Update for October

It has been some time since I have written to bring all of you up-to-date on my ministry here in Kenya.

First, I have relocated to Kikuyu from Chogoria.  I am enjoying the move but not all the packing and unpacking and getting acquainted with the area that is involved. Kikuyu is one of the oldest Presbyterian strongholds in Kenya.  It is a compound just outside of Nairobi and houses 21 different institutions owned by the PCEA.  We have a hospital, a university, church, teacher training college, school of nursing, and a plethora of schools including Alliance Girls and Boys Secondary schools from where many of the brightest students graduate. 

Second, the move brought me closer to my support system and also to staff that can help with the program training that I do.  We are in the process of designing a program that will be training trainers. It will be called TELL (Teaching Effective Liaison Leaders).  It is still in the discussion stages but we hope to be able to implement it before the first of the year.  In addition I am on staff at the University and teaching in the theology department.  It is really exciting because it means I am teaching students who I will work with eventually in the presbyteries when I do training in those areas.  The training part of my position falls on Resource Mobilization where the new program will be mobilizing human resources. 

Third, in the PCEA (Presbyterian Church of East Africa) all ordained pastors must be attached to a presbytery and parish.  I will be attached to Millimani Presbytery and Loresho Parish.  I was thrilled when they asked me where I wanted to be attached.  Loresho is where I worship whenever I am in Nairobi and has become my home church.  Now I am also attached which means that I can be called upon to preach or administer the sacraments or perform marriages.  If you are ever in Nairobi please stop by and worship with us.  Our motto is Loresho is a church where you are wanted, welcomed, and loved.

Fourth, just like you in the USA we are preparing for election of a new president here in Kenya.  There are many candidates and they are trying to narrow down the number during this time.  Kenya adopted a new constitution a year ago and so election dates are being changed and has caused uproar.  We formerly had elections in November but that date has been changed to March of next year. We are praying for a peaceful election with none of the post election violence we have experienced in the past. That is easier said than done since tribal lines still are a big part of the election process. Please keep us in your prayers.

Fifth, another situation that has occurred is that we have had several grenades thrown at local churches.  The belief is that it is in retaliation of the attacks that our Kenyan Defense Forces have been involved with in trying to close down Al-Shabaab terrorists movement.  What that has meant for the churches is that they have to have heightened security.  Almost all churches now are hiring security that scans automobiles using mirrors to check underneath vehicles and all individuals are checked with a wand for carrying anything in.  Bags are checked and it is just unbelievable that in order to worship you need to stop at the gate and be checked so thoroughly.  It is necessary because the attacks keep happening.  This past Sunday an Anglican Church of Kenya was targeted and a grenade was tossed and exploded in the church school where innocent children were attending classes.  One child was killed and 9 others remain hospitalized.  My fear is that those children will carry scars both invisible and visible for a long time.  They will associate the church with the place where they were injured and lost one of their friends.  It is hard to understand why children were targeted. 

There always seems to be a cost of innocent lives when retaliation happens.  The efforts to stop the movement is to try to control terrorists groups that are already threatening the lives of human beings and then on top you get them retaliating back and more lives are lost.  Human life seems to lose value.  Keep the churches in your prayers.

The heightened security also includes malls, hotel and shopping areas in general.  Anywhere where people gather.  The more people the higher the risk.

Sixth, Kenya has also experienced strikes by so many groups in the country.  The teachers just came to an agreement after being out for over a month.  This really effects the schools because the students here use the British system of grading where exams are given at the end of the year for the entire year study.  Also, those exams are important to those making the transition to secondary school and also to the university.   It means that classes will be extended by a month which will affect lots of other areas that rely on the schools being out at a certain time. 

While the teachers were out the University instructors at National Universities also decided to strike.  They have returned to classes.  Then the doctors at the national hospitals decided to strike which put a terrible strain on the private hospitals.  The doctors still continue to strike.  Meanwhile the people continue to suffer.  They are the innocent again who are affected and cannot do anything to change the situation.  Pray for the people who get caught in the midst of all the struggles. 

Please keep my ministry in your prayers.  We are trying to continue and trust God as we figure out how to faithful in the midst of so much turmoil.

