East Africa

Charles Juma became the first full-time youth pastor in Nairobi, Kenya over twelve years ago. Charles and Barry met over a bag lunch when Barry spoke at a youth leader's conference. Charles has led an increasingly influential youth ministry throughout Kenya and Tanzania. While studying for a master's degree, he has traveled back to Kenya and Tanzania during January and in the summer. Since meeting Barry, Charles has gone through the Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry training. Now he represents Reach Out in Kenya and Tanzania. Recently he completed the first Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry Forum with fifteen hand-selected youth leaders from Kenya.

The Need:

In Kenya and Tanzania 75% of the population is under age 25. Many young people have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS. Among this age group secular values manifest themselves in sexual promiscuity, heavy drinking, pornography and drugs. Teenagers are open to spirituality but are turning to alternative spiritualities such as the occult, animism, Islam and eastern religions. Yet teenagers are receptive to the Gospel. Youth leaders can go into the schools to speak about Jesus. However, youth workers lack the training needed to work with teenagers. Not only are opportunities in the schools being missed, but also, because youth ministry is new, most churches do not know where to begin. The well-being of the church and society itself depends on reaching the younger generation for Christ and discipling them in Christ.

The Ministry:

The situation is ripe to reach the younger generation. Charles told about how he spoke in very rural Kisumu to 43,000 students and 12,340 responded to Christ as Savior and Lord. Over the last two years, through Charles Juma, we have introduced fifteen key youth leaders from eight regions of Kenya to Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry. Those fifteen leaders are implementing Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry in their churches now. Charles summarized the impact of the JFYM Forum:

Having been in youth ministry for close to 20 years and conducting hundreds of training opportunities for youth leaders over those years, I must say that the East Africa JFYM Forum in Nairobi was the best one I have ever conducted. Fifteen youth leaders from all of the eight provinces of Kenya were in attendance. I have never seen a group of men and women so hungry to be equipped for youth work like this one, and the benefit of the JFYM Forum on their lives was immediate and evident. They confessed that there needed to be a transformation in youth work and that it needed to begin and flow from them as leaders. They saw their need to come back to the basics of youth work, which is JESUS BEING THE MAIN FOCUS.

In 2007 Charles conducted the follow-up with the fifteen youth leaders who attended the previous JFYM Forum in Kenya and certified them as Eagle Leaders. A JFYM Forum was held for thirty youth leaders utilizing the fifteen new Eagle Leaders as large and small group leaders. Now those Eagle Leaders are offering the JFYM Forums in eight regions where they live, each one being led by a team of Kenyan Eagle Leaders.

In 2007 Charles also introduced JFYM in four Tanzanian cities: Mwanza, Dodoma, Shinyanga, and Arusha. He translated and printed Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry in Swahili.

Representing all of the Forum attendees, three expressed the value of the Forum:

This is exactly what has been missing in my youth work - the need to build my youth ministry on Christ and His Word and not merely on programs. I see the need for training other youth leaders to have a Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry as well. I am going back a changed man after this Forum.

This forum has meant so much to me not only because it has transformed the way I think about my ministry but also because it has transformed the way I see and live my Christian Life.


My personal walk with Christ is changed, and the way I do my ministry is changed forever. I have a strong desire now to invest in teenagers and to equip other leaders for the work of ministry. I also want to remind myself that it is all about Christ and not me.

Note: The fifteen key Kenyan youth leaders are: Joseph Chiteri, Nashon Kazungu, Sylvester Onyango, Beatrice Kafedha, Fred Abok, Jane Mwango, Hammre Odhiambo, Isaac Okoth, Allan Ochieng, Steven Kazungu, George Karanja, Mickey Okeyo, Sammy Njau, Judith Osaka and Peninah Nduge.

 

The Plan:

In summer 2008 and 2009 Charles and our team will:

• Co-lead three JFYM Forums in three regions of Kenya, plus the first one ever in Tanzania.
• Certify new Eagle Leaders who have implemented JFYM in their churches.
• Equip youth leaders from Uganda and Rwanda who will attend these Forums so that next year we can conduct training in their countries.
• Continue in 2009 to expand training in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda and will certify youth leaders in each of those countries.
• Translate and produce more resources in Swahili.
  

The Resources:

In Kenya the people speak English, so we use our English resources there. In Tanzania, we will translate and print Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry and all of the supplemental resources into Swahili.