2013, No. 8 (30/8/13)

Posted on August 30, 2013 by kunderhill

Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ from Nairobi. We arrived well late on Wednesday 14^th. (2 weeks ago). The first week or so is always devoted to getting things clean and up and running. There always seem to be computer issues! Having now progressed to Windows 8 I have found it impossible to send out any emails since returning. Going out to get things solved can be ry time consuming because of the incessant traffic jams.

The first thing we wish to communicate to you is our deepest thanks in the Lord for your prayers while we have been away from Kenya these 4 months. We were able to visit very many of you and we were much encouraged by your warm fellowship in the Gospel, expressed in so many ways. From the end of May we were in UK and had the privilege of talking about Kenya and ministering in 14 local churches. Although most are smaller than TBC, Nairobi, and the cultural environment far more hostile than in Kenya, we were struck by the many efforts being made to bring the gospel – door-to-door, open-airs, beach missions. May the Lord help you to continue on faithfully, and may that day not be long distant when He will again pour out His Spirit on such an unworthy people!

Our first Sunday back in Nairobi (18^th.) we were reunited with our brethren and it was a very joyful time. There were a number of new people who are wanting to be committed to the life of the local church. The ministry of the Word was profitable: A Sabbath Oriented life (Adult Sunday School), Mark 6:1-6 – Christ Rejected Yet Gracious (Morning), and Exodus 2:23-25 (Evening). There was also a well-attended Women’s Fellowship before the evening service at 4 p.m. Everyone said how much they had missed us, yet how much they have been encouraged by the church in the time we have been away.

Our second Sunday (25^th.) was another encouraging time: the last in the series of A Sabbath Oriented Life taught by Eric Omondi, Ephesians 6:5-8 – God’s Instruction to Slaves, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 – Would You Prefer a Tent or a Palace? In the afternoon there was a Young Adults meeting with over 25 present! They led it and discussed the forthcoming Grace & Truth Conference, and the Book Club. The latter has taken off as they have been reading and discussing in many groups the book by Cheesman, Saving Grace.

I had hoped to write this before the RBAK (Reformed Baptist Association of Kenya) meeting of the past days. Although there were fewer delegates than normal, it was a most encouraging time, and I will report on it next time. The work of church planting and growth continues.

Ministry

Please PRAY about the forthcoming ministries for the next 3 weeks:

(1) Preaching the next 3 Sunday mornings, continuing in Ephesians from 6:9.

(2) Grace & Truth Conference Friday 6^th. & Saturday 7^th. September. This is a new venture for us, targeting young adults, and presenting the ‘Five Solas’. We are expecting 60 to attend.

(3) PTC (Pastoral Theological Course) 11^th. to 18^th. September. I shall be teaching Old Testament History & Theology. Friday 13^th. evening will be opportunity for a further ‘Meaty Forum’ on the Doctrine of God, especially the Trinity.

Urgent Requests

(1) Miathene. For the past year there has been a leadership struggle here. The pastor who was dismissed refuses to vacate the premises with the few people who remain with him. We have been advised that the best way is to hire a company to guard the premises day and night and to keep everyone out for a time. Please pray that a godly resolution will soon be forthcoming so the church can operate normally without any danger of open rivalry.

(2) Rendille. The church in Korr is struggling without a trained leader. Of the 3 leaders there, 2 are illiterate, but we still believe the Lord will use them and the church will be held together until a suitable man is found. Please pray the Lord will raise up men to lead here, and elsewhere.

Please continue in the fellowship of prayer on behalf of the work the Lord has entrusted to us. In Christ’s service,

2013, No. 7 (24/7/13)

Posted on July 25, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren,

Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ from Aberystwyth (Wales) where we are coming to the end of our visit to this our home church that sent us to Kenya in 1975! The Lord has continued to be so gracious in all the travels and in fellowship with many brethren who have shown such love to us. God willing we shall return to Kenya mid-August, which is not very far away. For this prayer letter Murungi Igweta, my fellow pastor in Nairobi, keeps you updated as to what has been going on in Nairobi in my absence.

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

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“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” (Romans 15:30, ESV)

Dear Brothers in Christ,

In the last three months, I have been fully occupied in the ministry of the gospel at Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi. We have witnessed the grace of God mightily at work in strengthening the church, adding more to our numbers, and the brethren have grown in grace and knowledge of Christ. What a privilege it is to be a minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! I know that this has been made possible by your passionate and sincere prayers for me in the absence of Pastor Underhill. Though the burden of responsibilities has been enormous, the grace of the Lord has been sufficient.

Ministry

The Lord has graciously continued to help me in the preaching of the gospel, pointing sinners to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, for the salvation of their souls. I have been doing an exposition through the gospel of Mark, mornings and the second letter of Peter in the evenings during the Lord’s Day. Other brothers in the church have been covering different parts of the Bible. Through this, the Lord has continued to work in His church, equipping the saints for the work of ministry. There has been eagerness among many of our brothers to be involved in the sharing of the gospel. So, we have added two more brothers who are apt to teach, on the preaching schedule. We have encouraged others to begin Bible Studies in their homes and in different locations in the city. The University ministry has continued to go forth. Vincent continues to reach students in different campuses. I recently gave two papers at a University convention, on Scriptures Alone and the Sonship of Christ. As a result these endeavors, by the grace of God, sinners have come to faith in Christ and Christian love and fellowship has been cemented among us.

Membership

On 14^th we witnessed the baptism of Winnie Odande and Gaitano Mbati and welcomed them into the church. More people have continued to express interest in the church. I am increasingly getting burdened for the community around the church, because this year two charismatic churches have been started around us, propagating the damning, health and wealth gospel, which is not gospel at all. Pray that the whole church will be burdened to pray and witness to their neighbours and relatives.

