Pictured above: (left) The Very Reverend Vicar Antonio Ocharo Nyandoro, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Kenya; (right): Deacon Johnson of Kisii, Kenya.
spreading the gospel through acts of love:
AAOCC African Ministries
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for these brothers of mine, even the least of the them, you did it to me." Matthew 25:40
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus makes explicit the fact that true discipleship consists in our service to others. While Christ was with us on earth, kindness shown to Him directly was accounted as a righteous deed. However, Jesus knew He would not remain with us and so taught us that we could give to God by giving to others. "For the poor you always have with you and you may do good to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me." (Mark 14:7)
We serve God by serving others. Christ made sharing the necessities of life with others a condition for our salvation. Those who do not give food, water, clothing, shelter, drink, or companionship to others are sent to the fire "prepared for the devil and his angels." We can believe with our whole hearts that Christ is the Son of God and we can accept Him as our Savior with deepest contrition and love. However, that is only half of what Christ commands. In Matthew chapter 25, the sheep Christ sent to His left, into the fire, also believed in Him; they called Him "Lord". They had watched him and knew him because they ask him to prove when they had seen him hungry or naked or imprisoned or homeless. It is here that Christ wields the 2-edged Gospel sword (Hebrews 4:12), slicing their soul from their sinew: "Whatever you did for the least of these, my brethren, you do for me."
The American Apostolic Old Catholic Church gratefully embraces Christ's imperative to offer life's necessities to those in need of them. Under the leadership of Father Antonio Ocharo Nyandoro, our Vicar and future Bishop-elect of Kenya, our small church is answering Christ's call to serve in big ways.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus makes explicit the fact that true discipleship consists in our service to others. While Christ was with us on earth, kindness shown to Him directly was accounted as a righteous deed. However, Jesus knew He would not remain with us and so taught us that we could give to God by giving to others. "For the poor you always have with you and you may do good to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me." (Mark 14:7)
We serve God by serving others. Christ made sharing the necessities of life with others a condition for our salvation. Those who do not give food, water, clothing, shelter, drink, or companionship to others are sent to the fire "prepared for the devil and his angels." We can believe with our whole hearts that Christ is the Son of God and we can accept Him as our Savior with deepest contrition and love. However, that is only half of what Christ commands. In Matthew chapter 25, the sheep Christ sent to His left, into the fire, also believed in Him; they called Him "Lord". They had watched him and knew him because they ask him to prove when they had seen him hungry or naked or imprisoned or homeless. It is here that Christ wields the 2-edged Gospel sword (Hebrews 4:12), slicing their soul from their sinew: "Whatever you did for the least of these, my brethren, you do for me."
The American Apostolic Old Catholic Church gratefully embraces Christ's imperative to offer life's necessities to those in need of them. Under the leadership of Father Antonio Ocharo Nyandoro, our Vicar and future Bishop-elect of Kenya, our small church is answering Christ's call to serve in big ways.
Reconciling Families & Job Training Ministry
Africa is home to diverse ancient cultures, many older than written language. Every human culture on the planet has aspects of the human condition that it honors and protects, like family or hospitality. All global cultures also have "stigmas": conditions and situations considered "immoral" and which can endanger the well-being of individuals, the cohesion of families, and, in some cases, life itself.
In many African nations, the unexpected pregnancy of a teen or unwed woman is an intolerable situation. The girl is believed by others to be a "sinner"; she is often blamed for her situation, regardless of the particular circumstances that led to her pregnancy. Because this mindset is so prevalent, families feel they must act in order to avoid the stain of dishonor that the woman and her unborn child have brought upon them. Many families disown and expel the young girl from her home to wander the streets.
Whenever someone in our network of parishes in Kenya hears of such a situation, they alert Bishop-elect Antonio. He locates the girl and finds emergency accommodations for her among the Christian church-members. Once the girl is safe, Bishop-elect Antonio visits her parents and family to talk to them about her situation. He will explain the specific circumstances and encourage them to reconcile with their daughter and bring her home. He and others will provide counseling to the family to strengthen their relationship.
While the work of forgiveness and reconciliation is ongoing, the young woman also receives job training from us. Through the generosity of individual donors to the AAOCC, we have purchased sewing machines and other materials so the women can be trained as seamstresses or hairdressers, two occupations in demand in the region.
Bishop-elect Antonio has an 80-90% success rate reconciling the families so they can become one once again. If a family will not accept their loved one back, she is provided with necessities by the church community until she has completed her job training and can earn an income for her and her child.
We are currently seeking ways to expand this ministry to include more individual training and assistance for the new mothers. As with all things, the generosity of individuals will help us succeed in changing two lives and offering young women a way to keep their children and provide for their needs.
In many African nations, the unexpected pregnancy of a teen or unwed woman is an intolerable situation. The girl is believed by others to be a "sinner"; she is often blamed for her situation, regardless of the particular circumstances that led to her pregnancy. Because this mindset is so prevalent, families feel they must act in order to avoid the stain of dishonor that the woman and her unborn child have brought upon them. Many families disown and expel the young girl from her home to wander the streets.
