Mentoring Men

Mentoring Men for the Master

Updates in Kenya

GENERAL INFO

“Lord, I pray that you use this ministry to change the world!” This was the prayer that was prayed many years ago, and we are seeing it answered in ways that could not have been imagined!

While the Lord has given us influence all over the world, the greatest measure of influence and visible impact that we have been able to have is in the country of Kenya!

Years ago, Dr. Bennett travelled to Kenya. His translator while there was a young man named Fred Indangasi-Isoyi. You can see Pastor Fred serving as a translator for Dr. B in this picture. Years later, Fred reconnected with Dr. Bennett, and Jesus Power Evangelistic Missions (JPEM–Pastor Fred’s ministry) and Mentoring Men for the Master became began to partner together.

Pastor Fred leads crusades all through Kenya and the surrounding nations
(one such crusade is pictured below). Such crusades are sometimes attended by multiple thousands of people at a time. He sees thousands upon thousands of people make professions each year for Christ, and this is in a culture that has a strong and aggressive Islamic influence (Pastor Fred has received various death threats from the Islamic community as well as assassination attempts). He will then take all these new believers and connect them to a local church. If there is no church nearby, then he will plant one. He then has a leadership team that will come in and help the church get off the ground.

To put things in perspective, here are some statistics for the year of 2019. JPEM:

  • Conducted 15 crusades across 5 different countries.
  • Conducted 342 street evangelism outreaches.
  • Conducted 13 prison visits.
  • Conducted 28 discipleship training meetings.
  • Conducted 389 Jesus Film showings.
  • Conducted 14 services for baptizing all the new believers.
  • Planted 4 churches.
  • Started a school.
  • Fed many needy families in the communities.
  • Reach 1,076,356 people with the Gospel, and 408,669 of them gave their lives to Jesus.
  • Introduced 59 pastors in Kenya and Tanzania to EMB/EWB.

Needless to say, the Lord is using Pastor Fred’s ministry to make an impact!

Additionally, there is a major highway that runs all the way through Kenya. Fred has it in his heart to plant 200 churches along this major highway. It is called the King’s Highway and the churches that Pastor Fred plants share that name: King’s Highway Baptist Church.

This is where we come in. We help to disciple the leadership and members of these churches using EMB/EWB. For more info on our discipleship resources, click HERE. In 2015 we led his leadership team through the first book and equipped them to use it. They now use it to disciple the leadership in many of the new churches. The leadership will then use it with the rest of the congregation. We are having EMB/EWB translated into Swahili as well so that those who cannot read English well may still be discipled with the resource! This has led to astronomical impact that has truly spread throughout the entire country of Kenya, and we can’t take an ounce of credit for it. The Lord is the one who has opened the doors and given us the influence and power!

SPECIFIC UPDATES

In 2015 we trained with EMB an initial team of 8 leaders that Pastor Fred selected (pictured here). Since then many of those have taken the resource and used it to disciple countless people!

At this time we have influence in at least 29 cities across 13 counties in Kenya. Because there are so many updates, it will be helpful to break it down into 3 categories: Updates in eastern, central, and western Kenya.

Updates in Eastern Kenya

In eastern Kenya we are connected to the cities of Mtwapa, Mombasa, Lungalunga, Mwananyamala, Makambani, Nguluku, Rila, Nguluku, Ukunda, and Mtito Andei. The largest (and first) King’s Highway Baptist Church is in the large coastal city of Mombasa.

Pastors Stephen and Festus are 2 of the 8 leaders that we trained back in 2015. Festus is a pastor of one of the local branches of Kings Highway  Baptist, and Stephen exercises a regional leadership role within the overarching ministry of JPEM. Here is a picture of Pastor Festus giving a Bible that we funded to one of his church members.

We discipled another group of 10 men through Pastor Stephen a few years ago. And we are currently discipling a group of 19 leaders selected by Pastor Festus using EMB/EWB–9 men and 10 women. Some of those are leaders in his church and the others are leaders that are connected to other congregations. Once these 18 have been discipled with EMB/EWB, they will use it in their respective congregations to disciple others. Most of the them already have 1 person in mind that they want to lead through it, and it will continue expand from there.