Leadership

As result of the retirement of Joseph Ochola, one of the pioneer members, a long-serving deacon, former treasurer and Office Assistant, we are in the process of appointing two more men to the diaconate. Currently, we have five diligent deacons serving the material needs of the church. We continue to earnestly pray for the addition of more men into the Eldership. Please pray with us in this regard.

Grace & Truth Magazine

There has been a growing interest in reading this magazine and so we are continuing to increase our circulation. The 118^th issue is out. We pray that the Lord will be pleased to use this resource to bring about a desire for the biblical truths of the Bible among the Christians and that the preaching of the gospel through print media will be used of the Lord to bring salvation into their lives.

The Meaty Forum

It is now over a year since the forum began and we have seen much spiritual change on those who attend. As a result, some have plugged into more Biblical local churches. On Friday 12^th July we met again to discuss the subject of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. There were over eighty in attendance and there were myriads of questions on the subject. We finally were able to show them that, their experiences, however sincere, have to be examined in light of Scripture.

Grace & Truth Conference

Because of this obvious thirst and hunger for the truth, we are planning for a conference that will expound these truths. We are first going to deal with the doctrine of salvation so that we can set the records straight for those who may have been inoculated a dose of decisionism and other false doctrines, on how sinners come to a saving faith in Christ. This will be held from 5^th – 7^th September 2013. Please pray that many will attend and we will have the resources to host it.

Pastors’ Theological Course

This is the ministry that seeks to train and equip for ministry pastors from various parts of the country. Currently we have eight men: two from Trinity Baptist (who also serve as interns, Dominic and Vincent); Peter and John both from Baptist Churches within Nairobi; Noah, Hezbon and Eric from Western Kenya; and Barnabas from Mombasa. Our prayers for more teachers have been answered by the Lord because this year we have had Pastors Geoff Thomas of Alfred Place, Bill Emberley of Grace Baptist Church Nova Scotia, Oliver Allmand-Smith of Grace Trinity Church Ramsbottom, Ryan Devine and Ben Winarko of Reformed Baptist Church of Riverside teaching in March, May and July classes respectively (in addition to Keith Underhill). We continue to plead with the Lord to give us more teachers to help in administering this course. More resources are needed to expand its operations. The students have been under the tutelage of Devine and Winarko from 10^th until 17^th of July, learning the General Epistles and the Modern Church history (17^th-19^th centuries).

My Family

The Lord has graciously given me the responsibility to be husband to Charity for almost ten years now. Moreover, He has blessed us with two children Asaph (turned 9 on June 21^st) and Ruth (will be turning 4 on August 12^th). The third one is on the way and should arrive, God willing, early January. After frustrations with schools (both public and private schools) we have began home-schooling our two children. Though it is such a daunting task for Charity, yet so far as we have confirmed, it is worthy it. We recently moved nearer the church premises. This was so that we can deliberately and prayerfully labour at consolidating the community around the church in the neighborhood. This has also served very well in the home-ministry of hosting younger people for sleep-overs. It has become now very convenient for us.

Birthday in Africa!

On 16^th July, it was Ryan Devine’s birthday and so for the first time he celebrated it in Africa! His kids were worried that he will miss his birthday this year. So my family, with the help of some church members and Ben Winarko organised a party for him in our home. It turned out to be such a pleasant surprise for him. We thank the two brethren for such sacrifice. We also extend our sincere gratefulness for his family and Riverside brethren for their willingness to send them to minister in our church.

In Christ’s service for God’s glory,

Murungi Igweta.

2013, No. 6 (28/6/13)

Posted on June 28, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren,

This time I have asked Oliver Allmand-Smith, Pastor at Ramsbottom Trinity Grace Church (U.K.) to report on his visit to Nairobi in May in our absence.

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Between Tuesday May 7^th and Wednesday May 15^th I was invited by Trinity Baptist Church Nairobi to minister God’s word in various contexts. It had been five years since my last visit, and I was full of anticipation as the time drew near. It proved to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding weeks of ministry in my life. There were four main aspects of the ministry:

The Pastoral Theological Course

My principal responsibility for the week was teaching the students in the PTC. They were a mixed group in terms of education and spiritual maturity, but the hunger for learning and the depth of their interaction was most profound.

Our subject for the six days of study was “Christian Ethics”, and we spent the first three days constructing the hermeneutical framework required to understand and apply the law of God as it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We rejoiced to see how the Lord Jesus takes the law of God and by His Spirit writes it, not upon tablets of stone, but upon the fleshy tablets of human hearts. We then spent the rest of our time examining the second table of the law and working out the details in the context of Kenyan culture. This was a real challenge for me, as you can imagine, and I was greatly dependent upon the input of the men – I was not disappointed! Time and again we were able to apply the principles we had learned to the details of the pastoral challenges the men were facing, and their faces positively lit up as they realised the truth of II Timothy 3:16&17… We concluded by considering topics such as guidance, conscience, prayer, church and state and the fear of God.

Each day began at 9am with a devotional word and prayer from the men themselves, followed by teaching from 10am to 5 or 6pm depending on our energy levels and the ground we needed to cover. They worked hard! Even when we had finished for the day, many of them stayed to study late into the night. It was impressive to see their level of commitment.

There were 9 men on the course, with three others visiting on different days. Several were from Nairobi, others from different parts of Kenya, and one man had travelled from Sudan. One of the visitors who came for two days was a Somali believer.

