Bethesda Baptist Church Nairobi Congregation with Banjamin and Hilary at their wedding.
Written by Hilary Mwende Murithi
Bethesda Baptist Church (BBC) began in 2010 as a small Bible study that
met in Valley of Truth Learning Center led by Pastor Michael Maura. As
the numbers grew, the church had the necessity of finding another
meeting place. God answered the prayers of his people when a door was
opened to rent a shop from Brother Elisha who is now a member of the
church himself. Since then, there have been a number of new
developments that this newsletter will attempt to highlight.
In
July of 2013, BBC was officially constituted as a church in Kenya. This
was a big step for the church. When a church becomes constituted, that
is when it can formalize membership, offices are officially formed
(secretary, treasurer, etc.), and the church functions in a more
official way under the direction of its constitution that has been
written. The church was also pleased to be able to begin serving
communion after making this step.
Despite being constituted, the
church is in continued need for prayers on a number of issues. The
search continues to fill one or two of the offices, including the office
of deacon. Praise God that the church continues to grow, and the
church is again in need to begin looking for a place to relocate to!
Particularly since the New Year began, the church has seen a number of
new visitors, several of which have returned subsequent Sundays. In
January, three people officially joined the membership as well.
This need is not only based on lack of space in the building during the
church service. At the current time, children meet between the church
and the buildings behind the church for Sunday school. This poses a
problem when the rains hit. In addition, the setup of the church can
make it a bit more complicated when trying to host seminars or
conferences.
A great desire of the church is to be able to
purchase land within Tassia Estate on which to build a church building.
It is important that the land be in Tassia since that is where the
majority of the members and regular attendees are from. Most of these
people do not have the means to travel to another location.
Additionally, Bethesda’s presence in Tassia is vital because of the
Truth that is proclaimed there. Within this community, there are
countless churches. When walking down the main street through Tassia on
a Sunday morning, it is not unusual for a person to hear five church
services going on at any given point during his walk. It is disturbing
to realize, though, that the vast majority of these churches do not
teach the true gospel. Rather, it is a so-called gospel of “Come to
Jesus, and you will receive health, wealth, and prosperity.” This is a
common teaching worldwide, but it has truly taken over Kenya. The
community of Tassia is no exception, which is a major part of why BBC
and its members would like the church to remain within the community.
The problem with purchasing land in Tassia, however, is that it is
incredibly expensive. The rough estimate received so far is 8 million
ksh (about $96,000 USD) for a plot measuring 50 feet by 100 sfeet. Of
course, there are even more expenses to be incurred following the
purchase of land. BBC earnestly requests your prayers that God would
provide for His growing church. Please also thoughtfully and
prayerfully consider making a financial contribution for this need as
well.
Despite various needs the church may have, that is not
holding anyone back. Bible studies continue to be held weekly in an
effort to build up Christians and evangelize to others in the
communities in which they are held. Currently there are fellowships
that meet in Tassia, Donholm (a neighboring estate), and Ngomongo slum
across town. These meetings have proved to be beneficial due to the
clear teachings provided and the prayer time that follows. The time of
sharing afterward also provides an opportunity for the brethren to truly
get to know one another as well.
The fellowship in Ngomongo
takes on a little different look than the other two. The meeting is
filled with children! It is such a beautiful thing! It is definitely
true, though, that it is a bit different to teach children rather than
adults, and it can be rather challenging to try to teach both
populations simultaneously. The teachers are in need for prayer for
wisdom on how to clearly communicate biblical truths. Another great
desire would be for the parents of many of these children to attend with
them as well. At the current time, many of the families of Ngomongo
are being forced to move to other locations. Prayers that these people
would continue to be able to be educated in rich, biblical doctrine
would be much appreciated. It is of utmost importance for these people
to know God’s Word regardless of who is teaching it.
Pastor
Michael has continued to take part in a number of ministry opportunities
outside of the church as well. He takes part in leading Bible studies
at Openhand Children’s Home based in Kitengala (a town just south of
Nairobi) and Valley of Truth Learning Center in Tassia on a regular
basis. Pastor Michael has partnered with both organizations for a few
years now and enjoys having the opportunity to minister to the children
as he eagerly waits to see God’s transforming work in their lives.
The church rejoices that God has opened a way for Pastor Michael to
preach to students at Egerton University in Nakuru and Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Juja. As Christian
books and materials become available, many are distributed to these
students as well. When Pastor Michael is invited to go to JKUAT, he is
frequently able to bring some fellow parishioners with him. It is such
an encouragement to those who are able to join him to see so many young
people with a passion for God’s glory and to observe such a gathering
that is so doctrinally sound. Truly, it is a rare finding and such a
beauty to behold!
Following the designated time for meeting,
the people from BBC are served tea and are often surrounded by a handful
of students who are loaded with practical questions on how to live out
Christian beliefs and values in certain situations as well as deeper
theological questions. All around the globe it is not common to run
across people who think so deeply about such important matters. This is
definitely an incredible ministry opportunity as Pastor Michael and
those who regularly join him are able to see the spiritual growth in
some of the students and the huge opportunity to preach the gospel to
others on campus. Regardless of who may be in attendance during the
preaching session itself, the passion evidenced in a number of the
students goes to show that Pastor Michael’s sermons are encouraging and
have great potential to be passed on to others long after Pastor Michael
leaves the campus. We only pray that Truth does not get distorted in
the process, but the Bible promises that His Word will not return void.
His purposes will get accomplished.
This is just a short
overview of Bethesda Baptist Church and its current happenings. Many
other ministry opportunities remain that may not be as regular.
Additionally, there are numerous dreams that Pastor Michael and the
members of BBC possess. Such dreams include ways to disciple other
believers and evangelize to the community. Please continue to unite
with this young church as it seeks to glorify God above all else. Glory
be to God for His continuing all sufficient grace!
