CBM Africa Team: Brenda Halk

Erica and Brenda Halk at Heart Lodge, Nairobi

This was a very special weekend, as we celebrated ten-years since Erica first visited Kenya with past CBM General Secretary, Gary Nelson, and a short term mission team that assisted in the Kenyan Certificate  of Ministry (CMin) course in Urban Ministry. 

We had several friends on that team, including: Brenda Halk, Lois Mitchell, Andrew Myers, Barbara Sherwood, Wendy Jones, Jennifer Sanderson, Laurie Barber, Brian Taylor, and Mark Buchanan. 

Together, the team worked with emerging leaders from the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC) and the Africa Christian Church and Schools (ACC&S) as they learned about the theory and practice of urban ministry. 

An important part of the CMin training was time spent in the urban slum areas of Mathare Valley and Kibera, the two largest slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya. This experience of encountering poverty had a deep and lasting impact upon everyone on the team.

This evening, we dropped Brenda off at Heart Lodge (formerly Heart House) the same guesthouse where Erica and Brenda stayed ten years ago. Tomorrow, leaders from across the African Guardians of Hope program of Canadian Baptist Ministries will arrive and take part in a leadership conference that Erica and I will be facilitating with guest instructors Brenda Halk and Faith Holwyn, the author of the "Groups of Hope” program.

2014 is also the celebration of ten-years of the Guardians of Hope (GOH) program, CBM’s international response to HIV and AIDS. Over the past decade thousands of AIDs orphans and vulnerable children have been helped through the intervention of local church churches within the GOH program in Kenya, Rwanda, Angola, and India.

We are very excited to be introducing two new initiatives into the GOH on this anniversary year, namely: the "groups of hope" support program for caregivers, and the "Kamp Tumaini" program for orphans and vulnerable children.

Beth and Brenda at the ACC&S Bible School

During that trip back in 2004, Mark Buchanan had prophetically declared that one of the group would return to serve in Kenya. Little did he know that two year’s later our family would arrive in Nairobi in 2006, and, ten years later, a second member of that team would return as a staff member of CBM. 

Earlier this year, Brenda Halk joined Canadian Baptist Ministries as a strategic associate focused on women’s initiatives and business. 

Since beginning her new role with CBM, Brenda has had two visits to Kenya where she is helping Erica and I assess current women’s initiatives and economic development initiatives within our community development projects.

Meeting with the ACC&S Executive, Thika

Aaron, Erica, Jeremiah Ngumo Kiguru (General Secretary), Luka Kuria Wachira (Vice Moderator), Wayne and Maureen Morgan, Brenda, Joseph Maina Macharia (Moderator), Julius Kimani Kinuthia (Deputy General Secretary), and Elijah Wainaina Karanu (National Treasurer).

Earlier in the week, we had an opportunity to meet with the leadership of the African Christian Church and Schools. It was wonderful to see Julius Kimani as a member of the ACC&S executive leadership: Julius had been a student within the CMin cohort that Erica and Brenda were a part of in 2004.

It was a blessing to learn about all that God is doing among the people of the ACC&S.

Wayne and Maureen Morgan with 

ACC&S Moderator Joseph Maina Macharia

Our team mates Wayne and Maureen Morgan are embedded CBM global field staff with the ACC&S. The Morgans have been very involved in the leadership of the ACC&S urban ministry program in Nairobi. In addition, Wayne teaches at the ACC&S Bible School and Maureen coordinated short term missions in Kenya.

Erica and Jeremiah

Beth and Aaron

Ester and Brenda

Brenda’s experience in mobilizing women’s initiatives and her leadership with CBM as past board president, and past president of Canadian Baptist Women brings perspective to our African partners.

It was great to meet with Ester, the leader of the ACC&S national Women in Action program.

Erica and Brenda meeting with Eastleigh SHG Leaders

at our home in Nairobi, Kenya

Please uphold Brenda and our CBM Africa Team as we serve our church partners in fulfilling God’s great mission. We pray that the Church in Africa will continue to grow in its understanding and response to the serious concerns facing women throughout the world.