The highlight of the week came on the final morning when one of the brothers led the devotional. His text was I Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He was from a charismatic background and only recently persuaded of the doctrines of grace. He explained that his ministry up to that time had been about himself, and not about the Lord: his experiences, his gifts, his preaching, his access to the Holy Spirit, his energy, his leadership, and so on. He told us that he would often get up on a Sunday morning in the church, read a text, put his Bible down, and with no preparation just tell the people whatever came into his head! It was all about him. He then said that he was determined, by the grace of God, to change completely. It would no longer be about him but about the Lord Jesus. Through our studies he had come to realise that the power is in the Word of God, not in himself: his task was to expound the message of Christ from the scriptures, and let God speak to the people.

The brother was a confident and self-assured man by nature, yet now he was nervous and actually shaking! He was deeply moved and humbled under God’s word. I was in tears. It was a privilege to play a small part in the great work TBC Nairobi is doing through the PTC, training the minds and hearts of these men, equipping them effectively for their ministry.

The Meaty Forum

On the Friday afternoon we headed across Nairobi to a large church building near to the university for the “Meaty Forum.” Our driver for the day had not arrived, so I offered to take the wheel for my first experience of driving in Nairobi. With no road signs, no road markings, endless potholes and very few rules (or at least, very few drivers abiding by the rules) it was my greatest challenge in a motor vehicle! Folks were travelling around roundabouts the wrong way, ignoring red lights and just careering all over the road! The fact that we got there and back in one piece with no (outward or visible) damage to the car or its passengers is a testimony to God’s sovereign grace. On one occasion, we ended up travelling up a slip road in the wrong direction – I had better not tell you how we got out of that spot of bother…

The “Meaty Forum” is a remarkable meeting! It was launched about a year ago by a couple of students in membership at TBC Nairobi. They decided to take different subjects that were important to serious Christians and put on an evening of messages and discussion. They hired a large room in one of Nairobi’s bigger churches and now between 60 and 100 students from many different spiritual backgrounds gather each month to hear God’s word.

The subject we were addressing was Biblical Church Government. I was to give the introduction to the theme, then Pastor Murungi (elder at TBC Nairobi) spoke on the qualifications for leaders, and finally Pastor Ken (elder at another Nairobi church) spoke on the attitude of Christians towards their leaders. Each speaker spoke for half an hour, and then we had an hour of questions! No singing, no presentations, no breaks, no entertainment – just messages and discussion of the word of God. Many of them are from charismatic churches, but they were all in dead earnest about understanding the word of God. The main topic of discussion for these students was the role of women in ministry, and although the questions were strongly worded, the answers we gave were carefully considered and there seemed a real concern to understand the will of the Lord.

It certainly was a “meaty” evening! To see all those students spending their Friday evening in serious study of the word of God was moving.

This is a tremendous opportunity to mould the hearts and minds of a coming generation and time alone will tell what an impact it may have on the future of the church in Kenya.

The Men’s Breakfast

On Saturday morning, 20 or so men from the church gathered to share breakfast together. I spoke from Philippians 2 on the example of Timothy and Epaphroditus who were reliable, committed and zealous men in their service of Christ and His people. There was a warm response and a sincere concern to apply the lessons to their own lives.

The Lord’s Day

The Lord’s Day was a great joy!

We began with all-age Sunday school. The adult class was led by Murungi, who began a series of studies in the spiritual disciplines. His text was I Timothy 4:7, “train yourselves unto godliness”. It was a timely reminder of our need to focus upon the means of grace God has given for our own spiritual benefit and growth.

In the morning service I spoke from Genesis 5 on the kindness of God, and in the afternoon from I Thessalonians 5:12-15 on the characteristics of an “edification church.” The congregation, which numbered about 100 in the morning and 50 in the afternoon, were attentive and alert to the word of God. They appreciated ministry that faithfully expounded the truths of God’s word. It is clearly what they are used to! Praise the Lord.

We also broke bread together in the afternoon, and it was a great joy to see the unity and warmth of fellowship around the Lord’s Table. This is a congregation that is growing in its communion. The highlight of the day was to hear one of the men pray for the needs of the fellowship – he prayed with genuine concern and compassion, as a man whose heart was in tune with the heart of Christ. He prayed as one who loved the people with the love that flows from the cross itself. May God continue to bless His church in Nairobi and add many more such men to their number.

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We do thank the Lord for the way He is keeping the brethren in Nairobi. Two brethren from America will be coming to teach the PTC in July. Our many visits in UK are going well and we are greatly encouraged by the fellowship of many brethren.

In Christ’s service,

Keith Underhill

2013, No. 5 (5/6/13)

Posted on June 5, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

1. USA.

(1) Our basic reason for going to the States for the past month has been to visit our oldest son Jonathan and his family. This is a picture of them at the Cleveland Zoo with lovely Kenyan giraffes in the background. Please pray for Jonathan as he struggles in the difficult area of house appraisals. Pray also that they would be encouraged spiritually. In the last year they have had disappointments in 2 churches and are now looking for a church structure that is family integrated.

You can see it was quite cold, even though it was towards the end of May! We are not used to such cold temperatures.

(2) We also had the opportunity to visit a number of churches and friends in Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey and Indiana. The weekend Missions Conference at the end of April was an encouragement, together with fellow labourers, David Vaughn in France, and Stan Line from Bolivia. We trust there will be fruit as we continue to pray for the Lord to send out labourers into His harvest fields for there is still ‘much land to be possessed’. Our dear S0mal1 brother, MO, who now resides in Washington State, was able to be with us for that long weekend. Of course, we wanted to fellowship with him face to face again, being much nearer, and we wanted him to be in fellowship with brethren here. Lord willing, he would like to return to Kenya in a couple of years’ time to minister to his people there.

