KENYA: AMECEA Launches Second Edition of Small Christian Community Training Handbook
A Revised Second Edition of the book “Strengthening the Growth of Small Christian Communities in Africa, a Training Handbook for Facilitators” has been published. Currently being sold as an e-book, electronic book by the Daughters of St. Paul and also by Amazon worldwide, the book was officially launched by AMECEA on Friday, September 14, 2018 during the opening of the 5th Workshop of Network Small Christian Communities (SCCs) Africa currently going on in Nairobi, Kenya.
Editions of the Small Christian Community Training Handbooks
Speaking during the launch, Rev. Fr. Joseph G. Healey, MM, who is among the six editors of the book said that the new edition has two new chapters, namely Facilitation Skills and Leadership Skills. He explained that back in 1973, AMECEA had a great dream of making SCCs a key Pastoral Priority in Eastern Africa. However, it became apparent that they needed a literature; printed material and online materials to make this dream a reality especially on the grassroots, on the ground. It was upon this realization that in 2017, six individuals comprising of two lay people (man and woman), a nun and four priests produced the Training handbook.
“Our dream continues because we said we had to expand and develop the ideas in this facilitator’s handbook, so Alphonse Omolo in particular developed two new modules. So from a book of 80 pages of last year in the first edition, we have a 128 pages’ book in this second edition,” Fr. Healey explained adding that the second part of the dream is to share this with the whole of Africa and so far they have in process a French translation of the Second Revised Edition and are also considering Swahili translation in the near future.
According to Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo, AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator, the added topics have been experimented during the last training conducted by AMECEA for the South Sudanese Refugees living in the settlement camps in Northern Uganda.
“We observed an overwhelming positive response because the two new topics presented a complete process, answering the questions on leadership and facilitation,” Fr. Chimombo explained adding that in a SCC setting leadership is prescribed in a specific different manner, where leaders are part and parcel of the group.
According to Dr. Alphonse Omolo, one of the Editors, this Second Edition came as a result of the evaluation of trainings so far conducted using the handbook.
2nd Edition of the Training handbook
“During our trainings in different countries of AMECEA, participants were asking questions about the challenges they were having in the SCCs; mainly on animation and facilitation of the meetings and also challenges on leadership. We therefore conducted a small research to gather information on what exactly the challenges were; and based on our findings we put together the two modules,” he explained adding that their work as animators of SCC is driven by the experience of the various SCC groups and animators in various countries.
He intimated that the book which is based on concrete live experiences within the AMECEA Region is dynamic, alive and growing therefore they are yet to see what would be the next topics to include in future based on the experiences during the subsequent trainings.
The launch was witnessed by Rt. Rev. Method Kilaini, Auxiliary Bishop of Bukoba and AMECEA Secretary General Rev. Fr. Anthony Makunde as well as SECAM 1st Vice Secretary General Rev. Fr. Edward Mombili.
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By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News
