Holy Saboteurs

Browns and Venters











Sue and Mary


The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 1 John 3.8

“Despite their overthrow, the powers of darkness have not yet conceded their defeat; they continue to contest every inch of their territory. The kingdom of Satan retreats only as the kingdom of God advances.” John Stott

Undermining the kingdom of darkness is no easy business and is done in a variety of ways.

Setting captives free
This year, the Vineyard National Conference was action focused. Alexander Venter from South Africa, a Vineyard pastor and author of several books all with the word “doing” in the title was the main speaker. His series includes, Doing Church, Doing Reconciliation, Doing Healing, and he is currently writing Doing Spirituality. The teaching was accompanied by action. Proclamation attended by demonstration. People were activated into hands on ministry, much of it focused on healing. It was a pleasure to sabotage the enemies attempts to keep people in bondage.

Good news to the poor
Poverty comes in many forms, but all varieties of scarcity are oppressive. Evil uses poverty to multiply theft, dishonesty, and violence. In an effort to address this oppression we have launched Vineyard Financial Empowerment. Quite simply, this is a four week business training accompanied by loans to those who can put together a business plan. Our financial arm is Faulu (succeed in Swahili), a branch of Food for the Hungry. The initial workshop at the National Conference provided the necessary information for people to move forward.

Preaching Good News
Empowering leaders through practical pastoral training spreads the good news. A workshop at the National Conference promoting Vineyard School of Ministry was well attended. There is a real appetite not just for information, but formation. Plans for our collaboration with Daystar University, the largest evangelical University in East Africa, took an important step forward this past week and we have just one more step to launch the program.

Mentoring the Next Generation
Sue has been setting up financial systems and accountability for the AVC Kenya, working closing with the national leadership team as well as mentoring Mary Gitau. Mary, a university student, is currently leading the Youth Task Force for the AVC. The word “youth” in Kenya can be used to refer to anyone from the age of twelve to thirty. All the initiatives for this age group are spearheaded by Mary who has resonated with Sue’s informal mentoring.

Finally, one evening session at the National Conference Doug spoke and then invited all those under thirty to come to the front for prayer. Over eighty percent of the room came forward! While we knew there were a lot of younger people attending the conference we had no idea of the percentages. Several of the Area Pastoral Coordinators, those leaders who oversee the Vineyard work in different regions, remarked at how shocked they were at the response. A significant ministry time occurred. Perhaps God enlisted more holy saboteurs to invade enemy-occupied territory that evening.

C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity said, “Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? … Well, Christians think he is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely.”

We rejoice in being part of God’s invading force and appreciate all your prayers. No ministry is done alone and we are grateful for your linking arms with us as we move forward.
Love,
Doug and Sue

Visitors of Various Varieties

As I (Sue) was cleaning up the two banana peels left by the monkey who continues to steal bananas from our kitchen, it reminded me of the various visitors we have hosted over the past two years. Though at times having visitors in our home is a stretch for us introverts, we have come to see how much our lives have been enriched by the interesting and diversified guests we have had the privilege of hosting and ministering with. We have had friends and family from Claremont to Washington State, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana, Washington DC, the UK and Wales. We have learned much from each other and value the richness of new friendships.

It has been too long since we have posted, but it seems like we just hit the ground running upon our return from the states.

We left for Thika for the AVC Pastor’s Conference the first of June. It was a gathering of pastors and their wives from the Vineyards in East Africa. Doug and I continue to experience “firsts” as we did a workshop for the conference “Pastors and their Wives and their Congregations”. It was the first time we had actually done a teaching/workshop together as a couple. . . we continue to be challenged to new things!

VFE Update - We have been asking for prayer and support for VFE (Vineyard Financial Empowerment), and we have a PRAISE REPORT. The AVC Kenya leadership has come to an agreement with Faulu (meaning ‘Succeed’ in Swahili) to partner together. Faulu, associated with Food for the Hungry, will be our funding resource for micro credit, savings programs and group loan programs. VFE will provide the business training and will interview and select participants for the program.

The goal is to make a presentation at the upcoming National Conference in August to give people the opportunity to learn about the program and begin the process of gathering people from their congregations who may benefit from VFE.

We are off to Israel in a few days. Doug and his dad are leading a tour of the Holy Land. There will be some from Kenya and some from the US, including our son Matt and his wife Bekah, Doug’s sister Julie and her family and various other extended family members. We are excited to have our two worlds meet in this way!

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. Your love and commitment means so much, and we are privileged to have you as partners in this Kingdom work.