2. U.K.

God willing we shall be in the U.K. for more than 2 months, until mid-August. We shall be based in Liverpool, where Deborah and her 2 children, and Matthew are staying. As well as being with them, we shall spend 2 weeks in Aberystwyth with our home church (Alfred Place Baptist), and we will make visits to various parts of the country to fellowship with supporting churches and friends. The Lord has blessed us with such a faithful group of supporters, without which (humanly speaking) we could not have ministered in Kenya all these years. I also hope to get on with many projects I have not been able to complete in Kenya, such as marking the PTC work of the students, and writing a series of leaflets on Biblical Answers to Common Questions.

3. KENYA

What has been happening in Kenya in the past month? I am thankful that Pastor Murungi has been fully sharing with me. We had been hoping to hear sermons from our website but I am noticing that none have been downloaded for a long time (www.trinity.or.ke).

o PTC. A British Pastor, Oliver Allmand-Smith came to teach the students for the 6 days in May. All reports I have received say how much his teaching of the Ethics course was appreciated. One student even tried to preach what he had taught only to find himself out of his depth!

o Meaty Forum. The second Friday evening of the month was for the Forum on the subject of Church Leadership. Apparently it was very controversial when it got to the area of the role of women, but many also testified how helpful it was to have the Scriptures faithfully taught.

o Christian School. This has now started as a cross between a school and home schooling, involving the 3 families who have been most concerned to see this development take place.

Please keep praying for the word of the Lord to be honoured.

In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2013, No. 4 (22/4/13)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

Greetings in the Lord from Liverpool, England, where we are spending a long weekend en route to the States. Getting ready to be away from home for 4 months is always arduous with pastoral ministry continuing to the time of departure. And this time there were also two big meetings to be involved with.

1. Trinity Baptist Leaders’ Meeting (April 2-4)

Every local church must be either registered with the Government or be covered by the registration of another church. When new churches start they naturally operate under the registration of Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi. We recommend them to seek their own independent registration when they have a functioning leadership in place. Five churches have so far gone this way. There are presently more than 30 under our registration and we called the leaders together for these few days of fellowship. Having had to postpone the Association meetings because of the elections, and there being no Pastors’ Conference this year, we felt the need of fellowship together. They came from various parts of the country and we were thankful for the peace in the country that made it possible.

Pastor Murungi and I ministered to them: Acts 20:28 on taking heed to oneself and to the flock, fellowship among sister churches, guidelines for the local church, theological training, church finances, constitutional requirements. We also had extensive reporting on the progress on each of the churches. We trust they returned to their appointed fields of labour with much vigour for the great task of the day is to preach the word in season and out of season.

As Elders in Nairobi we find taking responsibility for these churches until they grow to maturity a heavy one, especially the financial aspects – constant requests for support of leaders either by regular funding or setting up income generating projects, and to make contributions for funerals and even weddings, sicknesses and transport to meetings. This is undoubtedly the most difficult aspect of our ministry that we are seeking to turn over completely to our deacons.

2. Reformation Conference (April 10-13)

Let me give you some background to this encouraging development in Kenya! A few years back Bill & Tessa Sked found themselves in Mumias, west Kenya. They come from Queensland, Australia and their daughter, who had worked in Africa, encouraged them to visit. They were converted from atheism in mid-life, went through many years in the charismatic movement, and now find great joy in the doctrines of grace and very openly proclaiming this Biblical truth. I do not know how it was that they came to Mumias, except that there must have been a divine imperative. Yet, here they were, preaching in a church pastored by Noah Ikari. He called upon a near-by pastor, Elly Achok to translate. That one hour was life transforming as Billy preached the true gospel. For a number of weeks Elly wrestled with the reformed doctrines until he was firmly convinced of their truth. Elly was put into contact with us and he has completed the three years of training in our PTC in Nairobi. He preached for his older brother Barnabas in Mombasa who was concerned at the changes from the ‘Word of Faith’ ministry they had been immersed in for a decade. Barnabas is now in his 2^nd. year in the PTC, and Noah joined at the beginning of 2013.

This is the third ‘Reformation Conference’ to be hosted by Elly Achok and the church in Mumias (named Gospel Missions Agency). Each year it has grown substantially. From Wednesday-Friday there were 100-150 present, the vast majority from charismatic backgrounds, with a contingent of more than 20 from Uganda, and even a few from Rwanda and Burundi. Saturday saw 400 gathered for the first graduation of 30 men and women from ‘The School of Wisdom’, a 9 month training course thoroughly committed to the precious Reformation truths.

What I found so encouraging, after ministering here in Kenya for 40 years, was the very open and direct preaching of the doctrines of grace. The theme was: What’s wrong with the Gospel? Elly Achok opened the Conference with ‘Is there no physician here?’ (Jeremiah 8:22) and gave 4 reasons from the chapter why God judges, with the obvious application that Kenya is ripe for judgment. Bill Sked had 5 sessions on the content of the Authentic Gospel. I myself had 6 sessions on Romans 8:28-30 and the ‘Golden Chain’. Barnabas Olare from Mombasa has 2 sessions on the Characteristics of False Teaching – misconceptions about God (Acts 17:16-31), and misconceptions about man (Romans 3:9-18). To many these truths were totally new and there was much mental wrestling (and we trust in the heart also) as was shown by the long list of questions for the Q & A session. May the Lord give abundant fruit for His glory. PRAY for brothers Elly & Barnabas as they lead this work.

