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A Fresh Wind in East Africa A History of East African
Missions at Quaker Avenue 1980-2005 Beginnings Some will remember Kip Keno, the great Olympian runner from Kenya. Kip Keno’s nephew, Willie Sang, was similarly gifted. Willie longed to go to a university in America and his ticket was a track scholarship. While trying to find a school to give him a scholarship, he was directed to Hugh Rhodes, track coach at Lubbock Christian College (now University). Willie enrolled at LCC in the fall of 1975. That same semester another young man enrolled at LCC. His name was James Johnson; son of a well known preacher in San Angelo, Texas. He and Willie were assigned to the same dorm room and became good friends. James took Willie home with him for holidays and, perhaps more importantly, to church with him at Quaker Avenue. It was not long after this that Ellmore Johnson accepted the call to move from San Angelo to work with the Quaker Avenue Church. His solid teaching and reputation among brethren throughout the country assisted the church to recover from a rather low point in its history. But perhaps equally important, Willie Sang, who had by this time become well known and loved by the congregation, began to encourage the church to send someone to his home in Kenya and establish a church “just like this one.” No one thought much about his proposal at first, but eventually Ellmore and the elders began to think the Lord might be calling the church to this new mission point.
In 1980, it was agreed that Ellmore and Marie, along with a team of others interested in missions, would go to Kenya and survey the prospects for an evangelistic effort. The team included the Johnson’s son, Tim, Rolland and Jessie McLean, Larry and Reba Branum and Willie Sang. They went to northwestern Kenya, visited with Willie’s parents and with local officials, and met with surprising crowds of people who, wherever they went, listened enthusiastically to the gospel message. The team returned with a glowing report of prospects, and a recommendation that the church at Quaker Avenue assume responsibility to send missionaries to Kenya.
The Quaker Avenue elders accepted the report and enlisted the congregation’s prayers for discernment of the Lord’s will. About six months were spent in rather intensive prayer before the congregation voted unanimously to enlist missionaries and raised their support for entry into this mission field. At the time the Quaker Avenue church was doing little more than meeting their budget for local ministry and they knew that if the Kenya project was the Lord’s will, he would have to provide the support needed.
Letters were sent to area churches and individuals, detailing the plans and soliciting their partnership in this new venture. At the same time, the Quaker Avenue elders began the process of identifying missionaries to send. A number of couples applied, any of which might have made good missionaries, but the elders finally selected veteran preacher Rolland McLean and his wife, Jessie, and recent Farmers Branch Training Work graduates Shawn and Linda Tyler. The McLeans committed for three years, to establish the work, and the Tylers for ten years.
Support was pledged from a variety of area churches and individuals and sufficient funds were gathered to begin the project. From the beginning, the Lord has seen to it that funds were available to support all necessary expenses. Over the years, the Quaker Avenue church has provided about one-third of the necessary funds, the rest coming from other churches and individuals. (Approximately a dozen churches and some twenty individuals have been faithful partners over the years.) The elders through all of this learned a very important lesson: for whatever the Lord calls his people to do, he provides the resources necessary for the task. There were times when some anxiety prevailed over having enough funds to continue, but, without fail, the Lord has provided. Missionaries Enter Kenya In
August, 1981 the McLeans and Tylers departed for Kenya (see African map on page
15 of booklet). They settled in
Nairobi to spend about four months in culture and language study. In December, they moved about 200 miles
northwest to Kitale, at the foot of Mt. Elgon, near the Uganda border. (Kitale
is Willie Sang’s home town.)
Following instructions from their sending elders, they began
evangelizing in Kitale and surrounding villages. They found the people quite receptive and before long they
had baptized scores of people and established a number of churches. All the prospects for a great work
appeared strong and we were all encouraged. However,
during the third year of the work in Kitale, a tragedy occurred that for a time
seemed to jeopardize hopes for the long-term success of the mission. In December, 1983, the Tylers’ little
daughter, Melanie, was killed when she toddled behind a car that was backing
out of the yard. When word reached
the grandparents and the supporting congregation there was overwhelming grief
and despair. For a time the Tylers
considered whether they should stay on the field. The supporting brotherhood
was informed and there was a spontaneous outpouring of sympathy and
support. As we look back, we see
that this tragic incident brought us all closer together and solidified support
for the work. The Tylers, encouraged
by this support, decided to stay
in Kenya with even greater commitment to their mission. As we look back, we can see that “in
all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” The
missionaries soon realized that they could not reach and disciple new converts
in all of the villages that welcomed their work, so they decided to establish a
training program for church leaders in Kitale. Their facility was a cleaned up chicken house on the back of
the property on which the Tylers lived.
But the Kenyan leaders came and studied with a will to learn, carrying
their knowledge back into their villages.