Doug and Sue

Riding the Wave

Riding the Wave

Sunday two weeks ago Doug’s talk was entitled “Monuments or Momentum?” Momentum is the power residing in a moving object and Jesus was clearly that momentum as he came into Jerusalem. In contrast, monuments, while they do serve to remind us of important events in the past, are places we visit not places we choose to live. The temple in Jerusalem became a monument preserved by the religious establishment. Jesus brought a momentum into the temple that challenged the status quo.

We are excited to be part of something here in Kenya that is bursting with momentum! Last year the Vineyard movement planted 10 new churches! We now have 68 Vineyards in Kenya. Momentum is also defined as the power of the moving object to overcome resistance. Last week Doug met considerable resistance as he traveled about Western Kenya – police harassment at two different roadblocks, three flat tires, mechanical breakdown, and a torrential downpour with flooding and almost impassable road conditions. Great fun!

Spiritual momentum provides us with the muscle to sustain growth. This year, we already have three additional plants starting and are projecting other start-ups later in the year.

While we are thrilled with the growth we are cautioned by Einstein’s words, "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." We do not simply want more churches, but mature leaders. We are privileged to be part of the process of deepening the faith of men and women leaders. Maturity is built through deliberate and sometimes painful steps forward as we follow Christ, hopefully building momentum along the way.

The photos are from Doug’s two recent trips to Western Kenya (Kisii, Kisumu, Eldoret) over the last three weeks as he met with pastors and led a seminar.

It is hard to believe that we will be in the States in less than a month! We are excited to be with friends and family. Grandma is especially looking forward to seeing our granddaughter!

Upcoming events to pray for:
Doug conducts a leaders retreat in Mombasa, April 13-16
Sue will speak at the Women’s Conference on April 21-24
Doug and Sue will facilitate a workshop at the Pastor’s Conference in June
Doug will speak at the National Conference in August

Tag-team Ministry

No, the title "tag-team ministry" is not a commentary on newly acquired Africa wrestling techniques.

This past Saturday (February 28th) Sue conducted a financial empowerment course for our church – Karen Vineyard Church - while Doug drove across town and lead a pastors gathering in a slum called Kawangware. You will find it under “places to avoid in Nairobi”.

Sue’s seminar was enthusiastically received. As she shared our stories it gave permission to others to talk about their financial journeys and mishaps. Laughter mingled with swapping information about where to get the best deals and how to reduce the cost of your electric bill and the like.

Doug taught on the Dynamics of Spiritual Warfare in ministry. No one in the room need to be convinced about the activity of the demonic nor the need to equipped in this arena. The slums are rife with witchcraft and ritual killings. The leaders left greatly encouraged by the sense that they are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses”.

The second photo is of the Association of Vineyard Church’s National Coordinator Noah Gitau and the Association’s treasurer, who is also a church planter, Alice Mumo. Pray that they might have wisdom and discernment in all that they do to lead and model integrity in a land where this quality is sadly lacking.

Recently we have been experiencing a spate of carjackings and kidnappings. Three people in our congregation have been carjacked in the past two weeks. One night I was leading a Home Group leaders training when we got a call that a man in our congregation was carjacked just a mile or so from where we were meeting. I stopped the meeting and we began to pray. Later the man told us that the incident began with him being in a panic as the thugs threatened him and within fifteen minutes he felt a peace descend on him while his captors gradually became increasingly confused and chaotic. They released him unharmed taking only his cell phone. Truly a miracle!

Finally, these past weeks have been a flurry of house guests and meetings with our International Partners. We are considering putting a revolving door on our guest bedroom. Pray for the Vineyard School of Ministry as we move forward with implementation and for the Vineyard Financial Empowerment (Business training/microfinance)as we create a separate corporation for this ministry. More details to come.

As we pray together in the mornings we find that all of you loved friends and family are often brought before the "throne of grace" with great joy!

Igniting Passion

"We can reach our world, if we will. The greatest lack today is not people or funds. The greatest need is prayer." -- Wesley Duewel

A hundred plus young people had gathered for an annual Vineyard Youth Retreat in a suburb of Nairobi. I had been asked to speak on prayer ministry and in good Vineyard fashion the session began with worship. The worship team was young and inspired, the Holy Spirit was present, but the others sitting in the room were too busy comparing cell phones or flirting with the young lady next to them to be bothered. I let out a groan and thought to myself, "Not on my watch."

