Rooted in faith.
Reaching Kisii.
Locally led. United in one apostolic mission.
- Churches
- 55
- Believers
- 1,247
- Baptized
- 573
- Filled
- 592
- Pastors
- 59
- Regions
- 9
Across Kisii
Connected through the ministry
In Jesus’ name
With the Holy Ghost
Serving the churches
United for one mission
One relationship.
A growing ministry.
FIRST KISII INTERNATIONAL APOSTOLIC CHURCH grew from the relationship between Pastor Richie Johnson of First Church in Wytheville, Virginia, and Pastor Brian Nyakundi in Kisii, Kenya.
Today, 59 pastors and 55 local churches are united in the work: discipling new believers, developing leaders, and extending outreach into more communities. First Church remains closely involved in the ministry it helped bring together.
An unfolding story.
Brian was already a Spirit-filled pastor when he and Richie began a friendship. Through biblical teaching and work together on the ground, that relationship became the beginning of this ministry.
A shared foundation
Brian, his family, close friends, and members of his congregation were baptized in Jesus’ name. Some also received the Holy Spirit for the first time. Others began asking to meet Richie and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the work continued to grow.
The work grew through relationship
Richie frequently traveled to Kisii to preach evangelistic services, help establish newly formed churches, and serve alongside Brian and local pastors. New churches were planted, existing congregations were revitalized, and established ministries joined under one united apostolic message.
01The first emailJanuary 13, 2026
The first email
Brian wrote to First Church from Kenya after being encouraged by the church's teaching and ministry. In his message, he asked for spiritual mentorship, ministry covering, fellowship, guidance, accountability, and relationship.
He also shared the story of his local ministry, the people he was already serving, and an invitation for First Church leadership to visit Kenya. That email became the beginning of a relationship neither side could yet see the full reach of.
02A personal relationshipPrayer and connection
A personal relationship
After the first email, Brian and Bishop Richie began talking directly. What had started as a ministry request quickly became a real pastoral relationship marked by prayer, trust, and spiritual connection.
03The first messagesA conversation grows
The first messages
These were the first WhatsApp exchanges. In them, you can already see the early tone of the relationship: gratitude, prayer, humility, spiritual hunger, and a desire for partnership in the work of God.
04Saturday gatheringsLearning together
Saturday gatherings
What began between two people soon widened into regular Saturday WhatsApp sessions. Others started gathering together to listen, learn, discuss Scripture, and grow in the apostolic message.
05Sundays under the treesA congregation takes shape
Sundays under the trees
The group did not wait for a building. As the crowd grew, they gathered among the trees and conducted their own Sunday services. The ministry was becoming a local church movement before there was a permanent place to call home.
Pastor Richie Johnson baptizing members of the Kisii ministry’s executive board.
Locally led.
United in mission.
Brian Nyakundi provides spiritual oversight for 59 pastors and 55 local churches. Each pastor leads their local congregation autonomously, while Brian maintains doctrinal alignment, leadership accountability, and unity across the ministry.
Our relationship with First Church
Richie is Brian’s close friend and mentor; Brian considers him his spiritual father. Richie continues to provide guidance on doctrine and ministry organization. First Church remains joined to the work that grew directly from its teaching, relationships, and missionary efforts.
One God. One Gospel. One Mission.
We are an Apostolic church committed to the faith, message, and mission of the New Testament church.
Our faith is centered upon Jesus Christ, grounded in the Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and expressed through lives transformed by the Gospel.
One God Revealed in Jesus Christ
We affirm that there is one God, the Creator of all things, who has revealed Himself as Father, through His Word, and by His Spirit. The one true God has made Himself known to us fully and personally in Jesus Christ.
The Gospel
We affirm that the Gospel is the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the Gospel, sinners can be forgiven, reconciled to God, transformed by His Spirit, and brought into new life.
The New Birth
We proclaim repentance from sin, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit as the apostolic experience of the new birth.
The Holy Spirit
We affirm that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for every believer. The Spirit empowers believers to live holy lives, bear spiritual fruit, exercise spiritual gifts, and become witnesses of Jesus Christ.
