A strategy to minister to single parents in Nairobi South District, Central Kenya Conference

Abstract

The church of Christ is called upon by God to ensure that all its members are taken care of and their varied needs met appropriately. It is expected to be a place of support and encouragement to all its membership. In fact, each of the church members should find a home in the church family. The study sought to investigate to what extent the Nairobi South Pastoral District ministered to the single parents in its congregations. In this study, the researcher first sought out to find out a theoretical basis for ministry to single parents. The Holy Scriptures, the Spirit of Prophecy, and study of the writings of other authors on ministry to single parents were studied. The Holy Scriptures revealed God’s peculiar concern for widows and their families who fall under the larger group of single parents, a commendation to those who show kindness to them and a pronouncement of dire punishment against those who oppress the widows.Various aspects of the single parents’ life and existing ministry to them were studied with a group of single parents and church members from the period 2012 to 2014. The researcher dispensed questionnaires and conducted interviews to establish vital information for the study. The study revealed that the district’s attempt to minister to single parents does not meet their expectations. The single parents felt that more needed to be done to fully minister to them. However, it was encouraging to note from the study that there is willingness from all the membership and leadership to fully minister to the single parents. The researcher then developed and implemented a strategy to minister to the single parents in the district. The strategy involved organizing a special seminars based on the established needs of the single parents. This seminar provided them opportunities to receive instructions relating to various aspects of their lives and share their stories. An evaluation done on the program a year later proved a great success.