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Welcome

THEME: SUSTAINING

GROWTH IN MISSION

Greetings

Dear brethren, .

W e take this opportunity on behalf of the Diocesan Synod, all

Christians of ACK Diocese of Thika and on my own behalf to

welcome you to this Diocese. We are privileged to have you on this

auspicious occasion of my consecration and enthronement as the Second

Bishop of this Diocese. We are humbled by your love and great sacrifice.

Indeed, we cherish your love and will continue to count on your support in

this Diocese and in the entire Church of Christ.

W e thank God for His abundant blessings upon this Diocese since

its creation on 1st July 1998. We thank our Lord and Savoir Jesus

Christ for having called me into ministry at an early age. By His grace he

justified me and made me worthy of service in the Episcopal ministry.

My family and I are thankful to you, Your Grace, for the role you have

played in supporting us as well as providing wise counsel while we served

God at All Saints’ Cathedral, Nairobi for the last five years.

We are also grateful to Bishop Kanuku and his wife for sharing their wealth

of experience in Episcopal Ministry during our preparations for this service.

L et me also acknowledge with gratitude and respect, the distinguished

service of my predecessor, Bishop Gideon and Mama Mary Githiga.

Bishop Gideon has been a true shepherd and a great leader who over the

past 15 years has laid a firm foundation for the future prosperity of our

Diocese.

We acknowledge the love and support of clergy and Christians of Thika

Diocese, All Saints’ Diocese and all who in many ways have brought me

this far.

We would like to appreciate the Electoral College and Standing Committee

of Synod of the Diocese of Thika .

We wish also to acknowledge the overwhelming support of all our friends,

various intercessory teams, and all who have been steadfastly with us in

this journey.

We cannot forget to acknowledge my dear wife, Esther, our children and

the extended family for their love, ceaseless prayers, unwavering support

and partnership in ministry. Indeed, you have been my pillar all through.

II. Strategic Focus

The foundation of our Episcopal ministry is best described by Acts 6:2-4.

It would not be right for us to neglect the

ministry of the word of God in order to wait on

tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among

you who are known to be full of the Spirit and

wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them

and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry

of the word

T he Acts of the Apostles links the Gospel narrative to the life of the

Church. One of the major themes in the book of Acts is

inclusiveness. It provides strong evidence that the community of

believers transcends all racial, regional and social barriers.

We view our Episcopal ministry from three angles: pulpit, pastoral and

social ministry. These ministries require professional expertise. Those

who serve in these ministries must be well known, be filled with the

Holy Spirit and be effective in their tasks. As such we will endeavour to

be above board when making appointments for assistants who will

manage church affairs and resources. That is what the Apostles did

when confronted by the divisive aspect of apparent discrimination of

widows.

The expansive work in this diocese calls for unity that will enhance

aspirations for a growing, caring and witnessing Christian community.

We are proud of the foundations of hard work and innovativeness from

the clergy as well as the unwavering support, commitment and

generosity from our church members. We shall seek to equip, nurture

and build every capacity available to sustain the team spirit that has

brought us this far.

T hika Diocese has certain diversities which need to be well

understood and appreciated. For instance, the diocese

transcends two counties, has both rural and urban populations, and has

different communities and cultures within it. While these diversities may

raise social and cultural challenges we should harness them for the good

of mission in our diocese.

We should ensure that the said diversities do not breed discontent or

neglect, which may fragment the community of believers. Our desire will

be to avail ourselves for consultations that will seek to make us one in

purpose and intent. We applaud the efforts of those who have had an

opportunity to fellowship with us and assure others that we are open to

begin our Episcopal ministry from a point of knowledge.

D rawing from the insights of the text in Acts 6; we find that the

main thrust of the church’s mission is to win souls for Christ. We

hope to keep

the main thing as the main thing and at the same time acting in a

systematic and orderly manner. Mission support will therefore be a major

priority in allocation of resources.

