as reported in Grapevine magazine

reconciliation and refocusing. When that happens, then start to rebuild the broken walls within the community.”

God had placed a specific date on her heart to begin this process. It was a Saturday and ECC, unusually, was free from any prior bookings on that day. Five hundred Kenyans, not counting the youth and children, turned up on that Saturday, including the Kenyan High Commissioner, and the work among the Kenyans in the UK had begun.

That first meeting opened the door to many other meetings and invitations to hold similar gatherings all over the UK. As ‘Community Rebuild’ began from that time, it spread quickly around the country with the hitherto dispirited Kenyan community coming together as the organisation focused on its four pillars: spiritual, social, economic and political (but, importantly, non-partisan). They also had invitations by the Kenyan Diaspora outside the UK to hold similar events in Israel, Sweden, Germany, the USA and Ireland.

Doors have since opened for them, with invitations to the House of Commons to discuss ethnic issues; the Royal African Society, to discuss the role of spiritual organisations in developing countries, and from the President of Kenya and the Kenyan government, to help draw up a mental health policy for their country and for help regarding special needs children in Kenya. Today, the reach and godly influence has grown to extend into all manner of areas of society.

ECC Business Network takes off

In February 2014, our Issue 66 covered the launch of ECC’s Business Network, brought into being by Trevor Hyman, with his extensive experience as an international businessman. This combined both the practical and the spiritual, explaining the concept that the spiritual leaders in the church (‘priests’) provide the vision, and the business people (‘kings’) are gifted by God so they can support the work of the Kingdom financially. Tens of thousands of pounds have been raised for the church building fund through their efforts.

New local churches planted

More local church planting was first covered in our December 2013 (Issue 65), as the ECC church in Feltham commenced and in the following year another new ECC church plant in Hillingdon by Pastor Ruth Trbojevic featured in our Issue 71. In addition, in 2018 our sister Elim church in Perivale, Petra, was adopted as a daughter church. Started by Pastor John Starr, who had worked parttime in ECC for many years as he ran the Petra church, it has always been in close fellowship with ECC. And, following his retirement and moving away, it became fully adopted by ECC, first with Pastor Mark King overseeing it, and now our Pastor Tom Ibrahim is pastoring the congregation.

More missionaries commissioned to Nigeria and the Philippines

Yet another overseas missions ministry was launched in 2017, and highlighted in the Issue 89. This time, one of ECC’s elders and his wife felt the call to plant ‘Aanu’, the Yoruba word for ‘mercy and compassion’. So Akin and Toro Osuntoki were sent to Nigeria to launch this ministry to the neglected poor and elderly, reaching out with the love of Christ through practical help and spiritual fellowship.

At the same time, Georgina King responded to God’s call to go out as a full-time missionary to Cebu, to work alongside Pastora Jen Peñas, the pastor and overseer of the churches there, with a vision to pioneer a youth church. No stranger to the country where she had lived earlier with her missionary parents, this would lead to her meeting her life partner, who is also in full-time pastoral ministry there, and they will be celebrating their marriage shortly at the end of this year.

These extracts from the last 99 issues of Grapevine form only a snapshot of some of the amazing works of God in our midst, because there are far too many to recount. We thank God for the leading of His Holy Spirit on so many of the folks who have felt called to make ECC their spiritual home and base for service for the Lord. And we also look forward in faith and excitement for the many more things He will do, knowing that, with God, all things are possible.

Richard Buxton Senior Minister