 

Rev. Brenda S. Lindsey Harcourt

Co-worker to PCEA Kenya

Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA)

 

 

 

 

It
was a glorious Easter morning in Kenya.
We are in the midst of the rains but Easter morning I woke at 5 AM to
the sound of sunrise service PA system at a nearby church. I prepared myself
for church and headed down the road to Easter services at Chogoria Central
Parish. The sun was nice and warm and I
realized all around my home that these beautiful resurrection lilies that pop
up everywhere, in the grass, in gardens were in full bloom. I thought how appropriate for Easter. Even here in Kenya where spring is not the
season in April God had brought rain and the flowers and vegetation were
growing everywhere.
The
elders and the parish pastor and I gathered in the vestry to pray and go over
the worship for the day before we began worship. I realized quickly this was going to be a
long service. Not only were we
celebrating Easter but we were having baptisms, confirmation, communion and a
thanksgiving fund raiser for the church they are building.
We
began about 15 minutes late which is very normal for African church
services. The joy was about to
begin. We confirmed 17 adults into the
church membership and as each confirmed their faith I could feel the joy
building in the church as they accepted these new family members into their
family of faith. BUT that wasn’t the
peak of my joy.
Next
we started to baptize individuals. The
pastor had informed me that he was going to conduct the baptisms in the
vernacular and I quickly found out why.
As the parents and individuals came forward the pastor called a young
person up and talked with the people about her and gave her the opportunity to
speak as well. The girl was in standard
5 which is similar to USA grade 5. An
interpreter told me that she was saying she wanted to be baptized and then he
told me her story. She had started to
come to the school by the church and became involved in the worship services
that the church sponsored school offers.
My interpreter was the chairperson of the school complex and he said the
girl comes from a non Christian home. Her mother sells the local alcohol and her
father is a conductor on a matatu (a local van type public transport). She felt so much a part of the family at the
church that she wanted to be a part of it.
As I held the baptismal bowl of water standing next to the pastor my
eyes filled with tears as I saw her take her turn to be baptized and with her
head held high, with her elder sponsor next to her, she smiled as the waters of
baptism flowed from her head over her face.
God surely will use this child to touch others.
When
the confirmations and baptisms were over the pastor turned to me and said I
should lead in Holy Communion. What a gift.
I knew I was going to deliver the message but he was sharing even more
the joy of leading worship by offering me the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist
with his parish.
Easter
touches me every year. As a parish
minister, as a worshipper or as a co-worker in a country I call home, Easter
just is one of those mountaintop experience in our journeys of faith that touch
me deep in my soul. And this Easter was
one that will stay with me forever. My
faith is made stronger with each experience that God places in my journey of
life and faithfulness.
The
service continued with the sermon and hymns and all the other elements of
worship and ended with a thanksgiving fund raiser 4 ½ hours later. Harambees are a way for folks to bring from
their homes and gardens items that are then sold to raise money for mission or
in this case the new church building. We
auctioned off eggs, fruit, greens, coffee seedlings, grains, a chicken and a
goat. It was announced that they were
able to raise about $3000. which is a large amount of money for a parish. They
are hoping to be able to worship in their new church building by the end of the
year. Their present building was built
in 1911 when the hospital compound was first established.
My
prayer is that your Easter was as moving as mine. That Christ was made new in your life and
that together with brothers and sisters of faith all over the world we might
grow His church.
Please
pray for my ministry here in Kenya.
Remember the young girl that chose from a non Christian home to step
forward and proudly be baptized a Christian.
I ask for continued prayers for the people in the drought areas of
Africa that are still struggling to find food.
Lift up the people that are displaced and find day to day living next to
impossible. Kenya is preparing for an
election and we are all praying that it be a peaceful election without the post
election violence they have experienced in the past. May God hear our prayers and grant his peace.

