As you may have heard, Nairobi Chapel is planting a church in Ongata Rongai in January 2012.  We are partnering with one of our frontline ministries in the town, Beacon of Hope. The church will be on their campus.
We are focused on reaching the many new people moving into Rongai particularly in the new flats popping up all over the town.  There are many young families and professionals moving to Rongai and commuting into Nairobi.  This is our target group.
We are reaching out to you to help us reach this community.

We need assistance on many levels:
1. Outreach, flyer distribution (Nov/Dec 2011)
2. Community events i.e. A street clean-up sponsored by city council (tentative date October 22nd)
3. Plug-in launch facilitators (February 2012)
4. Church launch event/concert (January 2012)
5. A time commitment of six months to one year  to serve in the church and help launch the new church plant (beginning in January).
6. Commit to praying for this church every week

We are praying about a few specific things:

• protection from spiritual attacks
• that leaders would arise for the church: pastor, full-time church team, launch team…
• outreach in Rongai – specifically to the new flats
• new converts
  

There is no greater privilege for the church than to plant new churches.  This vision falls in line with our goal to plant 300 churches by 2020. Your service would be a great help in reaching this community for the Kingdom.

Our Missions/ Outreach Team

Our Missions/Outreach team, Pst. DJ Moz, Bruno, Collins, George and Brad, are thrilled to have a most fulfilling job of seeing God transform lives every week during the missions and outreach activities.

You too can make a difference by joining us in any of the following ventures. Read through what’s happening and get ready to be part of The Great Commission along with us right here at Chapel. Continue to check back with us as we will be updating this website often. We also invite you to pray each month for the on-going missions.

OUTREACH

Institutions

We have began engaging the Kenya Science Meteorological Department with the  view of partnering with the Christian community in order to reach students.

For information about institutions outreach contact George Mwangi: georgemwangi@nairobichapel.org

Kibera Pastor’s Network

K-Krew – K-Krew seeks to reach young people through music events mostly held at high schools around the country – this year alone 400 people have given their lives to Christ at 12 high schools, 3 campuses and 2 prisons (Kamiti Maximum and Langata Women’s Prison). Wow!

Volunteers are needed to join in the missions as counselors and mentors to the children .

For information about upcoming events, check out ‘Kubamba Krew’ on Facebook or send an email to info@kubamba.com.

Church Planting

Prison Ministry – The Jamhuri Short Term Prison sits on the edge of the expansive Jamhuri showgrounds, a walking distance from Nairobi Chapel. The prison houses up to 200 inmates (men) charged with petty crimes like touting or hawking, for a period of 3-6 months. Many in-mates once released soon find themselves back in prison due to a lack of sustainable income or mentoring process.

This ministry began March 6th this year, and Nairobi Chapel continues to hold a service at the prison every Sunday from 8:30-10:30am. In the first 2 months of Chapel’s engagement at the prison, near 100 men have given their lives to the Lord – Praise God! We as a church are committed to disciple the men and encourage them to join a Bible based church in their respective towns/neighbourhoods upon their release.

Participation – Everyone is welcome to donate basic supplies for inmates – soap, toilet paper, mattresses, Vaseline, slippers, – Volunteers are needed for praise and worship, preaching, counseling (both spiritual and legal) every Sunday morning .

The team is currently putting together “Free Release Packs” to be given at the gate to freed men whom have recently accepted salvation in Christ.  The purpose is to assist men in assimilating back into life.  As they are now free in Christ and free in civil terms, it is important for them to receive encouragement, discipleship and counseling. You can help by donating items for the packs. A list of items is coming soon…

We also are calling upon business owners to hire or train these young men as they are not hardened criminals, but people needing a chance to make a living (some of these young men were falsely accused or happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time e.g. bystanders during a hawkers raid).

For information about the prison ministry contact Bruno Musumba: brunomusumba@nairobichapel.org

Nairobi Chapel Missions Calendar 2011

August: Church-Wide Missions Month

In the month of August we will be calling on all our eGroups to undertake a mission outreach activity. Each group can begin to pray and plan the kind of outreach event they would like to do – the possibilities are limitless! Feel free to contact the Missions Department for event ideas or to collaborate on larger projects with fellow eGroups.

October: Tujuane

Background – Acts 1:8 commands us to begin witnessing in our immediate zones, which for Chapel include Ngando, Jamhuri, Jampark, Suna, Santack, Dagoretti and Kibera.  Outreach events include soccer tournaments, girls outreach, concerts and a medical clinic.

