Looking and Praying for an Ideal Location in Kitale
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
November 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When I wrote to you last month I began to outline some ministry changes that are in process here in Kitale. Specifically, I mentioned how I am being led by God to start a new church here in Kitale and how I feel I should pastor and lead the church myself until God directs otherwise. Also, I mentioned my most immediate prayer request. Do you remember what that was? I hope you not only remember it but that you have indeed been praying fervently about it. Well, in case you have forgotten, I revealed that my most immediate prayer request was for a place and location in which to begin the worship, the ministry and the church. I still need for you to be in prayer concerning this matter.
I have been searching for a place, but I have not yet discovered the “ideal” location. I have been able to find a few places, but they have not worked out for various reasons (either they were not affordable or they were not conducive locations to starting a church). Since I am asking you to pray about this, let me give you a few details about my “ideal” location. First, I would like a location either directly in town or very close to town. There are a lot of people that live near town in all directions and I would like a centrally located place that people can get to and not have to travel long distances. Second, I want a location that is easy to find. Most roads in Kitale have no names and definitely no signs. It can be very challenging directing people to a place where you want them to go. You have to say “turn left at the gas station; follow that dirt road until it dead ends; turn right; go to the roundabout and take the third left; after a half a kilometer that road will curve around near a big tree; After the tree there will be a small path on the right; there are usually sheep there but not always; take that path and pass four other paths on the right; turn right at the fifth path; that path dead ends into a big open field; at the end of the field is a big rock; take the drive way to the left of that rock; at the end of the driveway is a black gate; that’s our compound”. Can you see how cumbersome, clunky and confusing this can be? I want to be able to say something like “we’re in the Ambwere Plaza, third floor”. With those seven words I could describe to anybody in Kitale where we are and everyone would immediately recognize it. Third, I want a place that is relatively quiet. Kitale town can be an extremely noisy place, even on a Sunday—music blaring from loud speakers, car horns blaring, hammering construction sounds, loud commotions, etc. If I’m preaching I don’t want to have to shout over these sounds and obviously, I want people to hear what I’m saying.
Whether this “ideal” and affordable location can be found or not, I don’t know. Through a local friend I did find one place that, if God works it out, would probably be an amazing place. It is very near to town, easy to find, has an extremely large room for meeting in, has bathroom facilities, other small rooms for Sunday School and is on its own compound. IT’S ACTUALLY THE MASONIC TEMPLE IN KITALE! Yes, that’s right, the Masonic Temple. The Masons no longer meet here in Kitale and the building is not being used. My local friend continues to pay the upkeep of the compound and feels like he’s wasting his money. He wants to lease the building out but doesn’t want to lease it to a night club or other organization that would destroy the property. He wants to lease it to me, but the decision is not his alone. I don’t know if this building will work out or not, but it would be interesting if God works out all the details for us. My only concern would be if Kenyans would want to meet there or if they would feel like it was “taboo”.
I will continue looking. You all please continue praying.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Pursuing a Different Approach
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
October 31, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is going to be an exciting yet challenging update to write. It will be exciting because of the news I will be revealing but it will be challenging to present all I want to say to you in a short update. I obviously cannot express everything you need to know or all that is in my mind in this short letter. However, here goes.
After spending much time in prayer and deep thinking about this subject I believe that God is leading me to pursue a different approach in my ministry here in Kenya. The last few years I have focused on trying to teach and disciple other men to go out into their home villages and to start their own churches – on their own and without much interference from me, the missionary. I have met with very little success in this endeavor. The problems henceforth have been manifold. The biggest problem has been that I have not succeeded in finding motivated men who will be faithful to minister the gospel without payment, salaries or other monetary incentives. Their expectation (which I have documented many times before) is that if they stick with my program then they should be paid a salary of some sort. When their expectations are not met I lose all my students and prospective pastors. The model I was employing was a good one and could still work and should still be pursued but this will not be my main focus in the immediate future. These men must exist but I have not succeeded in finding them.