Easter Celebration

I am Brenda Harcourt and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. That is the greeting that each person in the Presbyterian Church of East Africa gives each time they stand to speak or bring greetings to others. They give their name and a statement about who they are in relatioship to Jesus Christ. They have shared with me an incredible commitment that will be a part of my life forever.
What a moving Easster experience I had. I worshipped in Nairobi at Loresho Community Church. Loresho is one of our Prebyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) churches. It was one of the most spiritual experiences one could have.
We started with a talented and incredible worship team (the song leader was one that you could listen to all day and be so filled with the Spirit just because of his charisma) which put together a service of individuals sharing their stories of finding and following Christ. You see in the PCEA people are encouraged to share ther stories. They are encouraged to give their testimonies. Some shared that they had always been in the church but then finally realized that they were in the church but not in Christ. Others shared that they had an experience that they could look back to as a moment Christ became real for them. It was a mixture of these stories and scriptures and music that just left me in tears several times. Then the pastor stood to bring his message and it was looking at the people around Jesus during his ministry and death and resurrection and the questions they were asking him or about him. Everyone in the congregation was given an opportunity to come forward to a large cross in the front of the church and hang a strip of cloth symbolizing their questions or concerns or thank you on the cross and then kneel in prayer at the foot of the cross.
It was so thought provoking because it encouraged each of us in our own way to claim the gift that was given to each of us and affirmed us with knowing that we all ask questions of Jesus.. We all wonder exactly who and what he means to us. We each like those around Jesus during his teachings and his death and resurrection are sometimes left not sure what to say because sometimes the questions or the answers are so much a part of who we are in our faith journeys.
Please pray for the Loresho church that they keep sharing and witnessing to the love of Christ.
My prayer is that each of you, take a moment to think and reflect on your relationship with Christ and that as you tell your stories the living Christ becomes even more alive in and through you.

In Christ's Service in Kenya on your behalf
Brenda

Unexpected Opportunities

Well this last week and weekend were very different then I had planned. I was heading to Nairobi to work on getting 3 visitors to the USA their information and lay the groundwork for a smooth trip. BUT God had different plans.

I had received an email about a month ago from a US Military Chaplain saying that he was Presbyterian and was going to be in Kenya and wanted to know if we could go for lunch. It turns out he was from Blackhawk (my home presbytery). I agreed and so we contacted each other upon arrival in Nairobi and try to set up a luncheon time.

In the meantime a very good friend of mine from Ghana (where I served as a co-worker years ago)who I have known for over 23 years is serving as the Deputy Secretary General of the AACC (All African Conference of Churches) and we try to get together when I am in Nairobi to just catch up and sometimes for me to have a homecooked Ghanian meal. He is also a presbyterian. So I thought maybe the chaplain would like to meet a fellow presbyterian and Bright and I set up a luncheon time. When I contacted the chaplain he was delighted and said that he was in Kenya meeting religious leaders.

It turns out that the presbyterian chaplain was a Lt. Col. and had traveled with a Col. also a military chaplain and a Rabbi to meet with religious leaders on the possibility of the military working with religious leaders on peace and reconciliation so that we can possibly avoid some of the problems currently facing parts of Africa. They are based in Jabouti and are responsible to all of East Africa. So the two chaplains and myself and Bright and 2 of his coworkers at AACC had lunch and were very excited about working together on this project. Since AACC was already doing some of what they talked about it looked like a good place to start.

Now remember that I told you one of the chaplains was a Rabbi and so the next day being Friday they wanted to go around to a game reserve and also the Rabbi wanted to go to Sabbath worship at the Syngogue. Security is usually very tight and we wer told which gate to go to and the Rabbi had registered ahead as was expected. The two presbyterians followed along and were invited to worship as well. I am sure it was the Rabbi we were traveling with that made it so special. So here we were two presbyterians and a Rabbi from the USA worshipping in a Syngogue in Kenya.

We went out to dinner after worship and had a delicious meal at a Middle Eastern Restaurant. People here had a hard time understanding kosher and so we found that it is easier to just eat salads etc.

Saturday found us traveling to Lamuru to visit with the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General so they could meet the chaplains as well. They as well were very interested in what we might be able to work out and were excited to meet their first Rabbi. They also gave us more contacts for future visits.

The three of us Jon, David and myself felt if was God's Providence that we should meet and that things fell into place so well for them to religious leaders and the possibility of entering into some future conferences and dialogue.

You just never know what God may have in store for you when you set out on an adventure but keep your options open for God's leading.

