out of the box perspectives. Right from the entrance, there was great warmth in the reception of both adults and children. In fact, every single Sunday, a child had the honour of being ushered in by Pastor Bea herself! She was always in the company of some funny looking clowns that aroused the curiosity and interest of the young ones. The mascots and colourful witty clowns or big animals, according to the children, made Sunday school an exciting day packed with endless activities that drew them more to the word of God and delved them into exciting Bible stories and lessons. The newly acquired land that was a few kilometres from Impala Club, on your way to the Show ground was not all nice and pretty as it is presently. It took enough labour to work the land, clear the bushes, level the ground and set it up, ready for an amazing Sunday for all the congregants. Initially the grounds were a bit rough-edged, but the interior of the hyper dome was a site to behold, an organised setting with fantastic décor: an appealing taste for any Sunday sermon.

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There was only one service that started from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, while at Impala Club. This changed after the move to present location where we now have two services each Sunday. The Sunday of September 2nd 2007 was a memorable one, the culmination of the much anticipated move and settling into the acquired piece of land. Nothing brought great joy like settling in and having enough room and freedom to grow in terms of discipleship for Kingdom’s sake. The launching of the church at the new grounds signified the great achievements, fulfilment of God’s plans and His promises and steadfast love to all the Chapelites. It was a joy to have our first Sunday service in our own premises and the day was graced by renowned gospel artists such as the late Angela Chibalonza, who came to celebrate with us. The dome was filled beyond capacity with approximately 4,000 adult worshippers. The present location has enabled the church to establish new ministries such as Plug-In, Man-Enough, eGroups, in tandem with Nairobi Chapel’s mission of ‘growing DEEP to reach WIDE’. The subsequent Sundays, just like any normal move, had its own challenges. Some congregants may have moved away due to the new location, yet it also brought new believers who made Nairobi Chapel their home of worship regardless of the distance. Once again, numbers increased, all for the glory and honor of God, in whose name we praise.

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When Elizabeth Bukusi, looks back at the influence she has had on the young people over the years, the struggles and challenges that she has encountered, fade away. As one of the earlier pioneers to establish the Crossroads Ministry at Nairobi Chapel, Elizabeth’s journey has not been an easy road to travel especially, coming of age from a child to a young adult. She narrates her experience of how she got involved in Ministry and what her dreams are for the future.

The Beginnings As a regular attendant, Elizabeth joined Nairobi Chapel while it was located at Mamlaka Hill back in 1996. “In between 1996 and 2000, the numbers at Chapel tremendously grew and the demand increased in terms of needing people to be part of Ministry”.

“I was partly in school at that time and I left to do my Masters in Public Health in the US.” Bukusi told the Chapelite. This meant that her encounter with the Ministry would come much later.

“I think it was 2002, when we did the mountain climb to raise money for relocating the Chapel. After climbing Batian, I came back and felt that I needed to do more than be just an attendee. It is there that I committed to Youth Ministry.” She said. Nairobi Chapel later on, moved to Ufungamano Hall due to the increased numbers and that’s where Bukusi started teaching the Children’s Ministry of 10 to 11 year olds. She later transitioned with the team to their teenage class when Nairobi Chapel eventually moved to the Impala Grounds Ngong Road. It is during that time, that Ropes a Transition Ministry was born targeting 12 to 14 year olds who would fall under the Crossroads Sub-Ministry. “I felt there was a need to have a curriculum that was easy to use. Previously, we would be given a list

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of topics to be covered. We were also given good reference materials from the Cook’s Curriculum Ministries, but it was US-centric and it wasn’t always relevant. We although had to adapt to it.” Bukusi explained This reinforced Bukusi to develop her draft curriculum that would later be used by the young minds to create a whole new level of thinking.

“I just worked on the shell” She exclaimed. “Many other people, who were more conversant about the curriculum subsequently contributed and although the curriculum has not been published yet, it has been useful in the classes.”

The Experience “There are a lot of positive changes in the lives of the children I have taught in Sunday school and to watch them grow in some ways has been amazing.” “I remember a particular young man I taught and how it was difficult to control him in class. He never remembered to carry his Bible, notebook and pen, which was a requirement for all students. When he remembered to carry something he would then come with a little scrappy piece of paper that he would probably forget and not carry it home.” Bukusi eagerly narrated “Years later at a Christian medical fellowship, this same young man approaches me and says, Hello Teacher Liz? After a brief conversation I got curious to know what he was doing there and he mentioned that he was now part of a gospel singing group. I could have never imagined that the young man I had taught years back would turn out to be in a singing group worshipping and serving the Lord,” she said. I immediately repented of my thoughts and perception of how I had judged that young man and children in general. I was reminded that it is not about me or what I think. It is about how God works in mysterious ways to bring about his own purposes in these children’s lives.” Bukusi has dozens of stories of how the Crossroads classes and Ropes have shaped the lives of the teenagers and recognizes that even through her efforts; God takes advantage and takes control over all lives according to His will.

