Foundational Teaching from Colossians; Battling the Flu
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
May 30, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you, Lord, for Your mercy and grace, especially (this month, at least) for mercy and grace towards your missionaries doing your Kingdom work. This missionary, for one, desperately needs it.
I need God’s mercy and grace to do the work He has called me to do here. I can’t help thinking “Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to be a pastor of a church here”. The culture is against me. My inability is against me. Satan is against me. Kitale, in general, is against me. Even nature is against me (yea, I got really sick this past month). But God is for me and I don’t yet feel like He has changed what He wants me to be doing. Thus, I need to trust Him and obey Him and keep doing what He wants.
Things at the Upper Room Baptist Chapel are progressing. I’ve been wondering if a Sunday would come when nobody would show up. I thought that Sunday had come a couple of weeks ago. When 10am rolled around nobody else was there. When 10:07 rolled around there was still no one else there. But at 10:08 someone showed up and a few more trickled in after that. But our attendance that day was only 6. I worried that the low attendance would stay low but the next week we were back up to 16. Again, it is not about numbers. URBC is about proclaiming and living the Word of God and we will continue to be faithful to do just that.
I have finished preaching through the book of Colossians at URBC. The great foundational teachings of this book are vital to the people here in Kitale. Through this book, we at the Chapel learned who Jesus really is, who we are in Jesus, and what Jesus has done for those who trust and follow Him. If we could just learn and master this one book of the Bible, we would go a long way in our walk and relationship with God and in the Kingdom of Jesus. Last week I began a new short series preaching through some of the Psalms. It will be short because I obviously will not be preaching through every Psalm. I will probably only preach through 4 or 5 of them before moving on to something else, maybe to return to Psalms again at some future date. Last Sunday I preached through Psalm 1. It would be difficult for me to say whether the message was good or not (although I pray that it was). You see, I got really sick with the flu. I prepared my message while sick with the flu. I preached my message while sick with the flu. Then I came home and collapsed on the couch. Even for the next two days I was pretty much incoherent on the couch while sick with the flu. I am even late writing this update because I have been sick with the flu. It was a pretty nasty bug that Chloe and I shared but hopefully Julie will avoid. I will have to ask my Chapel members whether the message last Sunday was coherent or not. I am very glad to be feeling better now.
In family news, we have more transitions facing us in the near future. Amy turns 19 in June and then in July she will be graduating from Rift Valley Academy where she has boarded and gone to school for the last five years. Following graduation, she will be leaving Kenya and returning to the States to go to college. I’m sure I will be providing more on this transition in the months to come but I want you all to be praying for Amy (and us) even now as she prepares to make this huge transition in her life. [Read Amy’s testimony here.]
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
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Inaugural Service of Upper Room Baptist Chapel
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
October 27, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Upper Room Baptist Chapel has begun (see last month’s newsletter for an explanation of the name). What is the end goal? The end goal is an organized and fully functional church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we there yet? No, not by a long shot. But we have begun the journey and we will see where God will lead and take us in the future.
I have begun the Upper Room Baptist Chapel with Sunday services and worship. These services include, of course: Singing and worshipping, prayer, teaching and preaching the Word of God and fellowship. Our first service was Sunday, October 21st. We still have a few things to iron out but in all I think things went well, despite my anxiety. I am trying to specifically NOT “look and feel” like a typical Kitale church. The worship, the teaching that actually comes from the Bible, and the focus on following Jesus are all very different than what most Kitaleans generally experience. Julie said afterward, “I doubt any of them have ever heard anything like you before”. I think she meant it as a compliment, but we shall see how the people who hear me take to it. For now, I just want them to hear the Word of God so the Spirit of God can work in their hearts and in their lives. The Word of God is so lacking in the churches of Kitale and thus in the lives of most of those who call themselves Christians.
A picture of our inaugural service at Upper Room Baptist Chapel.
Including Julie, Chloe and myself, we had a total of twenty people (adults and children) in attendance at our inaugural service. Although I am trying not to focus at all on numbers, I am pretty pleased with that number of twenty. I wasn’t sure if anyone at all would actually come to our inaugural service. I invited a lot of people and I never asked for promises from those I invited, but probably 90-100 people freely offered their promise to come anyway (that actually would have been problematic for me as I only have seats for about 45 people). I didn’t know whether to expect zero people or a hundred. I praise God for the twenty that came.
