Paving the Way to a Physically Accessible Church

The community in Malinda, Kenya, waited anxiously as the rainy season quickly approached. Resonate Global Mission missionary Kakarioba Bosire lives there, and he explained that the community calls this weather “the rains.” Unlike a typical rainy day, these rains cause relentless trouble and hardship.

Pastor Moses Mwangi looked out and watched the deep potholes on the road to the church filling up with water. He knew that those who attempted to come would be left with car repairs, damaged clothing, or illness and that attendance on Sundays would be small—unless something changed.

“People who had cars were afraid of damaging them, and others who walked would arrive covered in mud,” Bosire explained. Knowing that the road leading to church was a major barrier to people hearing God’s Word, Mwangi called on Resonate to help.

Bosire met with Mwangi and four other church members at the church to work through Timothy Leadership Training (TLT). TLT delivers affordable, doctrinally sound, and effective training to equip leaders for mission in more than 39 countries.

In TLT’s first manual, Caring for God’s People, Mwangi and the leaders learned that a project like paving the road would be a key way they could live out their faith and be Christ's hands and feet for their neighbors. The group created an action plan to fix the road.

With the rainy season fast approaching, they quickly shared their plan with church leadership and raised money among the church community to improve the road leading to church. Mwangi was hopeful but apprehensive. Would they be able to finish the project before the rains began?

The group sought the support of another six church members and hired a small team to help do the work. Together, they began laying stone to fill potholes and flatten the road.

The group worked diligently to outpace the rains, but despite their best efforts, the downpour began. They continued working in the pounding rain, only pausing when conditions became unmanageable.

“They were determined to make the road better for God’s people, and the rains could not stop them,” Bosire said.

The workers even used the relentless rain to gauge whether their repairs would hold steady in the muddy ground. After a few more days of grueling labor, they were pleased with their work. They had improved 600 meters of road. 

The congregation and community members were inspired by the church’s hard work and care for the community. They were excited to attend Sunday morning worship without worrying about damaging their vehicles or putting their well-being at risk.

Proud of their church’s hard work and motivated to continue making the church accessible, its members contributed more funds. The TLT group prayed about how to use this additional blessing to better serve the community and discerned a need for two wheelchair ramps leading to the church’s entrances.

Mwangi now rests easier on Sunday mornings knowing that God has provided a way to keep church members safe as they travel to worship. The church, now safely reachable by car and by foot, also provides physical accessibility for all of God’s people to hear God’s Word.