Participation – All are welcome to take part in the various activities planned. We especially request the participation of anyone who lives in Ngando and prayerfully challenge business owners and investors to take part in the micro-enterprise initiatives that will leave a legacy for generations to come.  All are invited to participate in prayer walks throughout Ngando every other Saturday morning in preparation for Tujuane.

For more information about Tujuane contact Collins Ouma: collinsouma@nairobichapel.org

November: Ethiopia

Background – Part of Nairobi Chapel’s vision is to plant 300 churches by the year 2020. One key strategy is to have a church plant in each capital city of Africa which in turn will plant churches in other parts of their respective country. With over 85 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa – Addis Ababa’s population is at 3.5 million.

The purpose of this mission is to research and network in Addis Ababa, to lay groundwork and raise awareness for the future Trinity Chapel Addis Ababa. One of our Kinara pastors-in-training, Esayas Solomon, hails from Ethiopia and will head this mission.

Participation – Only Kinara Leadership Development Program participants and the Nairobi Chapel Missions Department are scheduled to go on this mission. That being said you can still be a major player in this mission by offering financial support for the cause. The Kinara interns will be fundraising for the trip, so if you are willing and able to donate funds to help make this trip happen it would be greatly appreciated.

*If you have any contacts in Addis Ababa or know anyone in Nairobi that might be a good resource for us to partner with or simply talk to, please let us know.

For more information about Ethiopia contact George Mwangi: georgemwangi@nairobichapel.org

March: Congo

Background – Beni is a town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a population of slightly over 100,000 people. Chapel sent a team in 2004 that held several youth meetings at various churches in the area as well as leadership development programs. We are planning to return in March with K-Krew who will also hold Totally Sold Out (TSO) outreach events along the way – Kampala (Uganda) and Kigali (Rwanda)

Participation – All are welcome to join. The cost will be communicated as plans are finalized.

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THE FALL REVERSED: When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden the effect of his disobedience was multidimensional, affecting 5 different areas of the created order, and distorting the harmonious relationships these domains had formerly enjoyed with God and with one another. Mission, through Christ s finished work on the Cross, was God s first step in reversing the effects of this fall out. This happened as follows:

• Spiritual Death: Before his fall, man was alive to the reality of spiritual things. He was by nature related to God and conscious of His being. But all this was destroyed as a result of sin and disobedience. From that point onwards man came to be referred to as  spiritually dead . But through the cross, Christ has come and reversed this state and restored the possibility of a relationship with God (See Col 1:21, 22; II Cor 5:14).
• Physical Death: Through sin, mortality entered the world and disrupted God s perfect order. But through the cross, God has destroyed death (See 2 Tim 1:10) and given us eternal life (See Jn 3:16).
• Societal disharmony (death): Sin also introduced disharmony in the relationships between Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and mankind in general. Consequently, our society today is marred by injustice, greed, hatred, oppression and the like. But through the cross, Christ has broken down the dividing walls of hostility, making true harmony and care for fellow man possible (See Eph 2:14  22).
• Environmental disruption (death): The ground was cursed because of man. Today the earth is a pale shadow of what it was before the fall. We see man exploiting nature to the extreme; causing deforestation and disrupting the habitat; poisoning the ground and waterways with chemicals instead of being the steward he was called to be. And nature is fighting back: We hear of famines, drought, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and the like, taking their toll on humanity. Catastrophes notwithstanding, redemption has been obtained by the cross of Christ. But the full effect will not be seen until the revelation of the sons of God, at which point the earth will be freed from the curse, and be transformed into a new earth and heaven (See Rom 8:18  23).
• Psychic Disorder (death) Man: With the advent of sin the seed of disharmony was sown in the inner man, unsettling his psychological well-being. Shame entered his being (Gen 3:10), and his ability to make godly judgments was impaired. Evidence of this  death is visible in today s world through the psychological dysfunction so widespread in our societies  low self esteem, mental problems, depression, etc. But this inner dysfunction has also been healed through the cross, with Paul s own frustration and subsequent victory in Rom 7:14  25 being symbolic of this.

God s mission through the cross has been to reverse the effect of the fall in these 5 areas. Wholistic missions therefore take into account these 5 fields and work in harmony with the cross to restore them to their former glory. Full restoration however, will not be realized until the second coming of our Lord Jesus, and the rapture of God s people to heaven (See Rev 21, 22).

