October, 2026
Dear Friends,
It is great to have some unity with Bible believers from around the world. We have this with the International Council of Christian Churches (ICCC). We just had the 22nd World Congress in Nakuru, Kenya from July 22 to 29, of which we have enclosed pictures. The theme was Sanctified, Set Apart, and Standing. We had Bible believing Christians in attendance from the six inhabited continents of the world.
Ken is the General Secretary and was busy as the preparations went on for months before the Congress. The officers of the ICCC exchanged emails on almost a daily basis. We had a limited staff so each of those involved had to do multiple tasks. Before the Congress, Ken printed up some hard copies of the songbooks in English, Swahili, and Spanish to hand out as an auxiliary to the video screens.
It was particularly striking that, exactly on the opening day, we received word that longtime Vice-President, Hal Ricker, had died at 103 years old. He had attended every Congress since 1954 and that day was the first day of the first one he was unable to attend because of his health. He had attended the Congress in Collingswood in 2023 at 100 years of age. Hal will be missed.
Ken was also in charge of transportation and had to arrange trips for the delegates to and from the Nairobi airport, located three hours away from Nakuru. He also arranged transportation to a local church on Sunday and to the Lake Nakuru National Park on Saturday.
There were speakers from around the world with special emphasis on Kenyan speakers. We had about five messages per day, developing the theme of the Congress. There were also seminars and special presentations. The music was great with the Africans and a 20-member orchestra from the US. Ken led most of the daytime meetings and tried to keep things moving on schedule.
Ken preached at the local church on Sunday on the subject of preaching the whole counsel of God. Some preachers do not do that because it is unpopular. Ken also had a table, as usual, at the Congress, giving away literature (some from Dr. LeRoy) and selling classic books and reading glasses at nominal prices.
There had been some question whether Ken would be able to attend this year because of light-headedness he had been experiencing right before the Congress. Praise the Lord that God answered prayer and Ken’s health was good throughout the trip and everything went well.
We will close with a quote from a letter received, after the Congress, from a delegate from Colombia:
“It was a great privilege and a true blessing for me to participate in the recent ICCC World Congress. I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome, Christian hospitality, and fraternal fellowship extended to me throughout the gathering…We look forward to cultivating stronger interchurch relationships, supporting our common witness to the Gospel, and cooperating in those endeavors through which Christ`s Church may be strengthened and His name glorified among the nations.”
Brethren, thank you again for all your prayers and support.
In His service,
Ken and Ira Olson