“Over a period of a year, we spend an hour on Sunday and another hour on a different day to prepare, and we cannot predict what God is going to do in all their lives.” She said.

The Challenges Bukusi acknowledged that there are challenges in this ministry and this is what she had to say. “Training teenagers is not easy especially because they are usually in a vulnerable state where a lot of changes take place in their lives and it is also a delicate moment where some of their attitudes are shaped. The biggest challenge is having people to commit and be there for the children. We encourage parents to come and spend time with them. Sometimes we do not even have to teach but need that parental presence and I know that there are many parents willing to do this but time seems to be scarce for them.”

She urged that despite the time factor, parents should try and just be there for their children.

“The home is a crucial part of their growth path. We have these children for an hour and a half on Sunday and the rest of their time they are at home or in school. The things that happen in their lives are what spill over into what we see on Sunday.” Bukusi said that children sometimes go through a lot of pain due to broken families and conflicts in the home. “I see it every day. In the past it wasn’t as much but I guess it is happening more and more these days.” She recalled moments when the children gave her reasons to why their parents could not make it for certain meetings. Some knew that their dads would not make it either because they were too busy or because their parents were separated. “Another challenge is having control of what the children have access to in terms of information through the internet and television. I am always concerned about the content and availability of what children are watching now a days, parents don’t seem to get that their children are so exposed and that this exposure can be detrimental to those who get hooked up to the wrong things. Parents should put parental controls or passwords on their phones and televisions etc”. Bukusi felt that there were no strong points backing the massive exposure that children are facing neither are there strong points guiding the children on good morals and what true Christianity stands for.

Looking to the Future The future seems bright for the Crossroads Ministry according to Bukusi. She hopes that the curriculum will be published, providing solid guidance in the Ministry. “The

book should be accessible to all our Church plants across the continent,” Bukusi said. “I would also want to see a workbook developed and published for the children.” We also do have a campsite that we have used time and time again but not that consistently. I would like to see us develop more campsites where we can do more with the youth in terms of recreational activities.” Another important aspect that Bukusi feels should change in the near future is the involvement of parents in the children’s Ministry but even beyond having the parental support, she also highlights that some children come from needy backgrounds and they lack basic needs thus, she hopes that the Church will work towards helping such needy cases.

“Other than that, I would like to see the Ministry grow within the Church plants we have across the Country and all over the World,” Bukusi said. “And also have a systematic way of training the teachers, because the quality of what we teach hinges on the quality of teachers.” She also did not shy away from sharing her one gem of advice which is, “You have to love the children and once you love them the rest of the things will be easy to do”.