Message for holidays

Dear friends and family,
“Go tell it on the mountain. Over the hills and everywhere…” I love the Christmas season and I love sharing the Good News with others. As we approach the holiday I find that each year passes and I have a list of people and places that I wanted to make contact with and just ran out of time.
Christmas in Kenya is a bit different from the USA. We started seeing all the commercial trappings about mid November but the Advent season is not clearly marked as we do in the states. The churches are not decorated and no candles burn. BUT the message of Jesus Christ is shared with many. It is alive and felt in their worship areas.
I just finished teaching a 5 week course on evangelism for a congregation that is planning to use the holidays to reach more individuals about the Good News. The schools are dismissed until after the first and many others are taking holiday from work to be with extended family. The Gitoro church sees this as a time to reach more people in their homes and invite them to be a part of their church. They plan on literally telling as many as can be reached about Jesus Christ. “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere…”
The Gitoro church is a fairly new church and a fairly young church in terms of age of their membership. They meet in a simple corrugated metal structure with sawdust floor and simple wooden benches. They have a very active schedule with something happening at the church almost every night. They take serious their commitment to share their faith and their responsibility to care for each other after they receive new members. Each person who enters their worship leaves feeling like they have a home and it is the congregation. They reach out to individuals in the community around them that are hurting taking food and other needs to help when the cry is heard.
Raising money to purchase the small piece of land about ¼ acre, that the church is located on and build a church are part of their struggle, but in the past two years they have been able to raise almost all the money they need to purchase the land. Tithing is part of their commitment. When you are employed they expect that you will tithe and the vast majority do. Time and talent is a commitment that we all make when we join with a congregation but this congregation and its members take the commitment very seriously. The tithe comes off the top before food or school fees or any other expenses are paid. One family of 4 with another on the way is struggling to make ends meet with a salary of less than $100 a month and of that $15 a month is given to the church in tithe as well as extra for special occasions and food items etc for fund raisers. They shared their story with me telling me how they feel blessed that God has given them so much and they want to return just a small portion to God in thanksgiving.
The church has never asked for any funds from me or asked me to try to connect them with a congregation in the USA. They only ask that I help them with training to better equip them to meet the challenge that God has set before them.
You who support mission are helping this church to grow as you support my ministries here and I am able to help them with classes and training to enable them to be all that they can be and more. Each time a new need arises they contact me and I begin the process of trying to get information and training together for them that will help them meet that need. They along with me thank you for your support and ask that you join with them to shout from the rooftops, proclaim to the masses that Jesus Christ is born.
May God richly bless each of you in this holiday season and may you find renewed strength as Christ is born again in each of your hearts.
Merry Christmas and Blessings for the New Year.

Brenda S. Lindsey Harcourt

Update for September

I am working as a co-worker for the PCUSA but working within the bounds of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) My work is as the coordinator for training for the Eastern Region of Kenya. That means that I have 8 presbyteries and about 427 congregations that I respond to. Some churches are as small as 2 to 12 members and others as large as 2000. So you see I have a large area and a very diverse gathering of Presbyterians that I relate to. The Eastern Region is about 6 hours north of the capital. I really felt called to take training to the people who are not able to travel to Nairobi to take training there at our University or Training Institute.
I provide Leadership Development training or find individuals to help conduct training in many areas. I have done training for Pastors, Evangelists, Elders, Deacons, Sunday School teachers, Evangelism Committees, Women’s Retreats, you name it and if they want training then I set up the programs and write the materials and conduct the training. I have worked with Presbyteries and churches in the USA that are in partnership with churches and parishes here and helped them to conduct Leadership Development experiences for their partners.
Currently I have a weeklong retreat scheduled for pastors for three presbyteries that are coming together to share costs. I have Elder training scheduled in three presbyteries and sixteen Faith Development classes set up from now until December of this year. I am in the midst of writing study helps for Christian Religious Education (CRE) classes. We discovered that students are required to take that classes as public schools but most students are not getting above 60% on the national exams given at the end of the year. So the churches in the Meru area have asked me to help to come up with study helps to improve their understanding of the Christian faith. I was surprised to find that many of the questions are ones that as adults we struggle with and some that have many different answers depending where you are on your faith journey. They are multiple choice answers but gosh I was concerned for what 10 year olds are expected to know.
For church school teachers I have to write curriculum and sometimes that gets a bit difficult. I use the internet (which is not always reliable, power is sometimes not available) but books are difficult to find. Shipping books has become almost impossible and so whenever I hear of folks traveling here I ask them to bring books with them in their suitcases.
In addition to training I try to visit sites where partners from the USA are sending money for projects to see how things are doing and to give an American interpretation of progress. With no vehicle it gets really costly. Most times I have to rent a taxi to take me to some remote areas that I struggle taking a vehicle to (no wonder their vehicles are in such bad shape) many places require 4 wheel drive and the rainy season means visits may be impossible or you visit and if it starts to rain you leave immediately so you don’t get caught in the mud.
I sit on the Kenya Network Board in this country which is not a lot different from when I lived in the USA and served on the national council for Kenya Network. It means traveling to Nairobi which is about a 5 to 6 hour drive and then staying overnight. But somehow God always opens a door for me to have the money to make the trip. Most has been my personal savings.
May God richly bless you and your church and if you would choose to be supportive my work I would be most thankful as would the people of Kenya that I work with.
Please check out my blog churchmousemusings.blogspot.com to keep up with my month to month experiences here in Kenya.
I will write another post in a few days.
Brenda

