For the past 40 years I have been attending Nairobi Baptist Church Ngong Road with short breaks along the way. I was introduced to the church by my elder brothers in the 1970s when they were teenagers and in high school. We lived in Moi Estate, next to Otiende Estate in Langata and used to walk all the way down the forested Kibera valley to Olympic Estate and then to Ngong Road to the sanctuary which is opposite City Mortuary.
Our maiden Saturday afternoon trip to the iconic and historic building was to attend the famous Karibuni Youth Fellowship from 3pm. to 6pm. The exuberant group was made up of talented musicians like Fred Ojiambo and Jack Odongo Otieno among others. The group was so popular that it used to participate in the annual Youth for Christ Choir festival and competition where awards were given and best talent was selected and given a treat to travel to the US and perform there for about a month.
Karibuni Youth Fellowship
By then, my siblings and I were big fans of the American Rhythm and Blues musicians like The Staple Singers, The Jackson Five led by Michael Jackson among others who had started their singing careers in church. So being five brothers, we had also started dreaming of forming a musical group and calling ourselves The Orlale Five! But that was not to be even after four of us later joined St Barnabas Anglican Church of Kenya choir in Otiende Estate, with our eldest brother, Martin Juma, singing bass, while the brother I follow, Joe Kimko, sung Tenor with me.
By then the National Housing Corporation, a government parastatals in Ministry of Housing where our father worked as a Chief Draftsman, a step before being an architect, had donated a one acre plot to St Francis ACK, in Karen, to set up a church in Otiende Estate, on a site they had used as an office and to store some of their building materials. But because of our live and passion for the NBC Youth Church and exuberant Karibuni Youth Group, we would walk there every other Saturday afternoon for the open sessions.
Fast forward to September, 1989, my wife and I decided to switch our churches after our wedding at St Barnabas to NBC Ngong Road. Rosemary's father was an elder at African Inland Church (AIC), in Ziwani in Nairobi near the famous Starehe Boys Centre. We enrolled for membership classes five years later and were conducted through the studies by Fred Ojiambo, a leading lawyer and family friend by then.
Some of the highlights since then have been the dedication of our son, Biko, and daughter, Terry, by Senior Pastor Rev. John Gichinga, and our celebrating our silver jubilee wedding anniversary at the Bethel Sanctuary presided by the then acting Senior Pastor Majid Ochieng.
Silver jubilee
Among the guests were former Karachuonyo Member of Parliament, Hon. Phoebe Asiyo, and John Skoda, an American United Nations engineer whose father was one of the pioneer missionaries to set up Ogada AIC mission in Nyahera, Kisumu County, in the 1930's.
It was a breath of fresh air to walk down the aisle again and renew our vows with our son and daughter in tow by our sides as best man and best lady. Meanwhile, it was also humbling to have Recky, my sister in-law and Missionary Denis Ochieng, brother in law, team up with Fridah; our house manager, to form a special Worship Team for the memorable function.
Another high moment was to be cleared and elected as a member of the NBC Investment Company, a special vehicle company in charge of all the assets of the church, as a member.
But a low moment was when my name was offered by our Home Group Fellowship Leader, Terry Waweru, to the NBC Elders Court to be considered to join them, but was unsuccessful. Sr Pastor had called me on my cell phone on the eve of the NBC Annual General Meeting to inform me that the vetting team had decided to exclude me. No reason was given. Said Rev. Odede: “I regret to inform you that your candidature was received, but after reviewing it, the elders decided not to take it forward to the AGM for the members to vote."
I took it in its stride saying: "God's time is the best. I will go by the Elders' wish."
God’s time is the best
Another milestone in NBC was the 50th anniversary fete held at Kenya High School grounds in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, where the entire leadership and congregation had a well organised praise, worship and prayer afternoon crowned with a sumptuous luncheon, thanks to a fully-equipped outside catering unit.
I still fondly remember sitting below a mature tree with my father, my wife, son, daughter, and brother in law. Next to us was the then Assistant Public Works Minister and Mwingi North MP, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, with his two sons enjoying their quality time with the rest of the church members. Musyoka was a member of NBC and doubled as Kanu Organising Secretary General and as a member of Law Society of Kenya.
When the church leadership and members decided to build a multi-million shillings New Ministry Centre beside the Bethel Sanctuary on a newly acquired plot across the stream, we were part of the congregation who raised funds through charity walks, car wash and dinners. The historic family fund-raiser walk was from the church along Ngong Road going west to near Dagoretti Corner then we diverted to Kingara Road down the valley to Lavington and then back through Kilimani and past Yaya Centre and back to base.
