Immigration Not the Issue Here

It is not the policy of Trinity Ushindi Ministry Church to disclose internal church communication but due to the extra ordinary situation we find ourselves in we feel obligated to do so.

You may be aware that through the actions of John Mugo Mwangi, divisions have been sown within the membership of the church. These divisions are the work of the evil one whose objective is to sow disunity among Gods people.

A lot of untruth has been spread about this issue. Our duty is to address this misinformation. Never at any time was the issue between John Mugo Mwangi and the church one of immigration. The church chose to communicate with John at a personal and private level cautioning him against his actions and the injury he was inflicting on the church. John chose to use the public forum (including publishing contents of a private letter on the web) and the immigration debate to handle the issue and elicit public support.

We have had to deal with alot of upleasant and ungodly communication from John and his supporters. Below are links to a sample of these letters. We present them here as a way of alerting our membership and web users of the schemes that are underway to destroy our christian unity.

First They Came......

I promised my self that i would read all the mails addressed from trinity church with the full attention they deserve. Sadly, the more you read them, they remind me of our village drunk we use to have. The more he would shout, the more he imagined in his head that the fellow villagers were scared of him.
As a former member of Trinity church, i am amused first to know that WE, as i read above, that we had scholarship programs that benefited our select few. I don't know about you, but most public (i assume in most open societies, scholarships are announced in all notice boards for all to see and apply.For those who have been recipients, do you think its a good idea to share with the members who supposedly are funding the kitty on how to benefit from the funds?
According to the records posted online by Trinity church, the total income of the church in 2008 was 83000. For the same church to spend almost 18000 on one individual raises more questions than answers. As members, do you think they have the right to know how many other deserving students we are sending to colleges, not to mention how many members have the qualifications, and all what is missing is the funds?
The second paragraph of the letter is both laughable if not tragic. Let me just quote the letter..."The agreement with John was that he would voluntarily support the ministry of our Pastor in his ministry. However, John was under the discipline of his Bishop in Thika in Kenya. He had divided the Christians in his parish, shut the bishop out of the church and took the Bishop to court until he was ordered to vacate the church (a testimony that John said in Church)".
Does the person who wrote the letter really knows the meaning of the word voluntary.According to the letter, pastor Mugo was supposed to support voluntarily.According to my dictionary, it is proceeding from the will or from one's own choice or consent. If i agree to voluntarily give you a ride to work every morning, do i have the right to stop my services one day when i feel like?
I do not know this Recor , or who he is, but with friends like him, surely you do not need enemies. As the letter says, the Bill Recor or Recor bill (forgive me i don't know which comes first), wrote a "good faith letter " which he addresses Pastor Mugo as dangerous man who should be stopped. I don't know about you, but this guys want to make us believe that they were soo much concerned by Pastor Mugo's well being that they had to write to his school, his bishop and and another highness somewhere in Kenya, not even forgetting to include his Kenya's Safaricom number!
Finally, let all take it that Pastor Mugo was not in good standing (don't ask me with who or what), did Pastor Ngobia came to learnt about that in 2 weeks?.Did they know know that in 3 years when they were giving him scholarships of 18000 and grants? Was he good then, or by then it did not matter. Was he defrocked when they were both giving Communions and baptizing kids?Did he feel that it was less important then to tell his members that he was under investigations, or that he had/has been deflocked whatever that means?
Finally, the Recor charges that Mugo is surrounding himself and i quote "Through gossip, half-truths and what appear to be outright lies, John has sewn much confusion, splitting apart friends and even family members. He has smeared and defamed Pastor Jacob Ngobia Muiruri, and has lured unsuspecting Christians into a mire of illegal and spiritually poisonous activity. John has caused a great harm to the Church and must be stopped."
Nothing against bill, but when one chooses to go to Catholic, Jehovah Witness or Thaai thathaiya ngai thaai, he or she subconsciously rates any other religion or church as inferior than the one he or she attends. Most of us respect that freedom, to respect others whom we may diagree with. Second, we do have the right in this country, to assemble and worship where and with whom we see fit. The bill of Rights guarantee that Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his [her] choice, and freedom either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his [her] religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
3. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his [her] freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his [her] choice.The constitution does not talk about flocking or deflocking. You can preach wearing a turban if you wish to; nor do you need a certificate to preach. There is a good reason people worship where they do. That is the reason people drive from Plano to Dallas, by passing 20 holy spirit filled churches, yet they go to a particular church.We may not understand why they do it, but we should just respect their choices.Just because Mugo is not submitting to a mzungu doctorine does not mean that the followers are lost. And by the way, what is soo poisonous about starting a church?
Until we learn from from words spoken by Pastor Niemoller, i will be sweating stones if i have no papers and i worship in same church. if they can do that to the people at the front, what do you think they can do to a regular Joe. Was that not the message, to begin with??