Marching from the back of the room to the front I stopped the worship team, told the young people to stand, exhorted them to choose to connect with God, and offered a loud prayer of exhortation. Several wide-eyed young people in the first rows looked as though they might bolt from the room. Within minutes the room rocked and the party began. The rest of the time was spent teaching hands on prayer ministry.

Pray for these young people. An enormous percentage of Kenya's population is under the age of 20 with little prospects for any type of future. Instilling hope, building confidence, and practicing the Kingdom with them is so satisfying because they are so responsive. When they are soaked in the Spirit, it is easy to ignite passion!

"No reserves. No retreats. No regrets" -- William Borden

Building Up Others

It was a bit surreal to be propositioned by a prostitute as the sound of a Vineyard worship song floated out of the bar behind us. The pastor’s seminar last month met in the red-light district in a Mombasa suburb. We meet on the top floor of a hotel that competed with the vibrations emanating from two or three surrounding bars and their drunken patrons. We don’t know if the owner of the bar had any idea what he was playing, but it was the one and only worship song we heard from the tavern. During a break between sessions, Doug was standing outside the hotel when the woman struck up a conversation with him. It is a pity he didn’t immediately recall Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well.

We were spending time with the Vineyard leaders along the coast in an effort to build relationships and encourage them. Over the past year, their APC (Area Pastoral Coordinator) has committed a number of significant transgressions and has had to be removed from leadership. The resulting discouragement and disillusionment of the other leaders was to be expected. The focus of the seminar was on Creating Healthy Leaders. Since it is the Holy Spirit that creates healthy leaders we enjoyed significant ministry time praying for each other and bringing a measure of healing. Several leaders needed a reminder of their call to ministry and the strength to face the future.

It is not uncommon for us to be reminded of the diversity in the body of Christ while working here. The majority of leaders were black Kenyans, but we also had two white South Africans and a former Anglican priest from Britain. When the Holy Spirit shows up, none of our differences matter, we were one. Paul reminds the Corinthians that he has been commissioned to the work of “building you up rather than pulling you down”. We had a sense of building leaders up on this weekend and it was wonderfully satisfying.

This season we celebrate the “enfleshment of God”. The message that “God so loved the world” resonates in our hearts and causes us to look with compassion on the parts of the “world” surrounding us today while we also remember the other parts of the “world”, namely you, our friends and family, whom we especially miss this time of year. May your Christmas season be rich in Christ Jesus!

As the year draws to a close we want to thank you for your on-going prayers and continued support. It is great to have you participate in God’s kingdom building work here in Kenya.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8.9

More Than Survival

Most of us are abundantly aware that finances have the power to hijack our lives, particularly our spiritual lives. This point has be poignantly made to many this past year in the face of a worldwide economic crisis. Financial education and empowerment play critical roles in aiding God's people to become good stewards and givers. Recently, at Karen Vineyard Church's annual retreat, Sue co-taught a financial seminar. During the course, she shared her own story as well as ours together and we reflected afterward how incredibly and consistently faithful God has been with our finances.

Our efforts to assist others with their finances extends beyond the Karen Vineyard. We continue to work on building infrastructure for the proposed Financial Empowerment program for the Vineyard churches throughout Kenya. You might recall this is a program that will provide business training accompanied by micro loans.

Our pilot program conducted in the Ngong Vineyard was attended by 25 people, 15 of whom completed the course by writing their own business plan. Part of the course asked the students to write their stories. One student had to have the assistance of another student to write her story. A portion of her story read like this - "My name is Naipanoi. I am 34 years old and am a widow with seven children. Though I am not educated I've been trying to live my life positively, but most of my time is swallowed up by struggling to maintain. I find life very difficult. But I can make a difference if given a chance to learn. Right now I am trying to make beads and start a business. God bless you."

If we gave Naipanoi a handout, she would be back next week and the week after looking for assistance. African and Western sociologists and anthropologists have noted that much of the African attitude towards finances is one of survival mentality. Rarely is long term planning, building or investing considered. One theory is that the agricultural mentality of planting and reaping within a season lasting but a few months is still the prevailing approach for many in rural Africa. Regrettably, Kenya's recent financial history illustrates this point. After several years of drought, Kenya is finally getting rains. However, the lack of long term planning or preparation for such a hardship has cost the country millions in lost revenue not to mention people dying of starvation.

God has called us to help the least of these. So we put our hand to the plow with our African brothers and sisters seeking to empower people to live lives of abundance and not merely of survival.

Your care, concern, and contribution to this little part of God's Kingdom is deeply felt and appreciated.

serving God and His people,

Doug and Sue