5th Annual "A Taste of Kenya"

5th Annual A Taste of Kenya

Come experience the Heart of Kenya
Saturday, November 7, 2026 • 5:30–8:30 PM

Aldersgate United Methodist Church

1500 East Rio Road, Charlottesville

Authentic Kenyan Dinner • African Gospel Music • Stories from Mahianyu

There is no charge to attend.  Guests will have an opportunity to support the ministries in Mahianyu, Kenya.

RSVP BY NOVEMBER 1

Can't attend?  Please donate!  Click the Donate button above.

Come hear stories from the Aldersgate Mission Team.

Nourish. Educate. Serve

Widows learn how to sew.

What can happen when people thousands of miles apart decide to work together?

In Mahianyu, Kenya, the answer is extraordinary.

What began with a desire to provide clean water has grown into a thriving ministry serving children, families, widows, orphans and people with disabilities.

Today, children are learning. Young adults are gaining skills that can lead to employment. Hungry children are being fed. Families have access to clean water. People with disabilities are receiving practical help. And a growing Christian community is being strengthened through faith, education and opportunity.

The 5th Annual A Taste of Kenya has one goal: to raise $65,000 to help sustain these ministries in the year ahead.

IT STARTED WITH WATER

In 2020, a well was drilled in Mahianyu to provide clean water to a community where obtaining safe water had been a daily struggle.

But clean water became the beginning of something much larger.

Land was purchased. Crops were planted. A Ministry Center was built. An elementary school grew. Vocational programs were established. A feeding program expanded. And year after year, people in Virginia and Kenya worked together to meet needs and create opportunities.

Clean water helped begin a transformation in Mahianyu.

NOURISH

For a child who is hungry, learning is difficult.

Every school day, children at Imani Christian School receive two nutritious meals and a snack. Food is also grown on ministry land, helping provide nourishment while moving the ministry toward greater self-sufficiency.

A meal does more than satisfy hunger. It helps a child concentrate, learn and grow.

Children receive two nutritious meals and a snack each school day.

EDUCATE

Education can change the direction of an entire life.

Imani Christian School provides children with an education in a caring Christian environment. As the children grow, the school grows with them.

But education in Mahianyu doesn't stop with elementary school.

Vocational training gives young people and adults practical skills they can use to earn a living and support their families. Training opportunities include sewing and fashion design, computers and technical trades.

The goal isn't simply to help someone today. It is to give them the tools to build a better tomorrow.

From elementary education to vocational skills, opportunity begins with learning.

SERVE

Some needs cannot wait.

The ministry continues to provide practical assistance to widows, orphans, families in crisis and people with disabilities.

Over the years, that has meant everything from wheelchairs and hearing aids to mattresses, blankets, clothing, shoes, hygiene supplies and meals.

Each gift may look small from thousands of miles away. To the person receiving it, it can mean dignity, independence, comfort—or simply knowing that someone cares.

MORE THAN A BUILDING

The three-story Ministry Center has become the heart of this work.

Within it and through the ministries surrounding it, children learn, adults develop job skills, meals are provided, people worship together and neighbors receive help.

But buildings themselves don't change lives. People do.

Teachers teach. Cooks prepare meals. Instructors train students. Ministry leaders serve families. Volunteers respond to needs. And supporters thousands of miles away make that work possible.

Your gift to A Taste of Kenya helps keep all of it going.

WHY $65,000?

Our goal for the 5th Annual A Taste of Kenya is $65,000.

These funds will help provide the annual support needed to continue the ministries already operating including:

• Imani Christian School
• Daily meals for schoolchildren
• Vocational and technical training
• Ministry to widows, orphans and people with disabilities
• Staff and teachers
• Ministry Center operations and maintenance
• Christian ministry and community outreach

Your gift—whatever its size—helps continue this work in the year ahead.

$50: school uniforms for 3 children.

$100: training in plumbing or electrical for 1 month.

$250: food for 125 children for 2 weeks.

$600: supplies to teach sewing to widows for 1 year.

$1,500: elementary school class for 1 year.

$2,400:  medical equipment for 24 people with disabilities.

$3,000: seed at Christmas for 300 families.

$5,000: school bus for 1 year.

$12,500: the entire elementary school budget for 1 year.

$25,000: building maintenance for 1 year.

And every gift, large or small, becomes part of a much bigger story.

NOURISH. EDUCATE. SERVE.

Please attend RSVP BY NOVEMBER 1 or give today DONATE