The other observation I have made in Kitale is that while there are many, many churches in this area, I am finding it extremely difficult to find even one that I would want to attend with my family. The reasons for this are also numerous: 1) I cannot find a church interested in functioning as the body of Christ on earth, that is interested in glorifying God, that is interested in the Great Commission or that is interested in serving the community with the love of Christ. 2) I cannot find a church that will faithfully teach the Word of God. The pastors scream at the people, beg for money and preach little more than a health and wealth gospel. Most passages are wrenched out of context and used in a way to bolster the preacher’s “message”. 3) The worship services are almost unbearable to me. Now, some may blame my dislike of the worship services here on the fact that I’m getting old (which is true) and I’m just a fuddy-duddy (which may or not be true) who doesn’t like contemporary worship. In actuality, I prefer a more modern and contemporary worship service. But the songs here I find untenable. They are loud to the point of being overbearing and painful, they are repetitive to the point of being nauseous and they are mostly meaningless. In short, I can’t find a good church. These churches must exist but I have not succeeded in finding them.
Thus, based upon the difficulties I have had in finding faithful men who will become faithful pastors and the fact that I cannot find a church in the area that I would consider a Spirit-filled, Bible-teaching and Bible-led, God-glorifying congregation, I believe I am being led by God to start one and pastor it myself. Following are my personal Vision and Mission statements:
Vision: To start a local church in Kitale that will function as the body of Jesus Christ in this town
Mission: I want a church that, while it will never be perfect and will always face internal and external challenges, will bring joy and pleasure to God because it desires above all things to love and worship God, to follow the ways and words of Jesus and to spend its time, energy and resources to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on this earth.
I have many other things that I have been thinking about and trying to work through as I try to put substance to my prayers and thinking, things such as objectives and strategies for starting this church. I will include some of these things over the next couple of months as I get started with this endeavor so that you all can be informed as to what I’m thinking and what I’m doing.
HERE IS MY MOST IMMEDIATE AND PRESSING PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray that God would lead me to a place where this new church can meet. I have been searching for an ideal (or even not so ideal) place where the church can begin to meet but I am not succeeding in finding a good place. Please make this a matter of diligent prayer on my behalf.
(Post Script: I don’t know what news you receive of Kenya in America but the presidential election here has turned into a carnival, and not a fun carnival but a serious, violent and unpredictable one. The country is like a cauldron on a fire that is about to boil. My concern is that this election drags out for many more months, causing chaos and disruption to the Kenyan people. Please pray for the peace of Kenya.)
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Bits and Pieces
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
September 22, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Bits and pieces.
Election re-do. Well, our August 8th presidential election was held and a president was elected. Two weeks later the supreme court of Kenya annulled the August 8th election saying there were “anomalies”. Exactly what those anomalies were I can’t say because I really don’t know. Thus, the elections were rescheduled for October 17th. Then they were rescheduled for October 23rd. Now they have been rescheduled for October 26th. At least, that is the last date that I have heard. Now we have to do everything all over again: Prepare for the election; buy extra food, water and fuel; pray that all goes well; ride out any storm that may come. All of this is very disappointing to me as I really just wanted the whole election process over and done with. I was planning a trip to the United States for the month of November. Now that trip has been postponed indefinitely as I cannot leave my wife and kids here to ride out any potential violence on their own. Beloved, once again please pray for peace in Kenya and closure to this presidential election process of 2017.
Julie has spent the last month in the US. She has been able to visit family and friends and also made a quick trip to Dayton to visit with our home church, Emmanuel Baptist in Bellbrook, OH. I am writing this report in Nairobi as I wait for her plane to arrive in just a little over two hours. We will be very happy to have her home and back with us. Our family is just not complete without our matriarch and man (aka, me) was not meant to be alone. With Julie being gone for a month I have been the sole caretaker of Chloe and the household duties. As a result, much of my “out of the house” duties were put on hold.
