Monday Updates – 11th May 2010
Dear folk,
I am sure its
about a fortnight since you heard from me. I have been caught up in a wave of
‘activity’ that sometime make me rethink ‘ministry’. I have been sprucing up our
publicity efforts ahead of the planned partners do on 5th June. We had to get
the newsletter out in good time and also work on the website a little. I have
also been following up an intended trip to the UK next month to raise support
for the work as well as reconnect with mission partners/churches. I have also been
following up a number of potential placements in readiness for September. I
have been making contact with potential apprentices from Kenya and the region
as the recruitment goes on. I have been working on a number of proposals to
raise funds both locally and overseas for certain segments of the work – like
cushion fund, staff provident fund etc. I have been developing the conceptual
framework of iSA in readiness for demutualization (transisition) in September.
I have been developing a framework for the strategic plan for the next 5
years. I have been putting together a board of directors for the work and
working to make it functional. I have been pursuing different forms of registration
for iSA and with Duncan having travelled I have been doing quite a bit of admin
in the office. I could go on and on. (sounds like I am moaning or something?
Sorry it if sounds like so, I do not mean to complain, just to bring you a
little into my world)
Certainly my dear
apprentices suffer the most as I go on and on thinking at the strategic level. I
get caught up in all manner of activity which one might question whether it is
productive. Sadly, pastoral contact is lost and apprentices may be justified to
feel negelected. This could not come at a worse time when already attention is
slowly shifting towards the next team and on your part, gears are significantly
shifting towards your next step. I think one way of dealing with all this is to
take good old advice given to Moses by his wise uncle – choose some people and
share the burden with them. Clearly that is what apprenticeships are all about
– developing leaders and I think it is time we expanded the staff team so that
future apprentices do not suffer or the strategic edge of the ministry gets
blunt.
So what is
ministry? I have been reflecting on this for a while and it is one thing I usually
hope apprentices will nail down by the end of their year. We are all in
ministry and perhaps that is why I am usually inclined to be more specific and
use the term gospel ministry. Certainly this carries the idea of service and
good news of the kingdom. Oftentimes we are accused, mainly by those in the corporate
world, of being lax, without tight controls of our time, with no deadlines to
beat, no one breathing heavily on our shoulder to check our performance etc.
They think that we have it too easy and that ministry does not involve
accountability. I wonder if we have sometimes reinforced this perception of
laid-back, hakuna matata attitude that does not get concerned about excellence,
time, results etc. On the contrary, I think we operate on a higher standard
since the one we seek to please sees both inside and outside. Way beyond what a
supervisor seeks, our ultimate Supervisor looks into our motives, attitudes and
is interested in both the big picture and the minute details of our service of
Him.
May I encourage
you to relook at your definition of ministry. It captures just about anything
we do to the glory of God – active and passive since by word, deed and
lifestyle we are to be the sweet smelling aroma that draws people to God - Working on that report is ministry. Manning that reception. Delivering that letter.
Writing that receipt. Arranging those chairs. Keeping those kids in control.
Directing that parking. Typing those mails. Teaching those kids math. Ordering
that queue. Washing those shirts. Doing that Bible Study. Witnessing to that
soul. Making contact with that partner. Writing that article. Finishing that
research.
Dear ones, I now
need to close. I will not even have time to incubate this (they say if you
write something, please leave it for 24 hours and then re read it, you will see
a lot of changes that you need to make) I hope to hear from you on your
progress.Let me close with a couple of points.
1.
Plans
for the partners day are on. I hope you are doing your bit in publicity (should
we put some pressure and require that each one of us hakikishas a certain
number of their partners come?)
2.
We
hope to release a bumper copy of the newsletter before that day. Please send
your articles, reflections, poems, stories and stuff to Nyambura on – newsletter@iserveafrica.org It
will largely be a print copy for free distribution during the partners day.
3.
As
intimated above, we are working on a strategic plan for the next 5 years. This
is usually a long consultative process and we hope to have a document ready in
time for the convocation when we hope to launch it. Please participate by
giving us raw ideas on how you would like to see iSA in 5 years time. What
would you like to have differently? What must we not lose over time?
Later on, I will send you a structured questionnaire for more engagement, for
now just send me those raw (unrefined) thoughts.
4.
I
have been hoping to do one good round of placement visits before the UK trip.
Good people, I am overwhelmed- my plate is just too full and I doubt I will
make it before August let alone mid June. Please bear with me.
5.
I
hope you got yor stipends last week. There was a 2 day delay as we waited for
last minute trickles from your mission partners (which significantly affected
your stipend). Its not particularly easy to keep Kenyans within deadlines and I
wonder if we are going contextual or just relaxing standards? We felt gracious
(sufficiently...) this time round and allowed the 2 days. Sorry if that
incovinienced you, especially since we did not comminicate to that effect.
6.
Thank
you to those who made it to First Priority on 2nd May. It was really good of
you to gather and pray. Never mind your (evil?) plot did not work. [note: they
had planned a birthday shower for me.]
7.
Please
pray for more staff. We need at least another 2 full time staff from September.
Ask the Lord to give us the right people. Please pray for my upcoming trip.
There have been a few setbacks already and we need the Lord’s favour to make
this trip. I will divulge more details soon. Pray for Duncan who is currently
in the UK. Pray for each other, especially the next step.
You remain in my
thoughts and prayers.
Regards,
Harrison.
I remember this. I was an apprentice then.
ReplyDeleteiSA pia imetoka Mbali.