JESUS OWN MISSION MANDATE  Our Lord s own mission mandate is given in Luke 4:18, the scope of which is a bold mandate to combine faith with action to overcome injustice and oppression.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Our Lord s mandate included the proclamation of the gospel, coupled with acts of social justice. The oppression he spoke of can be societal and systemic as incorporated in structural evil (such as a business establishment or a nation that protects the corrupt and evil in society); it can be individual. (As seen in people given to lifestyles that keep them in bondage to alcohol or drugs; or by people who practice unjust economic gain at the expense of others); or it can be spiritual (where people are bound by religious beliefs and demonic spirits that blind them to the purposes of God). In light of this, it is important that our own mission upholds both dynamics of missions  i.e. we should have concern for both the proclamation of the gospel, and a commitment to engage evil in society.

Furthermore , with reference to the mission of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, one could demonstrate from the literary structure that there are three crucial points at which missions are in focus [Dividing up Matthew into 3 sections (Kingsbury)], each of which reaches its climax with a mission statement (See Mt 1:1 – 4:16; 4:17 – 16:20 and 16:21 – 28:30).

The first mission statement comes in Matthew 4:12-16 which is a citation of Isaiah 9:1, 2. This text is on the same level of importance with the programmatic text of Luke 4:18. Matthew 4 says to the reader that Jesus is the light to the Gentiles promised in Isaiah 9:1, 2. “Light” should be understood in its Old Testament context where it often means justice and righteousness.

The second key text is Matthew 16:13-20 where Jesus says “I will build my church.” I call this “Christ’s Commission” as distinguished from Matthew 28 which has been labeled the “Great Commission”. Matthew 16 would indicate that the mission of Christ stated in Mt 4:12-16 has become the mission of his disciples. I would therefore take Matthew 16 to be the fundamental text or mission statement rather than Matthew 28, since Matthew 16 explains what the mission is – to build the church. “Church” here is to be understood not so much as a new program completely distinct from Israel, but as a continuation of God’s desire to build a righteous society. I would be careful not to read into the word “church”, something that the first disciples couldn t have heard or understood.

Matthew 28 then tells the disciples to take this task of building the church outside of Israel, i.e. to the Gentiles. So I would hold together Matthew 16 and Matthew 28 and put the emphasis on Matthew 16 which is a programmatic text on the same level with Gen 12 and 2 Sam 7. ( In 2 Samuel chapter 7 the word “house” replaces the term “nation” because of the choice of Israel to have a king/house (dynasty). The “nation” that God spoke of in Genesis 12 becomes the “kingdom” in 2 Samuel 7 because they have asked for a king). The 2 Samuel 7 passage is critical for comprehending what Jesus was talking about when he used the phrase the Kingdom of God.

If one includes Matthew 16 and Matthew 4 in the commission texts, then the task of God s people is to build a church which will be a light (read justice and righteousness) to the nations and to disciple the nations by baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. Put differently, the commissions obligate us to strive to establish a kingdom of justice and righteousness (see Mt 6:33) in this present age. Here the concept of “the kingdom of God” should be understood to include not just the reign but also the realm.

Several events described in the book of Acts appear to make out a strong case that the disciples were fully cognizant of their duty to establish a new community of faith that would constitute God s kingdom of righteousness and justice. These virtues were manifested in two ways: First they sought to practice righteousness and justice with regard to their possessions (See Acts chapter 2 – 6); and then with regard to their ethnicity (See Acts chapter 7 to 15), a case in point being the story of Cornelius. This two-fold concern about building a righteous community explains why the apostles who heard the “Great Commission” did not act upon it in a decisive way for almost two decades [30-50 AD]. The apostles were busy working out Christ’s task as light [Mt 4:12 ff] and Christ’s commission to build a church which they would have understood not so much as a new social entity [radically different from Israel (Acts 1:6)], but as a continuation of core values [to use modern jargon] of Israel, namely righteous conduct manifested within a just society. Without arguing the case, I would assert that the just society of the people of God as “church” had to come into being BEFORE they could have a powerful witness because the power of the witness came through the Holy Spirit granting unity in community accompanied by signs and wonders.

In light of these facts, would it not be proper to term Christ’s Commission to build the church as our fundamental duty? The Great Commission given in Matt 28 does not stand alone. It, in actual fact, gives directions and scope to the prior Commission of Christ. This kind of understanding of missions could help us shift from unfruitful individualistic evangelism, to a more biblically focused mission of building a righteous community that would multiply. Hence, God s goal is not just to make disciples, but to build a community of disciples which is continually making more disciples. I would thus affirm that community is simultaneously God s means and the goal in missions. Social justice in the community along with the mighty acts (signs and wonders) is what authenticates the proclamation of the Gospel.