Lessons Learnt

My i take this opportunity to thank all those people who devoted their time, money, prayers and personal sacrifices to assist Rev. Mugo finish the first of his many handles.
Personally, i would like to sum up the comments on the blog; i agree that we can disagree without being disagreeable. I think i have no time to debate whether Rev.Ngobia, and other titled high priests are flocked or defrocked. Majority of us DO NOT CARE. Most of the USA great preachers have not even entered the gates of college (Rod Presley, Joel Oesteen... just to name a few) leave alone theology schools, where the qualification to get an admission has more to go with your church register more than your moral convictions.
I feel encouraged though because i have not seen a single blog discussing how uplifting their Sunday service was, nor how many people came to Christ on Sunday. There is a great chance that we will go back to the basics. We are discussing trivialities that at the end of the day, will not improve either of us.
I am not withholding any positive nor negative critics on the blog as long as people work on some civility during the discussions. We were objective enough to post the response of Mr. Ngobia to it's full, and i wanted everyone to judge how dumb or bright his response was.
I was just curious that during the three years that the two men worked together, i really wonder why Mr. Ngobia never revealed to any of the members all about defrocking and 18,000 dollars, which according to the letter, he claims he knew.
There are some people who feel angry, and i do not deny them the right to be heard. But how you respond to a fool throwing mud at you determine whether you will end up with a poodle of mad or a speckle.
As one blogger commented, it is a matter of common knowledge that he (Mr. Ngobia has worked illegally here as many have, and for the doubters can buy a basic report on line for a few bucks.) The detractors are arguing that since he threw the first stone, everyone should call the 1-866-DHS-2-ICE and use the same tactics he used and i believe that the results will not be very different from Rev. Mugo, just by proving that he has used fake I-9 forms to apply for a job.I would like him to post a response that it has no merit, and i will not mind posting back the documents just here for the truth to stand.
But the question i do have is, where will we end up if we use Ngobia's eye for an eye logic.
Sometimes, forgiveness works better than getting even. It is not only biblical but the best logical way to deal with the issue.
We are in a foreign land, where our goal is supposed to be our brothers keeper. If one of us is deported, will i buy his car, house or pay his bills?. The answer is no.
I am also happy to note that we are not disagreeing which church is praying more than the other, nor which church is feeding more of the hungry. And i dearly wait for that day to come.

Trinity Response

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

The Pastor, Elders and Faithful members of Trinity Church Ushindi Ministry would like to issue the following statement of the facts to set the record straight over the issue of John Mugo Mwangi who we all love.

John joined our Church three (3) years ago, from the Anglican Diocese of Thika in Kenya. Trinity Church has been supporting John through scholarship of $6,000 per year and for three years he was at Trinity we paid $18,000.

The agreement with John was that he would voluntarily support the ministry of our Pastor in his ministry. However, John was under the discipline of his Bishop in Thika in Kenya. He had divided the Christians in his parish, shut the bishop out of the church and took the Bishop to court until he was ordered to vacate the church (a testimony that John said in Church).

In Christian love we wanted to help John to settle in the USA by helping him to file for a religious visa with the hope that his family would join him too. However Mugo could not get a letter of good standing from his Bishop, which is part of the requirement. We initiated a process of reconciliation between Mugo and the Bishop. We advised Mugo to write a letter of apology, which he did and some months later we supported him to travel to Kenya as a follow-up where they had a meeting. The Bishop requested him for time to make a decision. We were still waiting for the Bishops response but John decided to join another church.

When John told us of his plans to leave Trinity Church and start his own Church. We had a meeting with him and he promised us, that (1) He would not start his church within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dallas. (2) That he was not in a hurry to start a church, and that he would update us when the time comes. (3) He promised that he would not divide Christians at Trinity Church. In return we promised to offer our moral and financial support when he was ready to start his Church. Unfortunately a few days from that meeting he announced invitations to Trinity members to inaugurate his Church. It appears that Mugo had been all along planning and scheming behind our back to split Trinity church.

