Sunday service in Karen, Kenya

Pat here. It is now Sunday evening after a full day of worship and fellowship. Stephen Olang works for the International Justice Mission in Nairobi. He is a Daystar University graduate. I met him last June and wanted to have a chance to spend more time with him on this trip. I thought the Pavelkas would enjoy meeting him. Stephen invited us to his church, the Free Methodist Church of Karen. Karen is a residential area west of Nairobi that was named after Karen Blixen, of "Out of Africa" fame. I thought you might be interested in knowing what the service was like. It started out with about 30 minutes of praise and worship songs mostly in Swahili, but also many in English. The songs were repetitive as these Kenyan fervently gave praise to God. Royce, Lauren and I were introduced and we had a chance to bring the church a greeting. A British couple had spent two years in the congregation and the church gave them a warm send off with gifts and many thanks. A prayer time and the reading of the scripture of 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 followed. All the children were called to the front. The congregation prayed for them and then they were dismissed. A praise team with a small band then led the congregation singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart” while the offering was taken. A congregational hymn was sung next. I think the title was “Deeper, Higher is the Love of Jesus”. The senior pastor then gave an excellent 50-minute sermon on unity. The service concluded with a time in which we were all encouraged to welcome those around us. Hugs and handshakes were the norm. After the service many people came up to us and thanked us for coming. Nearly all the congregation were black Kenyans, but this congregations had about twenty whites in attendance. Many more than the church last Sunday.

The Olangs then took us back to their modest home and we enjoyed a great feast of Kenyan food: fried chicken, beef stew, baked tilapia with a delicious tomato sauce, vegetables, a cucumber salad, ugale, chipati (sort of a east African tortilla), and rice. Fresh papaya was served for desert. What a meal! The best one yet since we’ve been in Kenya. We had a wonderful exchange of information and time with them as their three sons ate with us. This was a day that I don’t think we will forget for a long time.