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Historical Background of ELCK
The work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) began in 1948 in Western Kenya among the Kisii tribe. The beginning of Lutheran Mission work in Kenya traces its history back to Lutheran Mission in Ethiopia. Mission work became extremely difficult in Ethiopia after 1935 with the outbreak of the Italian war. Missionaries faced immense difficulties in doing mission work. All foreign missions except for those of the Italian Catholics were closed down by the invading Italian army, and nearly all the Protestant missionaries were forced to leave the country. This war became a blessing to the Kenyan people, because the mission work became more focused in Kenya as the situation in Ethiopia made it difficult for an active mission campaigns. In 1939, an evangelical mission group, known as Swedish Mission Bibeltrogna Vanner (BV) Bible true Friends founded in Sweden Stockholm in 1909 begun working in Kenya among the refugees from Ethiopia. The Swedish Mission began her mission as a Kenya mission officially in Western Kenya in 1948 and became known as the Swedish Lutheran Mission, and this marked the birth of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in present day Kenya.
Growth and expansion
ELCK work that begun in Kisii, Western Kenya has now spread across Kenya with her Headquarters initially in Kisii but now relocated to Nairobi. ELCK has over 80,000 church members in Kenya. The Church has a leadership of over 130 clergy, 200 evangelists, and 48 deaconesses.
From the beginning ELCK in Kenya has been involve both in spiritual and humanitarian service based on the principle that Christians need to follow Jesus’ example and care for the poor, sick, orphaned and the vulnerable groups in the communities. By doing so the church has been responding to the spiritual, physical, and mental needs of the disadvantaged people in Kenya.
Collaboration and Network with other partners:
In Kenya, ELCK and her local and overseas partners have been involved in building the capacities of the communities in grass roots in order to equip them with the skills and knowledge for their future empowerment. This has been done through:
- Establishment of skills and vocational training centers to equip the youths. In partnering with Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Association of Finland (SLEAF) ELCK established Lutheran Youth Training Centre and Rukongo Youth Training Centre in Rachuonyo and Mbita Districts respectively to empower youths with skills that may help them gain meaningful employment in the country. Also in Partnering with Swedish Lutheran Mission (SLM) ELCK established Bobembe Youth Polytechnic that offers training on motor vehicle mechanics, welding and fabrication and tailoring in Nyamira District. The establishment of ELCK Sheltered Workshop and Appropriate Technology project has also been accomplished as a result of good collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology and support from LEAF.
- ELCK has also been in fore front in disaster response and management in collaboration and partnership with local organizations and international as well. The Church, through its various departments has been working towards improvement of livelihoods of less fortunate community members in their areas of operation. This is common especially during emergency situations that impact negatively to the community. For example in year 2004, ELCK in partnership with Church World Service with support from Geneva based Action of Churches Together (ACT) facilitated, successfully implemented an ACT Appeal AFKE33 that targeted its assistance to vulnerable families in Nyando District. In this last appeal, ACT facilitated ELCK to respond to the needs of sudden storm victims in Western Kenya. At a local level ELCK partnered with Diakonia Compassionate Ministry (DCM) to carry out the actual implementation of this response in the Districts of Rachuonyo and Nyando respectively and the record enumerates the accomplished activities in this response. The impact of ELCK and her partners’ interventions has improved the quality of life of many people. The networks that have emerged as a result of the trainings are gradually enhancing the quality of implementing ACT Appeals and have gone along way in strengthening the institutional capacities of the grass root churches in western Kenya.
- Support to orphans, elderly, widows and street children as a result of HIV/AIDS: ELCK in partnership with LEAF is currently supporting over 170 orphans in Home Based Care program in Western Kenya among the Luhya, Kisii and Luo tribes. It has also undertaken support program to People Living with HIV/AIDS in collaboration with Diakonia Compassionate Ministry and Ministry of Health in Nyando District. 400 people in Pap Onditi are beneficiary in this program with funding from LWF and DCM.
- ELCK currently sponsors over 400 schools in Kenya. The ELCK through Pokot Integrated Program has been partnering with Norwegian Church Aid in the West Pokot drought ACT Appeal as the lead Agency among other churches in the district since last year.
- In Education, the church has been on fore front in donating text books to both secondary and primary schools with support from Finnish Government and Friendship Schools, for instance, in both 2003 and 2004 the church donated books worth Kshs. 8 million. During the same period the Church assisted Schools with laboratory equipments worth over one million Kenya Shillings. Schools that benefited in this project include Itierio Girls Boarding, Matongo High School, Gekero, Nyagokiani, Botoro in Kisii and Nyamira Districts. Also Mititi, Atemo, Samanga, Othoro secondary Schools in Rachuonyo District. The church has also played a major role in improving educational environment in her sponsored schools in supporting of classroom and science rooms building projects. Pangani Primary School in Nakuru District, Chesinende in Kericho District, Regoko in Nyamira District, Nyaoke in Migori District, Andiwo in Homa Bay District, Nyamaharaga in Kuria and Rukongo in Suba.
ELCK recognizes that sustained solutions to the challenges Kenyans face do not come simply through handouts. Therefore, ELCK seeks to empower local communities in developing local solutions for the assorted problems they are struggling to overcome. Towards this end, ELCK seeks to promote Christian values modeled on the example of Jesus’ ministry and James 1:27. Through spiritual formation and material empowerment, ELCK strives to instill in peoples’ hearts the hope and compassion needed to reach out to the unfortunate in their midst. A major component is teaching Christian communities to realize the gifts God has given them and empower them to employ the Lord’s gifts in faithful service to their neighbors. Educational centers that ELCK seeks to establish and strengthened is geared towards achieving this.
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