THE GOSPEL COMMISSIONS  Towards the end of his life, Jesus specifically commissioned his followers to go out and spread the news of the kingdom. Captured by all 4 gospel writers of the day, each of these commissions brings a unique perspective on how missions are to be done. Matthew clearly highlights the fact that the mission is about  DISCIPLING (Mt 28:19)  . . . go and make disciples (or better still  as you are going, make disciples . . .) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you .

Mark focuses on the place of proclamation, and the accompanying SIGNS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Mk 16:15)  Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”.

Luke focuses on the need for the EMPOWERMENT OF GOD through the Spirit (Luke 24:48)  You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”.

John 20:21 focuses on the METHODOLOGY  Again Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so send I you.”

These commissions obligate us to:

• A commitment to proclaiming the gospel with the clear intention of  saving as many as believe. It further means a commitment to make disciples of these same people, teaching them to obey all that the Lord taught. Making disciples must be done in the way modeled by our Lord  that of living in community, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing, teaching, casting out evil spirits and setting up communities of righteousness and justice as the Lord sought to do.
• A Trinitarian ministry where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have a valuable place and role in the work of making disciples, and in the work of confirming the fruit of this effort in baptism. Central to this ministry is dependence on the Holy Spirit of God. The work of proclamation must be accompanied by signs and wonders, especially among those who believe.
• That the ultimate objective is to bring those disciples to the place where the great commission is a part of their life, and they in turn are willing to go out as those commissioned to establish new communities of faith.

B. CORE VALUES:

From the model set out by Jesus ( As the father sent me so send I you . . . ), our involvement will be guided by 8 core values:

A Commitment to Incarnational Ministries: Where incarnation means living a lifestyle that corresponds to that of the local communities we are ministering to. Sometimes such incarnational living will mean choosing to forsake privileges and comforts that would otherwise accrue to one, or that are within one s ability to afford. It may even mean choosing to live in non-destitute poverty as a form of incarnation into the life of a community, much like Jesus did. The standard of living needs to be determined in reference to the local community/leaders; or approximated against peers within the community. Alongside lifestyle, incarnation also includes dress code, attitude and language.

Radical incarnational living modeled around our Lord s example also meant a commitment  until death . This would facilitate a very long-term commitment to a people group or ministry, possibly even a lifelong commitment. Sometimes the length of commitment may not be life long, but must be governed by the Lord s words in Jn 17: 4  I have . . . completed the work you gave me to do .

The matter of incarnation also gives some direction to the question often asked,  What do we do for people who finally retire from the field? If one s commitment is life long, then retirement is into heaven, where this question is taken care of. If one s ministry will however eventually necessitate retirement from the field, then retirement is back to their former standing (Phil 2:6  9), but with honor for the work they have done. One way to ensure this is to support them at the same wage standing as their peers at home, but not to access these resources on the field, but to invest them at home.

Where such is not possible, then the missionary must make the decision whether to sacrifice this  right for the sake of the gospel (I Cor 9:4  18). In the same way, when a field church receives the missionary, they need to be involved in supporting that missionary unless s/he forsakes that right. It may be that this principle may enable field churches not to struggle with the debilitating problem of dependency, or to too quickly ask for  no cost missionaries.

A Commitment To Indigenous Initiatives  where indigenous means initiatives carried out by people who are local to the context, using models that fit the situation. Such people are best suited to reach out to our own peoples with the gospel of Christ. Our purpose and place is to come as servants to such men & women of God. Indeed our desire is to seek out men or women with a vision and call from God, and to support them in the fulfillment of that call, without trying to take over or dictate how their ministry should be run. As much as possible we also wish to encourage church based missions, and will seek to ensure that missionaries sent out are answerable to local church/leaders indigenous to that context.

Where such indigenous church/leadership does not yet exist, our goal will be to humbly and prayerfully begin ministries, but with the recognition that we must raise indigenous leaders and involve the local people at the very inception. Ours must be the place of a servant and facilitator.

A Commitment To Spirit Led Engagements: Jesus said in John 5:19 “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. The first task of missions then is to try and see what the Father is uniquely doing in this context, and to identify what bridges to Christ already exist in that context. What  works in one place may not necessarily be what God wants to do in the next. Only by careful reflection, prayer and the leading of the Spirit, can one know what is right. Any model must therefore always be flexible and sensitive to the Spirit s leading.

