The Kawangware Church of the Nazarene in Kenya recently opened a new Sunday school facility, fulfilling its commitment to serve one of the most impoverished communities on the African continent by continuing to invest in the local children and youth.

In March, the newly appointed East Africa Feld strategy coordinator, Stanley Ushe, and his wife, Grace Ushe, visited the Kawangware Church of the Nazarene to dedicate the new facility. In addition to the Ushes, attendees included Pastor Douglas Moseti, the congregation, the Central District superintendent, the Lake Victoria District superintendent, field office staff, and members of the advisory boards. 

The new Sunday school facility was built and dedicated to honor Gerphas Oure, the late district superintendent and former pastor of the Kawangware church. The facility has been equipped with digital screens to use technology to share the gospel with children and youth in the church and the community. This structure also houses a baptism pool.

Kawangware Church of the Nazarene serves a slum area that is home to 650,000 residents. It is considered the fastest-growing slum in Africa, located just 15 km west of Nairobi County. Approximately 60 percent of its population are children and youth. 

According to Moseti, the Kawangware church seeks to be a loving, friendly community that worships God and serves others. The church places a high priority on teaching from the Bible and following the example of Jesus. Their vision is to impact and renew the residents of Kawangware and beyond with the transforming message of Jesus Christ, making an impact through words and actions — something consistent with the mission of the Church of the Nazarene.

The Kawangware church also runs programs to meet specific needs identified in the community. This has enabled the church to build good relationships with community members and, in the process, reach out to many families through sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The church has distributed clean drinking water through a partnership with Nairobi Metropolitan Services. They are also involved in distributing feminine hygiene products, courtesy of a ministry called Nazarenes for She. The church also partners with the IAMercy Foundation and medical camps with Nairobi County Health Department to feed and disciple children. This powerful evangelism tool has helped the church see many people accept Jesus as their Saviour and others coming to join the Church of the Nazarene as members.

Kawangare has high rates of alcoholism, prostitution, drug abuse, and joblessness, hence the need and urgency of sharing the gospel of salvation. According to Moseti, the church prioritizes children and youth as part of the outreach strategy. By so doing, they are winning families to the church. 

Many parents have been brought to the church through their children. The church continues to invest resources in making their facilities child and youth friendly.

Moseti encourages the church to invest in self-income projects at the church building. This idea was driven mainly from his own experience of having grown up in a church that struggled financially due to the impoverished community. 

He employed a strategy to build structures such as business stalls and a one-story building with more multipurpose halls around the perimeter to bring income to the church through rentals. The income has been used to construct modern washrooms and Sunday school classrooms and pay the local pastor his monthly salary.

--Church of the Nazarene Africa