Last month BWM Field Coordinator Mike Green and Kenya Country Director Pius Kuto travelled together throughout northwest Kenya and hosted multiple training sessions using lessons from the Shepherd’s Guide training manual. Throughout the week they met with over 80 Pastors and Church leaders, all from Churches that have either been started or are being discipled by one of our team.
Running alongside the Great Rift Valley, this diverse area includes cool and fertile highlands next to drought stricken and barren lowlands. The locals in this area have been horribly impacted by extreme drought conditions and the formerly nomadic tribes have been fighting each other for some time. Over the last few years, Pius and BWM Aids Combat Team (ACT) member Samuel Nakwa have organized numerous food and water programs through several local churches that has greatly blessed this area. In addition to the difficulties caused by tribal conflict, the road system in this area is not well maintained and a journey of less than 50 miles can take many hours. But despite all of this hardship, there is a strong movement for the Gospel.
The church pictured here
is a small Baptist Church near Eldoret that has been around for over 20 years. Approximately 10 years ago, shortly after joining the ACT staff, Pius Kuto went to this church and trained the congregation on evangelism using the Evange-cube. Having only recently been trained with this tool himself, Pius was amazed at the results it generated. In their first 10 years, this Church had never done any type of outreach or evangelism project. After receiving training from Pius, this single church has planted 8 different churches and 5 preaching places all of which have a dedicated pastor to shepherd their congregations.
FYI, a Preaching Place, is a congregation without a building. All 5 of the Preaching places mentioned above have active congregations with a Pastor and are working together to raise the funds to construct a building.
As part of his work as Country Director, Pius has a circuit that he travels every few months and visits all of these areas. This mission to Kenya was part of that circuit and they were able to follow up with the training that Pius taught last November. Between visits, the Pastors are given assignments and taught how to meet together in small discipleship groups and work on the lessons alongside each other… “As iron sharpens iron”. Getting together every few months with these same Pastors is a great way to ensure that the lessons being taught are understood and a wonderful time of fellowship with other church leaders.
