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Today in Kenya

The Country

The People

Religion

Opportunities to Serve

Contact Information

The Lutheran Hour Ministries' (LHM) ministry center, called the Nuru (Light) Lutheran Media Ministry, is located in Kenya's capital of Nairobi and was dedicated in February 1998. Though it is still developing a radio ministry, the office uses the broadcasts of television programs like "This is the Life," as well as holiday specials, to reach out to Kenya's unchurched. It has also initiated several programs using a variety of outreach techniques. One of those is the volunteer opportunities program. Seminars are held throughout the country to train people in evangelism, communication principles, counseling and drama. The ministry also has trained individuals throughout the country's provinces to act as representatives on a voluntary basis. Their work is to distribute Bible correspondence course (BCC) materials, counsel people as needed, recruit volunteers to the ministry, and distribute information on flyers or tracts.

Drama outreach is doing well in Kenya. A team of 15 volunteer actors practice three times each week for
three performances every month. These dramas take place anywhere there is an audience, including schools. On average, 40 BCC students are recruited monthly, and at least 40 responses are received each
month from flyers handed out at performances.

Volunteers for the office's hospital visitation ministry are given specialized training in tract evangelism, witnessing, and counseling. A ward in the National Hospital (one of the largest hospitals on the continent) has been assigned to the volunteers who visit each Wednesday afternoon. Volunteers also bring Bibles,
clothing, and money with them.

A "stands ministry" was started by placing a table in front of the Nairobi office and handing out information to passersby. During the first four days, the ministry had 160 registered visitors, 149 BCC enrollees, and 214 requests for more Lutheran Hour information. The "stands ministry" has now begun placing displays in local parks.

Pairs of LHM volunteers are also going door-to-door to help "revive" Lutheran church growth. So far, local churches in Nairobi have seen more growth in members each Sunday due to this ministry. A number of BCC students have been recruited through this effort.

The ministry's Bible correspondence course is a five level course offered in English and Kenya's official language of Swahili. More than 1,500 students are enrolled. Graduates of this course are offered an eight-lesson advanced course.

One program, called "Bread of Life," shares bread and the Word of God with Nairobi city center office
employees working near the Nuru office and the Lutheran church in the heart of the city.

Working with the Lutheran Church, the ministry program is run by Nuru-LMM, and offers workers tea and bread (at cost), prayers, songs, inspirational videos, and fellowship outdoors during lunch, three times each
week.

In the mid 19th century, missionary-explorer John Rebmann, a German Lutheran, first spotted Mount Kirinyaga (Kay-ra-nya-gah). When he asked his guide what the name of the mountain was, the guide said (Kay-ayh-nya). Rebmann heard Kenya. He named the mountain Mt. Kenya and the name was born.

Kenya is neighbored to the North by Sudan and Ethiopia, by Uganda and Tanzania to her west and south, and by the Indian Ocean and Somalia on the eastern side of the country. Kenya's capital city of
Nairobi lies on a plateau slightly off the Rift Valley. The nation covers 225,000 square miles or 582,644 kilometers.

Its central location and stable political climate is attractive to people from all over Africa, who come to Kenya for business and diplomatic efforts.

Cutting right through the country is the Great Rift Valley that begins in the south of Africa in Mozambique and stretches north to Jordan. Kenya has a variety of climatic conditions, ranging from desert and rich fertile highlands, to snow-capped mountains and white, clean, sandy beaches.

A scenic valley cuts through the land, leaving behind a great trail of unsurpassed beauty. The lakes on the Rift Valley floor are home to flamingos and watering points for what Kenya is best known for--wildlife.

Kenya is home to the Cushitic people originally from Ethiopia and Somalia. The Nilotic people, or "people of the Nile," form the second largest group in Kenya.

Africa's largest language group, the Bantu people, which cover most of central, eastern and southern Africa, is also the largest group in Kenya.

Kenya is home to the largest concentration of Asians, mostly Indians and Pakistanis, in Africa, as well
as the largest white population north of the Limpopo River in southern Africa.

The majority of churched Kenyans belong to Christian denominations: Protestant (including Anglican) 38
percent, Roman Catholic 28 percent, indigenous beliefs 26 percent, Muslim six percent, and others are two
percent.

An underlying religious belief in spirits as protectors instead of in a loving and forgiving God is a belief that
continues to hold the nation down and keep the people from knowing true freedom and joy in the Lord.

Pray, praise, and give thanks to God for the work being done in Kenya. Seize the opportunity by becoming
a ministry sponsor or by increasing the level of your support so the ministry can continue sharing the Gospel
through its outreach efforts.

Share the Lutheran Hour Ministries story with your church group or congregation.

For details, or more information, call the International Ministries department at 1-800-944-3450.