The catchment of our diocese has many social and economic constraints

such as food insecurity, low commodity prices, youth unemployment,

insecurity, low standards of education, unacceptable levels of poverty,

high prevalence of disease and HIV& AIDS, poorly planned

mushrooming urban areas, insufficient water supplies for domestic use

and irrigation, corruption and poor public service delivery among others.

All these issues call for diversified professional training for both clergy

and laity to enable us provide holistic ministry in our diocese. We shall

use available church structures and raise more resources for sustainable

growth.

T oday we are happy to accept the mantle of leadership now

bestowed on us. We are aware that the Christians of Thika

Diocese have very high expectations of their new Bishop. We will

partner with our clergy and laity in fulfilling the mandate of the Great

Commission. As we embark on this journey, we encourage everyone in

the Diocese to work together towards the realization of our aspirations.

First, we call upon the clergy to re-dedicate themselves to God’s work.

We all need to remember the vows we took during our ordination

services.

Second, as the Bishop is the chief shepherd of the Diocese, it is

imperative that clergy remember they are also the chief shepherds in

their parishes. Everyone should exercise delegated authority in their

respective work stations. In this regard, we shall expect them to take

charge without looking back as Jesus admonished in Luke 9:62:

...No one who puts a hand to the plow and

looks back is fit for service in the

kingdom of God.

As Bishop, we shall provide the necessary Episcopal cover and

oversight so that everyone succeeds in their duty stations.

In order to build upon the foundation that was laid by Bishop Gideon, we

would like to outline the Pillars that will guide our functions in the

Episcopal ministry into the future.

Acknowledgement

I. Biblical Foundations of

Our Episcopal Ministry Anglican Church of KenyaAnglican Church of KenyaAnglican Church of KenyaAnglican Church of Kenya

DIOCESE OF THIKADIOCESE OF THIKADIOCESE OF THIKADIOCESE OF THIKA

AT ST. ANDREW’S CATHEDRAL. THIKA

The Second Bishop of the Diocese of Thika

(Consecrated and Enthroned on

Sunday 8th September 2013)

III Conclusion

T hika Diocese is endowed with competent human capital among

the clergy and lay people. We shall spearhead the institution of

appropriate governance systems and maintain sound financial controls at

all levels. This will be anchored within a strong diocesan culture of

management integrity and accountability. Indeed, sound performance

management should be the hallmark of our Diocese.

We shall immediately embark on consolidating our strategic thoughts for

this diocese into a five year plan.

T he Church has a role to play in alleviating poverty as part of her

holistic ministry. We shall revitalize social outreach programs

through the Anglican Development Services to address the social

concerns especially food insecurity, poverty and other livelihood issues.

Equally still, we shall fearlessly stand up against all forms of injustice and

oppression for the weak and the marginalized.

We intend to continue promoting micro-finance initiatives under Thika

Community Development Trust. We shall also enhance local and external

resource mobilization strategies by creating vibrant linkages and

partnerships. We shall promote entrepreneurship as an avenue for

gainful engagement and employment creation especially among women,

youth and persons with disabilities.

W e will contribute to the realization of food security within the

Diocese by encouraging our farmers to embrace good

agricultural practices and improve productivity. We shall continue to work

with Planting Faith Ministries and other partners to equip our farmers with

the relevant information and technology to promote agri-business at

grass root level.

With regard to healthcare, we shall work with all stakeholders to promote

access to affordable healthcare. Special focus will be given to checking

the spread of preventable diseases that still wage war on our populace.

As a Church we shall continue to fight the HIV& AIDS pandemic within

the Diocese and Region.

C urrently, our Diocese enjoys a tripartite linkage with the Diocese

of Exeter (England), and the Diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf.

Additional partnerships with other Dioceses, ecumenical bodies and

mission agencies will be pursued. We shall strive to ensure that existing

partnerships create influence and lasting impact in Christian ministry in

our diocese.

We shall also create avenues for cross-cultural missions between the

staff of these Dioceses and mission agencies for more exposure,

enrichment and fulfillment in ministry. All mission partnerships will

continue to be guided by our common faith and belief in our Lord Jesus

Christ as well as shared values and interpretation of scriptures.