The Word of God
We affirm the Holy Scriptures as the inspired Word of God and the final authority for faith, doctrine, and Christian living. We seek to understand Scripture faithfully, obey it completely, teach it clearly, and build our churches upon its truth.
The Mission of the Church
We affirm that the Church has been sent into the world to seek and save the lost. We are committed to evangelism, discipleship, church planting, leadership development, works of compassion, and the multiplication of healthy Apostolic churches.
Read Our Full Beliefs
We Affirm One God
We affirm that there is one God, the Creator of all things, who has revealed Himself as Father, through His Word, and by His Spirit.
The one true God has made Himself known to us fully and personally in Jesus Christ.
“There is one God.”
Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6; John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16
We Affirm Jesus Christ
We affirm that Jesus Christ is the revelation of the invisible God in human flesh.
He is fully God and truly man. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus accomplished redemption and made salvation available to the world.
Jesus Christ is Lord, Savior, King, and the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
John 1:14; John 14:9; Colossians 1:15; Colossians 2:9; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9–11
We Affirm the Gospel
We affirm that the Gospel is the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Through the Gospel, sinners can be forgiven, reconciled to God, transformed by His Spirit, and brought into new life.
1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Romans 5:1; Romans 6:3–5; 2 Corinthians 5:17–19
We Affirm the New Birth
We affirm the message proclaimed by the apostles on the Day of Pentecost:
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
We therefore proclaim repentance from sin, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit as the apostolic experience of the new birth.
Acts 2:38; John 3:3–5; Acts 8:12–17; Acts 10:44–48; Acts 19:1–6
We Affirm the Gift of the Holy Spirit
We affirm that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for every believer.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a real, personal, and transformational experience accompanied in Scripture by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.
The Spirit empowers believers to live holy lives, bear spiritual fruit, exercise spiritual gifts, and become witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4, 38–39; Acts 10:44–46; Acts 19:6; Galatians 5:22–25; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
We Affirm the Authority of Scripture
We affirm the Holy Scriptures as the inspired Word of God and the final authority for faith, doctrine, and Christian living.
We seek to understand Scripture faithfully, obey it completely, teach it clearly, and build our churches upon its truth.
Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21
We Affirm a Life of Holiness
We affirm that salvation produces transformation.
Through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are called to live lives that reflect the character of Jesus Christ.
Holiness is not merely separation from sin. It is a life increasingly surrendered to God, shaped by His Word, filled with His Spirit, and devoted to His purposes.
Romans 12:1–2; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15–16
We Affirm the Church
We affirm that Jesus Christ is building His Church.
The Church is His body, a Spirit-filled people called to worship God, make disciples, care for one another, serve their communities, and proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.
Every believer has a place, a purpose, and a calling within the body of Christ.
Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:42–47; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 4:11–16
We Affirm the Mission
We affirm that the Church has been sent into the world to seek and save the lost.
The Gospel belongs in every village, every community, every nation, and among every people.
We are committed to evangelism, discipleship, church planting, leadership development, works of compassion, and the multiplication of healthy Apostolic churches.
Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15; Luke 19:10; Acts 1:8
We Affirm the Gifts and Power of God
We affirm that Jesus Christ still works through His Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe in prayer, healing, miracles, spiritual gifts, prophetic ministry, and the supernatural work of God according to Scripture and under the authority of Jesus Christ.
Mark 16:17–18; Acts 4:29–31; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11; James 5:14–16
We Affirm the Return of Jesus Christ
We affirm that Jesus Christ will return.
We believe in the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the eternal hope of those who belong to Christ.
Because He is coming again, the Church must remain faithful to its calling and urgent in its mission.
John 14:1–3; Acts 1:9–11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 20:11–15; Revelation 21:1–5
Our Apostolic Affirmation
We believe the message preached by the apostles is still true.
We believe the experience of the early Church is still available.
We believe the power of the Holy Spirit is still working.
We believe Jesus is still saving, healing, delivering, and transforming lives.
