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 NEGST held our twenty-fourth graduation ceremony on Saturday July 4, 2009. The theme of the event was “you will know the truth,and the truth will make you free”.
Children danced as they led the procession of distinguished guests, faculty, staff and graduates. A total of one hundred and four students went out to become the Christian leaders in Africa and beyond on that day.
Guest speaker Professor John Mbiti, called the Father of Contemporary African Theology, delivered the graduation address John 8:32, inspiring the crowd towards a Christian university in Africa and its mission in society. A Christian religious philosopher, Dr Mbiti is also a canon in the Anglican church, holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge and has held visiting professorships at universities across the world. He has published extensively on philosophy, theology and African oral traditions. Mbiti’s seminal book, African Religions and Philosophy (1969), was the first work to significantly Read more »
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 NEGST alumni, Naphtaly and Nereah Mattah, founded and built Gethsemane Garden Christian Centre (GGCC), a school on an island in Lake Victoria that is home to the impoverished Suba people, including hundreds of AIDS orphans.
Naphtaly earned his MA in Bible Translation Studies from NEGST in 2002, and went on to become project leader of a Bible Translation and Literacy project among the Suba people since 1991. Nereah holds a master’s degree in Christian education from NEGST and is the headmistress of the Centre.
According to Naphtaly, Mfangano island was one of the places worst hit by HIV-AIDS in Kenya. The students at GGCC are among the poorest of the poor from Mfangano and the surrounding islands. Up to 65% Read more »
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 On graduation day, July 4, NEGST was pleased to hold the opening ceremony for what is possibly the largest collection in the world of works in African languages. With 2,500 items, the Derek Nurse African Collection now is housed in its own facilities above the main library at NEGST.
Dr. John Mbiti opened the collection after the graduation ceremony. He quipped, “of making many books there is no end, and much study is weariness of the flesh,” but went on to call down blessings on the writers, publishers, purchasers and users of the collection, and to dedicate the collection to the Lord’s use.
Ken Boothe, of Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) remarked, “I am happy Read more »
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 Mweemba Mwaanga, a first-year MDiv Theology student at NEGST, says “As a theology major, everything I’m learning is equipping me for the work back home. ” He is currently involved with the social justice ministry at Nairobi Chapel. Prior to coming to NEGST, he served with the national board for social justice and peace at the Council of Churches in Zambia. The NEGST Letter brings you an interview with Mweemba:
Mweemba, tell us about the ministry you’re involved in.
The social justice ministry at Nairobi Chapel is the practical arm of the church, both within and outside the congregation. We are the bridge linking the church and people’s day-to-day situations. The goal of our ministry is to make Christ’s love known by ministering holistically to people’s needs.
We reach out to vulnerable children, youth and women, provide Read more »
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 Dr Priscilla Adoyo first joined NEGST as a student. Surprisingly, she started teaching in the Christian ministries program while she was still studying. She currently serves as a faculty member at the Institute for the Study of African Realities (ISAR), a sister school of NEGST under the future Africa International University. Within ISAR, she coordinates the peace-building program.
Her areas of research interest are the causes of conflict. Priscilla is passionate about peace-making, and has written an article in the book Resources for Peacemaking in Muslim-Christian Relations, edited by J. Dudley Woodberry and Robin Basselin. The article is entitled “The Conflict in Southern Sudan and Approaches for Conflict Transformation”.
Priscilla’s philosophy Read more »
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 Dr Richard Rettew and his wife Anna Rettew served at NEGST from 1990 to 2002. Dr Rettew served as a faculty member in the pastoral studies programme; Anna served in the Christian ministries programme. Upon retiring, they started Help for Africa Church Leadership (HALC), an evangelical mission support agency that helps to develop leadership for church mission in Africa.
The couple started HALC as a way to support NEGST students. The foundation solicits funds from friends towards students scholarships. Dr Rettew is the director of the mission and a representative of NEGST in the United States.
HALC sends regular quarterly donations, into the tens of thousands of US dollars each year. These donations benefit quite a number of NEGST students, who apply through the NEGST financial aid office for the scholarships, not directly to HALC.
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