Mr. Patrick K.Riungu. A TSC Teacher and a Diocesan SCCs Chairperson report.

Mr. Patrick K.Riungu

I am proud to be a mwanajumuiya (A member of Small Christian Community) of St. Mary Mother of God, Maua parish in Meru Diocese, Kenya. My parish priest knows and acknowledges my contribution to the Small Christian communities’ leadership in the parish. I always had a dream to strengthen the development and growth of SCCs in my parish and beyond.

I started paying more attention to Small Christian Communities during my high school life and I felt that God was calling me to serve through the Small Christian Communities way of life. This became my dream and to make it real was my prayer and discernment. I felt that from small God can shape bigger realities of parish life through a shared vision and mission.  The attitude that Small Christian Communities are not just groups connected with the parish was growing deeper in me that they are companion groups between Christians, to our priests and the locus to experience the risen Christ in his word and in the sharing of experiences illumined by his word and through concrete actions of love to the members of scccs and beyond.

After my college life and marriage life I developed a feeling that this was my second vocation equally important with my marriage and family life.  To build small groups of faith and make the church a family of God became my strong calling I needed to respond to. This journey of discovering more my second vocation to the Small Christian Communities gained more momentum when I met Fr. Lawrence Murori the Diocesan coordinator of Small Christian Communities a mentor and my family spiritual director. With his financial, moral, spiritual and intellectual support I was able to take up the training on developing and leading small Christian communities.

From the training I was empowered to develop the transformative leadership skills with a shared vision and mission and I truly became more committed. The training on Small Christian Communities gave me the opportunity to learn the following insights:

  1. Understanding Group dynamics.

I became empowered on how to create a balanced relationship between the groups and the individuals. How create a learning and faith community and how to resolve conflicts and empower members of the Small Christian Communities to resolve conflicts within themselves for the growth of the group, and to achieve the desired goal. 

  1. Understanding the Growth of the church.

Using the metaphor of animal and plants life process of growth and development, likewise the church needs the sccs of faith to undergo a successful process of growth, namely;  from the provided for church, the church of helpers, awakening church, church of disciples and then to the communion of communities.

  1. Knowledge of the Gospel sharing methods and how to apply them during the weekly meetings.

To animate the Small Christian Communities weekly regular meetings for gospel sharing and sharing experience of illumined by the gospel, these methods foster an outlook of life, listening and response of love to what God is inviting us to do as individuals and as a Small Christian Community, emanating from our baptismal calling to be prophetic.

  1. Becoming Aware of our responsibility to care for the creation, act in defense of creation, justice and reconciliation and promote peace in the entire ecosystem that sustains life and connecting our faith with creation.
  2. Spiritual formation.

That a leader is to be spiritually empowered to discern the will of God for the communities he/she leads and builds.  A spiritual leader will know how to model his/her leadership to that of Jesus and become an inspiration to believers and non-believers. Therefore, the need for ongoing spiritual and leadership formation to nurture spiritually well formed leaders to help them make the kingdom of God a reality that can be experienced in the Small Christian Communities life, in the families and in the parish life community.

To learn these thoughtful ideas for my ministry and leadership development was more empowering and liberating. My most sincere gratitude goes to Fr Lawrence Murori and my Diocesan team of leaders, trainers and my lovely wife who is a key support in my leadership.

Thank you all for your support.

Patrick K.Riungu

Cell:  + (254) 721 598 711

Home Phone: + (254) 735 422 155

Email: kimpatz31@gmail.com