Dear Brethren
I am writing to you again both to thank the Lord for His sustaining grace, and to request you to continue to pray for us. The fields are white unto harvest but the labourers are few. We trust that in the next few years, before we must leave the work, the Lord will raise up many to give effective leadership to the work.
Pastoral Theological Course (PTC)
March 16-23 brought 10 of the students here for studies in the History and Theology of the Old Testament, i.e. Genesis through Esther. Once again it was a joy and privilege to teach such receptive and responsive students. While I was concerned that they have an overall grasp of the history, I especially wanted to communicate the ‘Biblical Theology’ perspective so that the stories are more than examples to follow or not to follow. One statement in Vos’ Biblical Theology struck us all: …”in the history of revelation, character is not to be regarded as an ultimate datum; the revelation does not spring from the character; on the contrary the character is pre-determined by the necessities of the revelation” (pp. 105-106, Eerdmans: 1948). Most of them handed in their completed work on the Pauline Epistles and I now have the responsibility to mark all this by the time they return in May. Please PRAY for these men that they might grow both in understanding and in ability to communicate the truth to others.
Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi (TBC)
Although we are not seeing large attendance (not more than 100 are present) we are being encouraged by many things:
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Sundays are a joy, as we work our way through Ephesians 2 in the morning and The Life of Faith (Abraham) in the late afternoon. There was such a contrast on Sunday between “the immeasurable riches of His grace” (Eph. 2:7), and the sudden and total destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19). About 15 young people met in the early afternoon when I presented the Work of Christ to them as one basically of ‘Obedience’. I must admit that I was tired at the end of the day, having ministered 4 times (including the Adult Sunday School, the 1689 Confession, ch. 27), but I think it is more due to stomach problems again after the Rendille safari.
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The 4 deacons are starting to work together as a team.
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2 new members have been added to the church through baptism so far this year, and 3 more have applied, all of them young unmarried men.
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The offerings were 30% above what was planned for in 2010 and that willingness to give has continued in to the new year. We have been able to put substantial sums of money aside to save up to finish the new building, to replace the roof of the old building, and to purchase a church vehicle.
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At least 5 of the young people have entered the working place in the last year. From the relatively relaxed atmosphere of study to the daily responsibility of a job is a very big transition. The journey to and from work is perhaps the most daunting, 2-3 hours just to travel 10 miles or less. We are thankful to the Lord that they are all pressing on spiritually.
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There is a great desire that the ministry of the church be spread far and wide using the varied means we have at our disposal. The young men who have recently joined the church are experienced with the internet, so we are in the process of revamping the website [www.trinitybaptistkenya.org]. One addition will be putting the sermons we preach online. We have also decided to restart our magazine Grace & Truth after a lapse of more than 3 years, and it will also be online. We are especially targeting younger people as there are many who are tired of the false teaching and nonsense they find in many churches, but have no alternative. For a while I will be responsible for 3 articles, the Editorial, an Exposition (Ephesians), and a Doctrinal study of Salvation (conversions in Acts). We are planning to print 1,000 copies quarterly.
It is the rainy season again (from mid-March). We had a few days of good rain, but almost nothing the last week. All too often the first rains cause the seeds to sprout then a couple of dry weeks can dry them up. How dependent we are on the Lord!
We do appreciate your fellowship in the gospel, and thank you for your prayers.
In Christ’s service,
Keith Underhill