Yesterday morning we worshipped at Trinity United Methodist Church. It was quite an experience. David Miller did a great job preaching and using the interpreter to help emphasize the points. I had the privilege of being the celebrant at communion and Roy was spontaneously called upon to bless the offering. Following church we had a great meal prepared by the folks of the church. I am not sure what kind of stew it was, but it was good. The rice and cabbage were great as well.

After the "sabbath" as they called it the "3 Professors" taught a seminar to the pastors of the Naivasha District and some of their key lay leaders. David spoke about stewardship and used Wesley's understanding of earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can. Roy spoke on the role of church and society and how Jesus brings about the Kingdom of God here and now. The good news is liberation is today, we do not have to wait till heaven. I spoke on the role of the pastor and how our number one job is to care for our souls because you can't give what you ain't got. There were only a few instances where my southern dialect and fast speaking caused some issues for the interpreter. Of course I think Susie Rush about passed out when I told the pastors the two most important things to preach about were your wallet and you zipper. You need to close one and open the other. It's our job to make sure the people understand. :). The pastors were honored to receive the certificates that had been prepared for them as they completed the course.

As much as we enjoyed teaching the seminar, I think we learned a lot from the experience as well. So what did I learn yesterday as we worshipped in Kenya?

1. I learned that you don't need to spend weeks preparing for a worship service. You can put 2 District Superintendents and 6 pastors in the church sacristy 5 minutes before the service and plan out a pretty good order of worship.
2. I learned to it's not how well you sing, it is truly about making a joyful noise. We weren't always in tune, the syncopation was not always in line, but the smiles and the joy was evident.
3. I learned you are never to young to serve. Our drummer for several songs was 4.
4. I learned that you really need 2 hours of singing, psalms, and readings to get you warmed up for the sermon.
5. I learned that nice bathrooms really aren't that important in Kenya. I think my church growth experts would have passed out seeing the holes.
6. I learned that we are all the same as soon as worship was over everyone gathered outside to chat about life, the world, and more.
7. I learned the Good News is God loves us. Our identity is in God. God calls us sons and daughters. We are loved. God calls us not because of what we do, but becuase of who we are. It's not our ability but our availability that God uses.
8. I learned that the liturgy is right. When we gather at the Lord's Table something miraculous occurs. We become one with God, one with each other, and one in ministry to the whole world. It was powerful to think as I celebrated this meal and mystery in Kenya that my family back in Ormond would do the same later in the day. We are one.
9. I learned joy is not dependent on your external circumstances but your internal condition. I learned that joy is infectious.
10. I learned that the Kingdom of God is vibrant and life changing.