God Dots – God is Still in the Dot-Connecting Business

The congregation of a new church in Rongo City, Kenya  prays over the wooden structure that will become their temporary church building. They are praising and thanking God for it. (Courtesy photo) 

By Jim Day 

God connected the church I pastor in Hazelton to a pastor in Africa. Wycliffe Ouma Orangore has been called by God to plant a church in Rongo City, Kenya, and the church has grown and is thriving. 

Last summer, the landlord told Wycliffe and his church members that they needed to be off his property by October in order for him to develop it. The church could not afford to move or to buy another property. The Lord told Wycliffe to reach out to an evangelical church in the USA for help. 

Most people in Africa think that all Americans are rich. I would like you to ask yourself a few questions. 

1. When you woke up this morning, did you get out of a bed?
2. Were you able to go to the bathroom without leaving your house?
3. Did you have clean water to wash your face and brush your teeth?
4. Did you eat something for breakfast?
5. Did you then go to work or to school?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you are wealthier than 90% of the world’s population. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? 

Rongo City is a poor community. Muslims are building mosques all over Africa, but the Christian church is lacking. 

Our church in Hazelton is Evangelical Valley Presbyterian Church. So, when Wycliffe searched online for an evangelical church, he found us. My cell phone number is on our website and Facebook page so he called me. I in turn saw a call coming in with some extra digits in the number and was going to ignore it, but then I answered. Wycliffe told me his story, his testimony, and I agreed to pray for his church. I asked our elders to pray, and they came back a week later and wanted to help this little church in Africa. 

Wycliffe and I are brothers in Christ, and we have also become friends. But even more than that, we are partners in an adventure with Jesus. Our little church has managed to send Bibles and money to their little church. Only because the Lord has blessed us with everything have we been able to do that. 

Wycliffe and his church family have purchased a piece of property and have dug the latrine and fenced the land and built a temporary structure to worship God and help the community see that God is good. Their landlord allowed them to stay where they were until they could make other arrangements because he didn’t want Wycliffe’s God to be angry with him. On Sunday, February 6, the congregation held its first service in the temporary church that they built. 

Look at what God has done! Thank you for all of your prayers for this little church. May God continue to richly bless you. 

Jim Day is the pastor of Evangelical Valley Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Hazelton, Idaho. He may be reached at [email protected] or (208) 409-0063.