(Kenya) The Two Simultaneous Sunday Services

The main chapel for the congregation and the small chapel service for the high school students.

Nowadays, in the Good News Nairobi Church, Kenya, there are two Sunday Services happening at the same time. In the main chapel which is in Building B, the normal congregation gather to have worship and in the smaller chapel in Building there is a separate Sunday Service for high school students.

The students who participate in the service for high school students are ones who have been connected through the ‘Mind Lecture’. The students who opened their hearts through the ‘Mind Lecture’ in their high schools came to participate in the Sunday service. And each week the number of students who are coming has been increasing so now there are over 350 students who come to the worship on Sunday. So for these students there are now separate service for them at the same time as the other congregation.

The ‘Mind Lecture’ is being used as a powerful tool to lead the youths of Kenya for the Gospel. The Nairobi Church in Kenya last year received the word in Joshua 6:2 ‘See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.’ And with this word they are moving forward with the hope of doubling the number of brothers and sisters. The brothers and sisters are using various methods to invite people to church and now, the ‘Mind Lecture’ is being used as a way to invite high school students.

Recently in Kenya, there have been many ‘Mind Lecture’ in many different high schools each day. The teachers and the students of the church rejoice over meeting the IYF and they open their hearts. The IYF branch in Kenya continues to maintain a good relationship with the different high schools, made through the ‘Mind Lecture’, and in order to continually teach about the world of the heart, they had been invited to the Sunday service. The teachers who have experienced the change of their students through the ‘Mind Lecture’ have co-operated for their students to go to the Sunday service. Especially in Kenya, there are many students on Sundays who stay in dormitories, so, the school is running a school bus service to help the students attend church. Apart from that there has been an increasing number of students who come individually to attend the service and listen to the gospel.

The Sunday service being held separately from the normal congregation helps the gospel to be explained simply to the high school students. For those who do not know the Bible well enough to listen to the Sunday service is helped through easier explanation of it at the separate service. The students who already have their hearts opened towards IYF through the ‘Mind Lecture’ also listened attentively to the gospel which has the truth of God. Many students each week believe in the fact that Jesus has washed away all our sins and receive salvation. In the Sunday service, which is held for the high school students only, the gospel can be preached in much more detail.

“I really enjoyed the word and listened to it with joy. Not long ago it was Easter and I heard about why Jesus died and resurrected. We are born as sinners just like how I am a Kenyan because my parents are Kenyans. I was also born as a sinner. But I was told that Jesus washed away all our sins. I remember that precisely. Jesus has washed away all my sins and has renewed me.” – Esther / Tala Girl’s Secondary School.

State House Girl’s Secondary School is a renowned school in Kenya. The Head Teacher, who has become close with IYF through the ‘Mind Lecture’ delivered in the head teacher’s association, has been active in helping IYF to have ‘Mind Lecture’ in her school and also helped to send students for the Sunday service.

The students who participated in the service go back to their schools and in the student assembly which is held every week they present about the word they heard. The students who attended the church changed, and the words they presented changed the other students who were listening as well. In this way there has been a rise in popularity of the ‘Mind Lecture’. Head teacher Muoti, who has seen the change of the students, has been greatly delighted and promised to send over one school bus each week for  the teachers and students to attend the service.

“The education system in Kenya is all about simply reading and exams. But ‘Mind Lecture’ teaches about how to develop the best mindset. You do not have to score 100% like in the exams. That is why students are learning so much more from it. I believe that if this lecture was implemented in Kenya it will change the hearts of the students and help them to achieve better in other subjects as well. I can already see the changed attitudes of the students. The students come back from the ‘Mind Lecture’ and do a presentation and other students who listen also gain many things from their presentation. The students are becoming brighter, organized, and have better attitudes. Previously, the students were always loud and were disorganised but, these days, they start reading even before the teacher enters the class.  Like that, they are slowly changing.” – Morren Unjagi/Teacher at State House Girls Secondary School/Participant of the Mind Lecture

Another grateful thing that during the Secondary School service was that the Muslim students had also attended. Because Muslims are born in a completely different environment to the Bible, it is not easy to preach the Word to them. However, the Muslim students, who were able to naturally open their hearts towards the IYF through the ‘Mind Lecture’, came also to the Sunday service and heard the Gospel before eventually receiving salvation. Although not all of them received salvation, it was so amazing to see that they would open the Bible to share the Words about Jesus and talk about their own hearts. This is such a wonderful work of the Gospel that could not have been achieved without the ‘Mind Lecture’.

“The ‘Mind Education’ changes the way that I think. I am a teenager and so I have many desires. However, now I am learning about all the things in relation with how to protect and nurture my heart through the ‘Mind Education’. I am receiving a lot of help through the training of the heart. Once I graduate from Secondary School, I would like to partake in IYF activities.” – Juhura/State House Girls Seondary School Final Grade/Muslim Student

The smaller chapel of Good News Nairobi Church becomes filled with hundreds of secondary school students every week. The relationship that had been built through the ‘Mind Lecture’ is guiding the students towards the Gospel. The students who open their ears to the Word accept it and change are so wonderful. When we think of how the number of students will grow to 500 or even to 1000, and when we think of how those students will receive salvation and cover the whole of Kenya with the Gospel, we cannot be help but be moved and grateful.