Charity walk
Meanwhile, the buy-a-brick project for the NMC was in full swing; initially its target was Kshs80,000 but by the time the building was being completed it had shot up to Kshs100 million excluding the imported chairs from South Korea, in Asia.
The lowest bidder for the construction project was a Chinese firm who completed the project in record two years as had been planned. For the next five years we were active members of the choir and youth group as the pioneer members before we left for further studies some in United States and in India.
High moments
This was when NBC Ngong Road leadership picked and seconded some members to join a small team to launch NBC Kibera in Kichinjio village near the Kibra Sub-District (Sub-County) Commissioner's office.
Most members of the team were part of the bible study group started at Chemi Chemi Clinic, run by NBC as a health centre and entry point to reach out to the Muslims in the area, most of who were Nubians.
The team was led by Pastor Evans Mutamba and included Wanjiku Kiprop as chairperson, yours truly as deputy chairman. Others were Rhoda Kioko, Jane Omanjo, Joyce Wacuka, Jane Koti, Ann Gathoni, Pharis Murungai, Isaiah Odudus Nyandwaro, Festus Mongare and Ken Migasha.
Launch of NBC Kibera
We served for five years before relocating to Kianda village where the NBC leadership had managed to convince a bar operator, Owidi, to agree to close it and allow NBC to open a church in the facility.
On the dedication day by Senior Pastor Rev. Calisto Odede, we organised a grand match from Kichinjio village through the DC’s office to the new site, some 5 Kilometres away, with our Sunday schoolers and youth leader, as men took charge of security, by matching along Kibera Drive in a procession led by a police outrider and a brass band.
Indeed, it was a scene to behold just like the day we matched from the DC's office to Kichinjio's Blue House, which was formerly a private Early Education Centre (ECD) and primary school.
We then converted the mabati (iron sheet) building into a big hall used as a sanctuary, a board room, and office for the pastor, two rooms for Sunday school a store, and a kitchen. We had four toilets (pit latrines) outdoors next to the ones used by the residents in the mabati (metal) shacks.
Between 2016 and 2018 we formed the NBC Men's Chorale, later renamed it Shekinah Voices, made up of members of the Men's Fellowship led by William Chellashaw and with Albert Ekirapa leading the choir with support from Teacher Moses Alubala, from CITAM Valley Road.
NBC Men's Chorale
During the two years, Shekinah Voices visited and performed at Ngong Road NMC and at all the six NBC Assemblies namely: Kibera, Ongata Rongai, Kikuyu, Kitengela and Westlands during the Sunday Family service and even got a tailor to make African attire shirts for our members.
But when Covid-19 struck and churches were closed for months, the choir became moribund. Our prayer is that God will intervene and end this pandemic and help us pick up the pieces to continue with spreading His word through song, dance and fellowship.
Fast forward to December 2021; it was an honour and priviledge to join the NBC Christmas Cantata Choir together with Fred Ojiambo (one of the founders of Karibuni Youth Fellowship in the 1970’s), my daughter, Terry Gertrude Achieng. She was selected to be the representative for the Altos and I to represent the Tenors.
Our choir directors were Pastor Melina Ojiambo Kemboi, daughter of Fred Ojiambo, who is a former chairman of NBC Elder's Council and Trustee; others are Christine Kenda Hamisi, Nelius Kareri, Wanjiku Mugane and Audrey Rahedi.
NBC Christmas Cantata
The weekly three-hour choir practices on Saturdays were intense, challenging, fun and interesting. The sessions were increased later to include two virtual practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Whoever said: “You cannot teach old dog new tricks,” missed the point. At the choir practice we were taught to use Zoom for meetings, listen to recorded voice parts on our phones as homework and then read the musical notes, for those who could.
In the virtual choir practice sessions, we also learnt how to use the time more strategically and effectively by having one meeting for Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses then later break into “special rooms” per group to work on our voices.
Looking back at NBC, from the old hall, to Bethel and now in NMC, I'm humbled at God's faithfulness and blessings in my spiritual, family and professional walk and life thus far as we look forward to close 2021 with a Thanksgiving in person get-together with our Home Group Fellowship in our house, where we started the cell group 15 years ago. To God be the glory and praise, amen.
Hallelujah!
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