When Mugo left Trinity Church we soon realized that he had put himself in a dangerous situation because of his legal status and so we approached him to reconsider his decision to start a Church but he was adamant and refused to meet or discuss with anyone of us.

We therefore decided to confidentially alert Mugo and the Bishop of the Church he had joined through a Pastoral letter within the Church of the facts and danger that Mugo had exposed himself to;

Trinity Rector Rev. Bill Lovell wrote a letter to Johns new Bishop. This letter was not anyway punitive at all and was meant in good faith, to once again request Mugo to reconsider, repent and seek reconciliation. The Bishop was informed that:

1. John Mugo Mwangi is not a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Thika or any diocese in the Anglican Church of Kenya. His credentials are invalid for transfer. That John was “sacked” from the Diocese of Thika, for issues of pastoral integrity. That John caused a lot of harm in the Diocese, and that he is “not a man of good character”, and that he is “extremely dangerous.”

Please note that this is what Bishop Githiga who is John’s Bishop said about him.

1. That John Mugo Mwangi was violating the terms of his Student visa by starting a church and being financially supported by

The group he has gathered around himself.

1. That John Mugo continues to cause scandal and division among the faithful here in Dallas. Through gossip, half-truths and what appear to be outright lies, John has sewn much confusion, splitting apart friends and even family members. He has smeared and defamed Pastor Jacob Ngobia Muiruri, and has lured unsuspecting Christians into a mire of illegal and spiritually poisonous activity. John has caused a great harm to the Church and must be stopped.

The rector begged John’s Bishop;
“To take preemptive action and direct Mugo to immediately stop his tainted church plant.
Regrettably, his illicit behavior has made it impossible at this point for him to be allowed to continue his church work in Dallas in any form. He needs to repent, humbly submit to church authority, dismiss his followers (with apology), and get back to his studies until such time that he reconciles with his Bishop in Kenya.”

Against all ethics and Canon Law Mugo decided to make public a pastoral letter addressed to his Bishop to his members, with a clear intent of incitement. As a result threatening and abusive letters were written to Rector Bill, the Church and even pastor Ngobia. The Issue now took a different turn and the Church institution took over the matter.

With that public exposure, Mugo made himself vulnerable to investigations which may have led to his eventual arrest. Nobody can or should be blamed for what has happened to him but Mugo himself for his lack of judgment and failure to listen to counsel.

It is imperative to know that we at Trinity do not intend in any form or shape to report any of our current and former members to immigration. These are blatant lies hatched and spread by people of extreme questionable character and others have been fighting our ministry for years. It's important to know that some of these people have conned some in our community with fictitious promises. Others are relishing this moment for their personal gains as they have been fighting us for years. We are in ministry of mercy and service to Christ. It's our belief that God will do his will and we are your friends, not otherwise.

Let us all continue to pray that John Mugo (sic) will repent and be reconciled to God and his Church.
We at Trinity Church will continue to cherish and value the opportunities that God has given us to serve our community and we will forge ahead with the Gospel ministry.
May God bless you all abundantly.

Trinity Ushindi Ministry Leadership.

Be Blessed .

Web administrator for Pastor Jacob Ngobia.

tanishing my name

This follows my message that I left on your phone yesterday May 6, 2009.

I have received word that you are claiming that I called the INS to get you. Now with all due respect I am saved and this is something I can never do. Please, remember that you started tarnishing my name and character among our Christians by saying that we have kicked you out of Trinity. You used this as a good reason to seek sympathy and get sympathizers and followers to start your Church. My concern is that my name is even now being tarnished and you need to know that if this false allegations does not stop, I will have to take legal or any desirable action to clear my name. I have my dignity and freedom to safeguard if there is need.

John, I am still grieving for the death of my mother and more so because of the way you betrayed my trust in you. Healing will indeed take along time but it will come at the Lords time. You divided our Christians who we had gathered together for six years. You actually did this even after we requested you as a brother in Christ, to be careful not to divide Trinity Church members. For your own selfish ends you went ahead and separated us. Please remember your promise and that of Rev. Munania to me that you won’t do anything to damage our relationship and that of the Church of Christ .

Please inform your members and friends who are spreading the allegations to stop tarnishing my name.

I continue to pray that you may repent and find reconciliation.

