My Visit to the Central Kenyan Conference

At the conclusion of the revival meetings at Satellite Newlife Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nairobi, I was invited to visit the headquarters of the Central Kenya Conference to meet with the conference leadership and lead the Monday morning devotional worship service for the officers, departmental directors, and office staff. Following the devotional, we enjoyed breakfast together before sitting down for a time of fellowship and discussion with Executive Secretary Pastor Paul Ogayo Owuor, Chief Financial Officer Lydia Wanjiku Gad, and Evangelism Director Pastor Peter Nyaga. The Conference President, Pastor Geoffrey Kamau Wanyoike, was unable to attend, as he was out of the country speaking at a camp meeting in Tanzania.

For the morning worship, I was expecting a small boardroom setting where I would simply share a few thoughts in an informal atmosphere. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I was directed to the front of the room, where a table had been arranged like a pulpit, and told that I had twenty-five minutes to speak. I must confess that I failed miserably at giving only a devotional. Before long, I had gradually shifted into full revival-and-reformation mode. But I suppose that’s what happens when you put a preacher behind a pulpit. Preachers are going to do what preachers are called to do.

My message was based on Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of peace and proclaim good news of good things!” I began by saying that it is God, through His Holy Spirit, who leads people to Jesus. And although we know He is the One who does it, He uses people; He uses people to preach the gospel. I told them that, in my case, He used someone to teach me and sow the seeds of the gospel in my heart. And I will NEVER forget that person. I told them I would always hold that person in high regard, because they cared enough to be the instrument God chose to use to bring me to Jesus Christ.

I reminded the officers of the Central Kenya Conference that God desires to use each one of them. He wants to use their testimonies, their acts of charity, their deeds of kindness, and their willingness to spend time with people who have lost hope. Whether sitting beside an inmate in a prison, visiting a patient in a hospital, encouraging someone who is having a difficult day, or comforting a person in the midst of a life crisis, God can use those simple moments to change a life forever.

I also warned that ministry is not a career opportunity or a stepping stone up a corporate ladder, where the primary concern is what we can gain or how far we can advance. Ministry is a sacred calling—a divine trust that comes with hardship, sacrifice, rejection, loneliness, and opposition for remaining faithful to Christ and His truth in the work of winning souls.

I then read Paul’s testimony of suffering for the truth in 2 Corinthians 11:24–27 and challenged those present with some simple questions: Will you continue to serve Christ faithfully, even when the world pressures you to compromise? Will you remain faithful in God’s service, even at the cost of your peace and comfort? Is it still worth serving Christ when you are misunderstood, opposed, rejected, or even hated for His name’s sake?

My answer was an unequivocal yes. It is absolutely worth it, because that is where Jesus is. He has always been found alongside those who faithfully bear the cross for His sake. If suffering comes as the price of faithfulness to Christ and the salvation of souls, there is no greater privilege than to walk where our Savior walked.

I closed by encouraging the leaders of the Central Kenya Conference that if they are ever tempted to quit for any reason, they should remember that Jesus never quit on us. Jesus did not give up because of the ridicule, the hardship, the mockery, the rejection, or the suffering He endured. I reminded them, “Jesus did not allow anything to keep Him from going to the cross for you.” Because He remained faithful to the very end, we have the hope of salvation today. My appeal was simple: may we never give up on Him but stand faithfully for His truth and the sacred calling of leading souls into His kingdom.

After the morning devotion and breakfast, Executive Secretary Pastor Paul Ogayo Owuor invited me into his office along with Chief Financial Officer Lydia Wanjiku Gad and Evangelism Director Pastor Peter Nyaga. We sat down and spoke about the aftermath of the revival campaign. Pastor Owuor said that they were very happy with the revival event and thanked me for coming to Africa and sharing God’s word.

Pastor Nyaga expressed his gratitude for the prison ministry, saying he was deeply encouraged to learn that I had visited the inmates, ministered to them, and brought practical gifts to meet their needs. He noted that these simple acts of kindness—providing items such as tissue paper, toothpaste, and soap—not only touched the hearts of the prisoners but also made a profound impression on the prison administration. As a result, he continued, we were granted an unprecedented level of access to minister within the facility and share the love of Christ. Pastor Nyaga went on to say that this is Christ’s method of evangelism—combining the proclamation of the gospel with compassionate acts of service. He explained that this is precisely the model of ministry the Central Kenya Conference desires to implement throughout its territory.

We spent considerable time discussing our personal ministry experiences, the blessings God has given in reaching difficult and often overlooked communities, and various evangelistic approaches. Much of our conversation centered on digital evangelism and the strategies I had used to promote the revival meetings, which resulted in people traveling from great distances to attend. Then, to my surprise, Evangelism Director Pastor Peter Nyaga, in the presence of the other conference officers, extended an invitation for me to serve as an “Ambassador for Evangelism” for the Central Kenya Conference. The title is simply a symbolic expression for advancing evangelistic initiatives throughout Kenya for the glory of God. My answer to him was simply: “How do you say ‘absolutely’ in Swahili?”—which is their national cultural language. He said, “Kabisa.” I replied, “Well, there’s your answer: kabisa.”

The greatest highlight of my visit was something Executive Secretary Pastor Paul Ogayo Owuor said during our conversation. He told me that he—and by extension the Central Kenya Conference—desires to work with anyone who is genuinely serious about evangelism and committed to advancing the Three Angels’ Messages. He said this to me after I had preached seven messages on present truth—timely biblical messages of special relevance to God’s people today, calling them to prepare for the final crisis and the soon return of Jesus Christ.

But it is not only preaching that matters. It must be demonstrated through personal human engagement—taking time to sit with people, listen to them, pray with them, and encourage them. Whether with prisoners, church members, visitors, or conference leaders, the goal must be the same: to reflect the love of Christ while faithfully proclaiming His truth—this is Christ’s method.

When Christ and the everlasting gospel of Revelation 14:6–12 are the foundation, we will be able to come together to do something monumental and groundbreaking! I praise God for the doors he continues to open and pray that these efforts will bear lasting fruit for His kingdom and help hasten the soon return of Jesus Christ.

“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from Heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given … Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.” (Great Controversy, p. 612).

Note: In my next article, I will share about my meeting with the Union President in his office, followed by my participation in a Digital Evangelism Committee meeting, where I was invited to present practical strategies for using digital media to advance the gospel and discuss their implementation with the Union President and his officers.