Parkie News - Q1/2016

Parkie News Quarterly Newsletter of Parklands Baptist Church

in this issue >>> 

His Glorious Presence

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Loongeiwuan Baptist School

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Anointed!

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Camping Season is Over

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Meet Liz!

January – March 2016

His Glorious Presence Theme Vision 2016

“You crown the year with your bounty, you crown 2016 with your bounty and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness, the meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain. They shout for joy and they sing. May your year be full of joy and singing.”

On Sunday 3

now reading >>>

Issue 1/ 2016

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January 2016 the church was full to the brim and there was much excitement.

The congregation was expectant as they waited for the Word from the Lord.

down, shaken together and running over in 2016.

It‘s a good year, it’s a glorious year.

H

e then he spoke on The Glorious Presence (he has given us his crown of glory), “God cares about od has chosen you to see 2016 Ladies and you. God cares about every month of this year concerning you. You have a crown on your “…blessed are those You choose…”

Gentlemen, the head, a crown of glory and a crown of declared Rev. Ambrose as he stepped forward to share the vision. “This is the year 2016 is the honor.

Glorious things are going to happen in this year of 8 and 8…Jesus and the Holy Spirit. year of the country.

God has something new for you 8 and 8…the presence visible, the Lords Glorious this year.” presence invisible. But this presence is

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Presence! not just a presence, it’s the Glorious oncluding with The Glorious Transformation Presence of God! And therefore Ladies and (he has crowned us with power) Rev. Ambrose Gentlemen, the year 2016 is the Year of the Lord’s proclaimed “May God come your way. You’re Glorious Presence!” going to be moving from one degree of glory to another, one day at a time, one week at a time, haring on The Glorious Season (he has one month at a time. May you walk with the crowned us with bounty), Rev. Ambrose glorious presence.” announced “2016 is a glorious season. This is your

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visit the bookshop and get your copy today

season in Jesus name! God is going to crown this season with bounty. May the Lord “finya” his blessings on you. Let bounty rest on you…pressed

The Lord will walk with you in Jesus name.

To engage fully with the 2016 Theme Vision, get yourself a copy from the bookshop today.

setting the stage >>>

Loongeiwuan Baptist High School

Opening Loongeiwuan Baptist High School

Loongeiwuan Baptist High school

“One of the other ways you can engage is to visit the mission station or even adopt one of the students and just support them through this education experience. This is an opportunity for us to engage and bring a wholistic transformation to this community.”

Rev. Simon dedicating the Loongeiwuan Baptist High school

On the 20 of February 2016 we had the dedication of Loongeiwuan Baptist High School. We thank God because we have come from far.

Parkie was in attendance. We had members of the congregation and also members from the Boards and committees. Thank you for coming for the occasion. Amongst the guest were the Baringo Governor and his wife together with Rev. Simon Mwangi, some local leaders, the MPs the MCAs and even county reps.

Loongeiwuan Baptist High School is a ministry of Parklands Baptist to the Ilchamus people. One of the objectives that we had when we went there was to raise the literacy levels th

in Ilchamus. There is a great dropout rate from nursery into primary then people don’t go on and that’s why we decided to do the Loongeiwuan Baptist High School. When we opened, we saw ladies telling their husbands, “sasa mjipange…mimi naenda seco!” Praise the Lord! What joy because we’re raising the literacy of the community as a whole.

We are starting with one classroom but we hope to do seven more in order to have a total of eight classrooms. We hope to do the administration block, the laboratories, the field, and we still need your help. We need you to participate in one way or another. We invite you to be part of this mission. Contact us today at the Missions Office.

May God bless you and continue to bless you as you support us in Ilchamus.

ministry updates >>>

Anointed!

In His Glorious Presence “I want to introduce the Holy Spirit…and when He comes, He will do amazing things. So come with your cup ready to be filled. Some of you need the cup of your healing to be filled.

Some of you need a breakthrough. Some of you need a situation broken apart so that God can come through. Some of you just need a new walk with God. Just open your heart.”

Sunday school class in session

On Saturday 23rd January 2016 the

Sunday School Sunday School re-opened on 17th January 2016. Children from 2 years of age right through to 14 years are back to their classes learning the Word of God and what He has in store for them in this year. Parents are encouraged to register the children each Sunday and ensure that they pick them up after service. The Children’s Ministry has endeavoured to provide a warm and safe learning environment for each child. If you would like to be a part of this program and help out with its running, please contact us at the Children’s Ministry Office within the Solomon’s Facility. www.parklandsbaptist.org/childrens-ministry If you would like to share your story, or to give a ministry/department update, come visit the Media office.