In fact, Pastor Chrispas, who is one of the 9 men who attends this meeting, is a pastor who has influence over 3 churches in his hometown of Ukunda. Each week he drives almost 50 miles each way to be able to attend the meeting. We just funded the printing of 15 copies of the first book of EMB for Chrispas to be able to begin discipling people from these churches!

Furthermore, Pastors Stephen and Festus lead another team of 10 that they are planning to disciple with EMB! Stephen has many future plans concerning developing and discipling the leaders in the Kings Highway network of churches in the region moving forward! The more people that are discipled, the more people will be discipled. This will continue to snowball!

Pastor Stephen Mututu has said, “I just wanted to share my happiness with you for seeing what God is doing in the lives of believers in Pastor Festus’ church. They have grown spiritually since we started M3 classes. They can do what they used not to do, like they can follow the right prayer line which is so encouraging.”

In years past, Pastor Peter Mtawali (more on him below) led an M3 group at a church in the town of Mtito Andei, which is also in eastern Kenya. He was moved to the capital city of Nairobi, but that group continues to meet under the leadership of the local pastor of that church.

Updates in Central Kenya

In the middle of the country, we have influence in Nairobi and Kericho. The capital city Nairobi is located near the center of the country, and our opportunities there have been unbelievable.

There is a man and his wife named Jeff and Lily Cherry in Nairobi. Pastor
Jeff is on staff at a church in the city. We led 4 leaders in his church through EMB as well as his wife Lily to EWB. Lily now serves as a translator for us with a group of 24 women with whom we meet weekly and lead through the EWB (pictured here)! Additionally, Lily has a group of 25 women in a town called Kericho. This is the biggest town in Kericho County!

Peter Mtawali is also in Nairobi. He is one of the original 8 leaders. He is a part of Fred Indangasi’s ministry (JPEM) and pastors one of the King’s Highway churches. Here you can see a picture of him speaking at a crusade.

Each week we continue to lead Peter through EMB as well as a pastors’ fellowship that he began. There are around 10 leaders that attend this weekly fellowship, and we disciple them through EMB each week. Each of them are in positions of leadership, and it is the goal for them to take what they are learning in the fellowship back to their churches and ministries and disciple the people with whom they have influence!

Three of the guys in this fellowship also have a very impactful opportunity! In the local high schools there is a time of the school day in which they can opt to go to either a “Christian Union” (CU) or “Muslim Union”. The CU is similar to what we might call chapel. The three guys are Peter and two others named Tom and Hesbon. There are 13 high schools that they are planning on going to and using the CU time to disciple the students using EMB/EWB. Before the COVID-19 situation hit, they had already begun doing this. All in all the students number 650! So, needles to say, once the restrictions connected to COVID-19 are lifted, this will be an INCREDIBLE opportunity.

Updates in Western Kenya

In western Kenya we have influence in the following town and cities: Kakamega, Busia, Bungoma, Kibabii, Lumboka, Webuye, Shianda, Malaha, Malaba, Bukura, Butere, Kaimosi, Sabatia, Shinyalu, Ematsayi, Mt. Elgon, and Chevakali.

Nicolas Lusesi is another one of the original 8 whom we discipled, and he currently pastors a church in the town of Shinyalu. We meet with Nicolas weekly and lead him through EMB. Nicolas and his wife Edith (pictured here) were also discipling groups in Shinyalu and the nearby town of Chevakali.

We were also introduced to Pastor James Atila. Pastor James is part of JPEM as well (like Nicolas and Peter). Pastor Fred Indangasi planted a church in the town of Kibabii after a crusade last December. Then he placed James as pastor over that church. The church began with only 4 members and quickly grew to over 30! He is discipling a group in his church through EMB/EWB!

Additionally, many other pastors in the area have come to him and been led through EMB by him, and then they have taken the resource back to their churches! For example, James discipled a man named Pastor Danson through EMB. To the left is a picture of them both. Danson is a pastor of a church in a neighboring county. There are 73 people in his church. James discipled Pastor Danson and then the 2 of them discipled 8 leaders from Danson’s church. Those 8 then each discipled 3 (equaling 24). Those 8 are now each discipling groups of 4 people and Pastor Danson himself is doing a group of 9. This means that every single person of the 73 in the congregation either have been or are being discipled with EMB/EWB.

