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In the valley in Kibera just next to Nairobi the capital city of Kenya, we have one of the largest informal urban settlements in Africa. Over 700,000 people sitting on less than 350 acres of land call this home. In this community with dozens and dozens of churches, a congregation calling itself Word Impact Centre is shepherded by Pastor Seth. Many people gather and begin each day with a prayer to God to help and guide them in their endeavours. A majority are women who are battered by life’s challenges and heavy family responsibilities that weigh down the spirit and make them look much older than their true ages.
Pastor Seth is one of the lucky pastors who could afford to attend a VISION Conference that was held in a theological school few kilometers away. The training opened his eyes and he realised how God loves each person. He learnt that God’s intentions were that His followers would live their lives in such a way that His name would be praised. The Irreducible Minimum lesson- that our love for God is best, if not only expressed through our practical and caring love for our neighbours- struck his heart with great conviction. From then on, life and ministry would be different.
Through his sermons and ministry, he began teaching his church members how they could love their neighbours and thus demonstrate the love of God to them. Just next door to the church is a Muslim community with whom the Christians did not interact at all with, let alone greetings. Seth had always understood that Christians have no right to talk with Muslims. The church now went into a time of prayer to seek the Lord in how best to be good neighbours. The members felt they had a responsibility to help their neighbours.
The members gathered some food and garments and one day paid a visit to their neighbours. On the first day of the visit the Muslim community were so surprised and touched by the love and care they received from a church had never tried to reach out to them. The church members got a chance to talk about the different issues that affected the community- from personal faith to business enterprises.
God’s love broke the heart of few who began visiting the church. As pastor Seth kept on teaching and helping people to grow in the faith, some Muslims came to believe in Jesus and now are happy serving God’s kingdom.
The church also started economic activities like collective savings schemes that have necessitated to work together to generate income. These have enabled people to relate much more meaningfully over the common community challenges. Through the collective savings, some Christians could accessed capital to start small businesses The church began to experience growth in numbers and depth of faith. Many people who had been idle got involved in productive activities that could earn their families a livelihood.
Pastor Seth is glad to see transformation in his church. Some of the activities to minister to the community have received donations from well-wishers. Word Impact Centre is one of the churches in the Kibera slum that is reaching out to the community in loving ways, using their resources to care for their neighbours.
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