3. For Prayer

(1) Progress of the Biblical Gospel in Kenya. We have great opportunities in Nairobi:

Meaty Forum – This continues the 2^nd. Friday evening of every month with 60-100 young adults in attendance.
TV Station – We have been offered the possibility of having a digital station and a number of brethren are seriously looking into its viability for us.
Christian School – A number of our families have seen the deficiencies in the typical education facilities in Kenya and want something specifically Christian.
PTC – It will continue in my absence with brethren from UK and USA coming to teach in May and July.
Pastor Murungi – Although we will be in regular contact by email there is a very heavy weight of responsibility on him as the only Elder.

(2) Leave in USA. From April 23 to May 28 we are in the States. For the first 2 weeks we shall be in the State of Pennsylvania, first at a weekend Missions Conference and then visiting a number of other churches in the east of the State. For the last 3 weeks we shall be with son Jonathan and family in Ohio, with a weekend visit to a church in Indiana. Please PRAY that we shall be refreshed and useful to the Lord in His kingdom.

In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2013, No. 3 (22/03/13)

Posted on March 22, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

Greetings in the Lord from a wet, peaceful Kenya, and from a greatly blessed people!

Elections

We are so thankful to the Lord that the General Elections have so far been peaceful. At present there is a Court case to challenge the result of the Presidential vote. If it is upheld then there will be a run-off between the 2 front-runners. However we still felt constrained to cancel 2 ministries. The ‘Meaty Forum’ was to be held just 3 days before voting and there was nervousness making even some public transport not operate after 7 p.m. (darkness), and the Forum does not finish until 8 p.m. I also cancelled the visit to Pokot North as it was not considered wise for me to drive through certain politically sensitive areas so near to the elections. Two Sundays before I sought to give a much broader perspective by preaching on Daniel 2 and showing so obviously that even the greatest of the kingdoms of this world shall be destroyed, and only the kingdom of God will remain for ever. How much we need this eternal perspective as the world presses so closely.

PTC

Nine students came from March 13-20. John Malala did not make it, but we had a new participant, Buba Okwier. Buba is from the Anyuak community in South Sudan on the border with Ethiopia, the town of Pochalla. He only has primary school education but we believe this is another good opportunity to bring the Biblical gospel into the country. 80% of the 8 million claim to be Christians but there has been so little teaching that it doubtful how many know the gospel of Jesus Christ. The country is wide open, so let us PRAY for the Lord to send more labourers into this part of His harvest field.

Pastors Geoff Thomas (Aberystwyth, Wales) and William Emberley (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada) did all the teaching, on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. It was so much appreciated on all sides. At the finale the students presented the 2 with a framed picture of them with their teachers. Geoff & Bill were so impressed by the maturity and ability of the students, who kept up a barrage of questions day after day! I have started to mark the work from their previous studies in January on the Doctrine of Christ. There are the usual things that need strengthening – reading more, making use of the information in the reading to answer the questions, answering carefully my question and not copying from a book, explaining instead of just quoting Scriptures. The work load is great and they will struggle, but may they become men mighty in the Scriptures like Apollos.

35^th. Anniversary weekend

What a blessed time of worship, ministry and fellowship we had.

(1) Friday. At the Dine & Listen in the evening we had 85 diners, at least 30 being guests, and Geoff Thomas preached on ‘What is Christianity?’It is a Person, an interpretation and an experience.

(2) Saturday. This was a day for the current members of the church. Most of the members were present although a few had to work. We started with Geoff Thomas reminding us of the central theme of the Scriptures, Jesus Christ and His suffering – His physical, emotional, social and spiritual suffering. I then gave a power point presentation of the history of the church from the time I first came to Kenya in 1968 to 1993, 20 years ago, by which time we had occupied the present building. We met in my house for the first 11 years. 11 of us brethren have been members for more than 20 years. This was followed by some brethren giving thanks to God for the blessings they have received through the ministry of the church, and prayers of thanksgiving. After a delicious lunch prepared by the young adults, Geoff & Bill prepared us for saying a covenant together in which we repeated our commitment to fulfilling the 10 responsibilities of members as in our church constitution. We finished the day with the Lord’s Supper and a time of prayer.

(3) Sunday. So many of us spent the whole day together again, including non-members. Bill Emberley started the day in the Adult Sunday School with a presentation of the relationship between love and the truth, helpfully finishing with Philippians 1:9.

Geoff Thomas preached on ‘So Great Salvation’ because we have a Great Saviour, infinitely greater than prophets, angels, the Universe, equal with God, and amazingly compassionate.

The ladies of the church somehow made lovely food to feed around 100 people with left overs! The day together was completed with our afternoon service starting an hour earlier than usual and Bill Emberley preaching on Gal. 4:1-7.

Forthcoming

1. Trinity Baptist Church Leaders Conference in Nairobi April 3-4. We want to encourage the brethren as many labour alone, and we had to postpone the Association to later in the year, and we do not have a Pastors’ Conference this year.

2. Reformation Conference in Mumias (west Kenya) April 10-13. I shall be speaking 6 times on the Golden Chain in Romans 8:28-30.

3. Visit to UK & USA.

We hope to be seeing many of you soon. Please keep praying for us and the ministry here in Kenya. In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2013, No. 2

Posted on February 16, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

From 16^th. to 23^rd. January I had the privilege of teaching these 9 men ‘The Doctrine of Christ’. 6 of them were starting and what an encouraging group they are, very interactive. You might imagine what discussions there were on the subjects of Election and Definite Atonement. They talk much among themselves and are submissive to the Scriptures. PRAY the Lord will graciously raise up powerful preachers of the true Biblical gospel here in Kenya, our greatest need. Below are some details about each of the students.

Third Year

1. John Malala is a Pastor with Arise & Shine Church, Archer’s Post. He is ministering in a charismatic church and is struggling to grasp our doctrine.