We began by singing and praising God for about 30 minutes using some traditional hymns and other choruses I hoped some people would know. I led the worship on my guitar. This leading of music on the guitar caused me as much anxiety as anything. I am NOT musically inclined, I am NOT good at playing the guitar, I am NOT talented at leading music, and I CAN’T sing worth a hoot. But since there was no one else to do it, the lot fell to me and we all got through it with a little stumbling and a lot of glorifying God. Next came my message. I am trying to keep my messages simple, straightforward, and Biblical, Biblical, Biblical. Do you see the focus on Biblical there? That is what we need here. My inaugural message came from Mark 4:35-41 and was entitled “Jesus is in the Boat”. This is the passage where the Disciples are afraid of drowning in their storm-tossed boat and Jesus is asleep in the stern. The main point of my message was that Jesus is the Son of God, that he cares about what we face in this life and that He is in the boat with us. Since God is in the boat with us, he is able and willing to dispel our fears and lack of faith in the midst of the storms that rage around us. I preached this message because I, more than anyone else, needed it. My message for this coming Sunday will be “How to Identify a Follower of Jesus” from John 13:31-38.
How many people should I expect for our next service? I really have no idea. Some of those who came last Sunday are Kenyan friends of ours and I know they attend other churches. They came to our inaugural service to support and show love to me, their friend, as I start a new ministry. They probably will be returning to their churches this week. What about the others that came and the ones I invited this week who have promised to come? I really have no idea. We might be starting back with zero again. But God knows and it is up to God to do what only He can do and to bless this work as it honors and glorifies Him. I met personally this morning with one of last Sunday’s attendees and he said, “Roger, I’m with you forever”. I’ll continue to point him away from me and towards Jesus, but, I still hope he returns.
May I be faithful and may God be glorified.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Starting Worship Services in New Ministry!
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
September 28, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’m finally at the place where I can report I’m ready to begin a new ministry. I’ve informed you that I have had the desire and leading of the Lord to try and start a new church in Kitale and to pastor that church myself until it is ready to be on its own. “Does Kitale really need another church”, I’ve asked a thousand times? Yes, it needs a church that teaches the Word of God and worships God in Spirit and in truth. So, I’ve been planning and preparing for a long time. I rented a place to start in, worked on and prepared the room, and have been spreading the word about it for months. And now as we are about to close out September, I am able to say that we will be starting worship services in October, ready or not.
The name of the ministry for now will be called Upper Room Baptist Chapel. I would like to explain exactly why I am giving the ministry this name, so please bear with me as I give you the reasons for each part. First, Upper Room. Julie and I sat down and brain-stormed about the first part of this name. I wanted a simple name that kind of represented a significant meaning for the ministry. Nothing was sounding good until the Upper Room popped into my head. The reason this popped into my head is because the room I’ve rented is on the top floor of a four-story building in town. Get it? We’ll be meeting in the upper room of the building. But as I thought about it the name Upper Room seemed significant. I want to focus on the resurrection of Jesus, on following Jesus, and on knowing and having a relationship with God through Jesus – on fellowship with God. The Upper Room was a place where all of these things became a reality for the disciples of Jesus. So, the name seemed fitting for more than one reason. And, I thought we had come up with a unique name, that is until I started doing a few searches on the internet and found that there seem to be a number of churches with that name (In America, at least. There are none here with that name). Anyway, Julie and I still think it is a good and fitting name.
Second, Baptist. Is it old-fashioned and out-dated to call a church Baptist? Maybe to many it is, but not to me. Why? Let me tell you: Because I am a Baptist; Because I am sent out by a Baptist church and a Baptist organization; Because I believe in the Biblical doctrines of Baptist churches; Because I believe the history of Baptist churches is special and unique; Because the Baptist name represents who we are and what we will do and teach. For these reasons and more I will call the ministry Baptist.
