KENYAN CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY.

Photo: Fredrick Nzwili/WCC, 23 January 2024, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Christians gather for an ecumenical service at the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Anargyroi in Nairobi to mark the week of prayer for Christian unity, an annual event celebrated from January 18 to 25.

With the theme "you must love the Lord your God...and your neighbor as yourself," church leaders, individuals, ecumenical organizations, and organizations with disabilities gathered. 

At the meeting, Rt. Reverend Patrick Thegu Mutahi, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, stated, "I would like to commend those who came with the theme. It was rich, timely, and worthy; that goes for us." The passages we read reflect kindness, generosity, and generosity... In most cases, it is spiritual, natural, and traditional, but people do not use it.

Mutahi says that kindness and generosity open many doors for society, but people find it difficult to do so for reasons such as greed, selfish pursuits, and ignorance.

The Moderator stated, "We don't have to be unkind because we seek power and position...because we wanted to get that position, and when we thought people were getting in the way, we stepped on their feet... I wish we knew how temporary this position is."

In Burkina Faso, a West African country in the Sahel region, teams from the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Protestant churches, ecumenical organizations, and the Chemin Neuf community wrote prayers and devotionals for the week.

The country of 21 million people, of which 64 percent are Muslims, 26 percent are Christians, and 9 percent are adherents of traditional African religions, has seen an increase in lawlessness, terrorist attacks, and human trafficking.

As thousands of schools, health centers, and town halls remained closed after the events, at least 3,000 people were killed and nearly two million were displaced. In addition, much of the country's socio-economic and transport infrastructure has been destroyed as a result of the violence.

The terrorists attacked the church, causing the church in the north to be closed. During worship, priests, pastors, and catechists have been killed.

Nonetheless, the Christian, Muslim, and traditional religions in the country have worked together to find a permanent way to achieve peace, social cohesion, and reconciliation.

In Nairobi, church leaders share a "pumpkin" as a symbol of welcome, hospitality, and fellowship. In Burkina Faso, families share water with guests who are tired from their travels with pumpkins.

The ecumenical theme and prayer, according to Pastor Isaiah Obare of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, is a call to Christians to apply the ethos of Christian character, credibility, and moral values wherever they are.

Photo: , Fredrick Nzwili/WCC

In the booklet's introduction to the celebration, Obare, the current chairman of the International Ecumenical Movement-Kenya Branch, wrote, "Although today is a one-day event, the theme will remain our Christian compass until 2024.".

News Sources: https://www.oikoumene.org/news/christians-in-kenya-mark-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity