Purpose:
How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your Word.
Psalm 119:9
As a devoted Christian educator and leader, my mission work is dedicated to spreading the Word of God and fostering the spiritual growth of children and youth in my community. I want my students to be excited and actively involved in learning about God, helping them build an ongoing personal relationship with Him.
My Ministries:
Teach Biblical Values: As of September of 2026, I will be a volunteer Bible teacher at Namatala Primary School, a local public school in Mbale, Uganda. I will have regular instructional hours with different grades, and a brief teaching and memory verse time for all ages of students before lunch. My aim is to instill Christian principles and values in young minds, laying a solid foundation for their spiritual journey. When other teachers on campus have Bible and life questions, I can also sit down with them and share a Biblical perspective.
Community outreach: Long term- During the past year and a half God has been birthing new ideas for an outreach in Mbale, the town where I grew up. God has called me to eventually start a joint drop-in center and resource center for students and teachers, where students can come to hang out, get homework help, play games, and get spiritual guidance, and teachers can check out materials to be used in their classrooms. This is important because many schools don’t even have textbooks for students, much less storybooks, animal facts or country books for research, globes and maps for geography, magnets, thermometers, or microscopes for science, fraction and place value manipulatives for math, interactive materials for teaching Bible…Almost everything is taught by rote memorization. Of course, this bigger vision will take time to develop since I will need to buy land in the city and probably build or greatly renovate buildings, but praise God, people have already been generously donating for it.
Community outreach: Short term- The administrators of Namatala Primary School and I discussed ways to make a meaningful Christian impact at the school while also meeting a practical need. Their suggestion is to offer a lunch-hour program where children can receive both a meal and a bit of Christian life teaching during their one-hour lunch break. Namatala public school is near the largest slum area of the city and serves many children from families who face significant challenges including broken homes, single-parent households, alcoholism, drug abuse, the loss of a parent, and extreme poverty. The staff say many of these children cannot afford a midday meal and just don’t eat.
For a manageable beginning I am planning and raising funds for feeding 100 students, 2 days a week starting in September, while also keeping in mind the need to be flexible if suddenly I have 2-300 children show up.
A further community benefit is I will employ 3 cooking helpers a few hours a week. If attendance grows as expected, those budgeted additional helpers will be much needed by me, but it will also be an economic blessing for their families.
This initial ministry will serve as a steppingstone toward the larger vision of a drop-in student center and a teacher resource center. Besides the lunch hour and classroom teaching time, I will personally plan to spend time during and after school building relationships with the students through one-on-one conversations. This will also allow me to develop meaningful connections with the staff. Some teachers may begin to use resources I can provide even before the resource center opens, and the teachers can also share ideas of practical tools that they would like to have available.
Ask if you would like to see a breakdown on expected costs of the feeding program or on my goals for eventually purchasing land.
Church Leadership Development: As a youth, teens, and children’s leader at my local church, I equip young leaders with essential skills and knowledge to serve their communities effectively. As such I will plan service projects and encourage them to take on leadership in areas where they have natural abilities, are spiritually gifted, or I see potential for growth.
My Call:
I grew up in a loving Christian home, but my journey with Christ turned more personal when I was a teenager. One of my friends gave his life to Jesus, and I soon realized I needed to as well. This started a “real” relationship with God that affected how I lived my life rather than just going to church on Sundays out of expectation.
As I got to know Him better, I felt a growing passion to serve Him and share His love with others. I remember the excitement and joy I felt when I was involved in church ministries, reaching out to other young people and serving my community. It was during those moments that I felt God’s gentle whisper, calling me into ministry/missions. My heart broke for those who had never heard the Good News, especially children and youth. As I prayed for guidance, I became convinced that God was leading me to dedicate my life to sharing His love and helping young people grow in their faith. It is a calling that fills my heart with purpose and joy.
For ten years I served 2 other private schools and gained much experience as a Bible teacher. Now it is time to move on to the public sector as I attempt to meet both physical and spiritual needs.
Dedication:
Elizabeth and I met at church one day after service when we were both helping to teardown chairs and then got stuck in the rain.
Elizabeth and I got married and were later blessed with a very energetic baby boy, Amarorwot Jaidyn Okech, in June of 2023. Sadly, just a few months later she contracted malaria, and God called her Home. This ministry, The Word in Me, will forever remember the legacy of the Elizabeth Cathrine Okech, who was truly dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus Christ and loving people.
If you have questions or would like to be placed on my newsletter list, please contact me at:
Email: jamesokechjames@gmail.com (personal) or familyokech@yahoo.com (newsletters)
Facebook: James Okech
US postal address: C/O Nancy Costley 15612 Gridley Rd. Norwalk, CA 90650
