It had been more than two decades since I last traveled to
Kenya, following the late Archbishop Benson Thomas Otieno’s
leadership in bringing many churches into the ICCEC. On that
earlier trip, I had the privilege of taking part in the
consecration of three Kenyan bishops.
This time, my wife and I joined a team spending two weeks
ministering across dioceses in Kenya, though we returned
home a bit earlier. I especially looked forward to gathering
with 32 ICCEC bishops from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi,
Tanzania, Nigeria, Congo, and Rwanda — a profound
blessing.
On the first day, the team prayed for bishops in need of
physical healing. The next day, members of the ICCEC
Patriarch’s Council laid hands on the bishops to stir up the
gifts given at their consecration.
Many ICCEC churches in Africa trace their roots to the East
African Revival, which began in Rwanda and Uganda in the
late 1920s and early 1930s before spreading to Kenya,
Tanzania, Burundi, and Sudan — its influence lasting well into
the late twentieth century. The revival’s message centered on
five pillars: Repentance, Walking in the Light, Personal
Conversion, Deep Fellowship, and Evangelism, both direct
and through personal testimony.
While Europe continues to pray for revival amid its spiritual
wilderness, Africa is already living in one.
On Sunday, September 6, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Kisumu
was dedicated under Archbishop Joshua Koyo, with about
500 people in attendance for the Mass. Bishop Brett
Crompton prayed with those committing their lives to Christ,
while the rest of the team prayed for healing over hundreds
more — and healing took place.
Patriarch Charles Jones’s visit, and the chance to serve on
his team, has been a blessing to many across Kenya. They
look to the West for inspiration; I found myself telling them the
reverse is equally true. Something spiritual happens to those
who minister in Africa — it’s not so much what you do for the
Christians there, but what Africa does to you as a believer.
Main fixes: “we coma home earlier” → “we returned home a
bit earlier than planned”; smoothed a few run-on sentences
and tightened word choice throughout (e.g., “is blessing” →
“has been a blessing”). Want it as a downloadable document,
or is this good for where it’s going?
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