- info@creatingunderstanding.org
- +254 714 704 356
- P. O. Box 20934 00202
About Us
54+
Years of
service
ABOUT CREATING UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL
Who we Are
Pioneering Christ-Centered Communication in Africa.
Creating Understanding International (CUI) is a vibrant hub dedicated to raising a new generation of Christian leaders and missionaries. From our base in Kenya, we equip pastors, artists, and students with innovative, creative strategies to effectively reach the unreached and alienated. We transform passion into powerful cross-cultural communication and discipleship.
Our Vision
Bridging Cultures with the Gospel.
To be the foremost global resource, utilizing creative arts and innovation to establish deep, lasting understanding of God's Word in the heart of every culture, focusing specifically on unreached and underdiscipled people groups in Africa and Asia.
Our Mission
Innovative Discipleship, Culturally Relevant.
We are called to cultivate understanding of God across all cultures. We achieve this through Biblically-based, experiential training and discipleship, leveraging culturally-relevant artistic expressions to mobilize and equip believers to passionately worship God and follow Him with joy.
CREATING UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL
Our History
Our Legacy
A Legacy of Understanding, Rooted in Faith and Carried Forward in Creativity
Creating Understanding International (CUI) stands as a living bridge between generations of Christian communicators, educators, and artists. It is the realization of Julisa Rowe’s vision, to weave together the legacy of her parents, Professor Donald and Faye Smith, alongside the work she and her husband, Bill Rowe, have carried out across the globe.
The journey began over seven decades ago, when Professor Donald K. Smith devoted his life to exploring how the Gospel could be communicated with clarity and cultural sensitivity. His research, teaching, and ministry spanned nearly one hundred countries and five continents. Together with his wife, Faye, they pioneered cross-cultural training programs that transformed the way Christian missions approached communication.
In the early 1970s, their work gave birth to what would become Daystar University, first in Zimbabwe, and later established in Kenya, laying the foundation for Christian higher education and communication studies in Africa. The wisdom distilled from these experiences culminated in Smith’s seminal work, Creating Understanding: A Framework for Life, first published in 1992 and now regarded as a cornerstone text in Christian communication and missions.
Building upon this foundation, Julisa and Bill Rowe extended that vision through their global ministry in arts, theatre, and discipleship, training and mentoring creatives to use their gifts for Kingdom impact. Their work, rooted in biblical truth and artistic excellence, continues to inspire believers to communicate God’s love through culturally relevant forms.
Currently
In 2021, Julisa brought these legacies together under one umbrella: Creating Understanding International (CUI). Today, CUI serves as both a continuation and an evolution of that mission: equipping believers worldwide to make Christ understood in every culture through creativity, communication, and community transformation.
CUI operates through four core centres:
Each centre reflects our commitment to Bible-based innovation, experiential training, and culturally rooted discipleship, mobilizing people to worship God in the languages, stories, and art forms of their own hearts.
“To make God understood in every culture is not only our mission, it is our inheritance.”
OUR CENTERS:
Four Pillars of Impact.
We channel God's love through four dynamic, specialized Centers: Intercultural Leadership (Missions), Worship Renewal & Music, Performing Arts, and Media.
DONALD K. SMITH
Professor Donald K. Smith is an expert in multicultural communication. His practice cuts across nations, teaching and writing about effective Christian communication for nearly seven decades.
Born in 1929 in Portland, Oregon, USA, Prof. Smith earned four degrees attending various schools and pursuing different interests including English, Linguistics, Literature, Biology, Communications, African Affairs, Education and Journalism.
His wide scope of knowledge prepared him for endeavors as a communication trainer and researcher, which he has practiced on five continents, based in four countries, for more than sixty years.
Smith has written extensively on communication and the Christian message. That explains why he and his wife founded Daystar University (Kenya) in 1971. His passion made him a global citizen and took him to South Africa, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), Kenya, USA and back to Kenya (as a permanent resident) with a combined experience of nearly seventy years.
Through his academic and professional journey, Smith has become a remarkable trainer who marries Christian experience to the communication profession, focusing on in-depth understanding of culture and response to God in Christ.
He has offered lectures and seminars and consulted on his special topics with institutions in nearly one hundred countries across five continents. In addition he developed the missions program at Western Seminary and founded, along with his late wife Faye, the WorldView Centre, both in Portland, Oregon.
Smith has been keen on cementing his legacy, consequently founding with colleagues the Creating Understanding Institute – CUI. The Institute is inspired by his book Creating Understanding: A Framework for Life, published in 1992; Second Edition forthcoming in late 2021.
Prof. Smith was married to the late Faye (Schick) Smith for over 70 years. Faye was an accomplished musician and ethnomusicologist who played a vital role alongside Don in establishing Daystar and shaping their shared ministry in cross-cultural communication. Together, they raised two children and built a legacy of service that continues to impact many. Prof. Smith now resides in Kenya.
Meet The Team
Dr. Julisa Rowe
Executive Director of CUI
Julisa grew up in Zimbabwe and Kenya, trained in the US in Drama and Intercultural Communications, and has been living and working with her family in Kenya for the past 16 years. She is an internationally known actress, director, trainer and ethnodramatologist.
Bill Rowe
Director of Centre for Worship Renewal
Bill has an MA in Church Music and is a renowned trumpet player and instructor. His heart for worship shows in his courses and conversations.
Jay Marburger
Media & Communications Consultant
Jay Marburger is a passionate storyteller with experience creating media for use on various platforms including television, web and live presentations. A graduate of Daystar University, she has graced both screen and stage and uses her experience to work behind the scenes to bring stories to life in an appealing, relevant and visually interesting manner.
Sakina Mirichii
Program Coordinator
Sakina Mirichii is a creative with an analytical side, starting out her career as an actor in 2009. She has since had her written work run in various blogs and websites, and has experience on set and stage in various roles from producing to marketing. She enjoys working with people and creating an environment where everyone feels valued.
Alex Masinde
Video Editor/Photographer
Alex Masinde was born and raised in Kenya. He is a Video editor and Photographer with over six years of experience in video production and photography. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication (Electronic Media & Public Relations) from Daystar University.
Get Involved
Be Part of Something Bigger
Volunteer to help in the office, in productions such as backstage or front of house, in fundraising, or marketing. Offer your expertise in lighting, sound, stage management, costumes, set design, etc.
