PCEA PARTNERSHIP: TEN MISSION INITIATIVES INSPIRING PARTNERSHIP

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PCEA PARTNERSHIP TEN MISSION INITIATIVES
INSPIRING PARTNERSHIP

• A PRESENTATION AT THE KENYA MISSION NETWORK
  MEETING
• (9th-12th October 2013) in DETROIT ,U.S.A.,
• BY THE REV. THEGU MUTAHI, P.C.E.A. DEPUTY
  SECRETARY GENERAL

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INTRODUCTION INITIATIVES

• The ten development initiatives as presently
  pursued are
• Spiritual Development of the PCEA (Qualitative
  and Quantitative)
• Medical
• HIV/AIDS Education
• Pastoral Leadership Development

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INTRODUCTION INITIATIVES

1. Mission Work (Go Ye areas)
2. Women and Women
3. Youth and Children
4. Education- Orphanage, Primary, Secondary and
   Post Secondary
5. Nutrition Food and Water
6. Economic development- Micro finance

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Overall PCEA Spiritual Development

• The church today stands at 51 Presbyteries
  spreading across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

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Overall PCEA Spiritual Development

• There over 390 pastoral areas manned by
• 370 Parochial Ministers serving over 2,500
  congregations
• 33 Institutional Ministers
• 10,000 active Elders
• 420 Evangelists

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Medical Mission

• Three major hospitals namely
• Kikuyu,
• Tumutumu, and
• Chogoria.
• The last two have training schools for nurses.
  They also offer services including general care
  to specialized areas like orthopedics, dental,
  eye and pediatrics.

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Medical Mission Challenges

• They include
• Lack of enough doctors,
• Inability of patients to pay their bills,
• Delay by government to pay NHIF remittances in
  time,
• Inability to retain staff due to unaffordable
  competitive remuneration,
• Lack of modern equipment.

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HIV/AIDS and Drugs and Substances Education

• HIV/AIDS prevalence gone down but education still
  critical.
• A HIV/AIDS course for all ministers gone on for
  over ten years now.

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Drugs and Substances Education

• Prevalence is mainly among the youth
• Seminars and forums are organized to offer this
  education

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HIV/AIDS Initiatives Challenges

1. ARVs are not being always accessible to people
   living with the condition, and
2. Presence of orphaned children sometimes taken
   care by aged grandparents.

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Drugs and Substances Challenges

• Lack of a rehabilitation home for those already
  hooked
• Involvement of influential personalities in the
  drugs business

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Pastoral Leadership Development

• The church ministers qualifications

Level No
Doctorate 17
Masters 70
Degrees 90
Diplomas 100
Certificates 87
Total 354
Further studies 9
Training for ordination 39
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Pastoral Leadership Development
Local training mainly done at

1. Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA).

1. St Pauls University

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Pastoral Leadership Development

• Evangelists are also trained locally at PCEA Lay
  Training Centre courtesy of Booth Foundation.
• An elders pre-ordination course is offered at the
  Lay Training

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Pastoral Leadership Education Challenges

• Lack of enough funds to train personnel locally.
• Financial inability to train elders before
  ordination

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Mission Work (Go Ye areas)

• PCEA has 47 Nendeni (Mission) areas spread across
  Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
• Areas are vast, lack infrastructure and
  experience harsh climate.
• Recently, 25 of them received motorcycles to
  facilitate personnel movement

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Mission Work (Go Ye areas)

• The Outreach Foundation (USA) has been very
  supportive.
• Has helped build many sanctuaries and
  institutions.

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Mission Work Challenges

1. Lack of personnel (as remuneration is not
   regular)
2. Lack of proper housing of personnel e.g. Uganda
   which is entirely a mission area.
3. Need to have a church in Kampala and Gulu
   (worshippers presently hire halls).

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Women, Men, Youth and Children

• Specialized ministries established to cater for
  the needs of these groups i.e., the Womans
  Guild, the Youth Fellowship, Mens fellowship and
  Church School Committee.
• Consequently there is a steady increase of men,
  women, youth and children in church.

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Men and Women Challenges

• In some areas women have to support families as
  husbands have neglected families due to
  unemployment and indulgence in in drugs and
  substances abuse

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Youth and Children Challenges

1. Adversely affected by lack of resources for
   further education,
2. lack of employment,
3. drugs and substance abuse, and
4. HIV/AIDS.
5. Sexual abuse
6. Lack of menses management for school going girls
7. Teenage pregnancy

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Education- Orphanage

• A number of homes taking care of needy cases like
  mentally and physically challenged persons are
  functional.
• They are mainly under congregations and church
  groups.

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Education- Primary and Secondary

• Found prudent to start schools that are fully
  owned by the church

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Education- Colleges

• PCEA also has other colleges
• Mainly run by congregations and groups
• The major one is Presbyterian College, Rubate -
  managed by the entire church
• The Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA)
  is fully owned by PCEA and operates under a
  letter of interim authority and has a number of
  accredited courses.

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Education Challenges

• Previous arrangement where church was recognized
  as a sponsor was revoked in our new constitution
• PUEA has faced a myriad of challenges including
  recent bad press.

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Nutrition Food and Water

• Irrigation increasing in Kenya.
• Discovery of large quantities of water in Turkana
  have raised great hopes in Kenya.
• However, agriculture in Kenya still mainly
  rain-fed hence prone to drought.
• Food insecurity a big issue.

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Nutrition Food and Water

• Many boreholes sunk in arid areas
• The Outreach Foundation USA have sunk a number of
  boreholes.
• However, some areas in Kenya suffer lack of clean
  and available water.
• Children in such areas fail to go to school
• Their parents have to trek to far distances

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Economic Development- Micro Finance

• Congregations and parishes have started revolving
  funds that have empowered members
• The Kenyan Government has made efforts to empower
  people economically through several trickle-down
  funds which include but not limited to
• Uwezo fund for women and youth.
• The church is encouraging her members to
  participate in controlling such funds and apply
  where they qualify.

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Conclusion

• A lot of progress have been realized.
• A lot of local resources have been invested and
  continue to be invested towards the same.
• Nevertheless, we are greatly indebted to the
  immense support of our partners.
• We pray and hope that the same will continue in
  days to come.