Second Year

2. Dominic Ndung’u is an intern here at Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi.

3. Barnabas Olare is a Pastor with Gospel Missions Agency, Mombasa. He is brother to Elly Achok who finished the studies in Nairobi in 2012. God has given him a good understanding as he has had to wrestle with his background in the Word of Faith Movement. He has a teenage daughter with sickle-cell anaemia. He is ‘Chairman’ of the students!

First Year

4. Noah Ikari is an Elder with Gospel Missions Agency, Mumias. Having been introduced to the doctrines of grace by Pastor Elly Achok he is so eager to learn and has so many questions!

5. Vincent Kajuma is an intern here at Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi, and is developing ministry amongst University students.

6. John Mutangili is an Assistant Pastor at the Solidarity Rescue Children’s Home, Kasarani, Nairobi. A church is being planted centred on this Home so we requested John to come and be trained.

7. Erick Omenda helps the Pastor of Upendo Reformed Baptist Church, Oyani. He is probably our youngest student, from a church formerly tied with Trinity but now having its own registration with the government. We are so thankful there continues to be this fellowship between us as sadly rivalry has been developing.

8. Hezbon Oronje is the Pastor at the Baptist Church, Matayos. He really pleaded to come on the Course, having only completed Primary education. He is also going to find the amount of work required hard as he supports his family by hawking clothes at markets, as well as pastoring the church.

9. Peter Otieno is a mature member of the Shauri Moyo Baptist Church, Nairobi. He is a relative of one of our members, from an Arminian type Baptist Church. Studying Election and then the Atonement first time really challenged him.

Eric & Jedidah Omondi are the newest members of the church. Eric came to see that the Reformed Faith is the Biblical doctrine through investigating home schooling on the internet. Though very well qualified Jedidah wants above all to be a mother, a rare thing in town. They are involved with others in the church is serious discussion about starting a Christian School in our premises.

We postponed the Association meetings until later in the year because this coming week is when parents are searching for secondary schools for children who did their primary exam in December 2012 and about 8 of our leaders are involved. If you feel you can give some help towards such school fees it will be welcomed as costs for one child per year can be as high as $500/£300. A further reason is that a Deacon had died in one of the churches and a number are involved in his funeral (today).

I have also cancelled the safari to Pokot North due for next week. This is because I am still waiting to be granted my work permit which expires in the middle of the time I was due to be away. Also there is some unease about travelling just before the elections due on March 4^th. We are hoping there will not be a repeat of the awful clashes of 5 years ago when more than 1,000 people died and some are still internally displaced. A number of high profile figures were indicted by the ICC in The Hague, and 2 of them have been allowed to run for office and could well win the election.

The Meaty Forum on February 8^th. was of great encouragement. The 3 panellists, of which I was one, took up the theme of The Sovereignty of God. It was given to me to show how comforting a doctrine this is. There were 80 young adults present, and we talked and answered questions from the floor for 2 hours, with no break and no entertainment. We trust this is a sign that the Lord is doing something new in Nairobi and Kenya.

Thank you for your continued prayers. In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2013, No. 1 (24/1/13)

Posted on January 24, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

The New Year has started off differently:

§ Rain instead of the usual hot weather with clear blue skies

§ Very busy with a 10 day safari to north Kenya, and teaching PTC students

§ Many visitors to the services

Miathene

After preaching in our New Year’s Day service on Hebrew 13:8, I left with 2 of our young people for 10 days in north Kenya. Dominic has finished one year of the PTC. Jimmy is a fairly recent church member. We stopped for the night in Miathene (east of Mt. Kenya) with Paul Kianji, with whom I taught when I first came to Kenya in 1968! The church here has been in upheaval since one of the Pastors refused to accept his dismissal . We have been forced to go to court to seek to get him removed. The wheels of justice can go so slowly. I encouraged the other Pastors to re-gather the sheep and seek to meet in another place.

Rendille

(1) On 2^nd. January we drove up to Korr, one of the main centres for Rendille people. I was a bit apprehensive because Patrick Ochieng’, the trained missionary leader, has had to go because of serious failures. But we found the 20 or so faithful members and the 3 evangelist-leaders together.

[Joseph Ogom has just a few years’ education, so at least he is literate! Ruygon Nadesol and Godana Dabalen have no formal education. These are the ones leading the church. PRAY they may be faithful, especially in taking the gospel far and wide. Perhaps someone from outside can come to help them for a while until the Lord should be pleased to raise up more qualified leaders.]

We were encouraged by the 40 or so adults and young people who gathered for worship on Sunday morning. The place of meeting we call ‘the shade’ is behind Nadesol and Ogom. Further back is the permanent stone building that has stalled because of the problems. We also made some visits outside the town to the goobs that surround. Farakoren is more than 20 kms. west and we went with a young man named Gabriel who has just completed his Secondary Schooling. He is from a Catholic background but professes to be saved. He was in our High School Camp in Nairobi in December. We were able to preach the gospel to around 25 adults under a tree outside the goob. Afterwards as we drank delicious tea in Gabriel’s sister’s hut I asked her what she had learned from the preaching. It was encouraging to hear her say, ‘Everyone has sin and must change’. It was my opportunity to press on her that only the Lord can bring about that change. Before leaving some leaders requested that we bring a church so that there is regular preaching, and that we help them in supporting the Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher.

[This is the Nahgaan goob (village). We are standing outside the hut of Ali Leeba (2^nd. left). He professes to be a Christian but hardly ever comes to worship as he stays with his animals in the ‘foor’ = a temporary settlement as they move about looking for pasture for the animals.]