And we believe Jesus Christ is still building His Church.
We are committed to carrying that Apostolic faith from generation to generation, from community to community, and from Kenya to the nations.
A place to worship.
A place to train.
Planting for
the future.
Inside the training center
Worship today. Training ahead.
The two-acre campus provides a place for worship and future training. Its multipurpose building already hosts worship services. Chairs donated by the governor of Kisii have helped furnish it, and local leadership reports training space for more than 400 pastors. The educational program has not started: water, electricity, and internet service are needed as we prepare for online training.
Prepare leaders.
Strengthen their calling.
Our purpose is to strengthen the pastors serving today and prepare emerging leaders to establish churches throughout Kisii and, over time, across Kenya.
Space to train more than 400 pastors. Local leadership reports that the training space can accommodate more than 400 pastors. Classes have not yet begun; restoring water and electricity and reinstalling internet service are the next steps in preparing the campus for online learning.
Structured education, made accessible.
We are preparing to offer access to biblical and ministerial education through International Community Development’s satellite-school partnership with the Institute for Christian Works Bible College and Seminary.
The Institute will award the degrees. ICD, founded by Arthur C. Wilson, will offer grants to approved students to help make online study affordable.
Online learning. A local place to gather.
Students within traveling distance will be able to gather at the Kisii campus to participate in online classes. Those farther away will connect through their own internet access.
Our longer-term goal in Kenya
Separately, we hope to pursue recognition of the training in Kenya. This is a future goal; Kenyan approval has not yet been obtained.
Four needs.
One stronger ministry.
Help equip a campus for worship and future training. Our priorities are water, electricity, Bibles, and reliable transportation.
Restore water.
Reconnect power.
Water and electricity together
USD $331.51Donate Now100% of your gift goes to Kisii.
First Church covers processing fees.
Explore the four priorities
Water comes first.
Restore the existing government water connection, repair leaking storage tanks, and connect pipes to the showers, toilets, and sinks. New gutters will also collect rainwater into the tanks.
Quote supplied by Pastor Brian, October 2026. Brian reports that the government supply is safe for drinking and available through the dry season. Rainwater collection is a separate source; its drinking-water safety has not been confirmed.
See the itemized quote
- Tank repairs and outlet taps
- USD $30.84
- Water pipes
- USD $38.55
- Plumber labour
- USD $23.13
- Five rainwater gutters
- USD $23.13
- Government water meter fee
- USD $154.19
Total USD $269.83
Your gift helps address the ministry’s most urgent needs.
Our needs, in priority order:
- Restore water access: USD $269.83
- Reconnect electricity: USD $61.68
- Provide 125 Bibles: USD $1,875
- Repair the vehicle: USD $80
Water and electricity together: USD $331.51. All four needs total approximately USD $2,286.51. Bibles remain a provisional budget for 125 Bibles at USD $15 each; vehicle repairs are estimated. Converted quotes are approximate and transfer costs may vary.
100% of your gift goes to the Kisii ministry. First Church covers payment-processing fees. Gifts support the ministry as a whole and are allocated according to priority and urgency.
A mission with
many faces.
Worship, leadership, community, and everyday ministry. Explore photographs shared from across the network.
Your gift.
The work in Kisii.
First Church covers payment-processing fees, so 100% of your donation goes to the Kisii ministry.
Donations through First Church may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Shared decisions. Documented progress.
Brian and the Kisii ministry’s executive board work with Pastor Richie Johnson to decide how funds are used, with Richie exercising discretion over funding decisions.
Receipts, photographs, and videos are shared with Richie to document expenses and project progress. For major initiatives, he will also travel to Kisii personally to review progress and provide insight and guidance.
How donations are allocated
Gifts support the Kisii ministry as a whole. Leadership allocates funds according to current priorities and urgent needs. An appeal may highlight water, Bibles, or another project, but donations are not restricted to that specific project.
There is room for you
in this story.
Local pastors are serving their communities. A campus is in place. Help equip it for worship, training, and the leaders who will carry this work forward.