Pray with Kenya, July 14, 2024

Lectionary Selection: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19

Prayers for Kenya

We invite you to pray for the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) member churches as they proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ in word and deed at a time when extreme weather conditions impact Africa. Pray that the churches will continue to be beacons of hope as they work to support the affected families by sharing food and hosting families who are displaced. Pray also that the OAIC and the member churches will remain prophetic in addressing the underlying issues that cause this suffering.

Mission Moment from Kenya

“Kenyans are in a Red Alert due to cyclone… Residents are advised to prepare for extreme rain… Volunteers are needed for rescue as floods rage Kenya. Kenyan is now experiencing El Niño… The tally of people killed by floods has risen to 219, and more rainfall is expected… Declare the floods a national crisis and rescue Kenyans from floods.”

These are a sample of news story headlines found in the Kenya Daily Newspapers throughout the period of heavy rains. While East Africa is experiencing excessive rains, Southern Africa is facing the devastating consequences of drought.

Major climate trends like floods and droughts due to climate change and environmental degradation impact people across the continent. The recent floods in East Africa, especially in Kenya and Tanzania, have caused the destruction of homes, leaving many people displaced. Seeds planted were washed away at the onset of the planting season, and livestock washed away, which has impacted the education of children as the opening of the second school term was delayed for two weeks. Schools still can’t open in some locations due to floods in the area, and buildings are collapsing due to the flood weakening the building foundations.

One family in Kenya reported, “Our loved ones went to sleep on Sunday evening and were awakened on Monday only to see their homes submerged in water. A mother and her three-month-old baby drowned in the house. Large trees within the homestead were uprooted by the raging waters and slammed into the house, breaking the bones of the two teenage children who are still in the hospital. This is only one account of countless, many others”.

The toll on several countries in the Southern Africa region has been impacted by drought. Floods and drought impact food security, household incomes, and climate-induced migration. This is happening at a time when many African countries are grappling with high public debt.

We thank God for the witness of the African Independent Churches (AICs) all over Africa and beyond. The churches work with people in rural and urban areas daily, especially in informal settlements in Africa. It is in these contexts that over 70% of Africa’s population lives. As the Swahili-speaking people would say, climate change and its effects are “Shida Kubwa” or “a big problem” for the global community. Transformation will only come through those of us who put our trust in the Little Child from Bethlehem, who did not normalize the abnormal. He saw the diseases in the society. He spoke to the raging storms of inequality and spoke truth to power throughout his ministry on Earth. His death and resurrection brought salvation to all of humanity. Through the Holy Spirit, we no longer have boundaries. We have been reconciled with God and to each other “to go and do likewise.”

Mission Partners in Kenya

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