Koech, Alice
Alice Koech is a missionary with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. She is a member of Lenexa United Methodist Church in Kansas, USA, part of the Great Plains Annual Conference. As a missionary, Alice is the Christian education coordinator for the Tanzania Annual Conference, Morogoro.
In rapidly growing Tanzania, more that 90% of local pastors are elementary school graduates. They desire to learn more. The potential for church revitalization is great. But churches are struggling with the lack of educated leaders. Alice will travel throughout the conference and equip local leaders in Christian education.
When Alice was about 4 years old, she went to live with her aunt, a strong Christian. “She introduced me to church, prayer, hymns and Bible readings as soon as I knew how to read and write,” Alice recalled. “I attended Sunday school and was baptized in the Anglican church of Kenya.”
In boarding high school, Alice was introduced to other denominations as part of the Christian Union.
“I came to learn that I had to give my life to Jesus and receive salvation,” Alice said. After graduating from high school, she joined the church youth group in her local village, where she participated in evangelism, vacation Bible school and crusades.
“This is where I first received a call to ministry,” Alice said. She enrolled in Bible college and studied theology. After graduation, she was hired as a Christian education coordinator in Kericho town. She served for two years before moving to the United States to pursue further education. She feels ready for her new role.
“God has prepared me to serve in missions through my volunteer work in Kenya and Uganda and in the U.S., where I have served as pastor of small rural churches,” Alice said. “I consider these mission fields because I often serve among people who have different demographics, cultures and races than me.”
Alice, the parent of young adults, is excited about becoming a missionary. “It is an opportunity to make a greater impact and to use the knowledge and skills I have gained through formal education and experience in ministry in the U.S. I have always had a passion for missions and teaching, and this will be an opportunity to do that.”
She added, “My family is supporting my involvement in missions. My husband is a United Methodist pastor with the Great Plains Conference. My children, Roy and his wife Hannah, Abigail and Zachariah, all are in support of my pursuing God’s call to mission. They have beenpraying for me and are excited for the opportunity to serve God wherever God calls me.”
Christ’s Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 – “Go and make disciples of all nations” – inspires Alice. “I have led several mission groups to villages in Kenya, where we have done water projects, trainings, construction and more,” she said. “I have gone to northern Uganda (Karamoja) where I helped to design a study to help rehabilitate street kids as well as train workers in a children’s
home (Shalom International Ministries) in capacity building and best practices.”
She also had connection with the United Methodist Committee on Relief when it supported her village with the Tengecha Water Project in Kenya.
Alice’s favorite Bible verse is Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”