Pastors speak up

While it is easy to see the visible results of CARE for AIDS in the lives of individual clients, it is sometimes more difficult to judge the impact that CFA is having within the churches that we partner with. This week we held an appreciation lunch for senior pastors of the five churches we partner with in the Limuru area, and I was blown away by the enthusiasm they exhibited toward the partnership with CARE for AIDS. Before the meeting, I was a little worried that there would be a competitive or complaining atmosphere, but everything we heard was positive, and the pastors all joined in on a very productive discussion, advising each other and sharing stories of things they have learned through working with CFA. I wanted to share a few quotes with you from the meeting that really demonstrate the effect that CARE for AIDS is having on each of these Kenyan churches...


"Since we joined hands together with CFA, our church has experienced so many blessings."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church

"I have witnessed so many people coming to faith through this ministry."
--Pastor Samuel, Koinonia Baptist Church

"This has created a spirit of openness and listening in the congregation...there is a unity and oneness within the group."
--Pastor Linus, Imani Baptist Church

"We had a lot of people who had totally lost hope...they were rejected by the church, rejected by relatives, rejected by the community. When they came, they knew they had found the right place, and now we can celebrate seeing them healthy today."
--Pastor Samuel, Koinonia Baptist Church

"Due to the way they have been empowered by this program, they have hope, they have self-esteem...they are living positively, they have started small businesses, they are saving."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church

"We hear people in the community saying, 'These people are not just preaching, they minister to the whole person.' It is a very positive thing."
--Pastor Michael, Deliverance Church Gachie

"This has given me exposure on how I can deal with these people - it has really helped me personally as a pastor to them."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church

"People who were so weak, now they are strong."
--Pastor Linus, Imani Baptist Church


Praise God for the way that he is using this ministry to build churches that understand how to love and serve people living with HIV/AIDS. In a society where so many churches have turned their backs on these people, it is comforting to know that in each one of these communities, a church has risen up with a reputation for boldly welcoming and loving people who truly need it!