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Worshipping Together in Nairobi


Though our time in Nairobi was short, we had rich experiences in church, with church leaders, and with young people. In Kenya, churches and faith communities are already quite vocal about fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and they are committed to working with The Balm to enhance the programs they already have.

The Balm team worshipped in two churches in Nairobi on Sunday - an Anglican church in the city and a Pentecostal church in a slum area called Kayole on the outskirts of the city. The Anglican service at the All Saints Cathedral offered a special treat for the team, especially Reverend Evatt Mugarura. The visiting Namirembe Cathedral Choir was from Rev. Mugarura's church, the Anglican Church of Uganda. They performed a Negro spiritual and that was a special blessing for homesick team members! Their beautiful singing reinforced our connectedness to Africa and their connectedness to African Americans.

As we moved to the Pentecostal service at the Calvary Covenant Centre in Kayole, our spirits were lifted even higher. It was Children's Week at Calvary, so the young people led the entire service. There was energetic dancing and singing from the Huruma Children's Home Gospel Dancers and there were lessons on leadership and sermons from members of the Children's Cabinet, an organization that promotes leadership and youth empowerment through faith. These young people were very articulate and well-spoken, proving that young people should be allowed to play larger roles in churches.

After the service at Calvary, the Balm team met with members of the Children's Cabinet to discuss what they were doing to empower young people. Members of the cabinet attend different church services every Sunday, appealing to young people all over Nairobi in different faith communities. Ken Karanja, a 16-year-old cabinet member, said "People are not acknowledging children in African societies. They are ignored." When asked about leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Ken added, "Fortunately, I don't know anyone who is HIV-positive, but 12 percent of high school students in Kenya are. Children should be able to define what leadership is. It is important because leadership will determine what Africa is to become and where Africa is going to be in 10 to 20 years."

The reality is that HIV/AIDS is killing black people at an alarming rate all over the world. But people are doing something about it in Kenya, and they welcome the partnership with The Balm In Gilead. Something as simple as passing a brochure to a friend in church can save lives. As we talked more and more with our partners and new friends before we left to return to the U.S., we were encouraged that our work was successful and that we were off to a great beginning.

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