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“Unlocking the Potential” Faces of Chapel: Steve Maina When I was in form two I became a leader of the Christian Union where I began to grow in my passion for involvement in God’s work. I challenged other students towards missions in the school vicinity. I, however, lived with the frustration of going to witness to people and not being able to disciple them with a view to establishing authentic communities of faith. As I joined Egerton University and got involved with t FOCUS this frustration grew as I continued to see churches withou started burning in me and I knew I had to do a vision to disciple. The passion to be involved in church planting something. hip seeking opportunities to serve. The leaders, Upon graduating from campus, I went to my church leaders before joining full time ministry. This let down however, felt I was too young and should seek other employment to join Nairobi Chapel. It was pretty small then did not deter me from pursuing my vision and in 1992 I decided to grow and develop leaders, allowing people but I could see the passion and commitment the leadership had the place my gifts would be sharpened. I had to serve in the area of their gifting. I was convinced that this was dreams “Samaria” was Pakistan. When I came to a leaning towards being a missionary to “Samaria” and in my be a missionary in a different culture. I needed to Chapel, however, I realized that I did not have what it takes to the foundation I needed through: start right here at home. Chapel was very instrumental in laying field and models of mission that are available. 1. Information: This was key in helping me understand the mission I soon discovered that I could serve the Lord in missions right here! out their Christian life with passion and a sense 2. Inspiration: This came through seeing people who were living quality time mentoring me despite his busy of excitement. I was amazed at Pst Oscar’s commitment to spend people. It was not uncommon in those schedule. He would pick me up in his car and we would go out visiting next five, ten years….” That really inspired moments for him to say, “Steve, this where I see you going in the though at times I felt really inadequate. me to see someone who could believe in me and in my gifts even in the work of the ministry. I began in the teens 3. Involvement: I was given the opportunity to use my gifts youth pastor. Later I became the mission ministry, transitioned to the pulpit ministry and then became the moving on to church planting ministry. pastor where I helped mobilize people towards missions before God used this experience at Chapel to give me the direction I needed for the next phase of my life and ministry. In August 1999 we launched out in faith to plant a new church in the Embakasi area. Twenty of us met for the first Sunday under the name Lifespring Chapel. Immediately there were challenges. Some felt that since I was the trained pastor I was there to minister to them as they sat on the receiving end. Others were dissatisfied with how things were done. Nonetheless, through the support of the elders, my wife, and very close friends God began to work at Lifespring. Over the next four years the congregation grew to over four hundred with twenty-two ministries in place to cater down for the diverse needs of the congregation. In 2003, I stepped Army Church the to begin a new role with from my position as senior pastor of Lifespring Chapel in order the leadership of Bob Kikuyu, and they recently Africa. Since that time Lifespring has continued to grow under 2014. God continues to be faithful. May moved into their new sanctuary on Outering Road Embakasi in

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Bold American author, Mark Twain once wrote, “Age is

an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

This came true for me one Sunday while seated in the Nairobi Chapel congregation and we were asked to share with the person seated next to us what we love about this place. I was seated next to a man who stated his age as ‘I-stopped-counting-at-50’. He had been a congregant for about 10 years and we had an amazing time sharing our memories from the landmarks we had been fortunate enough to witness. The man, who was obviously more than twice my age, listened intently, as though he was learning from me, as I narrated the events I had witnessed the last 20 years I had been a member of the family that is Nairobi Chapel. This is the place that I have called my home Church and I only have fond memories of my growth during this time. From being a handful of children in Sunday school to the beginning of the BLITZ ministry. As we celebrate the ministries that Nairobi Chapel has been a part of, I cannot help but recall the many things the Lord has done in my life. From dynamic youth groups, to the famous ROPES program and the creative Sunday School, God has given us the heritage of being a family-oriented Church. I have always felt like I was a valued member of the greater Christian family. I remember when I was ten years old, during Kids Camp, I read that God was a jealous God and I was completely surprised by this. I asked my teachers to explain how a sinless God was allowed to sin by being jealous. One said that it made God sick when we loved something else as much as we loved God. I did not think it was possible to love someone so much. As the Lord would have it, our Sunday school teacher took us through a class where we learned about what it meant for us when Jesus was crucified. Coupled with the knowledge of God’s jealousy, the selfless act of love really struck me and I remember shedding a few tears because I had never really fathomed what a sacrifice Jesus had made for me.

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Needless to say, I took up our teachers invite to stay behind if we wanted to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour. I had already done so when I was 4 years old, but I thought that it did not count since I had not felt the way I was feeling at that moment in time. My teacher knew I had already given my life to Christ so he was somewhat puzzled to see me there. After I told him my story, he shared with me the words God spoke to Joshua, promising never to leave him. He also showed me that there was nothing that could separate us from the love of God. God had given me my first ever assurance of salvation, something I had never experienced on such a personal level. By my early teens, I was fairly confident in my faith, not much could shake my stance. However, I was still a teenager, so I dressed like one in baggy jeans, oversized t-shirts, a bandana round my forehead, winter boots and of course, a bounce in every other step. Nevertheless, I was loved and accepted. My father came to Christ during these early teen years and I remember crying tears of joy simply because I now knew for sure, my amazing father was going to be with me in heaven when we died. Despite being very clear about being a Christian, I was really struggling with my identity and one Sunday morning, my father caught me stealing from his wallet. For a fairly young Christian, he expressed the purest form of love one could ever express in such a situation. He let me be. The Lord however began to work on me. The grace my father and mother had shown me was a reminder that I had been purchased at a price, a price that cost the life of God’s own son. I was so broken that I determined to stop living a hypocritical life. The year I finished high school coincided with the multiplication of Chapel into 5 different Churches. I was invited to help out with the audio-visual team. At this time, I had really made brokenness a huge part of my life, a brokenness that could only have come from the grace I had experienced from my biological father and my Father in heaven. Being invited to serve on the audio-visual team was a great way to give to the Lord however it required sacrifice just like any other. This opportunity made me realize that the service we did was purely to serve our