I have been preparing to teach a financial management class at the local theological college. I try and teach classes at this college whenever I have time and an opportunity. The class begins this Monday (three days from now). It is an important class for current and future Kenyan pastors. Biblical financial management is almost unheard of among the churches and pastors that I know here. There are no controls, no safeguards, no accountability, no audits or checks and balances, no rules and very little integrity. Pastors and leaders feel like they can do whatever they want with church money, including putting it in their own pockets. My goal in the upcoming class is NOT to make them financial wizards (anyway, I could not teach them to be what I am not). Nor is my goal to make them money wise. I simply want them to know the Biblical principles about money management and how to apply those principles into their church finances and structure and into their family finances as well. What I want them to know is that “Business practices comes from Biblical principles”. I want them to have integrity when it comes to their finances at church and at home. I want them to have Biblical wisdom concerning money. I want them to glorify God and expand the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the way they spend and use the money that God gives to them. It will be a tall task.
Amy and Josiah have started new school years at RVA. Amy is now a Junior and Josiah is a Sophomore. I like to constantly remind Josiah that the word Sophomore basically comes from two Greek words: Sofos – meaning wise, and Moros – meaning moron, dull, stupid and foolish. I never get tired of telling him he is a wise moron. Doesn’t that just perfectly describe someone about 15 years of age? They think they know everything and in reality, they know nothing. Well, I guess I can’t knock Josiah too much. I don’t know much of anything either and I’m almost 48 years old. That’s why I’ve been growing my beard out – to make me look wiser. However, when Julie gets here in about two hours and sees it she’s going to make me shave it.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Praying for Peaceful Elections and Protection in Kenya
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
July 29, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Do you all remember what was going on in the States a little less than a year ago, in November of 2016 to be exact? Yes, that’s right…it was the presidential elections. Wasn’t that fun? Or was it not so fun after all? I’m sure you were all fed up with the whole process by the time election day rolled around.
Well, we are also right in the middle of an election process here in Kenya. In fact, we are almost at the tail-end of the campaign. And we are all fed up with the process here as well. The current president of Kenya is even in Kitale today campaigning, which brings lots of extra people to town, lots of police and security, lots of traffic, lots of noise and lots of headaches. The main campaigning and advertising tactic for politicians in Kenya is to hire a pickup truck, load it full of enormous speakers and drive it around town all day blaring music and campaign slogans. And there has been a lot of that seeing as every elected position in Kenya is up for grabs right now – President/VP, Members of Parliament, Governors, Ministers, Cabinet. Everything. Local, regional, and federal. And it all comes to a head as Kenyans head to the polls on August 8th.
So, while we will be glad to have this election year in the past, we head into August 8th with a bit of anxiety and trepidation. You see, elections in Kenya are not quite the docile affair you expect in the States. We really have no idea what to expect as a result of these upcoming elections. In 2007 there were riots, thousands of people were killed all over the country, churches were burned with people hiding inside of them, businesses were destroyed, and supply lines were cut off as tribe went to war against tribe. This went on for about 2 months. In 2012 the elections were held mostly peacefully and there were only little pockets of violence across the country. But this year is shaping up more like 2007 than 2012. The same tribes are involved and the same man is running for president that lost in 2007 and who sparked the riots back then. He has already vowed not to accept the results as legitimate if they should go against him. That will lead to more trouble here in Kenya.
I have tried to keep my finger on the pulse of what is going on around here. There are European Union representatives here that predict trouble. Also, the last few months I have been asking a lot of people here in Kitale what they are thinking. Many think we will have no trouble. But many others are not so sure. Most business will be shutting down over the elections and will not be re-opening until they know it is safe to re-open. At home we have been in preparations also. I’ve purchased extra cans of diesel for the car, extra tanks of gas for the stove, extra water, extra food and extra phone credit. Most of the other missionaries have left or are leaving Kenya in the next week in order to avoid the elections. They will return when things have settled down. But we are not able to leave Kenya on account of the fact that we cannot travel with Chloe outside of the country. We will have to ride out any storm that may arise. We are placing ourselves in God’s hands and praying that everything will go smoothly and that He will protect us from any potential violence that may occur.