Third, Chapel. I struggled a lot with this name too. It seemed like this part of the name should be easy, but it wasn’t. The word church made sense but the ministry won’t be a church yet. I hope and pray that someday, as God brings people into the ministry, as people are saved and baptized, that we will organize into a church. But at first, we will not yet be a church. So I ruled out that word. The word mission could also be used. However, in Kitale the word mission means a place where people can come and get things that they want, i.e., money and other material stuff. So I ruled out that word. I also, just personally, don’t care for Tabernacle or Temple because those words indicate Old Testament physical places where the Lord would meet with His people and I just don’t care for those terms for New Testament people. Worship Center sounds clunky. Training Center wasn’t fitting either. So, until a church is organized, I decided on Chapel – “a small building or room used for Christian worship in a school, prison, hospital or large private house”. That word seemed fitting and appropriate.
End result – Upper Room Baptist Chapel.
I am both excited and nervous about the start of this new ministry. I’m excited because I want to minister the Word of God and see the Spirit of God reaching into the lives of people, bringing them to salvation and fellowship with God. I’m nervous because I don’t know how things will go. If everyone attends who have said they will attend we will fill that upper room about five times over when our worship services start in October. Then again, maybe nobody will come. I just don’t know how God will initially work. So, how can you pray? Pray that God’s will be done and that He will bless this new work with fruit that will be pleasing to Him.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in Kenya,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Room Rented for Start of Church Plant!
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
July 28, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are able to thank God for an answered prayer. I have reported in past newsletters that I was looking for a room in town that I could rent and use in order to start up a new church here in Kitale. If you were following my former reports you would know the following: First, before leaving for the States for a month, I had located a room and agreed on a price with the owner, only to have the rate doubled when I went to sign the lease. Second, while I was in the States I had a couple of Kenyan friends who agreed to look for a place for me while I was away. And, now, one of those places my friends found has finally come to fruition and I can finally say we have a room and have signed the lease and everything is official. The room is on the third floor of a building in town, is located in a relatively quiet area, has plenty of natural lighting, good security, and even access to toilets. This may not sound like much to be excited about but finding all these things in one location is quite challenging here in Kitale. The portion of the room which I rented is about 20′ by 25′ and can probably comfortably fit 30 people (and even more uncomfortably). If we are somehow blessed with more people than can fit in the room, then we will be glad to come up with alternative solutions to that problem in the future. Since the time I rented the room I have been preparing it for use. The tile floor needed fixing, the doors and handles needed replacing, and the broken windows needed repairing. Also, the original room was quite large, and I could not afford to rent the entire space but only a section of it. Thus, I had to build a partition wall across the room to block off my section. Other preparatory activities are also ongoing in order to get the room ready for use. Please continue to pray for this ongoing work.
Again, I believe Kitale needs a church that:
- Teaches the truth of God’s Word in a simple, clear, understandable manner
- Worships God in Spirit and truth and simplicity
- Loves, follows and obeys Jesus
- Desires to spread the Kingdom of God
These are such rare qualities in churches here that I felt compelled to start one and pastor it myself.
One example of the reason why a church like this is necessary is a young man named Elphas that I have been meeting with. Elphas and I meet in a dungy, musty, smelly basement of a hotel in town. We get together there to drink tea and talk about the many questions he has about the Bible and about Jesus. This week we spent two hours just talking about what happens to people when they die, what and where is heaven, where do the spirits of believers and unbelievers go after death, and how a person can know he will go to heaven. After every question he asks me I say, “Elphas, I can only tell you what the Bible says about this” and then we go to the Scriptures and investigate what God has said in His Word. I am trying to show Elphas that it matters not what any man might say but only what God’s Word says. This week Elphas told me, “After talking with you I realize all my pastors are lying to me”. I don’t know exactly what he meant by this statement and I didn’t feel like I should follow up on it. However, it did reinforce to me that there are many Kenyans who are starving for the Word of God and wanting to know what it really means to follow Jesus and to know God.
Until next month, beloved.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Pursuing a New Plan for Church Planting
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
April 3, 2018
Dear praying friends,
Another month has come and gone, and there is much to update you on. We thank the Lord for each one of you, who either prays for us, sends us encouraging correspondence, or gives sacrificially to the work of the Lord here in Kenya. You are each a great blessing to us.
