At the same time, I just couldn't believe it and I found it exactly as I would expect!

On one of our Sunday ventures to a church here in Eldoret, trying to get acclimated to the church's culture here, I saw almost next door to the largest Protestant church in the city, the Mormon church building. The Pentecostal church we were visiting was a nice building, quite large, capable of seating a few thousand if filled (especially in the African way), yet the construction still had the feel of work being done in the cheapest way possible. Open tin roofing instead of tile or other material with no interior ceilings, as one example. Don't get me wrong - in many ways, I wish we had a building like that on our campus.


However, just next to that building that had been put up by a group that had been here for a while and growing during that time, was the building put up by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. From what I have been told, the Mormons had tried to missionize in Kenya at an earlier time and had been met with resistance and no real success. However, they have made another push. And just like you will see all around the US, they do not skimp on their church structures. This was one of the nicest buildings I have seen in this region. It was not as large as the Pentecostal church, but much better construction. Quality and attractive construction that sends a message.

(This is a picture I found of the Mormon church in nearby Nakuru; couldn't find one of the church here in Eldoret.)


Now of course, I know that the Church is not the building, it is the people. Additionally, we are called to be good stewards. But what is there in the definition of stewardship that equals not doing things well (I am not directing this toward the church we visited, but an overall attitude; they have certainly done things better than many can or have)? Neither is there in the definition of stewardship that we should be ostentatious and overspend. We certainly do not need to go back to the problems which helped precipitate the Reformation where expensive and elaborate buildings and artwork in Rome required, shall we say, creative fundraising... Nor do we need a pretentiousness that promotes a false gospel and turns people off.


But this hits home to me especially as we try to straighten out all of the accreditation issues at the school and grow the student body, since many of those problems relate to inadequate facilities at the campus. Ought we to find the cheapest way to get things done? Or is there a better way to do things that takes a fuller picture into consideration? We immediately have to replace the roofs on the two main campus buildings. They have the original roofs on them which are made of asbestos. We cannot move forward in our accreditation until those roofs have been removed and replaced. We also cannot move forward into being fully legal until our library is expanded. As we are planning these projects, I can't help but think about the Mormon church building and the conviction that we need to do things with excellence without wasting money.


One thing I have found among some people is a dual standard [of course, this does not apply to everyone and certainly not to you fine folk :) ]: of course our church buildings in the United States need to look nice, we should not use sub-standard products - basically, don't get the most expensive, but don't get the cheapest, either. Many people do not even blink at spending $2,000,000 on a sanctuary and classroom building. But when it comes to projects on the "mission field," the frame of reference becomes "What is the cheapest way to get this done?"


Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us - even on the decisions we have to make between types of roofing and flooring materials.