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Friends United Meeting |
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March 2001
2002 Triennial--
Doing Ministry in Kenya: Why quakerism Is Growing in East Africa
By Robert Wafula
Eastern Africa now is the largest Quaker constituency in the world. This rapid growth began with the arrival of Arthur Chilson, Willis R. Hotchkiss, and Edgar T. Hole, in 1902. "When Arthur Benton Chilson was born to Harry and Frances Chilson, near LeGrand, Iowa, on June 16, 1872, no one knew that the little child would grow up to be a man to whom God would give a vision, a call, a service to perform that men and women in America and other continents (Africa) might know Jesus Christ." These are Edna H. Chilson's (Arthur's wife) opening words in her book, Arthur B. Chilson: Ambassador of the King.
At age 16, while in a Quaker revival, Arthur Chilson received a revelation for the African mission and Chilson made a turning point; his life was never to be the same again after he received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Friend. He was possessed with the joy of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had come in and taken possession of his life. "He was born again"; he was "made a new creature in Christ Jesus."
Because his face was set for Africa, Chilson responded to his urge for ministerial preparation by obtaining admission into Cleveland Bible Institute. Chilson met two contemporaries also enrolled as students, Willis R. Hotchkiss (who had recently returned from Africa), and Edgar T. Hole, who also had nursed an urging call for Africa. Here the African Mission was wholly conceived in the hearts and the minds of these three young men, with the commissioning done at the Five Years Meeting at First Friends Meetinghouse in Richmond, Indiana.
The solid foundation of the Friends Church in East Africa was laid on and is sustained by these theological terms: revival, Holy Spirit, born again, and new creature in Christ Jesus. Friends from the West visiting in East Africa will hear these terms and phrases often from the general membership, pastors and evangelists.
Distinctive Terminologies
Quakers in East Africa do not strictly use certain Quaker terminologies
such as, meetinghouse, meeting for worship/business, holding in the light,
etc. One will hear more of the day to day Christian ecumenical terms such
as: Church (Kanisa), Worship Service (or Ibada ya maombi), committee meeting
(Kamati or Kometi), praying for, testimonies and prayer requests, etc.
This enhances our spirit of inclusiveness within the larger Christian
community around us. While we strongly maintain our basic Quaker principles,
these are the spectacles by which we would like to be viewed and defined
by the larger Christian community.
For most Friends in East Africa, to be a Quaker means to be a Christian, to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to believe in the resurrection and his second coming. Jesus Christ is our intermediary through whom our supplications are made known to God, which is why you would often hear every prayer ending with, "...in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen." Most meetinghouses among Friends in East Africa bear the inscription, "FRIENDS CHURCH." We are described more as a Church than just a religious society. In this case, the idea of religion is inseparable from that of a Church. These concepts help us to internalize the true image of GodŐs representation in our lives as a religious community.
Pastors and Evangelists
An American Friend visiting among East African Friends would hear distinctive
designations such as Pastor and Evangelist rather than Minister. The designation
of "Pastor" is applied to a woman or a man who has been theologically
or in some way Biblically trained, whether attached to a meeting or not.
The title "Evangelist" bears a dual application: one who has
been theologically trained and is charismatic in style, or one who has
received training by experience without having gone to a theological college.
In technical terms, evangelists are those who rise by authority, are accepted
and respected on the basis of their talents, abilities, charisma, and
achievement. The importance of evangelists among the East African Friends
cannot be underrated.
At least every congregation has either a pastor or an evangelist, and most meetings in urban centers have full time pastors and evangelists with regular monthly pay. Nairobi leads among all Yearly Meetings with full time pastors. Yearly Meetings in the Western Province of Kenya have either full time pastors or part time evangelists with very limited stipends.
The ministry in Uganda and Tanzania Yearly Meetings has suffered setbacks in the recent past due to financial constraints and jostling over leadership by the clerks. But now the two yearly meetings are doing better. Tanzania is now stabilizing in ministry. Most of the pastors doing ministry in Uganda and Tanzania as well as those in Kenya have received theological training at the Friends Theological College in Kaimosi, Kenya.
