Charles and Florence Ngoje -missionary

Charles Ngoje: Missionary –New Testament Churches of Christ

Charles is a missionary from Kenya. He has served this Church as minister since 2004. Charles comes from the Winyo Community Church of Christ. He is the second born child to Zachariah and Rebecca Ngoje. Zachariah is one of the elders of the Winyo Church.

Charles has been involved in Church planting and leadership training in Kenya. He has helped establish two Christian schools in Kenya. Between 2002 and .late 2004, Charles served as the director of the Nairobi Great Commission School’s Extension program.

Currently Charles serves as the director and chairman to the board of directors of the Winyo Christian Academy. He is a board member of the Nairobi Great Commission School.

His mission in Tanzania is to help train national evangelists who will in turn be sent out to plant New Testament Churches in the interior parts of Tanzania. Charles believes that Africans are in a better position to evangelize their continent and that western experts should concentrate in the empowering Africans by way of training. The need for missionary doctors, missionary teachers, missionary agriculturalists and other experts in the field of social gospel is something Charles constantly advocates for.

When Charles moved back to Moshi in 2005, he sought to complete a work of getting a second registration of the Church of Christ; a work that his predecessors in the persons of Ken Bolden and Philip Palmer started. He is now a missionary under this new registration –‘The New Testament Churches of Christ.’

Towards the end of this year 2008, the first crop of leaders of the Moshi Church will be graduating with basic certificates in Bible from the Nairobi Great Commission School –Extension Training Program. At which time, Moshi will have fully ordained elders and a minister. This development will enable Charles to concentrate further in leadership training and in the establishment of an academic school for Moshi.

Charles is married with three beautiful daughters, Anne (10), Shana (7) and Margaret (2).

Samuel and Lilian Kasumila -Evangelist

Samuel Kasumila: Evangelist –Moshi Town Church of Christ

Samuel was converted in 2000 from the Mennonite Church. He was immersed and immediately after met a chagga lady –Lillian Mbuya, who stole his heart and in the same year they held the first wedding at the Moshi Town Church of Christ. A few months before the wedding, Ken Bolden baptized Lillian at a river.

Samuel was a committed Christian from the beginning and quickly grew to be a great preacher and evangelist. In 2005, he became full time evangelist for the Church.

Jonnas Juma Ndege then a member of the Church, referred to Samuel as one who is 100% Church of Christ, baptized by the Church of Christ. His wife also baptized by the Church of Christ and wedded in the Church of Christ. Then both of his children were named after the missionaries of the Church of Christ. Though sceptical, Jonnas was right, Samuel’s family is 100% Church of Christ. They are dedicated to it 100%

Samuel is currently undergoing training through the Nairobi Great Commission School’s Extension Program. Upon his graduation this year, he will take over from Charles as the minister of the Church.

Both Samuel and Lillian are a very hospitable family. They are wonderful parents to their two children. Lynda(8), was named after Lynda Hammit and Charles(5), was named after Charles Ngoje.

This is a highly dependable Tanzanian family who have a sense of ownership of the Church. With them we can see a future family of an elder of the Church. Our prayer is that wherever we will plant churches that we will find men and women like Samuel and Lillian.

Philosophy of the Moshi Town Church of Christ and the New Testament Church of Christ, Tanzania

The Moshi Town Church of Christ operates under the second registration of the Church of Christ in Tanzania. The New Testament Churches of Christ. [1]With this registration we seek to plant viable faith in Tanzania, to reach the youth, the children and other marginalised people groups of this nation. We realize that mission methodologies are as many and as varied as there are missionaries. Our mission methodologies would vary depending on the people we want to reach and the unique spiritual endowments of the missionaries.

Under this registration, we seek to encourage diversity in non issues and unity in essentials. Truth is the most essential. We do not have the mandate to compromise the Truth. Truth is truth in spite of us. We are not holy enough, neither are we influential enough to dictate Truth. We must submit to Truth in intense obedience. Christ is our Truth! Jesus himself said, ‘I am the way the Truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’ John 14:6 (emphasis mine).

We believe that the work of restoration did not end with the Campbells and Stone but that restoration is a continuous process. We are therefore called to engage in spiritual introspection and to constantly be sieving our beliefs and traditions through the Bible. Only then will we be sure that traditions of men are not confused with the pure word of God. We plainly confess that we are not the only Christians but that we seek to be Christians only. That we will uphold and propagate a New Testament Christianity; that is non-denominational and non-sectarian.

In boldness Campbell stated his catholic rule of Christian unity in the following words, ‘We unite upon what we hold in common –especially the one we hold in common and allow differences otherwise…’

Jesus Christ is the one we hold in common. With this boldness we can launch out in love, acceptance and in a non judgemental spirit lifting up Christ. And when Christ is raised up, he will draw all men to himself John 12:32.

[1] This registration recognizes and respects the first registration of the Church of Christ in Tanzania. We believe that autonomy is a cardinal mark of the first century church. We will never undermine in anyway the first registration rather we will seek ways of working together and complementing each other. With two autonomous registrations we should be able to evangelize most effectively.

The Oklahoma Christian University Team were a blessing

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To the Lets Start Talking Ministry

The Oklahoma Christian University team did us proud just like their predecessors, the Pepperdine University team.

They worked hard at reading with more than 60 readers for 16 days running. All readers had faith in them. They did not just read but they visited with families and members of the Church. Two of them accompanied Samuel in visiting one of the leading referral hospitals in the country –Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) where they prayed for the sick. That action touched the lives of the sick who were prayed for. Jared remarked of how open people are to prayer. Nobody questions prayer in Africa –even Muslims will request for your prayers.

Also they visited with children at an ‘aids-orphans’ home, ‘the light in Africa home’. They played and hugged the children, sang and prayed with them.

One thing stands out among all the LST teams. They are culturally fitting Like Paul they become all things to all the people so as to bring a many as possible to the Kingdom of Christ. They take part in people’s lives and show genuine and sincere interest in the people they have come to serve.

Visiting Africa without a safari is not possible. And so they had some time to visit Ngorongoro and Arusha national parks. Also they spent some time at the water falls on Kilimanjaro.

Jared, Alex and Tracy had time to speak at the Church and they all did a great job.

2008 has been a hard year for our church. It was hard also for the OC team as it took time before they could acquire their volunteer permits. So they started reading one week too late. But once they started they got to it.

Florence did us all proud again with her great cooking and ensuring that what these workers ate was both safe and nutritious. She would try to serve the food on time, and made sure the beddings were changed as often as possible. She is a big blessing to us all. The OC team was handy in the house, they would do the dishes, mind Maggie and prepare the table.

They have left behind people who have continued to visit with us at the Church and now it is our turn to water the seeds they planted in the hearts of the people here. We covet your prayers therefore!

For 10 weeks, the LST team have been in Moshi reading with people the gospel of Jesus Chrtist. This years teams broke a few records. First the attendance at the parties was high. At one party we had 102 people in atendance.