Fisherman

Charter

Groups

Founded by Jesus 28 ad

Fisherman Ministry Become a Fisher of Men

Win t e r 2 0 1 2

www.fishermanministry.com

3,269 Fisherman Now Trained in 22 Churches

Sometimes opportunities come unexpectedly and when we are least

prepared. That is exactly what happened in Nyambaria, Kenya.

What started out to be an evangelistic seminar also turned into a

training seminar for “fisherman.” Before the Devil had a chance to

counter our efforts, a new chapter of the Fisherman Ministry was

born with over 60 charter members. Before the training had even

concluded many of those enrolled in the first class had begun to

share their faith and a Bible story with neighbors, friends and family.

This group has now grown to 3,269 fisherman in 22 churches. Each

year they make record breaking commitments for soul winning.

Pastor William is shown here holding one of the Bibles

that was purchased with a donation of $ 400. Bibles are

not readily available in Nyambaria and many are too poor

to afford one. This contribution has made it possible to

spread God’s word in their native language, Swahili.

3,269 Fisherman = 2,420 Baptisms

God is truly blessing the work in Kenya. At

the end of 2011 there are 3,269 trained Fish-

erman in 22 Church Districts. With over 2600

active Fishermen in 182 churches a total of

2,420 people have been baptized. But, there

is still work to be done, 37 church districts

still need to be organized and trained. This

group is working hard for the saving of souls

and every year they have set ambitious goals

for soul winning.

“When divine power is combined with human effort, the

work will spread like fire in the stubble. God will employ

agencies whose origin man will be unable to discern. An-

gels will do a work which men might have had the bless-

ing of accomplishing had they not neglected to answer

the claims of God.” 1SM 118

Dorca Ongaga joins the Fisherman Ministry Raised in a simple family of 12 children. With the early death of her father and a low in-

come, Dorca had to work hard to assist her brothers and sisters with their education. She

started working as a primary teacher, but to make enough income to support her family

and siblings she went to work for a bank. Dorca would spend the next 15 years working

for the bank until God called her to the ministry. Convicted about God’s call, she left the

bank to be a literature evangelist. After working for some time going door to door, sell-

ing books and spreading the “good news”, Dorca joined the pastoral ministry.

She was the first woman to become a pastor in the East African union. She learned first

hand the joy of sharing the word of God one on one leading many to accept Christ. In her

pastoral work she was soon called to work in a departmental capacity for the East African Union where she was the

Director for Personal Ministry.

Dorca retired from the East African Union in 2010, but not from God’s work. Joining the Fisherman Ministry she is

able to keep the call alive and continue her quest of sharing the Word of God. She will assist in training church mem-

bers how to become “fishers of men” and lead other to Christ. Dorca says that nothing givers her more joy than to

see one being baptized as a result of one on one studies.

This is Ann Ndubi, a member in the

Tombe district. She felt the call of the

Holy Spirit on her heart and attended

the Fisherman training lead by Jones

Momanyi. However, after her training,

she was overcome by a fear of sharing

her faith and obstacles that discouraged

her to the point of giving up. But, she

could not give up and spent much time

on her knees in prayer. She asked God

for a new heart, a heart in which fear

would be replaced by the courage to

reach out, to be a part of His work.

With a new courage in her heart, Ann

began to visit with those around her.

She gave them words of hope and en-

couragement and invited them to study

the Bible with her. She soon had 9 Bible

studies started and 6 of those have been

baptized. Two more are ready for bap-

tism and Ann currently has 6 more stu-

dents she is studying with. The fear of

meeting people and sharing her faith is

gone and she has found new joy in work-

ing for Jesus.

“The greatest work to which human beings can aspire is the work of winning men and

women from sin to holiness.” (The Ministry of Healing, Pg. 398)

There is no greater thrill than to see someone you have studied with get baptized. Your heart

will pound in your chest, and it will be hard to control the tears. Just think, you had a part in

the awesome event of leading someone to Jesus! …..Joe Goodrich

Cou r ag eCou r ag eCou r ag e

From 60 Charter Members to Over 3,000 Trained Fishermen!

Ann Ndubi

During our last visit to Kenya, in November 2010,

a Fisherman Rally was held at the Tombe church.

The rally took place a little over a year after the

first Fisherman were trained in Nyambaria. This

was a wonderful weekend and enabled the area

Fisherman to encourage one another and to share

their testimonies. We heard amazing stories of

conversion and the excitement of Fisherman as

they told how the Holy Spirit worked through

them. We learned of former Adventist coming

back into the faith because a Fisherman took an

interest in him. Because of the actions of one of

the Fisherman peace was made between two tribes

that had been fighting with each other since the

2007 political elections. Deaths were caused on

both sides, even among church members. Because

of the courage of one Fisherman to cross village

and tribal lines to share a Bible study, there is now

peace between these two groups and a church is

being built on the spot where the greatest violence

had taken place. There is power and healing when

God’s word is shared with others.

Ann Ogero is a member in the Nyambaria district

and was a member of the first Fisherman training

class in Kenya. Ann also had a fear of meeting

people and found it difficult to get started. Not

giving up, and after spending much time in prayer,

Ann decided to just meet people where they were;

in the market place. Ann, being a teacher, used a

different approach in her Bible studies. Instead of

doing individual studies, Ann is more comfortable

in a group and invited her contacts to a group

study.