Anointing Service was held in the main sanctuary at 2:00pm. Hosted by the Women’s Ministry this years’ service was based on the theme “The Glorious Vision; His Anointed Presence.”

The ministry’s patron Mrs. Martha Nyangao while welcoming the Senior Pastor declared that this is a year that the Holy Spirit will be revealing what we least expect Him to. She prayed that may our hearts begin to burn, may something in us become alive, may the stirring of the Holy Spirit begin to move in this Church.

Rev. Ambrose shared on the Promise; Purpose; Power; and Production declaring that “2016 the Lord will go with you! He will give you rest from all kinds of challenges and situations you are facing.

He’ll give you peace that passes all understanding. He will fight the battles for you. ‘My presence will go with you.’” That is God’s promise!

God is about to touch you, God is about to touch your children, God is about to

touch your job, God is about to touch the work of your hands, God is going to stretch forth His hands and touch you.

At the beginning of the year we want to start with God. Moses said “Lord, unless you go with me I will not go.” And then God said “My presence will be with you.”

From today onwards you will be called oaks of righteousness!

Put on your crown of beauty!

Camping Season is Over …or is it?

Every end of the year, after schools close, the hustle and the bustle begins.

There is an increased amount of movement amongst our youth as they register, attend orientation and pack. Their eagerness to leave reminds parents that “Yes, it’s that time again”. It’s camp season time! th

It starts in November every year and does not stop until February of the subsequent year.

What is it? It’s the camping season at Parkie.

Every year the Youth Ministry leads different teams out into camp sites and uses that time to impart precious lessons on the Word of God to them. It is usually a very exciting season and many life-long decisions and friendships are made during this time.

Activities include bible study, real talk, speaker sessions, worship, teambuilding activities, hikes, theme nights and more.

The first camp for 2015 was for the ROPES and MAUA programs whose target was the standard eight leavers. This is a transition program where the main focus is introducing the campers to teen life and the expectations therein. The camp for both ROPES and MAUA was held in Ruiru in November 2015.

The second camp was the Children’s Camp which targeted the 10-14 year olds within the Children’s Ministry. It was held at the

Pembroke House School in Gilgil from 13 to th 16 December 2015.

The third camp was the Teens camp that targeted the 13-18 year olds. Dubbed Camp 1.4.3 the theme was on L.O.V.E and how God wants us to relate with people in our different social circles. It was held at the th Punda Milias Campsite in Nakuru from 13 to th 20 December 2015.

College camp was next and it targeted the 19-24 year olds. It was dubbed Camp 3G (Gods Glorious Grace) and the theme was nd based on 2 Corinthians 9. It was held in th Entebbe, Uganda from 27 December 2015 nd to 2 January 2016.

The first camp of 2016 was the Bridge Camp that targeted students headed to form one. Most of the participants of this camp are those that went through the rites of passage. It introduces aspects of high school and boarding school to the campers all intertwined with the Word of God. It was held in Shunem, Embu th th from 17 to 24 January 2016.

This was followed by Camp Squad Goals (formerly Camp Big Brother) that targeted the ex-candidates or 17-19 year olds. The theme was on spiritual, social and emotional maturity.

The bible study focused on purpose. It was rd th held at Sagana from 3 to 7 February 2016.

Two more camps will happen outside of this season, in June when the INDA team goes on a 3-week mission and in July when the same team climbs Mount Kenya.

Visit the Youth Office today and learn more on the camping opportunities available at Parkie and how you can plug in.

ask the pastors >>>

Q: How can I find God? A: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with Him. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that “For God so loved the word that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life.

If you would like to pray with someone, contact or visit the Worship Pastor today.

INDA The Young Adult Factory The annual INDA program which is open to all form four leavers (and 17-19 year olds) th

began on Tuesday 12 January 2016. This is an ex-candidates transition program for teens that have just finished high school and are looking to joining college/university. The program will run for eight months during which the ex-candidates will learn team leadership skills and essential life skills needed to have a smooth transition into college life. They will be given opportunities to apply what they have learned through planned outreach events, mission trips and hiking a mountain. www.parklandsbaptist.org/youth

Membership Classes The first training sessions for the Membership Classes started early January.

The Maturity Department has been keen in providing new members with the necessary information to help them understand the Parkie DNA. If you haven’t yet taken a session with them, consider doing so as it will be very beneficial for you. Contact them today at their office in Benaiah and register for a class. It’s never too late. All are welcome.

Standing with the KDF Soldiers In January a KDF base in Somalia was attacked and many Kenyan soldiers lost their lives. During this very sad time, the Missions Department was in the foreground providing support and encouragement to families of the fallen heroes. We continue to pray for these families as they come to terms with the loss of their loved ones. We stand with the KDF soldiers. #IStandWithKDF.