The Diocesan Link Committee shall continue to be responsible for

building bridges of friendship and strengthening bilateral ties with our

partners. We shall endeavor to maintain effective communication with our

mission partners.

T he Church has a God given mandate to be the prophetic voice of

the nation. We shall take up our rightful position in this regard. We

shall also work together with the National and County Governments as

well as other stakeholders to fight all vices that bedevil our Society.

However, we will not hesitate to condemn corruption, negative ethnicity,

plunder of public resources, insecurity, crime, road carnage and moral

disintegration whenever they arise.

We shall seek to promote unity, peace and nationhood for a cohesive

and prosperous country.

We are open and willing to participate in the development of our counties

through the various boards and committees at the national and county

level.

T oday marks yet another milestone in the life of our Diocese. As the

Bishop, we extend a hand of friendship to all Clergy and laity in

our common mission to build a united and prosperous Diocese.

As we embark on this journey, we encourage everyone in the Diocese to

work together towards the realization of our aspirations for a growing,

caring Christian community that witnesses to the love of Christ.

May God Bless Kenya. May God bless you all.

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Rt. Rev. Julius Wanyoike

1. Strengthening and Sharpening

the Mission Focus

2. Strengthening Pastoral Ministry

3. Strengthening Christian

Education & Discipleship

Programmes

4. Promoting Spiritual Renewal

Programmes

5. Strengthening Management &

Governance Structures

of the Diocese

6. Strengthening Social

Transformation

7. Strengthening Mission Partnerships

8. The Church as a Prophetic Voice

T he main thrust of the Church's mission is to win souls for Jesus

Christ through proclaiming the Gospel.

We intend to produce the next generation of local, indigenous missioners

and transformers who will prepare the Church for the coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ. In this regard we shall therefore:

i. Identify the specific mission needs of the different parishes and work

stations in the Diocese.

ii. Review current mission strategies so as to incorporate contemporary

methods in ministerial practice.

iii. Partner with other Dioceses and mission agencies.

iv. Set up a Church Planting Team at Diocesan level to spearhead

strategic mapping of potential areas for evangelism.

v. Mobilize more resources for Mission.

vi. Mainstream prayer ministry by appointing a Prayer Ministry

Coordinator.

vii. Create a Strategic Mission Fund.

viii. Promote the effectiveness and sustainability of the mission outreach

units of the Mothers Union, KAMA, KAYO, Sunday School in the

diocese.

We request all Christians to pray fervently and also enjoy the privilege

and honor of supporting the proclamation of the Gospel.

T he Anglican Church is known for its strong pastoral ministry in the community. We encourage the clergy to diversify their professional

training to enable us provide effective pastoral care in our work stations and chaplaincy to our institutions.

More specifically we intend to:- i. Address clergy welfare issues. ii. Encourage diversified ministerial training and encourage our Christians to support the clergy in such endeavors. iii. Start the Bishop's School of Ministry where Clergy, lay-readers and lay-workers will undertake a mandatory one week training course every year. This way, we shall ultimately have a common approach to ministry.

iv. Institute participatory performance appraisal mechanisms at all levels starting with the Bishop. v. Enhance existing church income generating activities to support mission. vi. Address the challenges that have negatively affected the families through Women and Men’s ministries.

T he Great Commission mandates us to go and make disciples of

all nations by teaching them to obey God's commandments.

We shall therefore review existing discipleship initiatives at all levels in

order to strengthen the local church as the primary agent of Christian

Education and Discipleship. Catechism will be enhanced in all churches

as a foundation for our children to grow in the Christian faith.

Similarly, we shall strengthen chaplaincy in our sponsored schools and

develop a mentorship programme for children and youth. In this regard,

we intend to establish a model school to promote Christian value based

education.

M odern living has consistently challenged our spirituality. We will

encourage spiritual renewal programs and activities. We shall

accomplish this by holding annual spiritual renewal forums even as we

draw lessons from the East African Revival Movement.

Moreover, we shall strengthen the pulpit ministry by developing diocesan

mechanisms for effective

delivery of sermons. We will

also ensure that Church

workers renew their vows and

oaths of office annually.