Father in heaven and this inspired me to seek excellence. When Club Xpressions, a youth ministry began, God led me to the Crossroads Class. It was there that I discovered a love for teaching. It is important to note that a love for the action does not mean that one has the talent or skill. I remember the first class that I taught on my own, within 20 minutes, the teens had asked me to do something about my drab teaching methods. That evening, I obviously asked God to cast out the demons of rebellion in those teens. I was quick to attribute the discouragement I was feeling to other external factors but the Lord took me back to the lesson He taught me in the audio-visual container; service wasn’t about me and my feelings but it was about God’s people. Over time, my service to the teens led me to Transform Nations where I worked with a mentorship program for young men that eventually brought me back to Nairobi Chapel where I served in the church planting team in Monrovia, Liberia. While I was there, I preached my first-ever sermon to adults. The Lord has not just allowed me to serve His people as a shepherd; He has given me a wonderful heritage of ministry. I am currently in Bible school learning to be a great steward of God’s Word both practically and theoretically. My personal story would not have been this way if the Lord did not have a community of believers to grow me through. We are assured that we serve a God who will n e ve r leave us nor forsake us. We serve a God who has called us to be part of His great plan for this earth. I want to be a part of this plan. At Nairobi Chapel, we have our T-Track; from First-Time Visitor to Front-Line Initiator. I have gone through what I call the crèche-to-pulpit T-Track. My story is not over and I look forward to more of what the Lord has in store for my life.

Muriu has come through our Leadership Training as an intern, a Pastoral Trainee and a Ministry Trainee. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Christian Formation - Bible, Theology & Ministry at Wheaton Graduate School, Illinois so he can come back to train as a Church Planter. WWW.NAIROBICHAPEL.ORG

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A Frontline Ministry Fighting Child Prostitution Deep within informal settlements (slums), child prostitution is seen by many young girls as the only way to survive their extreme poverty. Surrounded by a world of overcrowding, crime and apathy, young girls are at particular risk. They are usually the daughters of poorly educated single mothers who are desperately struggling to make ends meet. Many of the girls are sexually abused by the time they turn eight which puts them at higher risk of entering commercial sex work as they get older, often by the coercion of their mother or guardian.

How One Lamb Got Started I got to learn about this heartbreaking issue after watching a CNN documentary in June 2011 that highlighted child prostitution in India and Nepal. This further led me to research on the same in Kenya and the shocking findings I came across opened my eyes to the great horrors young girls suffer unbeknownst to most of the middle and upper class population. I was determined to start somewhere even if it meant rescuing just one girl. The parable in Matthew 18 about the shepherd leaving his flock of 99 sheep that were safe and going out to rescue the one that was lost resonated well with this project and gave us our name: One Lamb.

Our Programs Since child prostitution is a community issue with so many layers to address (a root problem being extreme poverty) One Lamb chose to work alongside communities, starting with the Majengo slums in Nairobi. We began by partnering with a school in Majengo where we were given access to

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run three programs: ABC Classes, which stands for Art-BibleCommunication (reading assistance). It is awesome to see the positive difference the fun art time is making and amazed at the great hunger the children have for learning about the Bible. The second program came as a result of discovering that older girls in the slums often exchange sex for money in order to buy basic needs like sanitary towels. Upon turning 40, I asked my friends to buy sanitary towels instead of buying me gifts so that we could supply the girls with a better alternative. This initiative continues today as the Freedom 40 project. Through it we are able to supply the girls with a pack of sanitary towels each month. We also use the opportunity to have guests come in and speak to them about hygiene, sexual purity, self-esteem as well as hear from the girls about their goals and dreams.

2911 Scholarship Program: Through the two programs above, we have been able to identify the girls that are being sexually exploited or are at most risk, and get them scholarships to attend boarding schools -

safer environments where they can receive a good education. During the holidays we provide counseling for the girls and discipleship for their spiritual growth. They are steadily blossoming and it is amazing to see what miracles God has done in their lives.

