Jan and Tim Ryder have enthusiastically responded to a call by our partner church, Nairobi Chapel, while the church faces a time of major transition. With the goal in mind of planting 300 churches by the year 2020, the Chapel is dividing its fellowship into five parts in order to facilitate their vision of reaching Nairobi and beyond. Currently, this transition involves planting four new churches while maintaining the current site on Mamlaka Road. (see www.nairobichapel.org)

The Ryders’ history at Elmbrook Church goes back to 1970 when Jan began attending the Forever Family Bible study led by Bob and Win Couchman, who modeled the love of God to her and so many others. A friend of Tim’s brought him to Elmbrook Church in 1973. Jan and Tim met while serving in the high school ministry in the summer of 1976 with Pastor Bob Henley. Tim succeeded Bob as Elmbrook’s high school pastor later the next year. After Tim and Jan were married, they continued to serve in that ministry until leaving to attend Columbia Bible College and Seminary in 1980. 

In 1984 the Ryders, with their young daughter Katie, joined SIM International, a Christian mission agency, and moved to Kenya to serve as part of Elmbrook’s first Target Area Project among the Boran people. Soon the family had fallen in love with the people of Kenya and the opportunity to preach Christ and build His kingdom in Africa. Their ministry assignments for the first seven years were in youth ministry as well as development work in Northern Kenya. During the next three years Tim served as East Africa director for SIM. Before returning home in 1997, the Ryders lived and worked with the Daasanach people who live on the Kenyan/Ethiopian border.

Returning to the States upon Katie’s high school graduation, Jan and Tim rejoined the Elmbrook staff as ministry assistants and then subsequently moved on to pastoral positions.

Tim became Elmbrook’s Associate Pastor of Urban Ministries in 1998 and, in addition,  joined the Community Group ministry in 2004. He’s been gratified to see small groups from many ministries (women’s, men’s, neighborhood groups, singles) sharing training times and willingly and generously working together toward the common goal of equipping one another for life and service.   

Since becoming the Associate Pastor of Children’s Ministry in fall of 2000, Jan has enjoyed the challenges and blessings of helping a team to lead children to life in Christ.  When asked what most excites Jan about her work she quickly replies, “I love what I get to do.”  She acknowledges that Kids Kamp and Discovery Days are especially rewarding because the children are in a new environment for an extended period of time, and the staff sees God work powerfully in the life of the child over the week of activities and study of His Word.

A new chapter of the Ryders’ lives will open when they leave Elmbrook and return to Kenya to work with Nairobi Chapel. Jan will be working at the current site on Mamlaka Road as the children’s pastor but will also have a role in developing strong leadership in the children’s ministries of the four new churches. Tim’s work will be at the Ngong Road Church, one of the new church plants. He will be responsible for developing ways for the church to interact and have a witness in the Kibera slum that borders the new church site.  Over one million people live, work, and worship in Kibera and Tim is looking forward to working alongside the pastors who serve these people. He expects to learn ways that the Ngong Road Church can support and serve this working class area that is filled with individuals who need to find hope in the Lord Jesus. Tim likens this to the excitement we at Elmbrook are experiencing with the birth of Metrobrook in urban Milwaukee.

The Elmbrook Church leadership team recognizes God’s call to Jan and Tim as they return to Africa, and encourages the church family to support them as they serve at Nairobi Chapel.

While the move to Africa, their second home, is a thrill for Jan and Tim, they don’t hesitate to ask for prayer regarding several challenges that they will face in transition.  Won’t you pray for Jan and Tim throughout the busy months ahead?

1.  They will be separated from their daughter Katie, a special education teacher in Burlington, Wisconsin.

2.  They need to raise a prayer and financial support team before they leave in January.

3.  They want to “finish well” in their work here at Elmbrook before moving on to Kenya.

4.  They face the challenge of working in two different churches: Jan at Mamlaka Road and Tim at Ngong Road.