Where do I begin to tell you all the things that have been happening here in Kenya..….
I will first begin at the national level. There had been lots of conversation and rallies about a new constitution that was being proposed. There was the yes camp and the no camp. The churches tended to be in the no camp and most events that took place for the past 6 months became platform rallies for speakers to voice their opinions on the pending vote for the constitution. The vote finally came and the yes won and so the new constitution was voted in and now arrangements are underway to sign the new constitution into law and the process of implementing the changes that will take place. I am so thankful that there was not violence like after the presidential election. The no people succeeded when it was apparent that the vote was so heavy in favor of the new constitution.
On the denominational level, Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is having meetings and gearing up for a Kenya International Partnership Network. What that means is that like in the PCUSA where we have networks for those involved in mission in different countries, the PCEA now wants to have one for Kenya that brings all their partners from many parts of the world together so that we can share and support each other’s ministries. It began with a team that started putting bones on a Network meeting to happen in February 2011. The team has now included missionaries in the field serving here in Kenya to help organize the network. Since I have been a part of the Kenya Network in PCUSA for a number of years I have been able to give them some insights. Kenya currently has missionaries serving here from Ireland, Scotland, Korea and USA. They also have other countries who are just beginning to work here and so I am sure that the network will grow quickly. Our meeting in February will be in Mombasa, on the beautiful coast of the Indian Ocean. There is a link on the internet through the PCUSA webpage if you are interested in more information.
My work is suddenly really taking off and growing very fast. The beginning of January found me now working for Eastern Region which includes eight presbyteries and many parishes and many churches. I currently have contracts for classes in Evangelism, Church School Teachers, Evangelists, Pastors and Elders. Suddenly Meru is the not the center of my work and I find that I am traveling most days just to get to the locations to do the training. Taxis remain very costly and so I need to continue praying that a vehicle to help me with my transport will be financially viable. The problem is that I need a four wheel drive because most of the parishes are not on decent roads and take me into some remote areas that regular cars are not high enough to travel in. BUT we continue with the work that is set before us. I continue to be assured that when a challenge comes my way God opens doors and windows so that the challenge can be met.
I have one taxi that I use for most of my training work. The driver is a lay preacher in the PCEA. Many times we spend hours driving to get to our destination and we talk about our faith for the time we are together in the vehicle. God has truly blessed me with this driver for we each grow in our faith as we talk about our “hiccups” in our work and try to find solutions so that the driving time is not wasted.
I celebrated with two parishes as we began partnerships with two churches in the USA. It is so good to be on the ground here and able to help with the arrangements as they begin their journeys together as partners in Christ. I have been to many dedications including an irrigation water system that the American Ambassador dedicated in the Gaitu area. I have been able to help partners with presbyteries and churches as they plan and implement retreats, leadership development and mission projects. I visit sites where I can take pictures and interview folks to try to find solutions for USA partners. I have started a bimonthly bible study in my home for people that help me in my ministry here. God never ceases to continue to use me to help in work of the church. My beginning here felt like when will I get a chance to do the work I have been sent to do and now I pray for a few days to clear on my schedule so I can take some rest.
Please pray for my leadership training events and the people that God sends for me to train. Also pray for the people of Kenya for a smooth transition as they begin the challenges of a new constitution. May God bless each of you as you do God’s work wherever you are planted.
If you would like to check out my blog it can be found at churchmousemusings.blogspot.com If you would like to email me you can do so at Brenda_harcourt@yahoo.com.