Ann Ogero

She started with 12 people in her first group and

10 have accepted Jesus and were baptized. Her

next group numbered 25 and 18 have been bap-

tized. There is joy in the work of Lord and nothing

can hold her back.

F r i e n d sh i pF r i e n d s h i pF r i e n d s h i p

P e a c ePe a c ePe a c e

The first Fisherman Ministry Youth for Christ camp-

out was held during our November trip. Much prepa-

ration was needed for the youth to present this pro-

gram. Our intent was, from the beginning to train the

youth to speak and to organize the weekend training

camp.

About 180 young people showed up for the first

seminar. We were prepared to accommodate 140

campers. This was far beyond our expectations and

inspired the group to immediately start planning for a

follow up camp.

Pictured above were the first youth instructors that

were trained. This was the first time for many of

them to speak in front of their peers. They were both

scared and excited, but once the camp started all fear

was gone and by the end of the day they were teach-

ing and preaching their hearts out.

It was a beautiful weekend for the campout. The

group was divided up into seven teams with two in-

structors in each team. Seven stations were then set up

in an open field with a flag marking each station.

Each station had a different colored flag that corre-

sponded to the color of the scarf the instructors wore.

Each group spent about 40 minutes at each station and

would then move to the next station. At each station

the instructor

would teach a

lesson that

would give

sound Biblical

principles for

both spiritual

and personal

success.

On Saturday

evening a ves-

pers service was held. We concluded the service with

a campfire and candle lighting ceremony as we sang

“Go Light Your World.” Then a movie was shown on

an outdoor screen about facing your giants and it was

time to turn in for the night.

Sunday morning a light breakfast was served and cer-

tificates were handed out for completing the weekend

training. Everyone was very excited about the results

and several young people were lead to Jesus that

weekend. Plans are already being made to hold an-

other camp in the near future.

Joe Goodrich can be seen here teaching the youth leaders how to

speak effectively before a large group. Each leader was given one

lesson to teach and given the opportunity to present that lesson be-

fore the group.

The Fisherman Ministry would like to thank the Boots-N-Jeans

Cowboy Ministry and the First Baptist Church of Beaver for their

generous contribution of Bibles. Over 800 Bibles were donated for

the Fisherman Ministry Youth for Christ program in Kenya. Many

young people received their first Bible during the youth rally.

Pastor Shem Ongoko, President of the

Namira Conference, announced that

the Fisherman Ministry is now a rec-

ognized support ministry for the

Nyamira Conference. The announce-

ment was made during the Fisherman

Rally held in Nov, 2010. Pastor Shem

has become one of our biggest sup-

porters in Kenya and promised to help

us to become a recognized support ministry for the East African Union.

Pastor Shem stated that through, “the efforts of the Fisherman Ministry

they more than doubled there baptism goals for 2010. He went on to say,

“The Fisherman Ministry is more effective than any ministry we have

tried.”

Here Pastor Shem receives a certificate of appreciation from Joe Good-

rich in recognition of his support of the Fisherman Ministry.

Joe Goodrich President and Founder of

the Fisherman Ministry

Fisherman Ministry is about soul

winning one on one, the oldest

and most effective means of

bringing someone to Jesus. The

first five disciples were fishermen

and to them Jesus said, “come,

follow me and I will make you

fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19) It is

our mission to train and support

laymen and women in becoming

“fishers of men”.

The experience of bringing some-

one to Jesus is beyond compare

and has eternal value! All around

you are souls who have not made

a connection with their Creator.

Often, they are unhappy, con-

fused and discouraged with a

world that doesn't seem to make

any sense. They are waiting for

someone to come with words of

hope and encouragement. They

are looking for a new way or a

second chance at life. Will you be

the one to bring that hope? Will

you become a fisher of men?

You may be uncertain about

many decisions you make in life,

but you can be certain about this,

“He that wins souls is wise”

Proverbs 11:30

Fisherman Ministry Office Opens in Nyambaria

Jones Momanyi is the Fisherman

Ministry Coordinator in Nyambaria.

Here Jones is busy at work in the

new Fisherman Ministry office, lo-

cated at the Nyambaria Church. This

new office was dedicated during our

last trip to Kenya in November,

2010.

Fisherman Ministry Recognized By Fisherman Ministry Recognized By Fisherman Ministry Recognized By Fisherman Ministry Recognized By Nyamira ConferenceNyamira ConferenceNyamira ConferenceNyamira Conference

Be a Part of the Fisherman Ministry

You can be a part of the Fisherman Ministry in two ways.

First, you can start a chapter of the Fisherman Ministry in your church

and be a part of this dynamic and exciting work. Contact Joe Goodrich at

the Fisherman Ministry to set up a training session in your church.: 150

Knob Hill Lane, Double Oak, TX 75077.

Second, you can become a financial supporter of the Fisherman Ministry.

See the enclosed envelope on how you can be a supporter and get your

free copy of the African Safari DVD, “Safari on the Maasai Mara.”

Fisherman Ministry • 150 Knob Hill Lane • Double Oak • TX 75077

w w w . f i s h e r m a n m i n i s t r y . c o m