Hope for One Lamb at a Time Mariam* was one of our first girls on the program. As a young girl upcountry, she longed to get an education and whenever she had a chance she would sneak off to the local school. Her mother would then drag her out of school and beat her as she was expected to stay home and care for her younger siblings. Once her mother remarried, Mariam was rejected by her stepfather and could not join the family in their new home. Mariam’s uncle then brought her to Nairobi to live with one of his wives in Majengo where once again she would be made the house slave, washing, cleaning and babysitting. In addition to this, Mariam’s aunt would send her to a relative to engage in sex for money to buy her own food (Ksh5-10). At the time, Mariam was only 11 years old. She was attending our ABC Classes when we discovered her tragic situation and quickly enrolled her in our scholarship program. That was in January 2013. Mariam is now safe and happy, she finally learned to read and has a much brighter future to look forward to. There are many more “Mariams” in need of rescue. For this reason we press on. *not her real name for the sake of privacy.

Plans for More Impact There is still much to do. Collaboration with community members, organisations, government authorities and individuals is critical. We look forward to having corporations and entrepreneurs assist us in sustainable funding ventures and plans are underway to set up a centre for child victims of sexual exploitation. Website: www.onelamb.org

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Prison Ministry at Nairobi Chapel Prisons can be dark places. Just imagine the weight of all that brokenness, despair, and alienation collected between protected walls. Does the message of Jesus apply here? We believe it does! That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 ‘Truly

I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ It is for this reason that Nairobi Chapel adopted Jamhuri Short Sentence Prison three years ago and through the Prisons Ministry the Church reached out to the inmates. The prison is located next to the ASK Show Grounds and holds only male inmates most of whom are serving short-term sentences of not more than six months. The numbers of inmates at this prison fluctuate between 100 – 150 weekly. As part of community outreach and ministry at the Prison, we have a church service that happens every Sunday morning at 8am - 10am for the inmates. We thank the Lord that we have seen an average of 500 inmates receiving Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Our goal and prayer is to help the inmates have some humane experience while serving their time at the prison. The Sunday service was started for the inmates in a bid to help them feel like they have some form of normalcy though still in prison. Most released and current inmates have passionately confessed that the Sunday Service done by Nairobi Chapel at the Prison was the source of their strength as they serve their time. In the past three years, through the generous giving of our congregation and supporters, we have been able to engage in different short-term and long-term projects. We continue to offer spiritual, mental, and emotional guidance and counselling to the inmates, this has seen an improvement in the psychological state of the inmates who have found a place of acceptance in the body of Christ.

Weekly Discipleship Program (Wednesday 1pm - 2pm) The Discipleship Program creates an opportunity for the inmates to share and relay their stories th ro u g h which we are able to counsel them and ground their faith in the word of God. The program has also been designed to

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disciple and help grow the new converts as well as have a place of follow up after giving their lives to Christ.

Children’s Bible Club We also have a weekly Saturday Bible club program for the children within this community. Most of the children belong to the staff members who work at Jamhuri Prison. Children are easily forgotten whenever the gospel is preached, therefore this provides an opportunity to disciple them in the word of God. The session happens between 10am and 12pm and uses the Nairobi Chapel Quest curriculum.

Projects When Nairobi Chapel first visited Jamhuri Prison it was clear that God was asking the Church to reach out and give more than just spiritual outreach to the prison. With this thought, beginning of this year, Nairobi Chapel took up four major projects that we believe will not only positively impact the lives of the inmates as our core targets here, but also the prison officers and everyone else affiliated to Jamhuri Prison.

2014 PROJECTS Donation of 300 chairs When we began the Sunday service at the prison three years ago, the need for more seats was obvious as most inmates would sit on the floor while we minister to them. At the beginning of this year through the generous giving

of our supporters at Nairobi Chapel, we managed to donate 300 seats.

Providing 100 Double-decker Beds With the number of inmates ranging between 80 and 150, the Jamhuri Prison did not have beds for the inmates. Inmates would place their mattresses on the floor and sleep on them. The thin mattresses offered little protection from the cold experienced during the night. It is with this insight that Nairobi Chapel sought to provide 100 double-decker beds for the inmates. Once again, through the generous giving of our supporters, we were able to provide these beds in September and used the same platform to train released inmates in welding. The inmates face another challenge of reintegration into the society upon their release. This is because the inmates do not have skills to sustain themselves in the society when they are released. Nairobi Chapel has managed to engage some of the released inmates in the production of these beds in a bid to provide some skills. This project is enables the inmates acquire some experience in welding which they can use when they are released back into the society.

