Country report – Visit to Kenya pt 3. Foundations for Farming

Agriculture, Good Practice, Kenya, News, Poor, To the Nations, Zimbabwe
From Zimbabwe to Kenya In March I attended the 6-monthly Foundations for Farming Champions Conference in Zimbabwe. It was a great pleasure to meet two men from Kenya. One, Ashford, I knew from a previous visit to his country when I accompanied him on a medical visit to an unreached people group in Tharaka. He is an Ophthalmologist (eye specialist) so I was surprised to find him attending a Farming Conference! However, I learnt that he had been brought up in a farming environment and was keen to do well. I had not met his colleague before, Peter. He works for the ministry of Agriculture in Kenya as an agricultural advisor. For various reasons I wondered how they would get on in Zimbabwe at the Conference. Why would an ophthalmologist…
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Giving notices – Part 1 – Why? and What?

Administration in the Church, Conference Administration, Equipping, Good Practice, Meetings
The sober truth! How many of your people would say the notices are the most interesting part of your church service?! I venture to guess – not many. Why? Because the church service is about meeting – first with God and then with other believers. Vital components of such meetings are, of course, Worship, Prayer, Preaching etc. But notices also have an important part to play. For instance they can be a great way of promoting a family feel in the church. Yet, in many churches, they are the ‘turn off’ time when people often hear but don’t listen. Why? There may be many reasons: too wordy, delivered by an administrator who is not confident in public, content not been carefully prepared, to name a few. So let’s take a…
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Country report – Kenya pt 2. The forgotten tribes

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Kenya, News, Poor, Relief and Development
Manyangalo In 1924 people from 8 tribes were brought together in the centre of a 160,000 acre (250 sq miles) game reserve. They had been brought there to care for the area and tend the animals. Over the next 80 years the land changed ownership several times, the most recent being in 2004. The new owner no longer wanted these people (now numbering several thousand) on his land and began to take steps to remove them. But they had no other home - several generations had been born and raised there! Lawyer saved At about this time Martin Mithega, a senior lawyer in Meru, became a Christian in Edward Buria’s church. Having previously had no time for the poor (as they could not pay substantial fees) he now felt he…
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Effective meetings pt 8 – Formatting Minutes and Handling Actions

Administration in the Church, Administrative Skills, Equipping, Good Practice, Meetings
A literary masterpiece? Minutes are recorded to serve those present and to ensure that the decisions taken are followed through. Failing to take minutes, or making them ‘inaccessible’ through poor presentation, may represent a loss of benefit from the original meeting. Minutes should not seek to have the accolade of a literary masterpiece! They are functional. Familiar and well-understood abbreviations or shortened sentences are perfectly acceptable if that makes them easier to use. Formatting Some simple formatting can also help (see below – numbers correspond to those in the illustration). 1. Bullet points often promote clarity as they highlight the key points being made. 2. Text should not look ‘heavy’. Blocks of text are daunting to read so it is better to have short sentences and paragraphs separated appropriately with lines to…
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Country report – Visit to Kenya pt 1

Cross-culture, Kenya, News, Poor, Relief and Development, To the Nations
Welcome to Kenya! It is always a great pleasure to visit Kenya and to spend time with Edward and Fridah Buria. Edward brings apostolic oversight to many Newfrontiers churches in East Africa. This larger-than-life couple have a huge vision and a track record of success that is inspiring, including about 200 churches they have planted in Kenya and significant involvement in the neighbouring nations including Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia and Sudan. Over the years they have run several successful businesses in order to release funds for the ministry, from printing and metal fabrication to coffee, bananas and tree planting to produce scaffold poles, a living and vibrant example of Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 3 about supporting apostolic ministry through tent-making . Samburu During my time in Kenya I was…
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