NEWS END OF MAY 2013

Dear friends,

On Wednesday 22nd May a local pastor, another colleague and I visited a man who has just been released from prison on bail. He had been "inside" for 1 ½ years. Rejoice with us that the man accepted Christ. Pray for numerous other visits that I have made and make regularly.

19th June 2013 I am to give a Maarifa Lecture at Kima International School of Theology. Maarifa (wisdom in Swahili) Lectures are presented about 6 times annually. They are attended by all students and staff. Pray for me as I prepare and then present this lecture. My proposed title is "Biblical Holiness in African Perspective".

"In my life I have often prayed that I get HIV", said the orthodox bishop. He said the same thing again. "Those people are suffering", he added. "Yes, we can help them and cater for them, but we can never know what they feel like", he added. I remain impressed by what I experience here at the Coptic Orthodox Church Compound where I have my office.

See here for details about the Faith Reliance Symposium arranged by Trans World Radio to be held in the USA on 8th to 10th October, at which I am to be one of the speakers.

Give thanks that preparations for the UK conference on vulnerable mission to be held 14th to 16th November in Norwich are already going very well. 16 people have shown interest in presenting papers. To reserve your place early to take advantage of price-discounts download a brochure here. And write to Tim.

Glossy Magazine in Kenya . . . I looked at a glossy magazine. It is produced in Kenya. There are a lot of pictures of people in it. I noticed that all the people in the pictures have Kenyan faces. No Whites, Chinese, Indians, etc. I reflected – that in the UK these days people try hard always to include a few "foreign" faces in pictures. It seems this doesn’t happen in Kenya. No White faces at all! I wondered why? Then I thought – that if they put a White face in there it would look either like the White person is actually in charge, or at least as if they were paying for what was going on. Hence White faces have to be kept out. The opposite of in the UK!

Kima International School of Theology has just signed an agreement with the African International University formerly Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, to come into a partnership relationship. The official signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with African International University took place on the Kima International School of Theology campus. Kima International School of Theology is now officially an Affiliate College with African International University in the offering of the Bachelor of Theology (BTh) program.

My latest book, entitled Communication in Mission and Development, is now available here.

Best wishes,

Jim