-by Carl Boonstra, BBFI Mission Director (1972-1986)

Where did this word come from?  It is not found in Webster’s dictionary. It is not in our concordance.  Harambee is a Kenya, East African word in the Swahili language.

Kenya became an independent nation in 1963. Their first president, Mr. Jomo Kenyatta, had been educated in an African Inland Mission school and was a professing Christian. He had received higher education in England. He was the most qualified man to lead the nation from colonialism to independence.

Kenya has over fifty different tribal groups. The challenge for Mr. Kenyatta was great. He wanted to achieve unity and success amidst the great diversity. Mr. Kenyatta created a symbol to unify the nation. He took a cow’s tail attached it to a wooden handle and called it Harambee, which means “pull together.” He went to every tribal group with the same message. Harambee! became his rallying cry, “Let us pull together.”

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”  Working together must be our method.

The BBFI began in May 1950. I was at that beginning meeting in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1972, I was called from the pastorate in Denver to a position in our Mission Office, doing missions administration and missions evangelism in local churches.

I adopted a phrase, based on 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God,” as a theme to my ministry. “Think what we can do together – Harambee!”

The millennial generation must do all it can to build upon the 66 years of fruitful ministry in soul-winning, church planting, and education.

Harambee – Let’s pull together, pray together, promote together, participate together. Remember when we work as a team, T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Achieves More!

Think what we can do together – Harambee.