Please also be in prayer concerning our elections here on August 8th. We are really more concerned about out Kenyan brothers and sisters than for ourselves. If there is trouble they will be the ones most likely to suffer and not us. There is much unrest and people are not happy with the current administration. We do not wish to see our Kenyan brothers and sisters hurting and killing each other.
Lord, may there be peace in Kenya throughout this election process and may the peace that results also cause Your kingdom here to grow, prosper and bring You much glory.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Frustrated with Delays
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
June 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Folks, life and ministry is just NOT going according to MY plans. I just can’t get a handle on things and it is frustrating me to no end. I have ministry alterations I would like to make and I can’t seem to move forward on them. My plans keep on being delayed and I can’t implement them or even move onward. I thought I would have much to write about this month and I can really only think of one word to write: Stymied. Or maybe, obstructed; blockaded; hindered; impeded. OK, that’s more like five words. But the idea is the same…I am frustrated over the delays. I want to move forward, I want to follow through with the plans I believe are from God, I want to write to you about some of the changes I wish to make and I want to see what God will do. Unfortunately, I think God is the main person I am wrestling with. It’s not that I don’t think the new direction isn’t from God. I do believe He is the one directing me. It’s just that He is not moving forward at the pace I want Him to or according to my timeframe.
You see, the main thing I want to do absolutely, positively cannot be done in my own strength or in my own power. My own ability will get me practically nowhere. Oh, I suppose that by utilizing my own severely limited abilities I might be able to build some kind of temporary human structure. But without the empowering Spirit of God demonstrating His power in this future ministry, it is simply a house of cards waiting to be blown over by the slightest wind or tremor. If there is one thing I’ve learned (I hope), it’s that without the moving of God in a ministry all my human efforts are futile. And I’m tired of starting futile endeavors, building futile ministries and trusting in the futile work of my own hands. And until God allows me to move forward I cannot outline what I think He wants me to do. That makes for a short, uninteresting, frustrating newsletter. But that’s where I’m at.
Afterward: Beloved, I have just read over my newsletter and, while I haven’t changed anything, I realize it sounds angry. I am NOT angry. Just impatient is all. I will be seeking advice from trusted counselors and friends. Grace and peace to you all.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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Teaching Future Ministers, Caring for Tina
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
May 23, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
If you read my report from last month (and I certainly hope you did), then you know that I gave you a little teaser at the end about what I wanted to write about in this month’s report. This teaser concerned some of my future plans that I feel God leading me to do. Now, I know it’s not “right” to give a teaser and get your readership all excited and anticipating what you will write about (if indeed you read last month’s newsletter and care about what I teased you about) and then NOT write about it. I know that’s not decent and decorous. However, that’s what I’m going to have to do. The reason for this is because I wanted to use this past month to solidify some of my thoughts and plans and have something more concrete to present to you. However, this month ended up being so busy for me that I had little time left for thinking about future planning. So, instead of laying out future plans, I will have to content myself (and you) with relating my busyness of the past month.
I guess I should have known this month would be busy as most, although not all, of what I did was pre-planned. I had two classes scheduled to teach at the local Bible college I teach at on a fairly regular basis—one in May and one in June. The class in May was Hermeneutics and the class in June is Old Testament Prophetic Literature. The Hermeneutics class I have taught before but having taught it before I recognized that my notes and class material needed to be revamped to better address the level of my students at the college. The OT Prophetic Literature class is a new class for me and has to be prepared from scratch. That being said, I have been working feverishly to prepare for these two classes. Then, last week I taught the Hermeneutics class to a new, fresh group of young, future pastors and ministers. Teaching future ministers proper Bible interpretation methods and principles is a great joy and worth all the time and effort it requires. It is, however, quite exhausting, especially for an introverted person like me who would prefer not to have to talk. Talking is exhausting, especially when you are not used to talking for an extra 40 hours a week. My throat is always raw and sore by the end of the week. But believe me, if these future ministers can learn to properly interpret and teach God’s Word then it is worth any effort and sacrifice. Oh, and before I started the class I took a long trip to Rift Valley Academy to spend the weekend with my kids at school.
