Shangilia was a taste of heaven. The Safaricom Indoor Basketball Arena at Kasarani in Nairobi came alive when disciples drawn from the East Africa family of Christ and beyond gathered to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nairobi Christian Church and indeed the mission work in East Africa. The Nairobi Christian Church was planted in June of 1989 by a few disciples sent from the New York Church of Christ in the United States of America (USA).
The mission team that started this great work was led by Mike and Anne-Brigitte Taliaferro and included awesome brothers and sisters among them Jim Brown, Onyiechie and Daisy Oguagha, Tom and Lori Zieglar, Alcides and Leslie DeMorais, Frank and Michelle Davies, Richard Alawaye, Bob Stea, Carol James, Rayola Osanya, Peggy and Deanne Devries. Several other disciples joined in to help this mustard seed grow to what we have now and hence the celebrations as we give God all the glory.
The joy, the happiness, the hugs, the love experienced, the bonding and the reunion amongst the disciples and the visitors before, during and after the celebrations was a clear manifestation of God’s awesome story in East Africa. God blessed this event with over 4000 in attendance. All the international visitors were introduced to a loud thunderous welcome.
The ushers don in black suits and red ties stood in poise to welcome and offer assistance to the hoards of people streaming in to the gymnasium as the choir clad in pink and blue outfits led the congregation to uplifting gospel tunes that set the pace for the day.
Lead evangelist John Maleya and the women ministry leader Jane Maleya welcomed the whole congregation, introduced and acknowledged the work of those who have been part of God’s story for the last 25 years.
Evangelist William Auki and his wife Vicky shared the communion message from John 12:42-50. William Auki was invited to church 25 years ago ... and God had a plan, he shared. As we celebrate, remember that God has a plan for the church and for each one of us individually. “Since being baptized at 19, I have made it through challenges because of the love, rebukes and grace shown by the brothers and sisters over time. By God’s grace I got into a steady relationship at 21 and by his grace, we stayed faithful as singles for five years before getting married”, said William. Vicky Auki also shared how it took her a lot to overcome her struggles. They urged the congregation to stay the course no matter what struggles they face just like Christ did and overcame at Calvary.
The first evangelist to lead the young church in Nairobi then; Jim Brown shared the tribulations he passed through during that early time to remind us of how God can use situations to bring glory to his name. Jim recounted his experiences at the hands of a mob and the police as he fearlessly preached the word of God. He recounted how God saved him from jail and death and he lived to tell the good news of Jesus Christ.
"God honored our courage and convictions and brought about great victory. We are happy to see the fruits of that God started through us," he said. He thanked the disciples for their warmth, love and comfort. His saddest day was saying goodbye to Kenya. “God had a mission for me. After I left Kenya for New York, I got married to Theresa, the love of my life. I look forward to the day when we will all be in heaven.”
Mike Taliaferro capped the day with a powerful message titled “Even Greater Things” in which he challenged everyone to “get moving” and to “embrace the struggle” in order to see God do even greater things than he has done. He noted that the East Africa Church of Christ now with 16 churches and 2200 disciples should not slow down but this should be the beginning of the greater journey that we have been called to. “We’ve got to hang on to the vision of the original team which was anchored on Christ,” he urged.
He encouraged all to make choices that will propel the growth of God’s kingdom and to believe in Christ and hold on to his word. This will lead us to eternal life! He reminded the congregation that Jesus told his disciples in John 14:1-14 that they would do even greater things. We should be ready to see greater things in East Africa.
Dianne Devries and Rayola Osanya who are among the early mission team members were given the opportunity to lead the congregation in cutting the cake that marked the 25th anniversary celebrations in style.
The over 4,000 people that attended this awesome occasion were treated to lunch and once again another of Jesus miracle was performed (the feeding of the 4,000 lol). The afternoon session was marked with entertainment from the local congregation and other East African disciples. The performances, which included poetry, songs, and cultural and contemporary dances, resonated with the Shangilia theme.
This Sunday event was the culmination of a four-day “Shangilia” celebrations that had began earnestly with the Ministry Training Academy (MTA) classes on church leadership and was followed with singles, married, and teen workshops.
Different leaders who have served the church in different capacities were also rewarded with gifts as a token of appreciation for their exemplary service to the Kingdom. Since the first planting in Kenya, the church has spread to Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Ethiopia and Rwanda.
There were lots of lessons learnt. Moureen Kionga could not hide her joy as she wondered how heaven will be like. “I can only imagine seeing all my brothers and sisters there.” She adds, this was also a life-changing experience as the disciples got the opportunity to learn and witness how far God has brought his East Africa Church of Christ! It was amazing to see and hear from a vessel of God, Mike Taliaferro take the church through the church history. From the classes we came to understand and appreciate the gift of grace.
The step of faith that the original team took to come to Africa to spread the gospel, as Mike shared, reminded me of Paul in the Bible, the sacrifices they had to make for the gospel to spread in all nations. I was inspired but most of all I felt challenged. I surely have no excuse as to why I shouldn’t be sharing the good news with others…I was reminded that it’s not by my own strength but God’s for its him who works in me to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
The sacrifices that the brothers and the sisters from the Nairobi church made to make sure everything was on point blew me away. Everything was well coordinated and taken care of. I saw love, unity and power of togetherness in Christ Jesus. I am super glad I made it there.
Caroline Wanjiku from the Nairobi Church appreciates all the work done by the organizers. She singles out the choir and the kids opening dance. I was encouraged by the perseverance of the first 9 disciples who planted the church and I am glad they did because I don’t know where I would be if they had given up. I’m moving God help me”
Iryn Bantu from Kampala Church says that she was just amazed by how God brought everyone together from our different countries to come together with genuine love and celebrate the 25th anniversary with fellow disciples. So much love was seen on this day. I enjoyed seeing and being part of this historic and memorable event.
John and Jane Maleya, East African regional leaders wish to deeply thank all the brothers and sisters who gave their hearts, time, energy and resources to make this event what it was. May God bless everyone and rejuvenate all. Thank you to all who prayed fasted and sacrificed to come from all over to celebrate with us. Thank you to all who gave all manner of support and even though you did not make it physically, your presence was felt. This indeed was God’s awesome story in East Africa. May his name receive all the glory.
“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory , because of your love and faithfulness..” -- Psalm 115:1
Shared from ICOC East Africa