end-month news July 2024

End-month news July 2024 jimoharries@gmail.com

Dear Friends,

A convent at Maseno. This image illustrates the intended final appearance of a new building being constructed here on the Coptic Orthodox compound in Maseno, Kenya. Builders are working incredibly hard, often late into the night. To my understanding, The building is intended to host Coptic sisters, and orphan girls.

Click below to see Jim Harries preaching using Swahili at an indigenous church near his home in Kenya, on Sunday 14th July 2024:

Prison Ministry, and Egyptian visitors

Give thanks that I could, in a very small way, share in prison ministry here in Kenya, on 19th July 2024. I joined around 40 visitors from California, to spend time at our local maximum security prison. Hundreds of men sat before us, as the visitors performed dramas, and as we sung praises to God. One of the visitors preached a message. We then handed out some flip-flops and underclothing for the men, donated by the Americans. It is sobering to see the life lived by over 2000 prisoners, many apparently on long sentences, or even on death row. Give thanks for this group of visitors, and pray for other groups of various sizes that are to be coming to stay here, usually for about a week, up to the end of August.

Visit to Cape Town, South Africa

Please continue to pray for my anticipated South Africa visit. I find South African whites, for obvious reasons, to be generally much better informed on ways of life of indigenous African people, than whites living in Europe. This gives me some cause for optimism regarding my visit.

27th August, I am to present at paper at the University of Western Cape. I intend to use this opportunity to demonstrate the importance of use of African languages in Christian ministry on the continent. 28th to 30th August is to be the IAMS (International Association of Mission Studies) conference held in Cape Town, at which myself and my colleague in the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission Marcus Grohmann are to present. 3rd Septemer is the date for my cataract operation (please pray that my health insurance will cover this!) On the 11th of September I am to present a paper on envy and witchcraft at the Univesity of Cape Town. The date for my return to Kenya remains open, but probably 12th September.

ARC

I have recently repeatedly come across a global-wide but Western focused initiative called ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship). They see to be producing a lot of good stuff, including this introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-rYE_wsSIQ (I appreciate that they are not overtly Christian. I guess ‘religion’ has become such a sensitive issue today, that to identify such is to risk being pigeon holed. They are ‘virtually’ Christian, and I know discussing this issue much.) I am looking for opportunities to connect more profoundly with them as a platform through which to promote vulnerable mission.

Please pray also for …

Please pray for one of my children, now a woman around 38 years old, who recently suffered a broken leg after another motorbike ran into the her as she was being carried by a motorbike taxi.
Please pray for the work of the AVM (Alliance for Vulnerable Mission). Our research coordinator Marcus Grohmann is to present a webinar on 22nd September – details here: https://mailchi.mp/9f00064181b2/colonial-mother-city-being-black-in-cape-town-lets-talk-about-adoption-diversity-and-church-planting-13562052?e=50b5b9eafd It is always a privilege to be able to share about the need for vulnerability (weakness, humility and so on) in Christian mission.
Pray for Kenya as disruptive anti-government protests, largely initiated by youth, continue sporadically around the country.

Jim