[Timo Galgatho (1^st. left) is inside her hut. She is a widow, baptized upon profession of faith in Christ. Widows do not remarry so can face hardships with children to care for. We asked her about the dried branches at the entrance to the hut which say she has participated in the ‘sooriyo’ tradition. She says she does not participate but the wazee (men leaders) force her. We have suggested that such believers come to the town at such times to be with other Christians.]

(2) On 7^th. January we drove the 30 kms. south to the Lekuchula goob at the foot of Mt. Bayo. Again I was not sure what I would find as there had been rumours that another church had sought to take over our Primary School. This proved to be quite unfounded as we met with Mario and the 2 faithful ladies here – Ntiito and Nduruba. They told us they meet for worship on Sunday with up to 20 present. One of the things we have to seek to do soon is to help both Ogom and Mario with simple materials to help them in their preaching.

[At the Lekuchula goob multitudes of animals – camels, cows, goats and sheep – leave early morning. We go under the tree outside the goob to have our devotions together.]

[

Dominic & Jimmy are with a ‘moran’ (young unmarried men who look after the animals). He slaughtered a goat for us to eat.]

(3) On 8^th. January
we drove another 25 kms. south-east across the now dry Malgis River. Raphael Bulkash is labouring to plant a church among the 4 goobs of Ndikir. We were pleasantly surprised that the Government has built one classroom here as the beginning of a Primary School, has sent a Headteacher, and has listed Trinity Baptist Church as the sponsor! Spiritually Raphael is finding it hard with no positive spiritual response. However, we were so encouraged when we visited more interior Losidan where we also sponsor a Primary School. The village leader is an illiterate man called Lepakio. When we arrived he went from hut to hut waking people up to come and hear the preaching, and even stopped men from playing their favourite board game. On arrival we received the sad news that a lady had died a few days before after giving birth. She was a third wife and it was her first child. This was the occasion to talk about death. Why do we die? How does Jesus Christ save us from death? We also had to pay attention to a boy who had fallen into a fire and had a severely burned back. As we later drank tea with Lepakio I remarked that it is hard for him to follow the message of the gospel for it is a straight and narrow way and demands leaving the old life. His reply was gripping. ‘Did you not see how I sought to bring everyone to hear the Word? That is how much I desire it for myself! I wish I am like Nadesol, although illiterate like me, yet able to tell others the word of God.’ We pray that the Gospel is beginning to take root in a place where there is total spiritual darkness.

2013

Please pray for wisdom and strength, and especially for the Lord to use the following ministries in the first few months of 2013, in addition to the normal weekly ministries.

(1) Pastoral Training Course (PTC) in January & March.

(2) Resumption of Meaty Forum, 2^nd. Friday of each month.

(3) AGM, 9^th. February.

(4) Reformed Baptist Association of Kenya (RBAK) meetings 15-18^th. February here in Nairobi.

(5) Ministry in Pokot North at the end of February.

(6) General elections on March 4^th. that we earnestly pray will end peacefully, not like 5 years ago.

(7) 35^th. Anniversary of beginning of Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi, 15-17^th. March, with Pastor Geoffrey Thomas as our guest.

(8) Reformation Conference in west Kenya (Mumias) 10-14^th. April at which hundreds are expected to attend!

We thank God for your continued fellowship, support and prayers.

In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2013, No. 1

Posted on January 24, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren

The New Year has started off differently:

Rain instead of the usual hot weather with clear blue skies
Very busy with a 10 day safari to north Kenya, and teaching PTC students
Many visitors to the services

Miathene

Rendille

Joseph Ogom has just a few years’ education, so at least he is literate! Ruygon Nadesol and Godana Dabalen have no formal education. These are the ones leading the church. PRAY they may be faithful, especially in taking the gospel far and wide. Perhaps someone from outside can come to help them for a while until the Lord should be pleased to raise up more qualified leaders.

This is the Nahgaan goob (village). We are standing outside the hut of Ali Leeba (2^nd. left). He professes to be a Christian but hardly ever comes to worship as he stays with his animals in the ‘foor’ = a temporary settlement as they move about looking for pasture for the animals.

Timo Galgatho (1^st. left) is inside her hut. She is a widow, baptized upon profession of faith in Christ. Widows do not remarry so can face hardships with children to care for. We asked her about the dried branches at the entrance to the hut which say she has participated in the ‘sooriyo’ tradition. She says she does not participate but the wazee (men leaders) force her. We have suggested that such believers come to the town at such times to be with other Christians.

At the Lekuchula goob multitudes of animals – camels, cows, goats and sheep – leave early morning. We go under the tree outside the goob to have our devotions together.

Dominic & Jimmy are with a ‘moran’ (young unmarried men who look after the animals). He slaughtered a goat for us to eat.

(3) On 8^th. January we drove another 25 kms. south-east across the now dry Malgis River. Raphael Bulkash is labouring to plant a church among the 4 goobs of Ndikir. We were pleasantly surprised that the Government has built one classroom here as the beginning of a Primary School, has sent a Headteacher, and has listed Trinity Baptist Church as the sponsor! Spiritually Raphael is finding it hard with no positive spiritual response. However, we were so encouraged when we visited more interior Losidan where we also sponsor a Primary School. The village leader is an illiterate man called Lepakio. When we arrived he went from hut to hut waking people up to come and hear the preaching, and even stopped men from playing their favourite board game. On arrival we received the sad news that a lady had died a few days before after giving birth. She was a third wife and it was her first child. This was the occasion to talk about death. Why do we die? How does Jesus Christ save us from death? We also had to pay attention to a boy who had fallen into a fire and had a severely burned back. As we later drank tea with Lepakio I remarked that it is hard for him to follow the message of the gospel for it is a straight and narrow way and demands leaving the old life. His reply was gripping. ‘Did you not see how I sought to bring everyone to hear the Word? That is how much I desire it for myself! I wish I am like Nadesol, although illiterate like me, yet able to tell others the word of God.’ We pray that the Gospel is beginning to take root in a place where there is total spiritual darkness.

