Faith makes a difference, says Archbishop

The Archbishop of Canterbury has visited community projects as part of his visit to Kenya to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Nakuru.

Dr Rowan Williams visited a church and community mobilisation project focusing on food security. The name of the growing initiative, 'Umoja', is a Swahili word meaning 'together' and conveys the idea of being one in mind.

The project is focused not only on sustainability at the local level, but also on helping the church and local community to pinpoint their needs and resources, both natural and human.

Through the initiative, the community is learning to identify its priorities and where it may need technical support from the government or church community services - in this case partnering with Tearfund - to help them reach complete self-sufficiency.

Dr Williams met some of the people taking part in the initiative, including one young man who was orphaned and unable to support himself. With the help of the project, he was able to rear goats and chickens and save enough money to pay for an electronic course.

The Archbishop was also shown some of the produce from the initiative, where people had started with their kitchen gardens, growing indigenous crops that were identified by research as being most suited to the soil, as well as poultry, rabbits and fish that had been bought to provide protein.

Speaking to the local community, the Archbishop said it was the spirit of Jesus that moved people to love one another and work together to transform the earth.

He encouraged the community to continue allowing their faith to move them to make a difference.

“Faith is not just ideas in your head, faith is not just feelings in your heart – faith is the whole of a new life, making a difference to your lives, to your neighbours, to your community, by the grace and the Spirit of God,” he said.