On top of this, we printed 1,700 Gospel tracts (that we wrote up) for Pastor Danson and his church to use. Many have come to the Lord, and 130 of these new believers are currently being led through EMB. The 24 people in pastor Danson’s church who were mentioned above are now leading groups totaling to the 130 new believers!

Additionally, Pastor Danson is leading a group of 13 people in a church in the town of Ematsayi.

This is not unique to Pastor Danson’s church. Pastor James has also led various other local pastors thought EMB and they are following the exact same model that Pastor Danson’s church has used. Some examples are Pastors Barasa, Violet, and Felix. All of them have been led through the book by James or Lilian (James’ wife) and have selected or are in the process of selecting leaders in their churches to take through the books. These leaders will then lead others until the whole church has been discipled!

Pastor Geoffrey Barasa just led 26 people through the first module of EMB/EWB. Pastor Violet is leading 2 group of 10 women through EWB, and then those 20 and Violet have 21 more people in total on standby who will then be discipled with the resource.

James’ wife Lilian is doing the same thing with the women in these churches that James is doing with the men. She will disciple the leadership (often the pastor’s wife), and then the same plan will be implemented. In this way all of the members of the church both male and female are discipled!

One especially noteworthy opportunity is with a man named Pastor Harrison. He is a friend of Pastor James, and he is a bishop over 11 churches. What this means is that the pastors of these 11 churches answer to him. The congregations of these 11 churches total to over 500 people. Pastor Harrison is being led through EMB by James and 4 leaders from each of the 11 churches are also currently being led through it (so 44 in all excluding pastor Harrison)! They will then follow the same model that the other churches have. Those 4 in each church will disciple others until all of the church members have been discipled!

Additionally, there are 12 churches in a region called Mt. Elgon that want to be led through the book. James Atila, Geoffrey Barasa, and others are doing the training. Already 78 people from these congregations are bing discipled with EMB/EWB, but there are many more waiting. In total there are 834 members in these churches who want to be discipled! Here is a picture of some of the members holding copies of EMB/EWB that we funded!

The potential for impact in astounding. Just from the numbers here, well over 2,000 people have been represented! Each of those 1,000 is an individual who has been, is being, or will be discipled. Indeed, the potential is becoming actual. We are seeing these opportunities open up before us, and we give all the glory to God. He is the one who gave us the opportunities and empowered our feeble efforts!

FUNDING IN KENYA

The financial status of many of those in Kenya (especially during COVID-19 with all of the lockdowns) is very tight. They do no have the funds to print copies of EMB/EWB, purchase Bibles, and many other things. This is something that all of those who generously give to M3 have helped support. in 2020 alone we have funded the following YTD:

  • The purchase of 493 Bibles for believers who didn’t previously own one. To the right you can see 70 Bibles that we funded with Pastors Steve and Peter behind them.
  • The printing of 1199 copies of EMB/EWB.
  • The purchase of 2 printers and binding machines so as to reduce the cost of printing EMB/EWB.
  • The printing of 2,460 Gospel tracts (that we created).
  • The printing of 85 certificates of completion for going completing the first EMB/EWB book.
  • The purchase of 5 megaphones for use in street preaching.
  • The purchase or repair of 11 devices with video-chatting capabilities so as to meet with and disciple various groups.
  • The purchase of 3 thermometer guns as well as various sanitation supplies (sanitizer, face masks, etc.), which were required by the Kenyan government for local churches to be able to meet during the COVID-19 situation.
  • The purchase of a modem to strengthen the internet connection for a group of pastors whom we weekly disciple.
  • The repair of a motorcycle that is used in evangelism and discipleship.

Each and every week we encounter new needs that we want to be able to fund. We want to remove every obstacle to the spread of the Kingdom–including finances!

More is to come with Kenya as it is clear that this is just the tip of the iceberg!