ONE YEAR DOWN FOR THE CLASS OF 2018

God has indeed been faithful. The class of 2018 just finished their first year. What a joy that one more time, God has proven faithful and that His hand is on this endeavor.

The pastors reported on Sunday 1^st October for their last semester of their first year at DPTC. Every pastor reported on time. Their journey is half way done and we pray that the second half will be better than the first.

First week

This semester we had Sally Gresham come to teach Old Testament Survey. She had arrived on 27^th, bringing Lori McDonald with her. Arriving early helped them rest before Sally taught and Lori took photos of the pastors and helped with whatever else she could.

It has been tremendous blessing to have Sally teach the pastors and we pray that God will renew her strength to keep doing this.

Professor John Brown was able to also come this school to facilitate conflict   development and resolution, a Biblical approach. The class of 2016 was not able to meet him since he couldn’t be able to come. He was scheduled for the first week since he had a graduation at the school over which he has been provost. It was gracious of him to be able to come in even with a lot on him.

Professor was of great help to the pastors and he spent most of his outside class time with the pastors. He availed himself to them and anyone that needed his ministry found him ready. He counseled with the pastors and prayed with them, and with the workers at the camp too. We thank God for the gift of him.

Professor came bearing gifts for the pastors and the school. He was able to bring with him forty eight copies of the newly produced Africa Study Bible. He was a part of the committee that produced the material. It is a much needed tool, seeing Bible events through the African eye and experience.

 

Sunday school curriculum

Sally and Lori brought with them a young couple, who were celebrating their first anniversary, Mathew and Lorin Tate. Lorin is a part of the children ministry at RUMC. She deals with developing the curriculum that is used at RUMC for children. Two years ago Paul met Lorin and the vision for the curriculum was discussed. This semester this became true as Lorin, Mathew and Lori facilitated four hours of the training with the pastors. The curriculum basically brings the Bible stories to children in digestible chunks. It has games and songs that go with every lesson to enable the child remember the lesson. The same could be developed further to incorporate older kids. Lorin and Lori wrote areas in different lessons to enable this. These areas, labelled “going deeper” seek to unpack further the truth in the scripture under investigation to older children.

We had a few alumni and their Sunday school teachers join us on that Saturday for the Sunday school training. We had five alumni and six teachers from their churches come and be a part of the day. They were excited to have the material and some used the lessons the following day in teaching children.

 

The curriculum which has forty Old Testament lessons and forty New Testament lessons helps the pastor know what is being taught to the children and the direction the lessons are headed. We hope that this will be developed further so that we will be able to share the same with the alumni.

Lorin also made a nativity project, in which she painted the Christmas story. The paintings will be used in the camp to tell the story of Christmas to the camp guests. We hope this is a beginning of these and that with time, maybe we can tell the story of CTLI in paintings, the story of God’s providence.

The second week

In the second week of the school we had the CITAM Ngong deputy senior pastor, Rev. Michael Wambua teach for us the History of Christianity in Africa. Rev. Wambua is currently studying for a Phd in church history. This course seeks to explore the growth of Christianity and the church in Africa and the forms the gospel has taken in contextualization to the continent. It also explores the contribution of the church in Africa to the rest of the world and the other way round.

We also had the director of DPTC, Paul, teaching marriage and family. The course is an extension of the counselling course, with an emphasis on the family.

He also invited Mr. Kigume Karuri to help talk about manhood, defining who a man is and his God-given responsibility in the family. He also talked on the place and care for the single parents in the church and society.

Sunday service in Kibra

On the Sunday when the pastors are in school, we visited a church in Kibra, where Anthony Kimani, a pastor in the class ministers. This is a custom of the school, to go out and encourage one of our own. The church is in the heart of Kibra, and is small because of the space. For some pastors it was their very first time in Kibra.

Vincent Nyarangi taught in the Bible study while Gladys Maina preached in the service.Later we had Samuel Achola preach in the outdoor meeting before we headed back. There is great need for the gospel in Kibra. Even though the government has tried to uplift the standards of the residents by building better housing, there are some that are glad to stay in the shanties and in the mess. It is only the Gospel that can truly liberate them. The church to which we visited is called “Light in the Holy Spirit.” It is a wonderful thing though, to see the light of the gospel shining even in Kibra and to know that the situation is not permanent. The effects of sin are conspicuous, yet even there, the hope of the gospel is causing songs of praise to raise to God as a fragrant offering.

Sunday after the school.

This school was a little long. When the students left on Friday morning, the camp was not empty as is usually. It becomes quiet, but this time we had Lori and Sally to keep the camp company for another few days. That Sunday we visited with Daniel New at Abundant Life Pentecostal Church Rongai. It was an amazing day to see what God is doing there, lives turning around and the Gospel of Christ bringing salvation in the area. We also met Joseph Mburu Mwangi, of the same class with Daniel who had come to visit with Daniel. It was a happy reunion as we witness God’s faithfulness in the ministry of Daniel.

Sally and Lori then headed for the airport on Monday evening. Finally the semester was over too soon. We thank God for His continued supply of grace and for every need, and for the transformation that He is working in the lives of the pastors and in their communities and families. One by one, God is making things beautiful in His time and we can but marvel at His doing.

Still small voice

Two incidences in this semester through which God spoke to us. On the Saturday of the children curriculum, we had run out of paper for reproducing notes for the pastors. Monicah Minani, a graduate of the class of 2016 brought five packs of printing paper. Just when we needed it.

A few days to the end of the semester, we had almost run out of ugali flour. But Daniel, the president of the class of 2016 brought 24 kgs of maize flour. When we really needed it. These may be small things, but to us, this was the still small voice of God saying, “I will provide for the school and I will make this my work continue.” There is great fulfillment in joining hands with God to do what He is doing. What an honor to partner with Him in the great work of training pastors!!