Born and raised in Kenya, Reverend Ishmael Kithinji Mathui now serves as Pastor of Lake Ann Methodist Church.
In 2000 Ishmael was ordained as a Methodist minister in Kenya. In 2010 he was appointed chairman of a mission in Kenya in charge of five conferences. In 2013 he visited SMU for two months, and in 2018 he received a scholarship. This led to a master's degree in theological studies from the Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, TX. In the meantime Ishmael's wife and two children were still in Kenya. In 2019 Ishmael was able to facilitate their move to Texas.
Ishmael served in the North Texas Conference but was anxious to preach. He sent letters to 25 different conferences. He narrowed his search to three conferences looking for a pastor and the family eventually chose Michigan over North Carolina and Wisconsin. In June of 2021 Ishmael received an appointment to serve as Pastor of the Lake Ann Methodist Church.
Ishmael has been made to feel at home in Lake Ann, and his children have made friends there. Their only problem has been with visa regulations that threaten the family's ability to stay in this country. They currently have until January 2024 to resolve their immigration issues.