KENYA: “Let Us Be One” Interfaith Leaders Amplify Agape Love, Unity at KCPF’s Annual Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast
By Elizabeth Asasha
Interreligious voices of faith reverberated through the air with the highest form of Christian love, Agape at the annual Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast organized by the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum (KCPF) on Saturday, January 20, 2024.
In the early morning sacred embrace of the Consolata Shrine in Westlands, Nairobi, messages of love for God and neighbor echoed through the hallowed walls of Allamano Hall as religious leaders representing different Christian denominations and vocations took to the podium to entreat the assembly of faithful to embrace ‘Unity in Diverse Creeds.
In a prelude to set the stage for a symphony of faith and unity, KCPF Chairman, Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama swung a backdrop to the annual interdenominational prayers, correlating this year’s theme to the role of KCPF, a body that serves as a unifying and transformative platform, harmonizing the efforts of Christian Professionals from diverse denominations across the nation.
“About a hundred years ago, the week of prayer for Christian unity materialized, and this is a collaboration, in recent years, between the Catholic church and the World Council of Churches.” Said Kanjama, a Council Member of the Law Society of Kenya, and Convenor of its Constitution Implementation and Law Reform Committee.
“We are focused on Christian professionals but we collaborate with other groups including Muslim professionals,” added the youngest senior counsel in Kenya, emphasizing the inclusivity of KCPF’s mission.
The resonating theme of Love of God and Neighbor excerpted from the gospel of Luke 10:27 found its crescendo in the keynote message delivered by the chief guest, Archbishop Bert Van Megen, the ecclesiastical diplomat of the Holy See to Kenya and South Sudan.
The nuncio unbolted his speech with a succinct opening phrase of the Shema, a central prayer in Judaism, affirming the oneness of God, citing, “Tishma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad”, which translates to, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”
He underscored the significance of Christians working collectively to address global challenges and promote peace unconstrained by space, time, and creed boundaries.
“When the church is one when there are no boundaries, leaders everywhere will listen,” declared the nuncio at the ecumenical prayer breakfast, a product of concerted effort between the Holy See, representing Catholic Churches Worldwide, and The World Council of Churches, a global ecumenical movement.
Archbishop Van Megen delved into the challenge of understanding the concept of love, expressing his struggles as a young Christian to grasp the abstract conviction, “Not so much that I felt that God should not be respected, but much more because I always felt that this idea of love for God and your neighbor is kind of vague,” he shared with a touch of humor.
The archbishop further reflected on the transformative power of enduring love, quoting the confessions of Saint Augustine of Hippo that, “true love for God is rooted in the visible manifestation of Christ and that love is not merely a sentiment but a commitment, loyalty, and devotion to God’s commandments.”
“We leaders of different churches fixate on our theological differences and canonical challenges, much like the priests and the Levites in the parable of the Good Samaritan,” he pointed out, “But Christians are called to act like Christ and love like the Good Samaritan. It is not shared identities that should prompt us to come to the aid of the other, but love of our neighbor.”
On his part, Bishop David Thagana Munyiri, who oversees the Federation of Evangelical and Indigenous Christian Churches of Kenya (FEICCK), commended KCPF for bridging gaps between indigenous churches and other Christian sects.
“We advocate for biblical leadership where leaders are servant leaders, literally according to the model of Christ,” asserted Bishop Munyiri passionately urging the Christian professionals to embrace positive African practices while discarding harmful ones as they foster a harmonious coexistence of faith and culture.
In an earthly harmony entreaty, Dr. Peter K. Mbae, a member of KCPF and Head of Ministerial Programmes in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, brought the audience closer to the intersection of faith and professionalism.
“We first start as Christians, then it’s God who calls us to the marketplace,” he asserted, highlighting the divine calling that precedes professional endeavors and calling on politicians to endorse faith and ecumenism in resolving deeply rooted societal issues and disputes.
Dr. Mbae, a philosophiae doctor in peace and conflict studies, stressed the cruciality of ecumenism in the quest for global peace while painting a verbal vivid picture of Christian professionals serving the national government and striving to make a difference in the world.
“When we talk about love of neighbor, we mean that when I see my neighbor what comes to my mind is the image of God,” expressed. Sr. Mary Damaris from the Franciscan Sisters
of St. Joseph – Asumbi.
In her ethereal finale take on the interreligious communion, the Catholic nun laced a needlepoint of love, portraying the importance of recognizing the divine in every
individual, beyond outward differences.
The nuncio led the assembly in a prayer for unity, asking for grace and love to overcome fear and embrace the shared journey of faith. “God of love, who writes life in our hearts, instills
in us, the courage to look beyond ourselves and see the neighbor in those different from ourselves,” implored a 63-year-old apostolic representative of the pope.
He finally commissioned the assemblage of interfaith representatives to carry the symphony of harmony into their professional and personal lives, united by a common love for God and neighbor.
“May they all be one,” he quoted from John 17:21, emphasizing the profound call to unity and ecumenism.
Kanjama acknowledged the challenges faced by the forum, such as financial considerations and mobilization, while expressing the importance of professionals coming together to pursue transformative values for society. He also invited those interested in KCPF’s work to join, set up chapters, and contribute to the positive impact on both attendees and society.
The Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast events unfolded at the Allamano Centre, named after and dedicated to Blessed Allamano, the founder of Consolata Missionaries in 1901. Fr. Jackson Murugara, the parish priest of Consolata Shrines and host of the event, conveyed apologies from the Metropolitan Archbishop, Most Rev. Philip Subira Anyolo.
The prayers rang out for productive professions and harmony in families, churches, and nations throughout the world. Following a wave of femicide in Kenya, the leaders, who included representatives of umbrella church bodies and other assorted Christian credences, prayed fervently for young women.
Bishop Peter Njau, Chairman Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK), and his wife Rev. Jemima Njau, Provost Evans Omollo of All Saints Cathedral, were among the leaders who graced the 2014 Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast. Bishop Njau attuned the deeds of Christian professionals to the love of God and neighbors, urging them to become ambassadors of transformative love in their professions.
The non-sectarian religious prayer breakfast fell on the third day of the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Every year, Christians unite in prayer for unity reminding themselves of Jesus’ desire for his disciples to “be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21).
Worldwide, parishes and congregations ignite this unique experience by organizing special ecumenical events and prayer services and exchanging preachers. The week of prayer is traditionally observed from January 18 to 25, falling between the feast days of St. Peter and St. Paul. In the southern hemisphere, where January is a vacation time, churches often find alternative days to commemorate it, and one such occasion is Pentecost, which is also a symbolic date for unity.