A Commitment to Church Planting: We wish to be engaged in responsible evangelism, which requires that those who come to faith be discipled. The process of discipling and building up people will often gather them into a fellowshipping, local community of believers  the church. Hence, responsible discipleship results in the establishment of a church, or the building up of an already existent one. Where we must plant a church, we will seek to complement, as opposed to competing with existent churches.

A Commitment to Teamwork: All missionaries need accountability, companionship, and spiritual nurture. For this reason Paul always traveled in teams. Our objective and practice will therefore be to send out teams as opposed to individuals. Such teams may consist of members from other churches who share a common vision with us. In such cases we will team up with their church and determine the pattern of teamwork.

A Commitment to Healthy Dependency: We will seek to relate with and establish structures and systems that do not engender unhealthy dependency. God has given us all abundant resources that differ from place to place but that must be harnessed for the task of the gospel. We do not wish to encourage unhealthy dependency by terming people as poor because they do not have  our resources, and hence unwittingly encourage them to ignore their own contextual resources and learn to depend on ours which may not be easily available to them. Since we believe that the task finally depends on God, then we must also believe that it is not our technology, management skills, expertise and financial resources that will get the job done, even though these may be necessary and helpful to the task at hand.

We however do recognize that God has given us the privilege of being stewards over his material resources, and that he may choose to use us as a channel/conduit for these resources. Dependence, in and of itself, is not necessarily unhealthy or bad, and at times one ministry must depend on another (even lifelong). What we wish to discourage is unhealthy dependency that encourages one party to fail in fulfilling its rightful responsibilities in a partnership. Emergency situations also necessitate that we apply a different set of values to the situation (I Cor 16:1  3).

Tent making is one way of facilitating missions and missionary sending in a way that does not engender unhealthy dependency. As a church with many young professionals in our congregation, we will encourage and facilitate the establishment of as many tent making missionaries as possible.

A Commitment to Unity: Recognizing that the Lord has called others to a similar vision, we must be committed to working in partnership and unity. If there is a similar work, with a similar philosophy of ministry, then we should partner instead of establishing new ministries. Sometimes partnership can mean starting a similar work, and strengthening the work of the Gospel in this way, but with a spirit of blessing, not competition.

Sometimes such unity is hard to come by, for very human reasons. In such situations we will seek counsel within the community, and in the larger body of Christ, as to what is advisable and then prayerfully set a course of action.

A Commitment to Reciprocity: Each culture and people group holds the unique possibility of enriching our understanding of God, as he has revealed himself worldwide. This is especially so where the gospel has taken root in the form of a local church. There is therefore much that we can learn from others as we partner in ministry. We must actively avoid the pitfall of being ethnocentric in our outlook, such that we are blind to the rich lessons God has in store for us as we interact with others. Instead we must be receptive and as we are a blessing to others, also explore ways in which they can be a blessing to us in return. Reciprocity means the exchange of ideas, opportunities, ministries and influence.

C. MISSION STATEMENT

Our primary mission objective shall be to  Plant Churches That Plant Churches .

Our models shall take into consideration the values enumerated above.

Our focus shall be church-planting with the hope that any community ministries we engage in are a direct result of the church plants initiative and involvement.

Such ministries shall be for the sole purpose of facilitating and strengthening the witness of a church in that community. The success of such a ministry will therefore be gauged by their ability to further the witness of the church.

All ministries shall fall entirely under the oversight of the church, whose commitment, involvement and energies should be evidenced in their oversight of the ministries.

Where a church does not exist, social ministries may be established to facilitate a Christian witness in the community, for the establishment of a church plant. Once that church is planted, the ministry shall fall entirely under the direction of that church.

D. PRIORITY

Jesus command was to go to the entire world, and so we must, especially to those who have yet to hear the gospel. Jesus also said  The fields are ripe for harvest . There is therefore need to locate such ripe harvest fields and to capitalize on them while the season for harvesting is still open. As such, we wish to make the following areas of witness, our primary  Mission fields in their order of priority

Urban ministries with a special focus on the destitute and poor.

The 4-17 window (children between the age of 4 and 17).

Unreached people groups.

In light of this, we purpose to adopt the following strategies:

We will encourage persons who feel called to missions to consider working with this order of priority as they seek to determine God’s will for their lives.

We will apportion our resources in line with this, with the bulk of our funds going towards church planting in the urban areas we work in.

We will encourage some among our local church members to consider a tent making ministry in “creative access” situations, with a primary focus towards the poor and the children/youth.