Whenever someone in our network of parishes in Kenya hears of such a situation, they alert Bishop-elect Antonio. He locates the girl and finds emergency accommodations for her among the Christian church-members. Once the girl is safe, Bishop-elect Antonio visits her parents and family to talk to them about her situation. He will explain the specific circumstances and encourage them to reconcile with their daughter and bring her home. He and others will provide counseling to the family to strengthen their relationship.
While the work of forgiveness and reconciliation is ongoing, the young woman also receives job training from us. Through the generosity of individual donors to the AAOCC, we have purchased sewing machines and other materials so the women can be trained as seamstresses or hairdressers, two occupations in demand in the region.
Bishop-elect Antonio has an 80-90% success rate reconciling the families so they can become one once again. If a family will not accept their loved one back, she is provided with necessities by the church community until she has completed her job training and can earn an income for her and her child.
We are currently seeking ways to expand this ministry to include more individual training and assistance for the new mothers. As with all things, the generosity of individuals will help us succeed in changing two lives and offering young women a way to keep their children and provide for their needs.
Sweetwater Project
Comedian Dave Chapelle once remarked that he knows how wealthy a community is by asking an audience, "How safe is your water to drink?" He says, in America, he rarely hears about good water. Truly, the quality of drinking water is a concern here, where many communities have been poisoned by chemical plants, mining, nuclear power operations, and illegal dumping.
However, as heinous as those situations are here in the wealthiest country on earth, they are largely isolated in certain small pockets. Additionally, once the problem is brought to the attention of authorities, it is rapidly corrected and the perpetrators dealt with.
This is not the case in many African countries. In Kenya, for instance, local drinking water is often polluted by manufacturing and mining, but also by animal husbandry and sewage mixing into the water supply. In poor countries where there isn't a strong infrastructure, laws protecting the cleanliness of water and air are sorely lacking. The water supply in some localities is so dangerous that it has sent members of our convent to the hospital with Diphtheria.
No one is deliberately polluting the water supply, as can happen here in the United States. Individuals and communities are simply living and surviving as they have for generations, by farming and raising herd animals. Oftentimes, the people are unaware that the water is too tainted to drink or, if they are, they don't know what to do about it.
Bishop-elect Antonio has joined with other community and religious leaders to educate communities about the importance of clean water and how to disinfect water before drinking. They also help to build rain-catching drums for schools so the children have clean water. Father Antonio and others will go to local elementary school classrooms and teach the children about the need for clean drinking water and how to disinfect their water before drinking. The children in turn bring this information home and teach their families.
Children become excited when they learn something they can put into actual practice in their home. Their enthusiasm helps bring the message of clean water to the attention of their elders and both helps to keep families healthy and begins community activism to work in ways that keeps the local water supply clean.
The AAOCC would like to expand this ministry so we can provide walls and rain-water systems to rural communities which are especially affected by polluted water.
However, as heinous as those situations are here in the wealthiest country on earth, they are largely isolated in certain small pockets. Additionally, once the problem is brought to the attention of authorities, it is rapidly corrected and the perpetrators dealt with.
This is not the case in many African countries. In Kenya, for instance, local drinking water is often polluted by manufacturing and mining, but also by animal husbandry and sewage mixing into the water supply. In poor countries where there isn't a strong infrastructure, laws protecting the cleanliness of water and air are sorely lacking. The water supply in some localities is so dangerous that it has sent members of our convent to the hospital with Diphtheria.
No one is deliberately polluting the water supply, as can happen here in the United States. Individuals and communities are simply living and surviving as they have for generations, by farming and raising herd animals. Oftentimes, the people are unaware that the water is too tainted to drink or, if they are, they don't know what to do about it.
Bishop-elect Antonio has joined with other community and religious leaders to educate communities about the importance of clean water and how to disinfect water before drinking. They also help to build rain-catching drums for schools so the children have clean water. Father Antonio and others will go to local elementary school classrooms and teach the children about the need for clean drinking water and how to disinfect their water before drinking. The children in turn bring this information home and teach their families.
Children become excited when they learn something they can put into actual practice in their home. Their enthusiasm helps bring the message of clean water to the attention of their elders and both helps to keep families healthy and begins community activism to work in ways that keeps the local water supply clean.
The AAOCC would like to expand this ministry so we can provide walls and rain-water systems to rural communities which are especially affected by polluted water.
Advocates for LGBTQIA+ in Africa & Care for Vulnerable Children Orphanage
These two ministries are of vital importance to those we serve. The support of donors and the compassion of strangers are literally a matter of life-or-death for these two AAOCC ministries in Africa.
You can read more about Advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ in Africa here.
You can read more about Care for Vulnerable Children Orphanage here.
You can read more about Advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ in Africa here.
You can read more about Care for Vulnerable Children Orphanage here.
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