2013

Please pray for wisdom and strength, and especially for the Lord to use the following ministries in the first few months of 2013, in addition to the normal weekly ministries.

Pastoral Training Course (PTC) in January & March.
Resumption of Meaty Forum, 2^nd. Friday of each month.
AGM, 9^th. February.
Reformed Baptist Association of Kenya (RBAK) meetings 15-18^th. February here in Nairobi.
Ministry in Pokot North at the end of February.
General elections on March 4^th. that we earnestly pray will end peacefully, not like 5 years ago.
35^th. Anniversary of beginning of Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi, 15-17^th. March, with Pastor Geoffrey Thomas as our guest.
Reformation Conference in west Kenya (Mumias) 10-14^th. April at which hundreds are expected to attend!

We thank God for your continued fellowship, support and prayers.

In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

2012, No.17 (31/12/12)

Posted on January 15, 2013 by kunderhill

Dear Brethren,

First, we give thanks to our God for sustaining us through another year. The Church in Nairobi has grown and remains united. The ministry is well received with sermons digitally recorded and published for the website, as well as videoed. We have 2 men serving as ‘Interns’ with a view to ministry. There have been monthly meetings called ‘Meaty Forum’ where up to 100 young adults have gathered each time to listen to a panel on various relevant subjects, the last being on The Centrality of Christ. The Pastoral Theological Course (PTC) has continued with 4 completing their 3 years of study, and 4 more so far accepted to start.

Second, we give thanks to you brethren in the Lord who read this for your fellowship expressed in messages, prayers and giving. The following ministries remain almost totally dependent upon you:

The ministry in Pokot North, where there are 5 trained leaders, 2 of them Kenyan missionaries,
12 churches with a total of about 200 baptized members, 10 primary schools, and 1 secondary school that we sponsor.
The ministry in Rendille, where there have been 2 trained leaders (I reported about the resignation of one of them in No. 16) and 3 evangelists. There is one established church, and 2 church plants amongst a people who are largely unreached with the gospel. We run 7 nursery schools and sponsor 2 primary schools.
The PTC of about 7 students who come to Nairobi 6 times in the year for 8 days of teaching.
Providing school fees for secondary school for needy children, especially those of our church leaders in different parts of the country.

High School Camp from 6^th to 12^th

December we hosted more than 40 High School students, double the number we had anticipated. It was organized by our 2 Interns who dealt with 8 of the studies on ‘Our Distinctive Doctrines’. We designed this Camp especially for the children of our church leaders in various parts of the country, and they came from every direction. We do not want them to feel isolated but to have meaningful contact with young people from other likeminded churches. A number of parents reported that their children had been greatly impacted by the truth taught.

Elders & Deacons

On 28^th December we had our very first day-long retreat for the Officers of Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi. The main reason for calling it is because we 2 Elders feel overburdened and we wanted to put before our brethren the Deacons the need to take off our shoulders as much as possible that is not included under ‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’. There are so many opportunities before us beginning with the densely populated area around where the church building is located. There are more than 30 other churches that are in close fellowship with us, operating under our Government registration certificate. There is the monthly Meaty Forum and opportunities developing amongst University students. We have a 28 page magazine called Grace & Truth that we aim to publish 4 times a year. There is the possibility of a radio station and even a digital TV station. Then there are opportunities in South Sudan and Ethiopia. PRAY with us that the Lord will raise up labourers for His harvest field.

Rendille

I shall be on safari away from Nairobi for the first 10 days of the New Year, God willing. Two young men will accompany me, Dominic one of the Interns, and Jimmy a new member. Please PRAY for me as I shall need great wisdom and stamina.

(1) Our first stop will be Miathene where the dismissed former pastor has refused to step down but it seems he is now willing to talk with me.

(2) On Wednesday 2nd. we head to Korr where our Kenyan missionary has recently had to resign. 7 young people from Korr were at the Camp and I look for much encouragement from some of these who are believers in the Lord. There are 2 active evangelists, one who has just 5 years of schooling and the other none. There are more than 30 church members whom we shall seek to encourage in the Lord.

(3) Before heading back to Nairobi on 10^th we shall spend a few days with our Rendille missionary Raphael Bulkash in Ndigir where he is seeking to plant a church.

Leave mid-April to mid-August 2013 God willing, we plan the following basic schedule:

Mid April Leave Nairobi for Liverpool, UK.

April 23rd Leave Liverpool for Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

April 26th to 28^th Missions Conference in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA.

May in Lorain, Ohio with Jonathan and family.

End of May return to UK.

June through mid-August with children Deborah and Matthew in Liverpool, and visiting interested brethren and churches.

Mid-August return to Nairobi, Kenya.

We hope we will have the opportunity to see many of you.

In Christ’s service,

Keith & Priscilla Underhill

Trinity Baptist Church

Welcome to Trinity Baptist Church, Nairobi and associated churches in Kenya

Category Archives: Keith’s Updates

2013, No. 8 (30/8/13)

2013, No. 7 (24/7/13)

2013, No. 6 (28/6/13)

The Pastoral Theological Course

The Men’s Breakfast

2013, No. 5 (5/6/13)

2013, No. 4 (22/4/13)

2013, No. 3 (22/03/13)

2013, No. 2

2013, No. 1 (24/1/13)

2013, No. 1

2012, No.17 (31/12/12)