Today we spent the entire day attending a retreat with the Evangelism Committee and a few other staff members. We traveled about an hour away to a local hotel where we met in one of their conference rooms. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Evangelism is a huge deal here. I think this is probably a remnant of twentieth century missionary culture, but it definitely isn't a bad thing. Since most of the church is Kikuyu (because they were one of the few tribes that was monotheistic) the push now is to do evangelism in areas that have not had as many opportunities to hear the gospel (ie. Mission Areas where tribal religions are still practiced). However, a few times a year, the PCEA goes door to door in local neighborhoods.
I've always been in the camp of "preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." The philosophy of PCEA would definitely just be "preach the gospel at all times." This is extremely evident in conversations that happen within the denomination. People around here also share the good news in pretty much every conversation they have with any person they meet. I've yet to have a conversation with a church member that didn't include the mention of Jesus. I'm not complaining, it is just much more than I'm used to in the religious culture back home. Anyway, Pastor George brought in a group of Anglicans to facilitate the seminar (this was a major surprise because it's usually PCEA or the highway if you know what I mean). There were 5 facilitators and they were fantastic! Also, none of them work in the the church in any professional capacity. Session I used Luke 5:1-11 (Fishers of Men) to lay the foundation of how we should be doing evangelism. This session was structured much like a bible study. Session II discussed six styles of evangelism and we went over a chart explaining them. It included: biblical/contemporary examples, traits, cautions, and suggestions for development. These six styles were vastly different and could see a mix of three of them in myself. After discussing each one, people from the group shared about their experiences (whether personal or through someone else) with each trait. I love stuff like this and it was very helpful to recognize pros/cons of each approach.
Session III was all about children and youth. We watched some really dated videos about how to talk to young folks about Christ and how to teach them how to share their faith with others. While they were cheesy, they prompted some constructive and healthy dialogue about the ways in which we could be doing this better at Sukari. This was the most I've been spiritually fed by a lecture since I arrived. Typically there are major theological differences or language barriers that frustrate me during sermons, lectures, etc. but not today! Well, maybe there were a few, but I was on board pretty much the whole time. Many aspects of the conversation reminded me of lessons I learned at New Wilmington Mission Conference. My major takeaways from today were pretty predictable. 1. The ways in which we do evangelism is highly dependent on cultural contexts. 2. We need to constantly reevaluate how we are doing evangelism in the church.
~ Nell in Nairobi
PS: Chickfala is torturing me! I’ve been getting at least two ads on social media per day and next to cheese, it’s the food I’m missing most. Anybody care to go with me when I return?