Neopolis East Africa Team at Rooted Conference 2025
The Neopolis East Africa team is made up of five brothers who each contribute part of their time toward building up the Neopolis vision in East Africa. The team has recently been working toward a unified vision under the banner of Partnership 2035. In line with this, we gathered to deepen fellowship, sharpen our edge, rest, and share experiences on the sidelines of the Rooted Conference, organized by one of Neopolis' partner churches—GracePoint Church.
For the past two years, the team has desired to gather in person—to allow our families to meet and to be refreshed together. This idea solidified in late 2024, and the team agreed to gather. Besides the fellowship and recuperation, the gathering also aimed to raise awareness of our work among the pastors who attended the conference. Here, then, are the highlights.
Hosting & Accommodation
The team was accommodated at Sigona Golf Suites on the outskirts of Kikuyu township. This was chosen as an ideal location for its proximity to the conference venue, and as a mid-range and affordable hotel for the guests to rest and make the most of our time together. We shared several breakfasts, which proved helpful for team dynamics.
Pre-Conference | Thursday, April 17, 2025
The pre-conference was designed as a day of equipping for shepherding. Neopolis very kindly and generously sponsored the event, which drew about 30 pastors and elders from neighboring local churches.
Speaker Profile: Rev. Richard Coekin
Rev. Richard Coekin, the main speaker, is the Director of Reach Ministries UK, Pastor Emeritus at Dundonald Church, and Mission Director Emeritus of Co-Mission. Reach Ministries seeks to encourage church leaders in effective gospel ministries through consultancy, mentoring, training, and conferences.
Richard is married to Sian, a Welsh GP, and they are blessed with five children and one grandchild. After briefly practicing as a commercial lawyer in London, Richard trained at Moore College, Sydney, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, before a curacy at St. Mary’s Cheadle, Manchester. He then served 29 years as Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church in South London. During those years, God grew Dundonald from 35 adults and a few children into a larger church of 800+ adults and 350 children with nine church plants. God also used Richard to help develop the Co-Mission church-planting network of 30+ churches in London and to launch a variety of gospel ministries, including 9:38, the London Men’s Convention, The Planting Collective, a Parliamentary Bible Study, and several books (e.g., Gospel DNA, Our Father, Ephesians for You, The Reluctant Evangelist).
The Call to Biblical Shepherding:
Reflections from Paul’s Address to Ephesian Elders in Acts 20
Richard’s sessions focused on Paul’s address in Acts 20, explored under three key headings:
Teaching the gospel of God’s grace
Protecting the flock from wolves
Laboring to give the flock God and His Word
At the close of the pre-conference, East Africa Director Pastor Charles Karuri gave a presentation on the work of Neopolis. He also repeated this on the second day of the conference.
Many conference attendees came away with a better understanding of Neopolis and expressed interest in becoming part of the work—now and in the future.
Team Gathering
On the first day of arrival, each family enjoyed a special dinner to rest and refresh. On Friday evening, the whole team—including spouses and some of the children—gathered for a meal at a local restaurant. It was wonderful to be in one room and share stories of what the Lord has been doing in our lives and ministries.
This was a clear highlight. While we have been serving together for some time, many of us had never met in person. It was refreshing to meet one another’s spouses, share testimonies, and pray together. We hope to gather more often and continue encouraging one another in the ministry.
Conclusion
The meet-up in Kikuyu was fruitful and gave us a valuable opportunity to deepen relationships within the team and to share about the work of Neopolis. It was also a blessing to serve the Rooted Conference and connect with its many attendees. We hope to continue meeting—perhaps every 2 to 3 years—for fellowship, refreshment, and shared mission.
Report compiled by: Rev. Harrison Mungai, Nairobi Catalyst and Gathering Host
