“Hii verse imenishika… hii verse imenishika” (this verse has touched me…) was the chorus that Jedidah was tired of hearing every time she went for prayers at her home church. When her mother told her to accompany her for the prayers one Saturday afternoon, she thought of it as an opportunity to take part in a church activity other than being part of the Sunday congregation. The meeting did not go according to her expectation as when everyone was asked to share their views from the scripture they had read, all they did was to read a verse or two and say, “hii verse imenishika”. At first, she thought that no one had been inspired that day but after it became a cycle, she had had enough and decided to stand up to the group and showed them how to interprate the word. Though she was considered rude at first, the members came to appreciate what she had done. She owes all this to the faith and spiritual upbringing that Daystar University has incorporated in her.
When it comes to portraying their faith in God, the Daystar University community has all it takes to bring out God’s ministry. Unlike most of their fellow university students, who would rather enjoy the freedom and “good life” they acquired when joining university, the students are taking part in activities that show their Christianity and hence increasing and strengthening their faith. Ways of expressing faith have taken different forms in the institution. From prayer groups to concerts and retreats, these are some of the ways of expressing worship among the staff and students of the university.
The different ways of expressing faith lie mostly on the individuals but the main responsibility of organizing events and ways of worship mainly lies in the hands of the relevant Daystar Christian Fellowship (DCF) executives. The DCF team has a number of students who are part and parcel of the fourteen sub-committees that assist in ministry both within and out of the institution. The different sub-committees are in charge of different aspects of showing faith and ministry works.
Figure 1: Students being addressed during chapel
As I sit listening to the sermon during chapel, I can’t help but wonder how all these come together. The dedication and devotion of the Service Team is clearly portrayed in the atmosphere of the Amphitheatre, where quite a number of the student population is gathered. Chapel and Sunday services are a great part of the Daystar community. Each and every week, the students, staff and other interested parties gather to worship and thank God for the week that has been. Another major group of people that help people gather for worship is the Fellowship Team that recently took their time to divide the students into small groups that meet every Thursday for Bible study.
“The importance of these groups is to study the Bible, socialize and find out what is going on around us,” Kimachia, the chairperson of the DCF worship team said. He further adds that students should not fall into temptation when they are involved with others who are not strong in faith. He concluded by saying, “They should instead encourage the others so as to make their faith stronger.”
Figure 2: Small group meeting
“I love dancing and what better way to serve God and show my dedication to Him than to use the talents He gave me,” says Sarah who is a devoted member of the Dance team that reaches to others through dance. Another group that shows their ministry through their hobbies and talents is the Daystar Theatre Arts team, which is popularly referred to as DTA. These two teams are part of the Outreach Team that show dedication to their Christianity through the gifts and talents given to them by God.
Students are always encouraged to join any of the sub-committees and just as Jesus Christ led by example when he accepted and interacted with people from all walks of life, so do the DCF teams emulate his example. “Before I joined Daystar, I was involved in all sorts of unruly behavior. I never listened to or obeyed my parents. I would party all night and more often than not, I would find myself waking up in places I could hardly recognize. When I decided to change my ways and applied for a chance to study in this institution, I thought I would not fit in and would be looked down upon as an outcast. All this thoughts were just a mere part of my imagination as I was welcomed and taken under the arms of DCF outreach team,” a dedicated member of the DCF crew narrated. “I would encourage anyone who wants to find a place to anchor themselves in Christ to greatly consider Daystar University.”
Having had some experience during the past few months, the DCF Vice Chairperson, David Njeru has come across all sorts of students who struggle to understand how to show their faith. “Being a Christian is not always about walking with a Bible under your arms and preaching to everyone you meet along the way, you could always lead by example by showing your faith through your character.” He explained. He said that Daystar students show their faith through the way they live their lives, which are by being morally upright, showing respect to everyone and being dignified in their behavior.
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17, NIV). Daystar Students show great concern and care for each other and their neighbors. Not only do they remember the needy amongst them in prayers, but also go the extra mile to share what they have with those who do not. Often, you would find students collecting funds, foodstuff or clothing to take to the needy during missions and crusades. Some of the funds collected are used to help students clear their fee balances so that they may be able to sit for their exams. Students often hold prayers for the needy in the society and they even fast once a month so as to strengthen their faith in God.
As a way of showing encouragement to other students to show their faith, the DCF team organizes retreats and concerts so as to show the fun side of serving God and that is through music and dance. “Remember the day we decided to stay in school for the grand gospel concert without a care in the world on where we would sleep or even what we would eat?” Linda, who was seated next to me in the bus, reminded me of our freshmen days. I could not help but laugh as I remembered how my mother had scolded me the following day. But it was all worth it, I took home a great lesson, had fun with my friends and at the end of the day, got to help someone somewhere.
Figure 3: An artist during a concert
George Ojema, the DTA Director, simplified all the acts of faith by saying, “The reason why Daystar Students stand out is because they are anchored in Christ and their faith has enabled them to go to great heights.”
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