Providence Church collects over $53,000 for Kenyan mission

For the members of , giving came very easily this past Christmas season. In fact, it has come easily for them for the last few years. Since 2008, the parish has been able to raise over $110,000 for an organization called Mission to the Fatherless, which is aimed at aiding orphans in Kenya.

The fundraising, part of a movement called Advent Conspiracy, began taking collections just after Thanksgiving last year. The church implores its members to reconsider some of their gift-giving, and instead, give what they would have spent to the charity.

”The idea is to take Christmas down a notch commercially, and pool our resources together,” said Jim Bzdafka, senior pastor of Providence Church. Bzdafka believes it is their responsibility to do something more significant at Christmas than buy useless goods.

This year the church was able to raise over $53,000 for Mission to the Fatherless. 

The founders of this organization are church members Herb and Virginia Veith. The two began their mission after befriending a Kenyan evangelist named Hezron Smith Cheville in 1990. After Cheville invited them for a visit to Kakamega, Kenya, they caught a glimpse of some of the abandoned children he interacted with daily and tried to support with his little means.

They went back the following year after Cheville had died of poisoning, determined to give the children of Kakamega a real Christmas.

The year after that, the couple returned and rented out an abandoned teacher's home. Ten children began going to school and living on the premises, making this the first "home." The house was called Mission to the Fatherless, and this became the beginning of their ministry.

“They knew that if they had a larger facility, that they could have more children,” said Bzdafka.

A piece of land eventually became available near the house in Kakamega. The mission was able to purchase this land after receiving funds from a non-profit organization through an attorney affiliated with the church. The home, which currently houses 47 children ages four to 18, is able to hold 80.

In 2008, the Providence Church raised $23,000 through the Advent Conspiracy. This money went to purchase a van for the house in Kakamega.

“The idea was to buy them a vehicle so they could have access to food and water without the kids having to carry it,” said Bzdafka.

The following year, $34,000 was raised through the church. This money was used to build a well on the property. Money left over from this project was delegated to three wells being built in India, to a town without fresh water.

This year's money raised will go to build a second home in Oyugis, Keyna.

“We had hoped to raise about $50,000,” said Bzdafka. “We thought that would be able to get a shovel in the ground.”

The second house began is Oyugis when a pastor from Kakamega married one of the older children from the home. They wished to give back to the community by building a new home. The current house in Oyugis has only four rooms and houses 27 children. The new house is hoped to accommodate at least 50 children.

“The average person builds as they have money to grow. We’ve taken the American method to try and get it done as quick as possible,” said Herb Veith.

There are also two churches known as Providence Church of Kakamega and Oyugis. The directors of the homes are also the pastors of the churches in each town. Part of the ministry's operation uses “The Jesus Film,” an evangelical ministry tool, in the native's own tribal languages, as well as teaching in the churches and others.

The Veiths have found support with the political leaders in these districts.

“We are registered with the government and they approve of our outreach,” said Veith.

Though the donations have helped tremendously in acquiring structure for the homes and sustaining the land by building wells, the ministry still requires monthly support for shelter, food, medical care and education. That support comes from the Providence Church in the states.

“They’ve been very supportive and helped us a lot,” said Veith.