Fan into Flame

From an early age, John Gatũ yearns for and
cherishes his independence. At  the end of his primary school education,
instead of joining a teacher training college, young Gatũ opts to
travel to Nairobi, believing a better world awaited him there. Much
later, after scratching hard, he discovers this ‘better’ world when he
joins the army. Serving in Ethiopia and Somaliland, and finally
travelling to London for the Victory Parade, thrills young Gatũ despite
the dangers involved. It is at the peak of his career in the military
and after receiving the most coveted awards that John Gatũ makes another
decision: to retire from the army and work closer home. Gatũ, the
civilian, engages in different jobs before working as a clerk at Kambui
Mission Church.

“It had nothing to do with my Christian faith … it was purely for the salary and my desire to work and live near my family,” he
confesses. It was during his service at Kambũi that he encountered the
‘flame’ that continues to burn in him as he allows himself to be used to
transform others.

Fan into Flame is a multi-layered
narrative with the nuances of a thriller as the author unveils dramatic
events that took place when he was a soldier in Ethiopia and the
serenity that he encounters after his ‘rebirth’. The story spans through
the history of colonial and independent Kenya. Rev. John Gatũ’s passion
for his work as a servant of God, brings out the best in everyone he
interacts with, no matter what their station in life. His role as an
agent of peace and positive change in the church, his country and
beyond, cannot be overemphasised.

The Very Rev. Dr John G. Gatũ is
the first African Secretary General of the Presbyterian Church of East
Africa (PCEA) and was Moderator of the 9^th & 10^th
General Assembly of the Church. He is well known in the theological
circles for his call in the early 1970’s for a Moratorium on
Missionaries and foreign personnel to churches in the developing world,
and a great African ecumenist. He lives in his farm in Karen on the
outskirts of the city of Nairobi and continues to write and advise the
Church.