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The War Cry | OCTOBER 2013
Q:
What are the greatest challenges facing The
Salvation Army in Kenya West?
A:
Above all else, we must ensure that the Army
remains the Army. Since it is growing so fast, it's
important to maintain the Army's doctrinal stance,
and that we continue to balance the physical and
social ministry of The Salvation Army. The Army
must remain faithful to what the Lord wants the
Army to be.
Q:
What are the greatest opportunities for The
Salvation Army in your territory?
A:
The greatest opportunities are found in our
schools. Our 800 schools educate approximately
275,000 students every year. We are able to send
Salvation Army officers into those schools every
week to proclaim the gospel. So in Kenya, the field
truly is ripe unto harvest.
Q:
How is Kenya West moving toward self-support?
A:
Soldiers in Kenya have a very
strong sense of ownership at the
corps level. Consequently, we do not
allow an outpost to become a corps
unless the soldiers can demonstrate
the ability to support their Salvation
Army officer, buy their own land,
build their own building and meet
all of the regular costs of operation.
In our judgment, that policy is the
first and most important step to self-
sufficiency in the territory.
Q:
How has World Services (Self-Denial) money
made a difference in your territory?
A:
Self-denial money helps make it possible for us
to provide a retirement for officers who have served
faithfully for years and who lack access to any sig-
nificant government system. Self-denial money also
helps us to hold the seminars and programs that
keep the Army focused and heading in the right di-
rection. Third, self-denial money makes it possible
for the Army to develop its work in very isolated
areas such as Turkana. In sum, without self-denial
money, Kenya West would face many problems.
Q:
How can an individual support your work?
A:
Be faithful in self-denial and pray for Kenya West.
Q:
Anything else you would like to add?
A:
We believe that the Army has a bright future in
Kenya, and that God will use it in a powerful way.
We can't wait to see what He has in store!
�The Salvation Army Yearbook 2013
THE ARMY IN KENYA
No Longer in the Dark
Three years ago the Salvation Army in Kenya West
began a women's literacy and village banking pro-
gram to improve the economic security of around
7,500 rural women and their families. The program
provides micro-enterprise education and establishes
community-owned village micro-credit services.
See a video about the program at www.aid.govt.nz.
Search "I no longer live in the dark".
A History Brief
God used the construction of a railroad in 1896 to
bring three Salvationists to Kenya to work on the
tracks and share their witness in the Taru railway
camp. The Salvation Army officially began its work
in Kenya 25 years later when Lt. Colonel and Mrs.
James Allister Smith conducted a meeting in Nai-
robi, the nation's capital, in 1921. Kenya's first cadets
began officer training two years later.
Due to explosive growth of Salvationism through-
out Kenya over the subsequent 90 years,
the Army formed two territories for the country in
March 2008 to provide more effective administration.
Kenya West is headquartered in the city of Kakamega
in the largely rural west, which contains more than half
of Kenya's 39 million population.
Postal Address, Kenya West Headquarters:
PO Box 660, Kakamega 50100 Kenya
Languages in which the gospel is preached:
English, Kiswahili and a number of tribal languages.
self-support?
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500
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226,000
Salvation Army
Senior & Junior Soldiers
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