Empower Africa Director Frank Tweheyo visited St. Paul’s University in Kenya last month for both a Master Class and a brand new seminar, a Training of Trainers workshop. Here is Part Two of Frank’s report.
We’re so grateful for the people at St. Paul’s University in Kenya. Not only have they welcomed Empower for many trainings over the years, but they want to spread the message of New Man, New Woman, New Life.
When I was last at St. Paul’s for the Master Class last year in December, Purity, Elizabeth and I talked about the need for having more trainers for the NMNWNL.
Up till last few years ago, I was doing both the Seminar and the Master Class at St. Paul’s with Purity. In 2019, I was unable to travel to Kenya because of a family medical emergency. So the team invited John Kabogo, a 2018 Master Class graduate who showed zeal for the MNMWNL message. He’s been doing seminars with Purity ever since.
But demand for the Empower trainings in Nairobi is growing. We needed more trainers, who not only knew the material but also understood the best way to teach adult learners. It became obvious that we needed something deeper and more technical, so we agreed to develop content for a prototype for a Training of Trainers.
Elizabeth, Dr. Bundi, and I discussed options, and agreed to invite 10 people from previous Master Class trainings who we believe are capable of training others to pilot this new material.
Final details materialized when I went back in February this year for the Master Class (MC). We organized a meeting with Bundi and agreed to run the Training of Trainers immediately after the MC.
Because of your generosity, we were able to pilot this new in-depth training immediately.
The T.O.T participants included:
1-Rev. John Gatuma Mbogo, ACK Nairobi Diocese
2-Purity Njagi-One of our key trainers
3-Bishop Angelo Njagi, husband to Purity
4-Rev. Tuni Mburu with PCEA
5-Bishop Phineas Mwiti-Murega of Christ The King Tabernacle
6-Dr Esther Mwiti-Wife to Bishop Mwiti and Lecturer at Kenya Technical University
7-John Kabogo (one of our trainers) a businessman and minister with PCEA
8-Dr Campbell Margaret Mumbi, a Civil Leader with Kenya Power
9-Faith Kabiru, a wife of an ACK Vicar and a nationally respected Trainer
10-Elizabeth Ndabi of St. Paul’s Enterprise Unit, the course coordinator
11-Ven. Rev. Scholastica , a lecturer at St. Paul’s, who joined us online from Malawi.
12-Dr. Mwangi James (Director of SPILL) who facilitated this training with me (doing the more technical aspect of the TOT)
The participants told us that they would like to be more comfortable and conversant with the material in order to teach it more skillfully. In other words, they wanted to reach the “unconscious competence” stage of the NMNWNL training philosophy.
All wanted to know each other deeper as a team, which is an important step, as they were drawn from different MC’s that were conducted. We wanted them to connect as they will be teaching and leading together.
Topics covered had their foundation laid on the NMNWNL material. These included:
1- Principles and practices of transformational, effective and participatory adult learning
2-Effective facilitation techniques and basic facilitation skills
3-The facilitation process
4-Overcoming facilitation challenges
5-Content mastery
6-Adult learning theories
I led the session on Principles and Practices of Transformational, Effective and Participatory Adult Learning (my Fuller Seminary training came in handy!).
I led participants into groups to discuss facilitation challenges (all of them are involved in training others) and together we discussed how to overcome them while using the NMNWNL material and seminar as a case study.
I also handled the Content Mastery session. I had each participant practice and deliver the overview sermon while the rest were constructively critiquing the one delivering (preparedness, content, focus, stature, stationed or moving, etc).
Dr. Mwangi led us into understanding effective facilitation techniques and basic facilitation skills, while touching also on overcoming facilitation challenges.
Dr. Bundi came to close the training but also led a session on Adult Learning Theories to cap it all.
Two of these trainers, John Kabogo and Elizabeth Ndabi, joined me at The Teen Challenge as facilitators later that week, while Bishop Murega and Dr. Campbell joined us for a day at Teen Challenge. Their presence there was extremely helpful and highly appreciated.
These trainers are looking forward to participating in Empower trainings whenever called upon, as well as taking and incorporating the NMNWNL message in their trainings and sermons wherever applicable.
Some participants made sure I met some people they felt needed this message. After the TOT, I became incredibly busy traversing Nairobi to meet various groups that wanted to hear and possibly take on the NMNWNL seminars and trainings.
To God be the Glory! And thank God for the Revelation He gave Dr. Carrie Miles to write the NMNWNL study guides. Kenya is crazy with the message!