Patriarchate of Alexandria -Kenya– May 2016

13-05-2016 was an important day for the Orthodox Church of Africa and more so in Kenya.-His Beautitude THEODORE, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, during his Pastoral Visit to Kenya, came to the newly established Diocese of Nyeri to perform the Enthronement of His Grace NEOPHITOS as Ruling Bishop of Nyeri and Mount Kenya at the Church of St. John in Thunguri.. His Beautitude rendered several Bishops of the Throne, Metropolitan MAKARIOS, Metropolitan IOANNIS, Bishop INNOCENTIOS and Bishop ATHANASIOS.

His Grace the ruling Bishop of Nyeri Neophytos Kongai was born in 1970 in the village of Kesengei, in the Nandi district of Kenya. He holds a degree from the “Archbishop Makarios III” Patriarchal Academy in Kenya. He was ordained Deacon on 13 September 1998 and Priest on 27 of the same month from the then Metropolitan Seraphim of Kenya, now of Zimbabwe and Angola. He served in parishes in Nairobi and at the Patriarchal Academy there as Deputy Principal. On 27 February 2005, he was consecrated as Archimandrite by His Eminence Makarios of Kenya. In the same year he was awarded a post graduate title in Theological Studies from the Theological College of the Holy Cross in Boston. In 2007 he was tonsured a monk at the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration in Veroia. He is a candidate for a Doctorate in Pastoral Theology, with a scholarship from the Aristoteleian University of Thessaloniki. On 26 November 2014, proposed by His Beatitude, he was elected by the Holy Synod as Auxiliary Bishop of the once brilliant Diocese of Nitria.

15-05-2016 was an important day for the Orthodox Church of Africa and more so in Kenya.-His Beautitude THEODORE, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, during his Pastoral Visit to Kenya, came to the newly established Diocese of Kisumu to perform the Enthronement of His Grace Athanasius as Ruling Bishop of Kisumu and all western Kenya

HG Bishop Athanasius Akunda was born Amos Akunda in Kenya in 1971. He was the eldest of six children whose father is a theologian from St. Tikhons Theological Seminary.He became Orthodox at the age of 8 after his parents converted to Orthodoxy. He attended Makarios III seminary in Kenya and graduated with a Diploma in Theology, followed by a Master of Divinity at Holy Cross School of Theology. At the International institute of Church Management he graduated in a Doctor of Divinity and at the University of South Africa a Doctor of Theology. He also completed a Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Education Management at the India Institute of Management, and a Certificate in teaching English as a foreign language at the Cambridge Institute of English Language in Boston. HG Bishop Athanasius Akunda worked in African literature, Christian religious education, Social education and Ethics at Ebukhaya High School, Ebusiloli High School and Ngoro Orthodox High School, all in Kenya. He held the position of Catechist in Western Kenya, and Secretary in the office of the Archbishopric of Kenya. He was ordained as a Deacon in Kenya in 1998 by His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim and ordained as a Priest at Pantanassa Church also by Archbishop Seraphim in 2002.

In 2010 at the Church of St Athansios in Benoni, on the feast day of that church, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by His Eminence Archbishop Damaskinos. He has served as the Parish priest St. Seraphim in Soshanguve and at St. Raphael, Irene and Nicholas in Yeoville, Johannesburg. He was also Dean and lecturer at Petros VII seminary. He was the parish priest at St. Nicholas of Japan from 2009 to 2015. Other positions he has held include Director of missions from 2003 to 2008 and Vicar in charge of missions since 2010. Bishop Athanasius Akunda has represented the Patriarchate of Alexandria at the World Council of Churches, and the All African Conference of Churches. Bishop Athanasius Akunda left St Nicholas to serve at the Patriarchal Seminary “Makarios III” in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2015.  He was Appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Nairobi as the director of missions and lecture at St.MAKARIOS seminary in cultural anthropology, pathology and teleturgics. He was elevated to Episcopal throne of Kisumu and All western Kenya on 24th November 2015.

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Group photo of the WCC Central Committee meeting 2016

Marianne Ejdersten

From Our Gulf News Correspondent – OCP News Service (Exclusive) – 5/7/16

TRONDHEIM, Norway: The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee which recently concluded its 2016 meeting in Trondheim, an important Christian pilgrimage site, had its theme on “Pilgrimage: Discerning the Landscapes Together.”