Our daughters (McKenna and Camille) are now on break from school in Kitale. God was so good to provide a good school for them to go to, where they can get much needed socialization, as well as try to develop some independence and make some decisions on their own. Now, they are on break and my wife has the opportunity to home school them on the side. Please pray for this time, as this is the time my wife wants to invest in and teach our daughters. They will be getting much needed teachings and we know the Lord will bless their time together.
The hospital ministry is continuing along well. We thank the Lord that He has kept the door of ministry open for my wife to reach the mothers and children with Biblical materials as well as much needed clothing supplies. Many of the mothers and children are very needy and we do our best to reach them and encourage them. We feel that these children are very near to the heart of God. Many of them come from very challenging situations and need to be shown care and love. Psalm 82:3 says “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.” This is a very challenging verse and please pray for my wife as she continues in this ministry.
After much prayer and seeking the Lord’s will in regards to church planting here, I (Nathan) have decided on a way of pursuing this ministry. I am seeking to train qualified national men (preferably younger) in their homes, trusting God to raise these men up in His plan and timing, then teaching these men to go to their immediate village they live in and reach their neighbors with the Word and the Gospel message. The goal is for the men that are trained to start groups in their homes that would develop into churches over time.
I desire to go outside of town into remote village areas, teaching the men in the Swahili language. This is a big challenge for me, as Swahili is difficult, however, I feel as much as possible it is beneficial to get the teachings into the language of the people. I am in active pursuit of this at this time and would pray that you would pray for me, that God would raise up the right men who truly want to serve the Lord. There are many challenges here, as I have mentioned before, so it is not easy. I will probably go through several men before finding the right man to train. I also would ask you to pray that God would open and close the doors that He wants me to pursue. Matthew 10:14 says “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Please pray for me as I seek to be led by the Lord in these endeavors and trust Him each step of the way. Church planting is difficult here and there are many challenges, but God is able and I trust Him. I would greatly appreciate your prayers at this time for wisdom for who to work with, and where to pursue opportunities.
We appreciate each of you so much and thank the Lord for you. Please keep us in prayer as we remember you as well.
Blessings,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa 30200
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Looking and Praying for an Ideal Location in Kitale
The Tate Family has served the Lord in Kitale, Kenya since January 2008. Their main ministry is church planting.
November 28, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When I wrote to you last month I began to outline some ministry changes that are in process here in Kitale. Specifically, I mentioned how I am being led by God to start a new church here in Kitale and how I feel I should pastor and lead the church myself until God directs otherwise. Also, I mentioned my most immediate prayer request. Do you remember what that was? I hope you not only remember it but that you have indeed been praying fervently about it. Well, in case you have forgotten, I revealed that my most immediate prayer request was for a place and location in which to begin the worship, the ministry and the church. I still need for you to be in prayer concerning this matter.
I have been searching for a place, but I have not yet discovered the “ideal” location. I have been able to find a few places, but they have not worked out for various reasons (either they were not affordable or they were not conducive locations to starting a church). Since I am asking you to pray about this, let me give you a few details about my “ideal” location. First, I would like a location either directly in town or very close to town. There are a lot of people that live near town in all directions and I would like a centrally located place that people can get to and not have to travel long distances. Second, I want a location that is easy to find. Most roads in Kitale have no names and definitely no signs. It can be very challenging directing people to a place where you want them to go. You have to say “turn left at the gas station; follow that dirt road until it dead ends; turn right; go to the roundabout and take the third left; after a half a kilometer that road will curve around near a big tree; After the tree there will be a small path on the right; there are usually sheep there but not always; take that path and pass four other paths on the right; turn right at the fifth path; that path dead ends into a big open field; at the end of the field is a big rock; take the drive way to the left of that rock; at the end of the driveway is a black gate; that’s our compound”. Can you see how cumbersome, clunky and confusing this can be? I want to be able to say something like “we’re in the Ambwere Plaza, third floor”. With those seven words I could describe to anybody in Kitale where we are and everyone would immediately recognize it. Third, I want a place that is relatively quiet. Kitale town can be an extremely noisy place, even on a Sunday—music blaring from loud speakers, car horns blaring, hammering construction sounds, loud commotions, etc. If I’m preaching I don’t want to have to shout over these sounds and obviously, I want people to hear what I’m saying.