In Christ,

Rev. Ngobia Jacob Muiruri

Associate Rector

Trinity Church

a friend.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me." " I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. "Be assured you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital , and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend.

Be your Own Judge

Dear members, after much thought, we have decided to post in full, the letters addressed to different organizations concerning Rev. Mugo. I want to be as objective as possible. I don't know about you, but the writer seems to have a great deal of knowledge of Kenyan geography. Read all of it below



May 13, 2009
The Rt. Rev. John Herzog, OSA
The American Anglican Church
The Province of The Good Shepherd
680 Albany Post Road Scarborough,
New York 10510
RE: John Mugo Mwangi
Dear Bishop Herzog, I am writing today, sadly, to let you know that things with John Mugo Mwangi continue to disintegrate here in Dallas. He has displayed behavior which is not consistent with gospel values of honesty and integrity. As John has affiliated himself with the American Anglican Church, I am writing specifically to make sure that you are aware of three very serious concerns. (1) John is not a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Thika or any diocese in the Anglican Church of Kenya. Because he is under discipline for good cause, his credentials are invalid for transfer to you or any other Anglican bishop. I have talked personally with John’s bishop, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Gideon Githiga, Bishop of Thika (Kenya), and learned from him that John has been “sacked” from the Diocese of Thika “for issues of pastoral integrity,” that he has been “defrocked,” that he has “caused a lot of harm in the diocese,” that he is “not a man of good character,” and that he is “extremely dangerous.” I told Bishop Githaga that I was going to be sharing these things with you. You may want to contact him directly, via e‐mail, at ackthika@swiftkenya.com, or on the phone, at 011‐254‐7111‐79597. (2) John appears to be violating the terms of his F‐1 student visa. I have been told that John is working illegally at a local convenience store and that he is being paid by the group of people he has gathered around himself. If so, it appears he is not abiding by US immigration laws and regulations. I’m sure you agree that ministers of the gospel should be diligent in abiding by the just laws of the land in which they serve. (3) John continues to cause scandal and division among the faithful here in Dallas. He has sewn much confusion, splitting apart friends and even family members. He has defamed my colleague, the Rev. Jacob Muiruri. Valuable resources have been spent defending Trinity’s ministry against untruth. The name of the Anglican Church has been abused. Part of John’s strategy seems to be to attack Trinity for its association with the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, suggesting that we support liberal theology, gay clergy, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth, yet many have been confused and wounded by the claim.



The Rt. Rev. John Herzog, OSA May 13, 2009 Page 2
Bishop, I am very sorry to have to write you in this way about John’s behavior, but I believe you need to know what is going on. In all due respect, we urge you to take immediate action to prevent further scandal among the flock of Christ. Specifically, we ask you, as the one under whom John says he is operating, to direct John to stop his church plant, to repent of his misbehavior, to submit to church authority (Bishop Githiga), to dismiss his followers (with an apology), and to get back to his studies until such time as he might be restored to the ministry. Please do what you can to help us, Bishop. Jacob has worked very hard for eight years, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to build this ministry, and it is sad to see it being attacked and destroyed by one we had previously loved and trusted.
Your brother in Christ,
The Rev. William Lovell Rector
Cc: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Gideon Githaga The Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton The Rev. Jacob Ngobia Muiruri John Mugo Mwangi

Lessons for us all

As i write this blog, one of our own, Rev. Mugo wa Mwangi is is sitting in a cell because of trying to make in America like anyone else.
For the people who are new to the events, the idea of moving out and starting his own church made some "leaders" so mad that they did what you may not expect from your fellow Kenyan, writing a letter to immigration department and requesting his deportation.

Those who did this callous act we know them by their names, and i will promise to you as i said before, the sword of injustice swings both ways; and your turn may come too.
As we all know, this merry-go -round called America, life is too short. We tend to meet at uneven bridges from time to time.And unless you are a pretty swimmer, its a damn good idea to leave the bridge intact when you cross over the other side, You may need it too when coming back.
I know some of you are asking; why should i care, it has not happened to me YET.Remember the old poem "First they came…"attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller. It says;
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
Psalms 7:15 Those who dig a hole and scoop it out fall into the pit they have made. (NIV)

We need leaders who are willing to unite us, not divide and rule. We need to call them out by their names, and that is what will save us as KENYANS.
For those who have given your time, money, Thank You