Blog 2 from Kenya - Preaching

While we were in Kenya in January, I had the opportunity to preach twice. The two congregations and their situations were quite different.

In the first situation, we were way up in Samburu country. This is a pretty remote place, reached by nasty, and sometimes non-existent, roads. But there is a church there. The building itself is a concrete block structure with holes for windows, but no glass. There is only one room.I wore a kikoi (which I mentioned in my previous Kenya post), because it is what the men wear in that place.  During the service the congregation was attacked by a swarm of wasps. Interestingly, the ladies who were at that time singing never flinched. They just kept singing.

The building was full, including young people, some of whom were sitting in the windows. I preached, through an interpreter, on Micah 6:6-8. For me it was a pretty brief message. The congregation was attentive throughout and gave verbal affirmations at times.

The second congregation in which I preached was entirely different. It was in the city of Nairobi and meeting in a private school. The pastor, a native Kenyan, graduated from the same seminary (Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis) at which I received my M.Div. degree.  

The congregation here was diverse. There were Kenyans and Europeans (I include Americans in this category) and Asians. There were young and old folks. In fact, the congregation was in its second week of having families worship together. It was a grand sight to see.

As the pastor had just begun a series in Galatians, I was able to fit right in as I preached from Galatians, chapter 2. The theme was “Practicing What We Preach.” Again, the congregation was attentive and appreciative.

Christianity is not new in Kenya. It was introduced by missionaries in the 19th century. It is claimed that more than two-thirds of all Kenyans are Christians.