wfn.org | ACNS3566 African Anglican newsletter latest edition

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ACNS 3566     |     AFRICA     |     2 SEPTEMBER 2003

African Anglican newsletter latest edition

[ACNS Source: CAPA/Justus Waimiri, 2 September 2003]

Gunmen raid All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi

Four gunmen made their way to the All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi, on Monday
and snatched Sunday's offering of Ksh 700,000 ($ 9,589) in a daring early
morning raid. The gangsters entered the Church, half a kilometre from the
city centre, posing as worshippers attending morning devotions and locked up
all the workers in a room before ordering them to open the safe. They then
emptied the contents of the safe before ransacking the cathedral offices.
The worshippers and workers were frisked all their personal belongings
including mobile telephones and cash.

The raid comes in the wake of another daring robbery just two months ago at
the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) offices along Wood
Avenue, Nairobi, in which cash and office equipment was stolen. Although no
one was injured in Monday's raid, staff and worshipers were left badly
shaken after the ordeal that occurred at 7.30 am and lasted for two hours.
The gangsters brandishing pistols escaped in a car that they had parked in
the church compound.

All Saints Cathedral Provost, the Rev Peter Karanja, warned fellow clergymen
and church workers across the country to be extra watchful, as churches were
now a real target for thieves. He urged them to beef up security and
surveillance. Local police have launched investigations but no arrests have
been made.

Missionaries meet in Nairobi

Over 40 Anglican missionaries from around Africa and the United States met
in Nairobi last week to fellowship and share experiences from the mission
field. They included 20 medical missionaries who work with various mission
hospitals and clinics in Africa. The meeting was organised by the mission
office of the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA) to which most of
the missionaries are affiliated.

The medical missionaries who comprised of medical doctors, nurses and
nutritionists shared latest information on HIV/AIDS, which is a sticking
issue in their work. Dr Douglas Huber, who is the HIV/AIDS Advisor to the
Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), facilitated discussions on
the scourge that has affected millions of people in Africa. The missionaries
resolved to step up activities especially on prevention and care in their
areas of operation.

Earlier, the team visited the Nazareth Hospital in Limuru, a catholic-run
mission hospital undertaking activities on Voluntary Counselling and Testing
(VCT) and caring for the infected people in the local community. The
hospital provided creative strategies in addressing the AIDS epidemic, which
could be replicated.

Ms Jenny Coley from ECUSA said the meeting offered "an excellent opportunity
to get together, hear stories and learn from each other."

In his address to the participants, Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop
Benjamin Nzimbi said work in the mission field was not easy and encouraged
the missionaries not to give up in their service to humanity. He paid
glowing tribute to the early missionaries, particularly Dr David Ludwig
Krapf and his wife saying they endured hardship "like good soldiers" and now
the gospel had spread throughout Africa.

The team was led by the Director of Mission Personnel at ECUSA, the Revd
Jane Butterfield.

Kenyan Bishops map out strategy for HIV/AIDS

The Anglican Church of Kenya Bishops and their spouses met in Mombasa last
week to strategise on how to ensure a uniform and focused approach in the
fight against HIV/AIDS. The meeting whose theme was "Hope in the midst of
pain of HIV/AIDS" resolved to step up AIDS activities throughout the
Church's 29 Dioceses. The Bishops singled out HIV/AIDS related stigma as
requiring urgent and focused attention.

"Our people are not visiting Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centres
for fear of testing, yet testing is the first step of tackling the scourge,"
said Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi. The Bishops recommended that policies be
put in place by the public and private sector to protect those who test
positive so as to ensure that they have access to care and support.

The church resolved to offer more opportunities to those living with
HIV/AIDS and appealed to other sectors to do the same. HIV/AIDS desks will
be set up in the dioceses to help co-ordinate and document activities that
are going on in the parishes throughout the country.

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