Interview
3 minute 33 second read
Meet one of our newest staff members. Kefas used to be a ministry leader in the UK, leading the London team involved in evangelism and church-planting. Since November 2024, he has taken up the specialist role of African Diaspora Mobiliser, helping the mission to mobilise and equip Africans in the UK to play their role in God’s mission purposes.
My name is Kefas. I’m an ordained pastor with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), which was started in Nigeria by missionaries from the Sudan United Mission (now Pioneers UK & I).
My wife, Rit, and I are in our 12th year here in the UK although we didn’t think we would stay this long! We were sent here originally for 5 years, to church plant in London, and then our church back in Nigeria decided to extend our stay for another 5 years and we obeyed. Now our church has said it seems the Lord wants us to remain in the UK. We are here as long as the Lord leads the church to say we should remain.
It was a real culture shock when we first arrived – we didn’t know what we had let ourselves in for! But you know, looking back, I can see the hand of God because the difficulties we experienced made us more resilient, committed and determined to survive and do ministry.
We started with a prayer evening where we invited some who had been church members in Nigeria. Then my wife and I decided to go to different churches and see what church life is like in the UK, because we didn’t know. Some of the churches were welcoming, friendly and prayed with us and for us. But sadly some of the churches left us with a sour experience, where everybody would avoid our row!
We started to worship at home, and a Nigerian sister joined us in her lunchbreak – I preached with my eyes closed imagining I was back in Nigeria preaching to my congregation of over 3000. But gradually the church grew and we moved out and rented a space. Whilst there we began a ministry to the homeless and drug addicts who were on the street. God brought so many of them to join us in worship; the first two people that God helped us to lead to Christ were among those addicts. Our vision was to build a multicultural church, but things had been affected by Brexit and Covid, and a transient population. We saw people come to church, grow spiritually but then they found employment elsewhere – we were never sure whether we’d see them again.
“We saw people come to church, grow spiritually but then they found employment elsewhere – we were never sure whether we’d see them again.”
When I discovered there was a Pioneers team in London I asked if I could join them just to pray with them. They welcomed me. And a year later, when there was a need for a new Team Leader, for whatever reason, they all decided I was the only one they could have as Team Leader. I said I didn’t know what that was, so I kept refusing but after six months I said, ‘If this is what the Lord is leading you to ask me to do I’m happy to do it.’
At first I functioned as a rallying point, but gradually, we all began to gel together as a team that respected what each person was doing, and were willing to be available to support anything that any member of the team would do. The more we studied the Scriptures together, the more we prayed together, the more we came around in support of each other, the more we valued each other and functioned more and more as a team.
I’m excited for the future. I have recently stepped into an additional role as the Afro-Diaspora mobiliser. This is a new and exciting challenge with many opportunities as I seek to mobilise those whom the Lord is bringing to the UK from Africa for ministry.
Please pray