PCEA general secretary Peter Kariuki mobilised 4.5 million church members across East Africa to help those affected by Covid-19, only to be felled himself by the virus.
Kariuki led the Adopt a Family initiative that collected food for the vulnerable.
He mobilised church members to donate as little as Sh50 weekly or give in kind dry food packages for families that could no longer work for a living due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“If many of our people don’t work today, they won’t eat tomorrow. When people are hungry, it’s not about giving them bread for one day. It is about walking with them throughout their period of need," Kariuki said.
He died of the virus-related complications last week at a Nairobi hospital. He was aged 54.
He will be buried on Thursday at the Church of Torch in Thogoto, Kikuyu, the PCEA headquarters.
Kariuki, who had been the general secretary since 2015, is survived by a widow, three children and a granddaughter.
The government banned public gatherings, including congregational worship after the first coronavirus case was reported in March. As a result, churches mobilised interventions to support the poor.
Through May and June, the PCEA programme had fed 32,000 families.
PCEA moderator Julius Mwamba said Kariuki was ordained a minister in 1997 and had held numerous church positions before becoming general secretary.
"Reverend Kariuki had served this church with a lot of dedication, prayers and passion. He was a committed brother and a witness of Jesus Christ," Mwamba said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta eulogised the preacher as "a gifted minister of the gospel and man of God who served the PCEA and the Christian faith in the country with zeal and utmost commitment.
"Death has robbed our nation of a dedicated evangelist and distinguished church administrator whose immense contribution to the development of the Christian faith in Kenya shall be dearly missed," the President said.
"His good works can be seen in the growth of the PCEA Church in the country and in the parishes where he served over the years," President Kenyatta said.
ODM leader Raila Odinga said in Rev Kariuki's death,"the PCEA Church has lost a steadfast and dependable preacher.
"As a result of his efforts as secretary general, the church has undergone a period of sustained growth," he added.
(Edited by V. Graham)