The week-long meeting which concluded on June 28 was the second gathering since the Central Committee was elected at the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, South Korea in 2013. Hope in a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace formed an integral thread for proceedings at the meeting of the Central Committee.

Among the host of issues which the Central Committee tackled included a powerful statement for peace and justice on the vexed Arab-Israeli crisis. The Committee authorized convening of an international ecumenical conference in 2017 “to reaffirm and strengthen ecumenical witness for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Ms Marianne Ejdersten (pictured), WCC’s, Director of Communication, the stellar Swedish lady who led several press conferences and live streams for the media, says the communication set-up for a meeting as the WCC central committee is crucial to ensuring that feedback is transparent, fast, and increases participation.

About the successful conduct, Ms Marianne says: “The focus was on obtaining news releases, feature stories, official documents and decisions published as quickly as possible to increase participation for those who were unable to attend the Central Committee.”

Explaining further she adds, “One way was to offer live streaming from the business plenaries each day. Social media activities were a complement,” she said adding that the website was the hub and seen as a digital archive which gathers all the documents together.

Church media which lapped up instant updates from the communications team took note of the enormous amount of work done by the communication managers, interpreters and translators.

As a parting shot, Marianne notes, “communicating about church activities is something above and beyond the ordinary and must be conducted with great respect for the gospel. This, however, does not prevent us from using terms and strategies from the business world. These represent a means to achieve our goal.”

Dr Agnes Abuom, from the Anglican Church of Kenya, set the tone for the meeting by urging member churches to be catalysts for change in “a rapidly changing and increasingly pluralistic world”. Abuom observed that “the pilgrimage offers us immense possibilities to re-imagine ourselves as a movement of God’s people in the mission – open and inclusive, and agile and receptive to the promptings of the spirit.”

The election of new Executive Committee members also took place in Trondheim, home to the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. In addition, the Central Committee elected a committee to perform a midterm evaluation of its programmes and another to plan the next WCC assembly.

Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC General Secretary, and a pastor from the Lutheran communion and member of the Church of Norway, described the church on pilgrimage as “a people defined by hope”. He added, “This is not about generalized optimism, but instead about conveying a reason and motivation for hope.

“Often it means being able to see beyond what we see and expecting something more and something else, looking for justice and peace, and nothing less,” explained Tveit adding that, “hope is a criterion of our Christian faith.”

He cited examples mentioned in the Executive Committee’s review of activities since 2014 with the WCC’s involvement in stages of the pilgrimage such as in the Korean peninsula, Ukraine, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine, South Sudan, Burundi, Colombia, Nigeria and in cities of the United States that have experienced racial confrontation. The Central Committee chose Arusha in Tanzania (East Africa) as the venue for the next World Mission Conference to be held 8-13 March 2018. More than 700 delegates from churches worldwide are expected to gather for the event hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

More than 700 delegates from churches worldwide are expected to gather for the event hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

During the meeting, the WCC also welcomed three new member churches to the ecumenical fellowship and also admitted two others to interim membership status. The new ones are Dutch Reformed Church, Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) for Malawi, and the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI). The Africa Brotherhood Church, from Kenya and the Community of Baptist Churches in Central Africa (CBCA) from the Democratic Republic of Congo, entered into interim WCC membership. The meeting also elected a new executive committee with 11 new members.

Ms Linda Hofstad Helleland, Norway’s Minister of Culture, addressed the delegates of the Central Committee during the opening. The Church of Norway was the host because of its long-established commitment to global ecumenism and to the WCC.

Meeting every two years, the Central Committee has 150 representatives elected from the 348 WCC member churches. It is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programmes and the budget. Geneva, the headquarters of the 68-year-old global fellowship of churches, will play host to the next Central Committee in June 2018.

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OCP News Service

LOI – August 2016

We are pleased to be able to publish the following short review of In Africa: Orthodox Christian Witness and Service by HE Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos of Albania who was the host of the first two LOI international consultations and continues to encourage us in our work together.

“My sisters and brothers, on behalf of the people and the Church to which I belong and which was founded by the Apostle Paul, I would like to ask your forgiveness for arriving so late, with a delay of centuries.” These words, spoken by a Greek Orthodox bishop in a “shed” church at Ol-Moran in the highlands of Kenya in 1987 set the missional context for a pioneering life of church planting and sustaining – a life readily and sacrificially adopted by Archbishop Anastasios and held out, by him, to others as the clear calling of the gospel.

