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In early November 2006, David Lindrooth traveled to Kisii and Nairobi, Kenya to learn about the growth and development of the New Church there under the leadership of General Church ministers Rev. Khalid Obiri and Rev. Samson Abuga. David shares highlights and reflections from his trip as told to Abigail Echols.

Background

Do you know how many New Church congregations there are in Kenya? How many schools? Do you know what events are currently happening in this country half way around the world from America? Rev. David Lindrooth, director of General Church Outreach, experienced the answers to these questions first hand when he visited Kenya for two weeks last November.

In order to give you a better idea of life in Kenya and what is going on in the General Church congregations there we will answer some preliminary questions. Geographically Kenya is roughly twice the size of Nevada, and has an approximate population of 34,707,817 (according to the CIA World Factbook).

There are two New Church congregations—The Racecourse Congregation is located in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, and the Riunde New Church is located in Riunde, a rural area in the Kisii territory about 500 km east of Nairobi. Both churches have schools, and the church in Riunde also has an orphanage that is home to sixteen children–eight girls and eight boys. Rev. Samson Abuga leads the Church in Nairobi. Rev. Khalid Obiri leads the church in Riunde. Both Khalid and Samson are General Church ministers who were trained at the South African Theological School. They were ordained in 2003 by the Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton.

David traveled to Kenya in order to meet the people in these congregations and serve them by preaching, talking, teaching, and learning about the way their congregations function.

Arriving in Nairobi

With those questions answered we now move on to the details of David’s trip. On Friday, November 10, 2006, David arrived in Nairobi. He was there for five days and spent most of his time visiting the church and school and visiting with church leaders and teachers.

The congregation in Nairobi has approximately 85–90 people, including about 40 children enrolled in the school. They worship and hold school in the same rented space: a small corrugated tin building located in an area called the Racecourse–one of the highest risk neighborhoods in Nairobi. Although they worship in the building every Sunday, during the week the space is transformed into five classrooms by hanging flattened cardboard boxes as dividers. There are five teachers who work in the school, but they have very few teaching supplies–some classrooms have chalk and chalkboards and almost nothing else.

Despite the fact that their supplies and finances are limited, over the last two and a half years the people in the Nairobi congregation have successfully established themselves as a growing church group with energy to continue expanding.

Traveling to Small Villages

The second leg of David’s trip started on Thursday, November 16, 2006, when he traveled the 500 km from Nairobi to Riunde in a small fourteen person van–with the windows closed. Despite being in the contained space of the van the dust was choking as they drove from the 6000 ft elevation of Nairobi down into the Great Rift Valley–traveling sometimes not even on actual roads. After the van ride (which takes anywhere between six and twelve hours) David got in a taxi and traveled for another 45 minutes to arrive in Ogembo. This town, high up in the mountains, is a lone center of electricity amidst a largely agricultural area where the population consists of small groups and families spread out on farms for miles around.

While Rev. Khalid Obiri and his family live on the main road in Ogembo, the church property is located up on one of the hills, a half hour drive, or in the way Khalid more often travels, a two hour walk from his house. The church property consists of several sprawling buildings: they have a sanctuary, a building of offices, a room for each of the grades (K–8), a cook house, and two rooms for the orphanage (one for the boys, one for the girls). The buildings are made out of a mud and stick adobe–like material. They have no electricity and no running water. Their bathrooms are outhouses, and their food is cooked over an open fire. Most of the classrooms have limited supplies and often only one book at each level on each subject that all the students share. While these buildings and supplies function well for their purposes, in order for the Riunde New Church School to receive the Kenyan government’s approval, the buildings must be rebuilt using brick.

Despite these struggles, there are about 75 students enrolled, and eight teachers who are baptized members of the congregation, dedicated to providing a New Church education to their students. When these teachers commit to teaching at the school they commit much more than the average American teacher. Because of the rural nature of the area around the school most of the teachers actually live on the church property during the week instead of traveling home daily.

During David’s first full day in Riunde he visited the teachers and the school and spent the afternoon traveling around the surrounding area visiting some of the small groups of New Church people that live within an hour and a half radius of the church. The next day, Saturday, November 18th, was spent traveling and visiting more of the people in the surrounding area, while Sunday was given to a five and a half hour church service.

About 200 people came to church that Sunday—forcing the group to meet outside because they could not all fit into the sanctuary. The service started with singing, which was followed by an hour long sermon/class. More singing took place after the class, including special music that had been prepared by several different choirs, followed by readings from the Word, a children’s talk, another reading, and an adult talk (but both children and adults were there for the entire service).

Visiting the Masai Tribe

The evenings during David’s time in Riunde were spent dialoguing with Khalid, others from the congregation, and three men from a Masai tribe. These evenings of discussion were significant for two main reasons: first, they allowed for long discussions about the church, the doctrines, and how to apply the doctrines in real situations; secondly, these discussions were significant because of the Masai tribe members taking part in the conversation. The Masai and Kisii tribes have been hostile towards each other for years, to such an extent that it was dangerous for these three Masai men to even be in Kisii territory. And yet coming to the church and talking with David was important enough to them that they came—and ended up outstaying David.

The lifestyles of the people in Riunde have not changed drastically as technology has developed. Few people have cell phones, few people have cars, and few people have electricity. In many ways the everyday life of people in Riunde is the same as it was hundreds of years ago. But they are very open to the revolutionary teachings of the New Church despite the conflicts that arise between their cultural practices which have existed for centuries (such as polygamy) and church doctrine. These very conflicts, though, are the reasons that building and maintaining New Church schools is so important in Kenya. By starting the children’s lives with basic concepts about life from a New Church perspective, the church leaders and teachers can effectively change the culture. It is extremely challenging for many of the adults to completely change their lifestyles to be in accordance with the truths set forth in the Writings, but with the support of the schools, the next generation can take these truths and structure their lives accordingly from the beginning.

Because of the shift in thinking that occurs through the schools, they are wonderful tools in the outreach efforts of these two congregations. Both Khalid and Samson are reaching out to their surrounding communities through personal contact. Occasionally, they also organize crusades during which they set up a tent and use music and preaching in the streets to get the message out to the people.

The Future

Despite the difficult circumstances and lack of finances and resources, these two congregations are actively growing and developing. The Riunde New Church is currently one of the fastest growing church groups in the world. This is because these congregations have people dedicated to spreading the teachings of the New Church, willing to give their energy in whatever way they can. Both schools are working to gather books, reading materials and school supplies. They also hope to develop a way of facilitating better, more effective training for their teachers and church leaders.

These people love the church and are longing to learn and grow in the teachings found within the Writings. And the effect, as David experienced first hand, is visible.

How You Can Help

If you would like to help the New Church in Kenya please send your donations to General Church Outreach, earmarked for the New Church Kenya church, school, or (although General Church Outreach does not officially financially support it) the orphanage. Send to PO Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 USA