Late last week, our diocesan pilgrims to Kisii, Kenya returned safely to Arizona in a haze of jetlag but satisfied that our time in Kenya was well-spent and for the building up of God’s mission in the world.
We will be making a presentation to the Diocese over Zoom on Thursday, August 24 at 6:30 pm. You can register to attend this presentation HERE.
Here are a few of our initial impressions:
The Diocese of Upper Southern Nyanza – Kisii is vibrant and growing, with most churches planted since 2016. Rather like our companion diocese of Western Mexico, this is a place of evangelism and passion for the Gospel, and growth of churches in a way that we have much to learn from in Arizona.
Kisii and the area around it are in extreme need–many people living on less than $1 per day, many congregations in areas where there is no access to electricity, and where roads are not easily navigable.
Every church in the Diocese–and the diocese itself–has a strategic plan, including initiatives that will produce funding for their mission and ministry. The diocese is utilizing its resources of land and buildings to create income streams for mission. But there are obvious and plentiful opportunities for capital investments that congregations and individuals in Arizona could contribute to.
They have big dreams: every church is in the process of building the next level of the church (from sticks to mud, from mud to adobe brick) and we saw the beginnings of an orphanage, the potential for growth and development of schools, and met people in the ordination process.
There is something deeply spiritually moving about visiting and being in Communion with this diocese. We received incredible hospitality from Bishop John Orina Omangi and his clergy and lay leaders.
I look forward to sharing more with all of you–and having the opportunity for all our pilgrims (the Rev. Canon Anita Braden, Canon Clyde Kunz, Susan Hillman, and Kathleen O’Leary) to share their insights and experiences.
You can register to attend the online presentation that will take place on August 24th, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM by clicking the button below.