Construction of Ablution Facilities From the time Nairobi Chapel began engagements at Jamhuri Prison three years ago, the ablution facilities have not been sufficient for the current 90 prison officers families

excluded, therefore putting a strain on the facilities in use. In addition to this, the sanitation and hygiene conditions at the prison are not up to standard and it is with this background that Nairobi Chapel desires to build six (6) toilets and four (4) bathrooms to decongest the current toilet facilities and provide decent bathing facilities for the personnel and their families. These will enhance the hygiene state of the Jamhuri Prison Personnel and their families.

Constructing a Multipurpose Hall It has been a challenge for the inmates to have regular meetings as the place where the services and meetings were held, doubles up as a dormitory for the inmates. The beds donated have occupied the space previously used for any meetings and Sunday services. This not only creates a challenge for the inmates but also reduces their opportunities to access trainings which need to be held in a room. Currently the inmates are accommodated in one, old wooden hall. This accommodation hall was built to hold about 100 inmates, but in its current state is unable to hold that number and very often gets congested. Nairobi Chapel would like to build a multipurpose hall that will act as a place of worship, and a meeting hall for the inmates at all times. This hall is planned to also have a kitchen and dining which will be a huge relief to the inmates. The inmates currently eat their food outside, in the open air as there is no dinning room for them. The construction of the multi-purpose hall is geared towards providing some sense of dignity to the inmates and making their living conditions humane. We cannot achieve all these goals alone and would like to partner with Christian organizations, churches, and individual well-wishers who are willing to participate in this venture.

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We live in a country were keeping time is a major problem, as a result, many are the times we have had to wait longer than expected when meeting others. This calls to mind the day I waited an hour and a half for a friend who had confirmed to meet me within a few minutes. Our responses to delays vary; sometimes we wait in anger while other times we pretend that it does not matter at all. In the Bible, we see how Jesus stayed where He was two more days despite hearing that Lazarus was sick, but Jesus did so for a reason. John 11:4 records, “…this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Christ promised that He will come back soon; as we wait, some doubt and others question when will this be fulfilled. Over the years, we have witnessed unusual events in anticipation of Christ’s return; in Kanungu Uganda, a false prophet massacred 1000 of his followers to cover his failed prophecy about the coming of Christ; and in Kenya, the House of Yahweh, dug underground shelters in anticipation of the end. The coming of Christ has also been questioned by many people and Peter the apostle recorded it in the book of 2 Peter 3:1-18. “…in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say where is this coming He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” It is important to note that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing and by the same word, destruction took place during the days of Noah through the flood (Genesis 7). “It is by the same word the present heavens and the earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7). Therefore, by doubting the coming of Christ, then one also doubts the word of God that has been fulfilled in the past.

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Keeping in mind that to the LORD a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day, the delay, according to 2 Peter 3:9, is an opportunity for us to repent. The Lord is not slow but long suffering and patient, keeping the door of repentance open to all. My encouragement to us all, stem from the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:15-16, “be very careful then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” Take advantage of the delay to prepare for the coming of Christ, act fast because it may be tomorrow, next week, next year or the next decade. So be ready, because the son of man will come at an hour when you least expect Him. When that day comes, ‘the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.’ (2 Peter 3:10-11). It is true that destruction will take place on that day, but we will also be looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). As we wait for this day make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him (2 Peter 3:14). Be encouraged that he has not come today, do not miss the mark but see every day as an opportunity to prepare yourself for Christ’s coming. Each day is a golden opportunity, take advantage.

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Jumuia Outside Catering Jumuia Conference and Country Home, Known for its Exquisite Cuisine, now provides a State-of-the-art Outside Catering Mobile Kitchen for: Company parties Diplomatic parties Church functions Weddings and family events Caters for up to 3000 guests. Available for service within the greater Nairobi metropolitan area. We bring our specialized kitchen and our highly trained chefs right where you want them so that your guests can enjoy a feast fit for the king.

To book, please contact Jumuia Conference & Country Home Limuru Tel: 020 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2048881, 2060964/5/6/7 Fax: +254-020-2048929 Email: reservations.limuru@resortjumuia.com Web: www.resortjumuia.com

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PRAYERS Tuesday 6:00pm - 8:00pm We invite you to join us every Tuesday at our Green House Offices for evening prayers and devotions. Bring a friend.

Sunday 9:00am and 11:00am Every Sunday we hold prayers during the first and second services. Join us at the Church Prayer Tent located at the back of the Hyperdome

Fourth Saturday of Every Month 6:30am-8:00am We extend an invite to all to join us every 4th Saturday morning at the Church Hyperdome for prayers and devotions. Bring a friend.

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