Men's Professionals Dinner
By Gilbert Wandera
Friday November 19, 2004 was a red-letter day for the brothers in the Metro and West regions of the Nairobi Christian Church.
It is the day when the eagerly awaited men's professionals dinner "Men of Honour" took place under the theme "Men Of Honour" at Hotel Boulevard, a small but scenic location just outside Nairobi city center.
For a day that had been on the hearts of many for weeks leading up to it, did not dissapoint. Soft and alluring music welcomed participants as they streamed in to warm smiles from the ushers at the door. The night began on a high note with an impressive performance from Francis Masinde. He moved hearts, singing "You Come To My Rescue" to the gentle lilt of his guitar.
Then, it was time for the speeches. Charles Kiarie, the first of the evening's three speakers, shared with the gathering on the theme of faith, using his life as an example. Charles, who is a Business Development Manager with Standard Chartered Bank, the biggest bank in the region, spoke of the tribulations he went through when he first joined the bank, but never gave up. God worked in his life to elevate him to his present position.
Just after graduating from the University of Nairobi with a BSc in Mathematics, Charles' first role at the bank was sorting out vouchers in the basement. It was a trying time of uncertainty, and he says, "I wanted to give up." Some at similar employment levels around him resorted to corruption and underhandedness in efforts to make the money they had dreamed of when joining the bank, and got sacked for their efforts. Charles, on the other hand, earned successive promotions and served the bank in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Ghana , India, Brunei and the United Kingdom. "It is honourable to hold to integrity in face of temptation," Charles shared, "than to compromise in the hope of success."
Charles, a father of two, urged those present to strive to be men of honour in their areas of specialization even as they seek to glorify God in their professions.
If Charles' presentation had been inspirational, George Nyawade, who spoke next, was just phenomenal with his. 50 year old George is a brother from the Kampala church and spoke of the need for professional men to have a spiritual focus. George, a finance manager with Caltex Uganda, who has worked for the oil giant in Kenya and Singapore before his promotion and transfer to Kampala, urged men to rise up in their relationships with God and to radically strive to be committed, emphasizing that only a relationship with God will count at the end of the day since we will never be permanently on earth.
George also urged men to cultivate great relationships with their wives, be approachable, sincere, open, humble and not to put pressure on their children in the area of worldly success. "When we climb the corporate ladder we become less approachable," he declared. Using the biblical example of Balaam and addressing the need for men to be real, vulnerable and open to being helped with personal and character issues, he said, "Sometimes we need something like a donkey talking to us for our hearts to be helped."
Lastly Nyawade spoke of the need for men to always look up to God in every area of their lives.
A four-man acapella group gave further flavour to the dinner with rousing songs from around the African continent.
Steve Mukenya, co-lead evangelist of the Nairobi church, and leader of the Metro region, whose brainchild the dinner was, urged for a return to godly standards in our careers. Speaking from the book of Daniel in a lesson entitled "Men Of Honour," Steve called all the men to resolve not to compromise and instead to develop the courage to deal with their weaknesses and rise above the ruthless and vicious tactics to which many resort in their all-consuming goal to advance themselves. "You are where you are due in no small part to courage," Steve told the gathering of professionals, "Now, you must hold to that courage." He also cautioned, "Hold to your jobs without making them your god."
Speaking candidly about purity and the need for men to not only be faithful to their wives but to meet their wives needs and not get too busy for the them in the name of professional commitments and work schedules, Steve used the heroic biblical example of Joseph, who resisted Potiphar's wife's advances.
He suggested that it is possible that Potiphar's wife's desire for an extra-marital relationship may be a result of Potiphar being too busy for her and neglecting her needs. Putting the spotlight back on those present, though, and asked, "Would you have resisted the advances of a wealthy and charming woman?"
Both hosts and visitors alike had great positives to share about the occasion, and the conversation as the men proceeded to eat was lively and energetic. One visitor suggested that the occasion but a whole day long next time and another said, "You've go to do this more than once a year." Henry Kirika from the Central Sector termed the event a great success. "It was great and exra-ordinary. We should have more of this," he said. George Kashindi who was visiting said he would love to attend many more of such in future. Graham Kasindo from Eastleigh said he had been greatly encouraged by one of the speakers to always perservere and trust in God even in the face of uncertainties.
We look forward to men developing and living out great spiritual dreams as a result of the "Men Of Honour" dinner and being every bit as dynamic for God as they have been for their professional areas of expertise.