Evangelism
While the school provides quality education and affordable schooling for Pokot children, an important goal of the school is to provide a Christian outreach arm into the Pokot community. When children go to school, they return home and share what they have learned about Jesus Christ with their families. COPE provides several other avenues for evangelism of God's Word to the Pokot tribe as well.
Jesus Film
We share a film of the gospel story in the Pokot language at different rotating locations around the valley. We usually send two to three people to show the film. We project on the side of buildings, cars, or whatever other surface we can find. They open with music videos of worship songs and when it gets fully dark they start the video. Sometimes hundreds of people come to watch the Jesus Film and it has lead to countless people being baptized. For many of the Pokot, this is their first experience hearing the gospel in their own language and the first time they have seen the enactment of the life of Jesus.
"I didn't know Jesus spoke my language" - Pokot man
Celebration of Christian Manhood (CCM)
The traditional circumcision ritual for Pokot boys is often very harsh and lasts for a couple of months. In response to this practice, which confirms the Pokot male as an adult and ready for marriage, COPE invited Pokot boys to come to the Mission for a week of teaching and fellowship. We have had to take a break from Celebration of Christian Manhood since the school schedule got condensed after the COVID shut down in 2020 but we are excited to start this back up again this year now that we are back on a normal schedule. This is for boys reaching puberty and teen years. It is a retreat focused on what it means to be a Godly man, leader, husband, and father. We spend time answering any questions the boys have in a clear informative way with a Christian point of view in mind. One of the big issues we face in the community is misinformation and lack of education for young men and women on these things. Having the opportunity to address this with these boys in a special right of passage retreat, helps us plant seeds that desperately need to take root in this community.; the value of women, the need to cease female genital mutilation (FGM), God’s plan for marriage, and taking responsibility for providing for your family.
Celebration of Christian Womanhood (CCW)
This is very similar to the idea of Christian manhood but with girls reaching puberty and teen years. We focus deeply on their worth as daughters of the King as women are not always valued as they should be. We also focus on why they should have autonomy over their bodies and how (female genital mutilation) FGM can cause dangerous situations during childbirth in addition to not being a part of God’s plan for the intimate relationship between a married man and woman. We spend time answering questions, worshiping and praying, and creating a community of Christ centered values amongst these young women. It’s a wonderful, important event, and we are excited to start it back up again this year!
Other Evangelism
Preachers at Relief Food- When we distribute Relief Food we have at least one pastor present to share a devotion and pray with recipients as they move through the line. This gives people the opportunity to share prayer requests and give thanks to God for His provision. We recognize how deeply the need for physical sustenance is tied to the need for spiritual sustenance.
Sunday Morning Church Service- COPE House children organize and run the service. One of the older children will even share the message. All are welcome to come join our Sunday morning service.
Wednesday Morning Worship Assembly- On Wednesday mornings all the employees, administrators, and students gather for a worship assembly. We sing and pray and share scripture together before beginning the work and school day.
Christian Curriculum in our school- Our school is a Christian private school. All our students take Christian Religious Education (CRE) courses. The children learn the history and context of the Bible, the authors, and are well versed in a huge portion of the content by the time they reach class 6. It is very impressive how much they understand at such a young age!
Morning and Nightly devotions in COPE House-Our COPE House has morning and nightly devotion time where we sing worship songs, pray, and share scripture and testimonies. We feel that opening and closing our day with Jesus helps to keep us focused on what is most important.
Parent Prayer Day- We invite all the parents to come pray with us over their students before big exams. Pastor Jeremiah or one of our teachers will share a devotion and we spend time building up our students and praying over them. It is amazing to see parents show up and fervently pray over their children even if this might be their first introduction to the idea of prayer.
Women's Bible Study-Friday afternoons 15-20 women gather together to study God's word. The recent purchase of bibles in the Pokot language has encouraged the women. They now know God speaks their language.
Individual Interaction- We have hundreds of individual interactions between Administration and the community every month. In every conversation we have the goal of reflecting Jesus to the person we are talking to by being present, available, full of Grace, compassionate, empathetic, and discerning.
Please pray for us as we share Jesus with the Pokot in every way we can. Pray for the Holy Spirit to sweep through the community causing revival and fervor for the Lord in each individual’s heart. Pray for us to have the wisdom we need to let Jesus use us how He wants to every day!
Enjoy more images of our Evangelism Program
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20