The New England District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) recently adopted The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK) as our own “foreign mission.” This approach is part of a new way of viewing missions. Mission fields, such as Kenya, may be given to individual districts of the Synod as a personal mission at the local level.

In Dec. 2003, Rev. Timothy Yeadon and three other LCMS pastors visited Kenya at the invitation of ELCK. They saw firsthand the joys and struggles of Kenyan Christians, who battle extreme poverty and the scourge of AIDS. Estimates place those infected with AIDS at 40% of all adults and 85% of those born today in that nation. The Christians of Kenya face immense challenges to their faith, but they demonstrate a deep commitment to Jesus Christ and His answer to sin and death.

At the July 2004 Synodical Convention, the LCMS voted to join in altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELCK.

The current focus is to send members on the First Lutheran Safari to Africa so that the members can help refurbish a Kenyan dwelling for future mission work. The First Lutheran Safari will be in August 2005 and the second one will be in January 2006. All members will bring clothing, devotional supplies and medical supplies with them for use in Kenya.