IMPACT STORY: KENYAN FAMILIES PASSING ON RELATIONSHIPS
Families reaching families through online training
Imagine children sitting on the laps of their fathers while the fathers listen attentively as they speak. Imagine families playing out Bible stories and parents creating a time to listen to God and pray. Imagine these families being trained to reach out to other families and share the same experience with them. Imagine all of this happening all over Kenya - Eldoret, Nakuru, Kibera, Mombasa, Port Victoria, Mlolongo, and Nairobi!
In October 2020, through the provision and grace of God, and born from the heart of Petra Institute's Relational Children's Ministry (RCM) Course, this dream became a reality when 21 Kenyan students from Msingi wa Ahadi Bora, Bible Way Ministry, Christian International Church and Global Children Network, connected to the course to start the journey of reaching families in Kenya. A week of training and practice followed where the students prepared in groups to reach out to 7 families which included 44 children.
Parents, grandparents and children joined together to play games and care for each other. Bible stories were shared and children led in prayer and worship. The momentum continued as these families were prepared to reach out to 7 other families, including another 52 children, to share the same experience with them.
This was the birth of CFC – Creative Family Club
In 2021 we continued to mentor the 3 key leaders of Msingi wa Ahadi Bora as they continued to support their facilitators to implement the CFC in their communities. In May 2021 an online workshop was held to listen to each other while sharing highlights and challenges. From all over Kenya, the testimonies came in that despite many challenges, the hearts of the facilitators were burning with passion! CFC came at a time when some families were forced to stay home due to Covid 19. However, an alternative is now available where those families can continue to build relationships with each other and with God.
Wherever there is a need at local churches, institutions and even during impromptu opportunities, the families of Kenya are being trained to pass on relationships from one family to the next.
Testimony from Dorcas Kiarie, Global Children’s Network, Nakuru, Kenya (participant CFC training course, October 2020)
‘‘God called me to serve in children's ministry in the year 2000. Since then, I have gone through a lot of training as well as academic rigour. All these kinds of experiences have given me more confidence, zeal and energy to serve in children ministry effectively. However, that took many years to be realised, but it has taken Petra Institute only six days to enable me to get a new and powerful concept that could help me make great impact in children and family ministry. Thank you, Petra, for your great work in training children ministry workers and giving me an opportunity to be part of the process. As for you and all of us who went through the training, the sky is not the limit!’’
Testimony from Caroline Kipsang, Msingi wa Ahadi Bora, Eldoret, Kenya (participant CFC training course, October 2020)
‘’Through this CFC training I have learnt new skills and I will train my family so that we can reach other families together. Start at home (Jerusalem) then reach others.’’
Other testimonies
‘‘I have learnt a simple way of reaching out to other families, sharing the Word and building relationships. Despite of their beliefs.’’
‘’I have decided to reach more families and children in the nearby slums to help them connect with one another and with God.’’
‘’Families that we visited witness that they have not visited one another before. And they said that they will continue visiting one another and being one family.’’
‘’Children in both families were ready to share with other families.’’
‘’I have decided to commit myself to children ministry in our church and ministry at large.’’
