Dedication Service Kimathi Church

The Kimathi church was finished so we had a dedication ceremony this Sunday. When we arrived that morning the children gave us flowers and we exchanged greetings and expressed thanks. They all dressed well. The men mostly in suits and ties and the women in nice dresses. We walked into the new church and the feeling of accomplishment and joy came over me. I looked at the others and I could see that everyone felt the same way. The church was packed with visitors and locals alike.

Kenyans, like anyone else, love a celebration and have their traditions to follow during this time. They had women and children come up and sing and dance. They even invited us to join them. We danced with them and it was so fun. The joy of the Lord was truly in this place. It gave me great pride to represent our church by being there. Kathy being the group leader accepted a certificate of appreciation. Stu also received a photo of Mt. Kenya from one of the parish ministers in appreciation of his ministry. Each member of our team received a gift of appreciation that was presented by different members of the Kimathi church. We gave some gifts as well, one of which was a really cool photo album of our church that Keith put together .  It was a great idea.  

We all went outside and watched the unveiling of the plaque while certain things were read and said. I didn't understand most of it but I knew it was all part of the ceremony.  We marched back into the church singing, "When the Saints Go Marching In". 

It reminded me of New Orleans. We used to sing that song, when I was a child, while cheering for the Saints football team . I had to laugh inside: even though the meaning was different, it still brought back memories.) Andrea gave the reading and the preaching began. A lot of the surrounding parish ministers were there and sat in the front of the sanctuary. When the preacher began speaking it was in English so we somewhat understood what he was saying. The emotions were powerful and there were tears of joy in his eyes. I wish I could remember some of the scripture he referenced and spoke about but I can't. Then he spoke in Swahili and the people responded with "amen" and other affirmations to his preaching, showing the same emotion. It was nice to hear the sermon in both languages.

When the service was over, the tradition is to plant a tree at the time of dedication. So Kathy and Stu planted a tree and watered it. We washed our hands and went to the old church to eat. We ate and talked for a little while but had to cut it short to get back to Kikuyu on time. We said our goodbyes and drove off. They were very thankful for all we had done but really they had given us more by sharing their time of joy.