wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Raleigh church opens its arms to families from Kenya

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Note #8885 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05461
Sept. 6, 2005

Cultures blend
      
Raleigh church opens its doors and its arms to families from Kenya

by Yonat Shimron
Raleigh News & Observer
Reprinted by permission

DURHAM - On a bulletin board at Durham's First Presbyterian Church are
pictures and bios of its newest members. Alongside those who moved here from
Michigan and South Carolina are three from the African nation of Kenya.
      
	These days, the Kenyans no longer stand out.
      
	Over the past 10 years, 50 Kenyan families have joined the mostly
white mainline church. These families, many of whom came to escape the high
unemployment in their native country, say the historic Gothic Revival church
in the heart of downtown has been especially hospitable.
      
	"They don't discriminate with us being black," said Mary Gitata, a
Kenyan who arrived in Durham four years ago. "They are very welcoming. That
was crucial with many of the Kenyans who joined First Presbyterian."
      
	The Kenyan presence brings full circle a historical trajectory that
began in the late 19th century when Scottish Presbyterians traveled to Kenya
to convert the people there to Christianity. Today there are more
Presbyterians in Kenya - about 3.5 million - than in the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), which has 2.4 million members.
      
	The Kenyans have brought diversity and new perspectives. During a
Presbyterian youth conference this summer, for example, the delegation from
Durham First Presbyterian stood out because half its 18-member delegation was
black. No other church could claim that kind of racial balance, said the Rev.
Marilyn Hedgpeth, the associate pastor.
      
	"It's given us a wonderful vision of the ways things should be in the
church," she said.
      
	That diversity doesn't come without effort. Church members have gone
out of their way to help the immigrants furnish their homes and find jobs,
and have done all the things caring communities do to make newcomers feel at
home.
      
	It's the little things that have touched the Kenyans the most: The
rides to church when a family didn't have transportation, or the free plane
tickets to Mexico for the Kenyan children who couldn't otherwise afford to
join the others on mission trips.
      
	A call from his wife and son in Kenya prompted Anthony Kamau to join
the church. During a trip to Africa two years ago, the church's pastor, the
Rev. Joe Harvard, visited Kamau's family.
      
	"That was so moving to me, that he went and met my family," said
Kamau, who works at a convenience store and now serves as a deacon.
      
	There were 26,000 African-born North Carolinans in 2003, and more
than a third of those lived in the Triangle region, according to the U.S.
Census. 
      
	It's hard to know the exact number of Kenyans in the Triangle,
although 451 people claimed Kenyan ancestry in the 2000 census.
      
	By all accounts, those numbers are growing. In Raleigh, there is a
group of Kenyans that worships in the Anglican tradition. It is raising money
for a church home.
      
	The Kenyans at First Presbyterian have had to adjust to shorter, more
traditional services than those in their native land. Back home, people clap,
sway and dance to rhythmic songs during services that last up to four hours.
      
	They are also adjusting to more liberal views on some social issues,
such as homosexuality.
      
	Many Kenyans hold traditional views on the issue.
      
	"I would never, never, never accommodate homosexuals," said Ammon
Gitao, a Kenyan deacon.

	The church's U.S.-born members are more accepting.
      
	Still, by all accounts, the two groups get along well.
      
	Recently, the church started a once-monthly service in Swahili, but
most of the Kenyans prefer the service on Sunday at 11 a.m. 
      
	"In many ways, you've got the makeup of harmony, except on a couple
of explosive issues," said Philip Jenkins, a professor of history and
religious studies at Penn State University who has written about African
Christianity.
      
	Jenkins said most Kenyans share the same values as American
congregants.
      
	"They're model immigrants, quite anxious to fit in," he said.
      
	The presence of the Kenyans has made the congregation more interested
in Africa and its social and political problems.
      
	Guest speakers talked about the continent and the scourge of AIDS
there. Next summer, church members plan to travel to Kenya to deepen ties to
a Kenyan AIDS orphanage and learn how they can help congregants' family
members who have remained back home.
      
	"It may seem like we're opening our doors to them," said Harvard, the
pastor. "But really, their presence is enriching our lives."

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