When we were in the States last year for Dad’s funeral, Ruth preached a sermon that was so good it was published in an academic journal, in the same issue with renowned biblical scholars Craig S. Keener and Havilah Dharamraj.

If you didn’t get to hear it the first time, now you can read it:
“For Whom Will the Church Be Safe?” Priscilla Papers 37, no. 2 (Spring 2023): 18–21.

Click here for a pdf of the sermon, or download the entire issue, or read the issue as a flipbook in your browser, or read the sermon in html format here.

The Hebrew phrase הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא <hoshi’ah na> (more technically <hôšî’â(-n)nā’>) means “save us, now!” The phrase occurs in the Psalms. In later usage, the phrase developed a celebratory sense, in effect thanking God in advance for rescuing the petitioners or thanking God now for rescuing the petitioners now. I think both senses were operable on Palm Sunday. In the New Testament this was transliterated as ὡσαννά <hōsanná>.

If you missed our June update via email, you can find a pdf copy here:
June 2021 update.

As for nearly everyone else, this year has not gone entirely as planned …

For a summary of our goings on for the first half of 2020, and pictures, read our July 2020 update.

Mara Rianta CCC (Community Christian Church), part of the Mara North cluster of CCC congregations along with Endoinyo Erinka CCC (we lived in Endoinyo Erinka in 2007-2008), is hosting a women’s conference.  Mara Rianta is on the Mara River, on the road between Aitong and Kawai in TransMara.

(Photo credit:  Wilson ole Karkar)

A year ago today, our daughter Shalviah, then 3½, came to us and proclaimed, “”I wanna go to KENYa and SEE my FRIENDS.”

A year later, we can tell her, “Soon, dear daughter, soon.”

Sam Ntinga Tome traveled to Enkewua in Tanzania to meet with CCC-Tanzania leaders regarding CCBTI.  CCBTI’s campus in Ng’atataek serves the Maasai churches in Kajiado County in Kenya as well as in Tanzania.  CCBTI is growing.

(photo credit:   Sam Ntinga Tome)

I’ve updated our Video page with “my” 10 and 11 year old sunday school children singing Jeremiah 29.13-14a.  The music is mine; this is one of our family worship choruses.

Because many have asked, I’ve added a new photo album:   Shalviah Tzadika (first weeks).

(Today she is 16 days old.)

A couple of weeks ago, we shared some of the measurable signs of growth in two of the geographic clusters of churches in which we’ve spent the most time.  Well, it turns out my information for the Mara North cluster was already outdated.  I’ve copied below an excerpt from an email yesterday from William Koya, a church elder who used to be our neighbor (about a 15 minute off-road drive, but easily within walking distance) in Endoinyo Erinka.

Hope you are doing well.  This is to inform you about the meeting held by Mara North cluster church leaders at Endoinyo Erinka today.  The main agendas of the  meeting are
……….1.  updates of CCC  development.
……….2.  Unity.
About development many people are called to join CHRIST and have been baptized. Between November last year and January this year 196 new people are baptized.  Four new churches are planted which two of them have already built semi permanent [buildings].  … For unity they planned to have such men’s meetings three times a year, the second one shall be at Talek  7/6/2014.  They also want to build a strong relationship between CCC and CMF as partners in CHRIST.   Find the attached pictures of the meeting.
In Christ
William  Koya