More than 20 missionaries from the AIC Kenya Church have graduated after completing a one-week missionary training program conducted by ‘Simply Mobilizing’ organization.
The training took place in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County and brought together representatives of the church’s missions department from different parts of the country including Eldoret, Bomet, Nyanza, West Pokot, Makueni and Machakos Area Church Council (ACC) under the leadership of Director Rev. Peter Macharia.
While presiding over the graduation ceremony, the bishop of the Africa Inland Church (AIC) Kenya, Eldoret Area Church Council, Dr. Luka Maiyo, praised the training, noting that it was intended to equip the participants for effective ministry.
Congratulating the graduates, Bishop Luka Maiyo described the training as an important step in advancing missionary work and emphasized the need for it to be embraced and expanded to other regions.
“Today is an important day for me to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity that God prepared. This is a practical program through the ‘Kairos’ training course, which was organized through our director and the national council. We welcomed it knowing that there is still work that God wants us to do,” explained Bishop Maiyo.
“Through this training, we have come to understand that there are still many people and nations who do not know Jesus as their Savior. Therefore, I challenge my fellow bishops to ensure that similar training is conducted in their regions,” he urged.
One of the trainers, George William Omondi, who is the country’s national coordinator of the organization that offers the training known as the “Kairos Course” (meaning “the opportune time”), explained that the program is designed to teach God’s purpose and plan from the beginning to the end of time and to empower participants so that they, in turn, can reach and equip others.
“Simply Mobilizing’’ is an international organization driven by the vision of seeing everyone mobilized to participate in God’s work,” Omondi explained.
“We use short courses to help the church understand God’s plan for this specific time, emphasizing that this is the opportune time for the church to engage in missionary work and reach those who have not yet been reached with the Gospel,” he added.
The training, which is offered in more than 70 countries worldwide, covers four main areas: the Bible, the history of missions, strategies for reaching the unreached, and culture. All these components are intended to inspire believers, align them with God’s purpose, and help the church develop a broader vision for reaching people across different generations.
The training was conducted against the backdrop of statistics indicating that more than twenty people groups in Kenya and about six thousand worldwide remain unreached by the Gospel, highlighting a significant missionary gap that needs to be addressed to facilitate the spread of the Gospel both nationally and internationally.
As a result, participants were encouraged to become active partners in supporting missionary work through contributions and various forms of giving.
The AIC MD chairman Eldoret West region Rev. William Soimo, praised the training as timely and transformative, particularly in reshaping perspectives on missionary work by emphasizing that the target audience should be “the unreached,” rather than areas where the Gospel has already been established.
“If you look at many churches, you will find that their missionaries are serving in areas that have already been reached. We have been challenged to understand that we should go to places where people have not received God’s Word or even a religion with sound teaching.”
Using AIC K as an example of a church founded on missionary principles, Rev. Soimo encouraged Christians in general to be a blessing to those who have not yet been reached by the Gospel. He also thanked God for everyone who has contributed in various ways to ensure that missionaries continue carrying out the Great Commission as commanded in the Bible (Mark 16:15).
Rev. Stephen Munguti, representing the Machakos area, spoke of the motivation he received to promote such training within ministry areas to enhance the spread of the Gospel of Christ among communities that have not yet been reached. His sentiments were echoed by Daniel Muthama from Makueni Cantral Area.
“This training has helped me greatly in the mission matters. Previously, there were many things I did not understand, but now I have learned much that we as a church need to implement, including praying for missionaries and supporting them in various ways. When I leave this place, I will teach these lessons in my church and mobilize the wider region where I serve,” emphasized Munguti.
Having been equipped through the program, the graduates described the training as a fresh awakening and a challenge to them.
The goal is to empower each trained individual to reach others, thereby addressing the need to preach the Gospel to nations that have not yet had the opportunity to hear it.