On top of all this, Julie and I have another baby in the house again. Tina, whom we have cared for in the past, is back. She was born three months premature, we cared for her for the first two months of her life and she is now six months old. Tina had been in the hospital for a week with pneumonia. When she was discharged from the hospital the director of the children’s home where she lives called to ask us if we could take her in for a while while she recuperated. Julie and I talked about it and came to the conclusion together that we were too busy right now to take her in. We just couldn’t add the full-time care of a sick baby to our plate. I knew immediately in my heart that it was the wrong decision but didn’t admit this to Julie. What?!? Too busy to help one of God’s precious little ones back to health? Too busy to make some small sacrifices for the life of a child? Bad decision. Anyway, I found out a little later that Julie also thought it was a bad decision. When I returned home one night after teaching she said something like this: “I know I shouldn’t have made this decision unilaterally but I told the director we could take Tina in and care for her until she is well”. I responded with the words “OK, Julie, if that’s what you decided” but what I thought in my heart was Good for you Julie! Way to go! That WAS the right decision. Thanks for having the courage to deny yourself and follow God’s leading in this. So, Tina is back with us until she is well, and although unbroken sleep and less work is good and desirable, caring for and loving God’s children is better.
One more thing to add to the list. Tomorrow I am heading to Nairobi for a Bible conference on the local church. I have not been to any kind of Bible conference of any sort since I first left the States to come to Africa nine and a half years ago. I am looking forward to the conference but am already tired just thinking about it.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Why Can’t I Be More Like Jesus?
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
April 26, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’ve been practicing for a long time now. So, why can’t I be more like Jesus?
I was standing in line waiting to go through the metal detector and into the supermarket. The line is long and moving slowly. A man walks up beside me and then deliberately steps right in front of me in the queue (“line”, for you Americans). I am infuriated and say some snide comment to him about his rude and inconsiderate behavior. What is he thinking? How could he be so rude? A better question is why did I get so mad so quickly? I’ve been practicing for so long now. So, why can’t I be more like Jesus?
It’s been a long day. Julie and I decide to order chicken and chips (“fries”, for you Americans) from the only place in Kitale that claims they can deliver. We’ve done this before and thus we don’t expect any difficulty. An hour and a half later there is still no food. I call the delivery guy and ask him, Where are you? He tells me. He’s about a mile from my house. How long have you been there? About an hour. What?!? Does that mean my food is cold? Yes. Why didn’t you call me? He has no credit on his phone. Were you ever going to call me? How could he, as he has no credit on his phone. Why didn’t you bring the food to my house? He doesn’t know the way. I’m telling you now how to get here. He doesn’t seem to understand. I’m telling you now how to get here in Swahili. He doesn’t seem to understand. Stay where you are and I’ll come to you to get the food. He grunts something unintelligible. I go to where he says he is. He isn’t there. I drive around the neighborhood looking for him. I finally find him. Why didn’t you stay where you were? He says he was looking for my house. I try and pay him and take the food. He has no change and I am not at my house so I can’t go in and get change either. I refuse to pay for the food because of his incompetence. I am angry and tell him to take the phone back to his manager so I can complain to her about him. How can he be so incompetent? A better question is why can’t I be more like Jesus? I’ve been practicing at it for a long time now.
