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KENYA BAPTIST LEGACY MINISTRY. Recently during a sermon, a Kenyan pastor said, “Many people proudly share their family tree.  But do you know your Christian genealogy?  Have you ever thought that your spiritual family tree could begin with Jesus or with Paul?”  Baptist Chapel in a lower-middle class area of Nairobi recently celebrated its 8th anniversary.  This church is very proud of its “spiritual family tree.”  When Southern Baptists missionaries arrived in Kenya in the late 1950’s, they helped start Kariobangi Baptist Church.  Twenty years later, Kariobangi sent a young church member, who was discipled by missionaries and his Kenyan pastor, to begin Highridge Baptist Church. During the Greater Nairobi Evangelistic Effort of 1996, Highridge asked Southern Baptist volunteers to help them plant a church in Lucky Summer or Lakisama (Swahili/Lah-key-sah-mah).  The young man who was called to be their pastor links his Christian genealogy back to his uncle, the pastor of Highridge – which links him back to the pastor of Kariobangi and early IMB missionaries! Lakisama is proof of how one Great Commission story leads to other Great Commission stories.  The church has already planted three churches in Nairobi and they are planning a new church start in rural Kenya during 2009!  As you praise God for Kenyan Baptist Christians who are committed to our Saviour’s Great Commission, pray that they will always rely upon their Heavenly Father’s strength as they continue developing their Spiritual Family Tree!  For more about of Baptist Chapel’s story, go to: http://celebratingthegreatcommission.blogspot.com    http://bertandjackyates.blogspot.com/
 
KENYA BAPTIST LEGACY MINISTRY. The sign by the side of the road is very simple with no fancy pictures or designs.  It simply says: Proposed Kenya Baptist University.  This small notice board is not your ordinary advertisement or board giving directions; it is an answer to the prayers of missionaries, Kenyan Baptist and many Southern Baptist volunteers.  It is also the result of years of work and development as your missionaries and early Kenyan Baptist leaders dreamed and worked towards offering quality theological education to the leaders and pastors of Kenyan Baptist churches in their own country.  Maturing and moving to the next level of development is necessary, but not easy and requires many changes.  Pray for the staff and administrators of Kenya Baptist Theological College (KBTC) and the leaders of the Baptist Convention of Kenya as they meet all the government regulations to become a full university.  Pray for wisdom as they determine how to merge the needs of theological education with the need of Kenyan youth for quality training in other areas of studies.  Missionaries and Southern Baptist volunteers will continue serving on the faculty/staff of KBTC, but the day has come for the college/seminary to be “owned” by Kenyans rather than by the IMB – not simply ownership of title deeds and responsibility for raising financial support, etc, but more importantly as it becomes a heart desire for Kenyan Baptists to produce trained men and women of God.  Pray that all decisions and plans will bring glory to our heavenly Father.  http://bertandjackyates.blogspot.com/