JIM HARRIES' WORK

I am based in Kenya, near Kisumu. I work with pastoral work, teaching and relationship building with many churches in the vicinity of Yala. Almost all of this work is carried out using the Luo and Swahili languages. Much of it is with indigenous churches who have been founded by and are led by African people. These include Roho, Singruok Tek, Roho Msalaba, African Israel Nineveh, Legio Maria, Zion Harvest Mission, Fweny, Wuoth e Chieng and many others. My activities include regular visits to these churches. My office is currently located at The Coptic Orthodox Church compound which is located just off the Kisumu to Busia road, half way between Luanda and Maseno.

The support and encouragement of many Christians in the UK, Germany and the USA help to make this work possible. These include Andover Baptist Church, New Farm Chapel (Alresford), Wantage Baptist Church, Norwich Central Baptist Church (Norwich), Acomb Baptist Church (York), Freie Bibel Gemeinde, Worpswede (Germany), Freie Christliche Gemeinde Osterholz (Germany) and Bruder-Gemeinde Osterholz Scharmbeck (Germany). I am very grateful to all these people and many others for their encouragement in this ministry.

In addition to the above, I am the chairman of the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission. I am adjunct faculty at William Carey International University. I am Professor of Religion at Global University. I am engaged in writing and research in the areas of mission and development in Africa, especially in relation to linguistic and philosophical implications and requirements of the above. I have been a visiting lecturer at many universities and seminaries in the USA, UK and Germany.

I am grateful to those people who have agreed to form a council of reference with respect to the ministry that I am doing. This is a group of people, based in UK and USA, who I am keeping closely informed about concerns regarding my field ministry, relationships, and personal issues that I meet on the field. These people, from a variety of fields, support the aims of the mission I am engaged in, reflect the same ethos, and are prepared to give occasional advice.