I’m at a little roadside restaurant drinking a cup of coffee and doing some work on my laptop. The man standing before me is the seventh person in the last half an hour that has stopped to talk to me. Like all the others before him he is begging for money. Like all the others before him he starts by being kind. Who am I? What am I doing here? How long have I been here? Where am I from? What is America like? Can I give him some money? I’m looking at him. He’s not poor or destitute. He’s not starving or sick. He’s not naked and cold. He was just passing by and saw an expat (“foreigner”, for you Americans) and saw his opportunity to possibly get a free handout. I sigh and groan. Should I go into the “dependency spiel” I went into with the 6 previous guys. No, I’m out of patience. I tell him to “get lost”. How can he be so shameless, so audacious, so brazen, so insolent, so impertinent? A better question is why can’t I be more like Jesus? I’ve been practicing at it for a long time now.
Yes, all of these things happened in just the last week alone. Yet, all of these people are the people I am trying to reach here with the love of Jesus. How am I supposed to reach them with the gospel if I’m not loving them like Jesus? How can I start a church and be their pastor (hopefully more on that next month) if I can’t be more like Jesus? Lord, help me to be more like Jesus so I can love your people in Kenya more. Help me be more like Jesus so the gospel here in Kitale can be more effective in people’s lives. Help me be more like Jesus so that I can start a church that shines like a beacon in a dark world. Help me be more like Jesus for your glory in Kenya.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
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Stymied Approaches to Ministry
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is indigenous church planting.
February 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I guess it’s time for me to step back again and reevaluate what we’ve been doing in this ministry…and where the ministry is going.
We want to see people who don’t know Jesus being saved. We also want to see New Testament churches of the Lord Jesus Christ being established and growing. I feel that in these endeavors I have been stymied and blockaded by insurmountable challenges.
The first three years in Kenya: During these three years, we took a “traditional” approach. A quick summary of the traditional approach includes paying pastors a salary, funding all ministries, building new church buildings, etc. It basically means that the missionary is paying for, and funding everything the church/ministry is doing. What stymied us in this approach? In a word, DEPENDENCY. You’ve heard me talk about it a hundred times. It builds dependency into the churches and this dependency paralyzes the churches from doing the work of the ministry themselves. It kills the growth and reproduction of the church from the very beginning. “Dependency” has almost become a curse word to me.
The next three years in Kenya: During these three years, I reacted to the problem of dependency and tried to change accordingly. To accomplish this, we really changed our approach to ministry dramatically. I decided to model for the Kenyan Christians only what they could reproduce on their own. We started groups and churches that met in people’s homes. We worked with “lay” pastors that ministered without pay. We worshiped without instruments. In short, I only did what the Kenyan Christians could do without western support and money. What stymied us in this approach? Something similar to dependency, but slightly different. I would summarize it in one word: EXPECTATIONS. Yes, it seems expectations would kill the groups and churches every time. Each time we would start a group we would have many people coming initially. They said they loved the simple and pure Bible teaching and they were learning a lot. They said they loved the simplicity of the worship and meetings as opposed to the “machine” of the local churches. But they always came with expectations. Expectations that we would give them money, gifts, food, school fees, business start-up money, etc. As soon as they realized these expectations would not be met, they were gone. “Expectations” is the next ministry curse word to me.
The last three years: During these years, I changed my approach once again. I wanted to avoid the dependency and expectations. I decided to teach and disciple men to go out into the villages and start the churches on their own. In this way, my presence would not adversely affect the new church start-ups. What stymied us in this approach? I can’t summarize it in one word but in effect I could not find men interested enough in starting churches from scratch in people’s homes. It was not lucrative enough for them. Church work and ministry here is a business and if the business isn’t providing enough profit then it should be scrapped. I guess I could say in two words that my approach was BAD BUSINESS.
My parents are arriving in Kenya in two weeks. I think their arrival in the country is timely. I am looking forward to sitting down with them and with my wife and getting their input and wisdom. My wife and my mother and father are godly and wise people whose input and help I desire and want. I am hoping that the discussions I might have with them over the next month will be used by God to help direct our future ministry here in Kenya.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
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