Whether this “ideal” and affordable location can be found or not, I don’t know. Through a local friend I did find one place that, if God works it out, would probably be an amazing place. It is very near to town, easy to find, has an extremely large room for meeting in, has bathroom facilities, other small rooms for Sunday School and is on its own compound. IT’S ACTUALLY THE MASONIC TEMPLE IN KITALE! Yes, that’s right, the Masonic Temple. The Masons no longer meet here in Kitale and the building is not being used. My local friend continues to pay the upkeep of the compound and feels like he’s wasting his money. He wants to lease the building out but doesn’t want to lease it to a night club or other organization that would destroy the property. He wants to lease it to me, but the decision is not his alone. I don’t know if this building will work out or not, but it would be interesting if God works out all the details for us. My only concern would be if Kenyans would want to meet there or if they would feel like it was “taboo”.
I will continue looking. You all please continue praying.
May God’s peace and joy be with you.
For the glory of God in East Africa,
Roger & Julie Tate (and Amy, Josiah & Chloe)
rojuta[at]gmail.com
Visit their blog!
For ministry donations:
Pastor George Sledd, Treasurer of BFM
P.O. Box 471280
Lake Monroe, FL 32747-1280
or click here to donate to BFM online.
Read more
Missionary Update: The Radfords in Kenya [August 2014]
Nathan and Carrie Radford serve the Lord in Kitale, Kenya. Their main ministries include indigenous church planting, a prison ministry, and a hospital ministry for mothers with premature babies.
August 4, 2014
Dear praying friends,
We are now in the month of August, and it is hard to believe we are more than halfway past the year 2014. Soon will be the time for holidays and other times of fellowship with friends, family, and others. What a blessing it is to be a part of where the Lord is working. I pray that we will be faithful to where He leads. As one has wisely said, “Follow where He leads, and you will not go wrong.”
Thanks so much to each one who prayed for the hospital ministry permit. We greatly appreciate it. I am thankful to announce that the permit has processed successfully in Nairobi, the capital city, and my wife is official to continue along with that ministry. We are thankful for answered prayer and for the Lord leading and directing her to serve here in Kitale. The permit is good for three years, after which at the end of this time, we will need to reapply for it. We are thankful to each of you who pray for this ministry, give sacrificially, or help in any way. Please pray for my wife as she plans to begin soon, Lord willing.
There was a government rally in Nairobi this past month, called “saba saba.” In Swahili, the national language of Kenya, that stands for “seven seven,” or July 7th. People were concerned at this rally, as there were some grievances that were thought to be brought forth, which can lead to violence. There were thousands of police officers on duty and we thank the Lord that the rally passed along peacefully. God has answered a lot of prayer for safety, as even the last election went smoothly. Psalm 34:19 says ” Many are the afflictionsof the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” How we need to trust the Lord each day, and not just at times such at these. It is wonderful to know that even if we do pass through trials or times of uncertainty, the Lord is there and will protect and help.
In family news, the girls are doing well. We recently bought them a small puppy to help them to have a friend to play with here. The Lord provided one close by in Kitale at a very reasonable price. McKenna named the puppy “Betsy” and has loved each day of being with her, except when she cries at night and keeps us awake! This is all part of having a puppy to play with, and I am sure she will do fine as we have her longer. She is just six weeks old now, and a really good family dog that is loyal. Although this does help them, please continue to pray with us that the Lord will provide other children in Kitale the age of our daughters, as most of the children are older and it is difficult to make good friends. We know the Lord will take care of this in His time and plan. His plan is best, and we trust Him.
God bless each of you and we will keep you updated. Thanks to each of you for your heart for missions.
Serving in Kenya,
Nathan and Carrie Radford
P.O. Box 4150
Kitale, Kenya
East Africa, 30200
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