The Lord is good and His hand great, He has been my shield and my buckler, He has made me glad,  His love and His mercy have sustained me; there is no place like in His presence, for there is fullness of joy. I am standing on His promises.

I was listening to a teaching yesterday by David Wilkerson, on the prodigal son and he shares that the son’s concept of the father being a hard father, and he did not think that his father would have him back as a son; he was feeling alienated, yet the alienation was self afflicting, and when he came back home his father received him, and he was to go and enter in to eat and rejoice and dance. Pastor Wilkerson said that many Christians never enter in that fullness of feeling accepted fully by the Father all because of unbelief. They never enter the rest. They feel like as if there’s one more thing that they need to do so as to feel received and accepted, yet the door is open through Jesus Christ, and it is by grace that we are saved. And I just felt the Lord minister to me yesterday and I was able to regain back my rest in God and that assurance of his love.

We had a great service today, Joseph taught the first session on Discipleship, and I taught the second session on body ministry from Ephesians chapter 4, and also how to relate with one another in the body of christ.

Pastor Ben (Umoja) and Pastor Francis (Butula)

We had a great time last week with pastors Zadok and Francis coming over to Nairobi.

Pastor Zadok (Usenge)

I spent a lot of time with pastor Zadock, starting from our meeting in pastor Rob’s house, and later in my house and  in some other meetings. It was my first time to have such an ample time with him; though we meet in the pastor’s conference, this was special. He loves the Lord, is very serious in the things of God, and he had a chance to preach in the Kwa Njenga Church. He brought a good word on reaching out to the lost; later in that day we had a deacons’ meeting together with the captains and he was able to see that part of having a leadership group that bears the burden of the ministry with the pastor.

Pastor Peter, Pastor Zadok, and Pastor Joseph

He also shared very good things of what has happened to the flock that he shepherds in Usenge. Some of it was from the last year’s conference in raising the standards and requiring obedience to God’s Word. He shared how much growth has come upon the flock there. Another thing we sensed was the benefit of the ministry that has come to Zadock  through Pastor Rob’s visits and how close that Zadok feels he is to the ministry, it has had a great impact on him. He also attended the young adults’ meeting before he left. I saw there would be great benefits if the pastors’ relationships and friendships  were strong other than having just a formal relationship.

I have also had a chance to visit Sammy of Kwa Njiku. I arrived in his house at 8 pm, and we had good fellowship with him, plus his deacon called Billy and his wife Jane. The deacon shared how he joined the fellowship with his wife and I shared how I also joined the fellowship. He and his wife are a great encouragement to Sammy. After they left, I was left with Sammy and his wife. It was a relaxed casual time, this was my first time to sit and share with Sammy’s wife. She seemed to me as one that loves the Lord, and had a very lively testimony on staying  alert and being watchful for the Lord’s return. She painfully shared how this generation of Christian has lost deepness in the things of God,  and unless the lord intervenes there is no hope for the next generation getting deep because all that they have seen is lukewarmness. Later we had a great time of praying together and they escorted me to the road @ 3 am, for I was to travel with the first bus to Nairobi.

We have started a new disciples’ class. It is a class we usually start based on need when we have a number of new disciples that have joined us. The class helps to establish them in the faith and even where their questions can be answered.

The deacons are doing  well; we will in the near future need another deacon because the flock is growing and and it will take more than 2 deacons to serve so that no one is neglected.

Peace be with you,
Peter Gichuki

Our Nakuru church has now moved to its new location. In our last post, we shared with you about our need to move and how we began taking down at our previous location.

On Easter Sunday afternoon, I went with a team of men from the Eldoret church to begin work on the new church building in Nakuru.

The building frame being erected.

Soren Pedersen, a missionary friend from Denmark, had built and erected the basic structure. His company, Mechai International, builds these for churches all over Kenya and South Sudan. He has built a number of buildings for Calvary Temple, including Eldoret, Murumba, Butula, and now Nakuru.

The framing and first installation of the mabati walls.

We were going be in Nakuru to frame the walls and install windows and doors. We arrived Sunday evening and began early Monday morning. Some of the men began to dig along the foundation (so that the mabati could be aligned at the bottom of the building), some began piecing the wood timbers together, and some began to apply a water/insect proofing solution to the lower pieces of wood. Once these things were done, we began the framing process. Some men ran the horizontal runners, while others installed the windows.

I can’t say enough about the men that we took with us from Eldoret. They took their holiday to go with us and minister to the church in Nakuru. It was a great time of fellowship and a real boost to our brothers and sisters there.

Though we worked hard and got much accomplished, we only finished about half of the work. Pastors George and Joseph of Nakuru have been working on the building since we left. When it is completed, we will post pictures on this blog.

Window installed, surrounded by mabati.

Please continue to pray for our church in Nakuru. They are situated in a very good location, surrounded by many people and a lot of needs. We believe that the harvest is great, and that the Lord has a remnant that He wants us to reach in this city.

Pastor Forbe Carlson

The Nakuru Tent

After being in the center of Nakuru for the last 2 1/2 years, our Nakuru church is moving to a new location. At the first location, the people met in a very large tent.

Dave Munsie, carrying cement for the new church building.

In April, the people will meet in a different area of the town. It is more residential, and is a place in which we believe that the church can flourish. On the 30th of March, Pastor Forbe and a missionary friend (Dave Munsie, from England) went with a large number of volunteers to take down the tent and prepare for moving to the new location.

Taking down the tent was a huge endeavor, but we were able to dismantle it in one day. The next day (31st March), the new metal building was delivered to the new lot. The truck which delivered the building also took the tent back to Eldoret, where it will be stored until needed.

We spent the 31st digging footers and painting the metal with a primer, so that the building could be set up on the 1st of April.

The moving of locations is underway! We look forward to what the Lord will do in the people as they reach out in this new community!

Pastor Forbe Carlson

NEXT – finishing the new building…

On March 10th, pastors from Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya came to Eldoret for a pastors conference. On Wednesday the 11th, Pastor Rob Hendrickson and Pastor Forbe Carlson met with our main pastors. That evening, the rest of the pastors arrived.

Going into this conference, we felt the need to challenge the pastors on their leadership and how they apply doctrine in their churches. Our pastors have been taught well, but their ability to put the doctrines into practice has been lacking.

The conference teaching sessions began in the Wednesday night service with the Eldoret church. Pastor Rob taught on the topic of “Discipleship.” After the service, we had another teaching session, where Pastor Forbe taught on the subject of “Leadership.”

Pastor Solo (interpreting), Pastors Peter, Peter, Ben

On Thursday morning, Pastor Rob taught on “Holiness for God’s House,” and then Pastor Forbe continued dealing with principles of leadership. In the afternoon, our main pastors got the men into small groups, for a time of questions, discussion, and practical application. In the evening service, Pastor Rob taught on “Repentance.”

Pastor Rob and Mildred Hendrickson

On Friday morning, Pastor Forbe taught on “Traditions Making the Word of God of No Effect.” Following that session, Pastors Peter (Eldoret), Ben (Umoja), and Peter (Kwa Njenga) taught a session on traditions. They shared how they’ve become free of religious and cultural traditions, and also how they deal with religious traditions that rise sometimes in their churches. That night, Pastor Rob finished the conference with a teaching on “Church Discipline.”

A couple of days after the conference, Pastor Rob and his wife Mildred were to leave for a trip to Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia. All of the pastors wished them well as we shared a cake in their honor.

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

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