November 21, 2024
Dear Matt & Kelly Elmore Supporters,
We hope you and your family are doing well! We have a major update for you as we head into the holiday season!
As you may know, our current mission organization, African Christian Outreach, has five ministry “arms”- Student Discipleship Ministry (SDM), Pamoja House, New Beginnings Crisis Pregnancy Center, Frontiers, and Kuza, with 50 staff members. When we joined ACO in 2018, Matt brought Kuza with him under the “umbrella” of this ministry.
Due to various factors, ACO is currently undergoing some internal restructuring and vision recasting. As a result, beginning in the new year, Kuza (the ministry and staff) will be moving out from the umbrella of ACO and will be partnering with a different 501c3 nonprofit ministry organization moving forward.
We first want to say that we are so grateful to ACO for the support they’ve provided over the last 6 years. Kuza (and Matt’s ministry in general) would not be what it is today without their guidance, help and support. We are grateful to Tom Stickney, the Director of ACO, for all the ways he’s supported us throughout the years, from his generosity and encouragement, to bringing over suitcases full of Kuza equipment or surprise presents for Zeke. We’d also like to thank the Board of Directors for their oversight and support. Kuza has thrived and expanded under their care, and many have come to hear the gospel and accept Christ over these last 6 years.
We would like to introduce our new sending organization, called “Serving Workers for the Harvest”. You can view their information on their website: https://swharvest.org/
Matt already had an established relationship with them through other missionaries, and we are grateful that God has provided a new way forward for us. Serving Workers for the Harvest (SWH) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in the U.S. All donations are tax deductible, and end of the year giving statements will be provided.
SWH will provide us with:
1. Fantastic financial services
2. Great missionary care
3. Solid accountability
4. Help with resources and partnerships
5. Future help to start our own 5o1c3, should we decide to do that.
These wonderful resources will help us go the distance to fulfill our calling here in Kenya.
New Expenses
With this change however, comes some increased costs. Under ACO, there was no additional cost for raising money under their umbrella, the Kuza office space was rent-free, and two of the Kuza staff members were partially funded by ACO. We now have to raise money to meet the costs of these necessities. In addition, Serving Workers for the Harvest charges an 8.5% administration fee to help cover their expenses. This is typical of many missions organizations and nonprofits, and SWH is actually quite a bit cheaper than most who charge 15-18% admin charges. This results in an yearly budget increase for us of $35,000 (with the combined expenses of the 8.5% fee, office rent, and paying the salaries of the two Kuza staff members).
You have been a faithful supporter of our ministry. Our Kuza ministry has blossomed to our current access of up to 19 million people weekly between Kenya and Uganda through our blogs, videos, podcasts, and devotions being shared through social media, TV, radio, and buses. We would like to ask you to prayerfully consider increasing your giving, especially monthly giving, to help make up the $35,000 deficit. If we are not able to make up this deficit, we will have to reduce some of our outreach, which we are prepared to do if that’s what the Lord has for us.
Future for Kuza
We believe that Kuza is primed to reach hundreds of millions of people in the continent of Africa. With an ever-growing internet infrastructure and 75% of the population being under the age of 35, there is great potential to help people know and treasure our Lord and Savior Jesus. We humbly ask for your continued prayer and financial support to realize this vision. Your giving and prayer makes a huge difference.
