Origin and History of Seventh-day Adventist Church Kenya Lake Conference
Kenya Lake Conference (KLC) is part of West Kenya Union Conference in the East-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters is located in Kendu Bay, Kenya.
Historical Background
Kenya Lake Conference
Kenya Lake Conference (KLC) is part of West Kenya Union Conference in the East-Central Africa Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Its headquarters is located in Kendu Bay, Kenya.
Territory: Rangwe Division of Homa Bay District; Muksero sub-location of Kisii District; Bukiria location of Nyamira District; Rachuonyo District; and Mfangano, Central, and Mbita divisions of Suba District.
Statistics (June 30, 2020): Churches, 647; membership, 91,444; population, 2,147,785.
Historical Background
In November 1906, Arthur Carscallen arrived at Kendu Bay on the southern shores of Lake Victoria together with Peter Nyambo from Nyasaland (now Malawi), becoming the first missionaries in British East Africa. The two gentlemen were hosted by Mzee Osumba Simba, a clan elder. Osumba gave them a piece of land where they pitched their tents. One evening as they were walking around, they went to Ogango Hills and said, “This is where God wants to build his Sanctuary.” They named it Gendia. Chief Orinda, the colonial leader, together with Mzee Ongo Onyango, offered them that hill for God’s work.
The first people who responded to the Gospel work through baptism were Isaac Okeyo and Paul Mboya among others. They became important evangelists, and the Gospel work continues to this day. From the early days, evangelism, education, the medical work and publishing have been the primary methods of spreading the Gospel.
Kenya Lake: From Mission Field to Conference
In the three years from 1950 to 1953, the tremendous growth of the Adventist Church in Kenya necessitated the re-organization of the Kenya Mission Field. Between June 1950 to September 1952, some 9,531 baptisms had taken place, and by June 1953, the membership of the Kenya Mission Field had risen to 34,329.R. S. Watts, the president of the Southern Africa Division, through the East Africa Union Committee, recommended that the Kenya Mission Field, which administered the whole of Kenya, be split to create three new Mission Fields in Kenya. These were – the Kenya Lake Mission Field to be based in Gendia, South Kenya Mission Field to be based in Nyanchwa, Kisii, and Central Kenya Mission Field to be based at Karura, Nairobi. The other fields within EAU were the Tanganyika Mission Field and the Uganda Mission Field.
In 1954, F. E. Schlehuber took over from Frithjof Muderspach, who was called to Tanganyika.Carey remained in the same position. Prior to this, Schlehuber was in charge of the Ranen Mission, which was part of the KLF. The other mission stations under the KLF were Gendia and Maliera in Yala.In 1956, H. W. Stevenson took over the leadership of the Kenya Lake Field and E. G. Olsen took over from Carey as Secretary-Treasurer. Before coming to Gendia, Stevenson was the president of the Malamulo Mission in Nyasaland. E. G. Olsen was head of the Katikamu Mission in Bombo Uganda. READ MORE…
