A mong the Maasai people, a semi-nomadic community in rural Kenya, 2020 was a year of outbreak—the good kind.
“Our greatest accomplishment in 2020 was the Gospel Revival Outbreak during the pandemic,” says Pastor Simon Muntolol, founder of Maasai Outreach Mission (MOM), an RCA Global Mission partner that seeks to share the gospel through holistic ministry. “During the period between March and December, we planted 15 new churches, added approximately 1,500 new members, and baptized 293 new brethren.”
This expansive growth followed MOM’s annual men’s leadership conference in February 2020, which had a focus on evangelism. Each leader at the conference agreed to reach a minimum of ten people with the gospel.
Even as people remained at home during months of lockdown, evangelism continued. MOM leaders were able to proceed with their rural evangelistic campaign, visiting homes, preaching and sharing the gospel while conducting trainings about how to mitigate the spread of the virus, and providing some food relief to the most vulnerable.
“We reached out to [people] in their homes and preached the gospel in each family and household, after which we baptized them and taught them the Word,” says Muntolol.
Thankfully, COVID-19 did not have adverse effects on the Maasai community. Throughout the year, MOM was able to hold socially distanced outdoor worship services and prayer meetings. With the new churches and new members in 2020, there are now 235 Maasai churches and nearly 20,000 Maasai believers.
What’s on the horizon
“Our greatest objective this year is to engage ourselves more in prayer,” says Muntolol. “Women’s Ministry in Maasailand will be having time for prayer and fasting every month for one week from January to December. Men’s ministry will also be praying and fasting every month for one week, followed by powerful evangelism.”
Another big goal for Maasai Outreach Mission (MOM) this year is to open a medical clinic in Namanga, Kenya, that will help boost the health services available to that community. MOM’s medical ministry is another avenue for evangelism and outreach, treating the physical needs of a patient while building relationship and sharing the gospel.
Read more about how a health clinic will help share the gospel.
As MOM celebrates the blessings of 2020 and builds on that momentum for 2021, the MOM pastoral team—approximately 15 pastors who work alongside Muntolol—is praying for more young men to serve as pastors and evangelists.
“New leadership is needed to sustain those we have won to Christ and the others we are going to evangelize to,” says Muntolol.
Motorbikes for mission
The outreach to new believers and care for existing churches is no small feat. Fifteen lead evangelists coordinate efforts to share the gospel in the Kjaido District of Kenya, while the pastoral team provides pastoral care to all the Maasai Outreach Mission (MOM) congregations. Each pastor is responsible for overseeing 10 churches in the 15 districts of Maasailand; the evangelists and other lay leaders assist in providing leadership to all of the churches. To do so, they travel long distances on foot—up to 60 miles—across rough terrain to reach churches in remote locations.
Pastor Moses Mashayei is one of these dedicated pastors, pastoring a church in Olpura for the past 14 years. Every Saturday, he walked 20 miles to reach the church so he could preach and lead worship on Sunday morning. On Monday, he would walk back home to be with his family.
In 2020, Hope Community Church in Fremont, California, purchased two motorbikes to assist the MOM pastoral team in their evangelism efforts. Pastor Moses was one of the recipients.
“I am grateful to God and the RCA church members which God used to bless me with this gift,” he says. “I can feel by this gift my Lord is truly the God who answers prayers.”
Pastor Samuel Kipeen also received a motorbike, having spent the last five years walking 22 miles every Saturday morning to lead worship on Sunday, then walking back home on Monday.
“This gift has brought joy to my home and church members. We are so thankful to God!” said Pastor Samuel at the dedication ceremony for the motorbikes, grateful tears flowing down his cheeks.
Maasai members held a ceremony to dedicate two new motorbikes for evangelism efforts.
Pastors Moses (left) and Samuel (right) try out their new motorbikes, which eliminate the one- to two-day walk to visit their churches each weekend.
Sponsor a motorbike
A motorbike enables a Maasai Outreach Mission (MOM) pastor to provide better oversight of his congregations as the motorbike makes quicker travel possible, which means the ability to visit two or three churches each Sunday to preach and lead services. Currently, only four of the MOM pastors have a motorbike. The other pastors continue to walk 20–30 miles each way to be with their churches each Sunday. RCA Global Mission is raising support to give 10–15 more motorbikes to MOM pastors and evangelists. Give a gift to support evangelism efforts today!
Becky Getz is a writer and editor for the Reformed Church in America's communication team. You can contact Becky at bgetz@rca.org.
Derrick Jones
Rev. Derrick Jones serves on the RCA Global Mission staff as the supervisor of RCA mission programs in Africa and Oman.