Meet Liz!

<<< setting the stage

the sign language interpreter She really enjoys what she does “it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t even imagine my life without sign language anymore because I have so many friends who are hearing impaired and we always communicate, we have fellowship together, and we sing. I enjoy singing in sign language.”

Elizabeth Mwangi is born again and started fellowshipping at PBC in March of 2014. Back then she sat at the overflow tent. During this time Liz had a desire to interpret. She always envisioned herself interpreting because she had so many friends who were hearing impaired. When she prayed and asked God about it “I saw a vision of myself interpreting.

And so I prayed about it.” After 6 months of sitting in the overflow tent, she entered the Main Sanctuary and loved its beauty.

Liz encourages those contemplating going into this ministry that from the onset, one has to have a “love for people who are created differently from you because we are all different. And these are people who are complete in Christ. They are not a mistake.

They don’t have a deformity that God cannot use. Deafness is not a deformity. It is a unique gifting that shows His glory. Because most of them are born again they still hear the voice of

When asked what made her decide to go into sign language interpretation Liz expressed her love for people and especially those with special needs. She remembers a time she had 2 customers at a bookshop she was running.

“They came and asked me about a book but we could not communicate. So we started communicating via writing.” A number of foolscaps later, she decided “okay I’m gonna learn sign language.” She went to the University of Nairobi for six months and to the Kenya Institute of Special Education in Nairobi for three months and graduated in 2013.

Liz loves singing and shares that her favorite song is “Your Presence is Heaven to Me”. She also likes Psalm 23 for which she has a song that she will present one day in sign language.

In closing, Liz sends out a request that when she’s interpreting, the congregation should avoid passing in between her and those she’s interpreting for. “You know this is a visual language. People see. These friends of mine look at me, and they are concentrating – they are hearing with their eyes. So when somebody passes in between even for a brief moment, that message is distorted. They pass with the message.” Remember not to pass in between them.

Liz did not have a single friend at Parkie at the time and had no one to talk to about her vision. But one day she saw Pastor Reagan and decided to tell him about it. “Pastor” she said, “I’m a sign language interpreter…” “Haiya, you mean you’re a sign language interpreter?” he responded. Liz answered that she was and proceeded to answer Pastor Reagan’s queries on what exactly she does. “I told him I studied and I just communicate – I don’t really interpret because I don’t have a place to interpret yet.” And he told her “okay, we shall start.”

That very evening, Liz joined the evening service and a friend of hers who had a colleague who is hearing impaired invited him over and that’s how the Talking Hands Ministry th was birthed. This was on 5 April 2015 which was resurrection Sunday, a very special date for her. Today there are about 10 to 15 hearing impaired people who attend the service with 7 being registered as Parkie members. Most of them work outside Nairobi and only come to fellowship with us when they are free.

Her favorite scripture is when Jesus said “Let all children come unto me”. She imagines that the disciples must have been pushing some children away - maybe they had deformities or physical challenges or something. Maybe they were not really qualified according to the human eye. She wondered aloud “why were they setting aside some of the children and not inviting all of them?” She drew a parallel guessing that “some people are really not willing to accept people the way they are. God decided to create you the way you are. You are special the way you are!”

Her parting shot is that you “accept us the way we are because when God said that whatever he has created was good, it was really good.”

“Love people who are created differently from you because we are all different” Jesus call unto them. And my best part is when I see my friends give their lives to Christ. When they come to Church and their lives are changed…” She shared how one of them got born again after the Wednesday service and then that Saturday got baptized, “it was the best feeling” she said. She can sacrifice everything that she does – even her Saturday – just to share the Word of God with them.

We continuously thank God for the role that Liz has played in beginning the Talking Hands Ministry at Parklands Baptist Church and pray the Lord’s blessings upon her now and always.

If you would like to be a part of this ministry, please contact the Worship Pastor today. www.parklandsbaptist.org/worship-ministry

For Liz, sign language is one of the easiest languages. Amusingly, she can’t speak her mother tongue yet sign language took her such a short time to master. “It’s so easy for me.”

Ministry is not easy and Liz expressed the many challenges she faces. One gets fatigued very fast because this is both a mental and physical language. “You really use your brain because you are always thinking and you are always using your hands. And when you are alone for 3 hours in a service, you become really tired.” She looks forward to having another interpreter to help her and is thankful for the occasional help she has gotten from her friends from CITAM Valley Road.

Prof. Saitoti Ave. (off Ring Road Westlands) |

14446-00800, Nairobi |

office@parklandsbaptist.org | www.parklandsbaptist.org |

2650239, 2642771 |

/parkiebaptist, |

@ParkieBaptist

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0722845401 or 0737944379