Dear Prayer Partners,
Greetings and happy new year through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last year, Lake Naivasha rose and permanently flooded our much beloved church. We built the church on the land God provided us through the wonderful and gracious provisions of our unseen brothers in Christ at the Open Door Baptist Church, in New York.
I wish you could witness personally the impact Open Door Baptist, and other churches and individuals who have partnered with us, are having on our church family at Redeemed Baptist Church and community. Through our supporters’ prayers, counsel, and financial giving, the lost are being saved, the saved are being further transformed into the image of Christ, and our Lord is being glorified. It is impossible to put words in a newsletter that adequately describe how so many hearts & souls have been impacted by Christ through these dear folks!!
We have, and continue to enjoy, so many great memories and blessings because of how God is using these gracious saints in God’s kingdom work in Naivasha, Kenya!
Also, our whole congregation joins me in heartfelt tribute and gratitude for the everlasting love and support we receive from our dear brother, Pastor Russ Alexander. Prior to the flood, our Lord impressed upon him to provide a parcel of land next to our church for the purpose of a building for Sunday school and Bible classes.
Alas, the high hopes we all had for this incredible provision, and further generosity, was not to be fulfilled as we all expected. That parcel is underwater as well. Even so, the love behind this sacrificial gift will never be forgotten and will always, in and of itself, have a great impact upon our church family!
I want to add that this flood has also left half of our congregation of 100 souls homeless!
Since these dreadful tribulations, we have not ceased in praying for guidance and strength concerning how Christ expects us to use these hardships to glorify Him and further His kingdom work.
Through all this we cling to and do our best, through the Holy Spirit’s enabling, to live out 2 Corinthians 4:7–11.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
Through Christ, and Christ alone, we are more than conquerors! For example:
We moved the church to some temporary quarters in a friendly local school. This has allowed our church family to continue to have regular worship services, Bible studies, and our daily essential ministering to our flock. By God’s grace, we have been able to supply emergency food and health wellness services due to the widespread and serious impact of COVID-19.
All things considered, this has been an unusually challenging time for us as well as I am sure for you folks as well.
Through all these tribulations, I have and continue to experience daily the loving hands of God working amongst us. We have come to realize a whole new series of opportunities God is providing to expand the outreach of His work through our church family. A great example of this is that we are now serving the much larger community of the city of Naivasha where we have had to relocate.
We continue to see God’s hand and leading in a number of unexpected new opportunities. Many, at the moment, are seemingly coming together in rapid succession! For example:
- THE POTENTIAL OF A NEW LOCATION
We are presently seeking out a possible new church location, prominently situated with much higher visibility to the general public on the growing & expanding Northern side of Naivasha City.
This city has been recently reclassified as an official Inland Port. Meaning that the government is transferring Kenya Custom Clearance from the severely congested Port of Mombasa, which simply cannot cope with the rising volume of imports.
Naivasha is also going to become an inland Port of Entry into Kenya which is 200 miles from the coast! Just like your Nuevo Laredo, in Texas! It will be a Port of Entry, right in the middle of Kenya and our kingdom work!
The population of this city is set to grow enormously in the near future. It has started already!
- THE REASSEMBLING OF OUR CONGREGATION
This new location would also allow for a 300-strong congregation. That would potentially triple our current congregation in the future! It would also enable the full reunion of our current scattered flock. It would be nearly enough for them all to return to our church.
- THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BIBLE COLLEGE EXTENSION / Church Hall
We have already agreed with Pastor Alexander, to establish a Bible College Extension facility at our new location. We excited and honored to participate!
We are also praising God for the continued support we have been getting together for our rental apartments and basic needs.
CONCLUSION
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope and pray that this newsletter clearly conveys the doors that God is opening up to the Redeemed Baptist Church family through these troublesome times. Floods and COVID-19 cannot stop Christ from building His church! Christ’s church will prevail, and we are excited about the part Christ is opening up to us. It is a lot to communicate in just a few lines, but I hope this helps.
Your Brother in Naivasha, Kenya
Pastor Cleophas and Rachel