The work progressed rapidly, with daily baptisms and requests for help
in additional villages. After
three years the McLeans returned to the States, having rendered invaluable
service in the initial stages of the work. Kirk and Susan Hayes were selected as their
replacements. Kirk had served as a
youth minister at Quaker Avenue while completing
his degree at Lubbock Christian College.
He had become interested in Susan SoRelle, a speech therapist in the
Abilene area, and they married shortly before departing for Kenya. This probably would have occurred
anyway, but the elders had told Kirk, when interviewing him for the work, that
they did not intend to send a single man to the field. He reported that he did not think that
would be a problem as he had plans for remedying his singlehood. The Tylers and Hayes became good
working partners and the work continued to progress beyond anyone’s
expectations. In 1986, missionaries from the Christian Churches, who were
working in the general area, came to our missionaries and asked to work with
them and under their official registration. The Tylers and Hayes both welcomed them, but insisted that
they would need to consult with their supporting elders. Later in 1986, Mike and Karolyn Schrage
came to Lubbock while on furlough to discuss with the elders the proposed
cooperation. After exploring the
possibiliities and possible problems, the elders could see no reason why such
cooperation ought not be encouraged and they gave their blessing. In 1988 Dan and Traci Harrod, friends
of the Schrages, joined the Kitale team and for the rest of the time the
missionaries were in Kenya the four families worked together harmoniously,
exhibiting a unity that has often been seen as an example of what might be
accomplished in the states. Within
five years from the initiation of the work, there had been approximately 5,000
baptisms and more than fifty congregations established. In 1990, plans were developed for a
childrens home and the Church of Christ in Welch, Texas, spear-headed the
raising of approximately $120,000 to build a facility for the care of some
forty-four children. This development
gave credence to our interest in the general welfare of the people, beyond mere
evangelism. Marvin and Shirley Brandt of Florida (associated with Reformed
Churches of America) came to supervise the construction of one of the nicest
buildings in Kitale. Marvin
Forkner of Missouri also came to help. The Home has become a major source of
pride for the community and the church (as well as the children) has benefited
from this development. The
original plan of the elders was
that the missionaries would stay in the Kitale area for ten years, then move on
to other unevangelized locations, leaving churches that could continue on their
own. But near the end of the ten
years, the team assessed the situation and concluded that it would be best to
stay another three years beyond the planned decade. They made a careful study report for supporting churches,
detailing the history, successes and continuing needs of the work. In 1990, The Quaker Avenue elders
called a meeting of all supporting churches and individuals, at Vernon, Texas,
a location rather central to most of the supporters. The
Vernon meeting was well attended.
The elders presented the missionaries’ proposal and the group fully
considered the entire mission program.
After much discussion and prayer, the assembly indicated its approval,
without dissent, of the proposed three-year extension. The meeting was a gratifying
declaration of support for missions and all seemed to be quite pleased with the
success of a project they had supported.
The Quaker Avenue elders had
previously held other meetings for supporters, in Tulia and in Stanton,
to provide updates and seek input from all concerned. But the meeting at Vernon was especially significant in that
it called on supporters to assist in making a significant decision regarding
major changes in the mission program.
One
thing highlighted by the missionaries report may be highly significant. From the beginning, the Kenya work
focused on preaching the gospel to all tribal groups. This was contrary to current missiological theory, which
advocates working with one tribe or language group and learning their culture
intimately. The Report says: “while concentrating on one tribal group only may
allow missionaries the ability to understand the cultural differences more
deeply and the heart language more thoroughly, the Kitale team has realized
great benefits from a multi-tribal work.
A mono-tribal work may develop an inward perspective in evangelism while
a multi-tribal effort gives a clearer picture of going to ‘all nations’ and
peoples. The Kitale Team’s use of
Swahili, the national language, has allowed a greater ministry through the
Swahili publication of ‘Mkristo,’ greater support of national meetings, and the
ability to plant a multi-faceted church nationally.” Missionaries working in the heart language of a people
recognized that use of a trade language could be very effective.
During
the final three years of the missionaries’ work in Western Kenya, special
emphasis was placed on ordaining elders in as many churches as feasible and by
the end of the period a number of churches had designated leaders. The missionaries felt that this action
was not only called for by scriptural concerns, but provided model churches for
the many other congregations that were not yet sufficiently developed to have
elders and deacons. By the time of withdrawal of the missionaries from Western
Kenya, an estimated 7,000 souls had been baptized and more that 120 churches
had been established. In addition,
a thriving childrens’ home had been built to serve the needs of the area and it
continued with a full complement of children. House parents and other needs were from the beginnng
faithfully supported by Christian Relief Fund in Amarillo.
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