Development projects with pastors as overseers seem to be doing great. Every yearly meeting in East Africa is engaged in a development project in one way or another. The School, Water, and Housing projects overseen by Herman Otioko and John Moru in Turkana, and the Local Missionary Foundation steered by Isaiah Bikokwa and Michael Wasike in Samburu are among those that cannot go unmentioned.
Teaching Ministry
Pastors and evangelists play an active role in the teaching and/or overseeing
the teaching of teenagers and adults in classes which run concurrently
in every monthly meeting. Both classes take 6 and 12 months respectively.
Recruitment into these classes undertakes meritorious sifting. Names are
proposed and examined by the village meeting leadership and then forwarded
to the monthly meetings for re-examination, approval and subsequent admission
into the classes. It takes at least one year for any one who has recently
been confirmed as an Associate to be enrolled into Full Membership Class
of instruction.
Associate membership classes of instruction are basically aimed at setting strong Biblical foundations and Quaker basic principles for the spiritual, mental, and moral development of young Christians. Instruction for Full Membership includes among other areas, the general ethic principles of church organization and leadership.
Classes are the "seedbeds" for growth and sustenance of the Friends church in East Africa, a means by which the Church enhances its numerical, spiritual, moral, and intellectual growth. It is a tradition that has undergone several modifications without altering the basic objectives.
Revivals
Besides delivering regular sermons in their respective meetings, a new
breed of vibrant charismatic pastors and evangelists, most of whom graduated
from theological colleges in the 1980s and '90s, are heavily involved
in the organizing and preaching at the revival crusades in a Quaker setting.
This is mostly happening among the urban yearly meetings. It is undeniable
that one of the greatest appeals of the new charismatic Quaker ministries
in East Africa is the manner of worship. Services appear spontaneous,
experiential, and exuberant. They are filled with singing, dancing, and
clapping. The comparison with the enthusiastic Quaker revivals that Arthur
Chilson and his brother Carl organized in Iowa in 1897 is fitting here.
For those whose everyday existence is difficult and drab, especially those
in arid and semi-arid areas such as Turkana and Bura; in densely populated
slum areas of Nairobi and Mombasa; and in the dominant Islamic areas such
as Pemba, the air of celebration is stimulating and cathartic. People
are being enraptured by Quaker ministries in these areas. Some Friends
Meetings have choirs which at times perform for the worship.
Quaker Ministries Today
Quaker Ministries in East Africa are now taking a new form. They are more
focused on individual salvation with emphasis on the communal fellowship.
The stress on a sense of belonging is one of the strongest appeals. Pastors
and Evangelists are re-defining and recreating a new meaning of our old
cherished Quaker tradition. The best Christian society is a society of
the best people who are eager to provide service (spiritual and material)
to the world community around. Hence, the birth of Africa Quaker Vision
(AQUAVIS) out of a revelation that the Church exists not only for the
good of those inside but also for those outside of it. The orientation
of preachers today among East African Friends is in all respects ecumenical.
They identify with preachers of other denominations, and listen to sermons
from around the world.
It is significant that imported faiths appear to do best if and when they are taken over by locals and contextualized to include the indigenous style. It would have been impossible for the Quaker Faith to make its way into the heart of East Africa if it lacked continuity with the conventional indigenous styles. The representation of the divine had to be reworked and recreated. By building on the indigenous, the Quaker movement achieved a strong persuasive appearance of major success within the first generation and now making its way through the third generation. The power and technique behind this was, and still is, emphasis on conversion and spiritual growth. This rich diversity of doing ministry enhances our global Quaker connectedness.
Robert J. Wafula, a Quaker pastor from Kenya, is currently a Ph.D. student in Religion and Society at Drew University. He is married to Nancy N. Wafula.
Copyright (c) 2001 Friends United Meeting
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