This book brings together within its 400 pages an amazing variety of material which reflect the polyglot lifestyle of this academic turned missionary bishop. Not once, but twice, in his long career has Archbishop Anastasios set out on a pioneering missionary journey – once in Africa to rescue an embryonic Orthodox community from schism and decline and then again to Albania to witness the ‘resurrection’ of a Church once dead under communism. This book tells only the first of these stories, but probably the least well known. The story is told partly in the words of Archbishop Anastasios himself and partly through published reports of his work in Africa. There are deep insights into anthropology, traditional religion, missiology and mission praxis, all set in a wonderfully gripping narrative. We travel on potholed roads, feel the ravishing humidity, and listen to the wonderful African chant. They we find a bishop exhausted by constant ordinations, liturgy, confessions and meetings, sometimes beset by illness (which once forced his return to Athens), then almost blinded in a car accident – but always rejoicing in His Lord and feeding hungrily on scripture.

Internationally known as the foremost advocate of Orthodox mission during the second half of the twentieth century, Archbishop Athanasios is sometimes forgotten as an academic. The depth of his academic work is readily revealed by two early chapters on ‘African Religions’ and ‘Types of Sacred African Kingdoms’ whilst his sensitivity to the issues of discipleship and church growth are revealed by the earlier chapters on the founding of Orthodox communities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

I reviewed this book as a Protestant and sometimes found Archbishop Anastasios’ critique of other denominations, and their mission, in Africa rather harsh, if not, at least to a degree, deserved. In one passage, reprinted from a 1987 report in Panta ta Ethne, he writes, “African Orthodoxy … is called to convey to Africa the entire experience and tradition of the “one, holy, catholic, apostolic Church” of twenty centuries. It must do this so that this continent will no longer be tormented by the confessional divisions transmitted there by the various Western missions, transplanting onto Africa soil the theological conflicts and national-social wilfulness of Western Europe during the last five centuries.”  His lifelong commitment to building positive relationships with other Christian traditions and his work with the WCC and its Conference for World Mission and Evangelism however suggest that Archbishop Anastasios’ main concern in this passage is with division and divisiveness not with opposing other denominations.

At least half of the text comprises a gripping tale of travels in Eastern Africa with an exhausting tally of deacons and priests ordained, churches built, monastic communities established, schools started and funds raised for salaries, cars, roofing tin, and much more. One would be tempted to skips some of these passages if it were not for the fact that they are woven through with wonderful spiritual insights. One of my favourites comes the 1987 report of a visit to Nyeri in Central Kenya where Archbishop Anastasios writes, “It is in the grace of repentance that good decisions are reinforced and vocations for commitment to the Church mature”. Worth stopping to think about!

In place of an epilogue we find five very short documents which wonderfully sum up this African chapter of the Archbishop’s life and allow him to challenge the whole Church to the mission which is its very essence. The book closes, in the last of these five documents, with a reminder to “pious Orthodox Christian” [ and I would add, all those who follow Jesus Christ ] that they “cannot enjoy either material or spiritual goods alone, in the closed circle of their race” and to warn them “that they are beginning to lose many of the spiritual attributes precisely because they did not care – as much as they should have – to pass these on to others, to the most deprived.”

For anyone wanting to understand what drives an Orthodox Christian into a truly missional and pioneering life in Christ this is a ‘must read’.

S Kurt Andrewson

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Orthodox Church – 20/1/17

His Eminence Orthodox Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya serves Divine Liturgy, St. Barnabas Orthodox Apostolic mission.

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Orthodox Africa – 15/8/17

“There is nothing more worthwhile than to pray to God and to converse with him, for prayer unites us with God as His companions. As our bodily eyes are illuminated by seeing the light, so in contemplating God our soul is illuminated by Him. Of course, the prayer I have in mind is no matter of routine, it is deliberate and earnest. It is not tied down to a fixed timetable; rather it is a state which endures by night and day.”

By the grace of God Saturday, 22 July, 2017, we received two cartons full of textbooks.  This was a donation from a local private school which is 300 km away from St. Barnabas.  Join us in a thanksgiving prayer to God for them.

On 28 July 2017, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Metropolitan of Kenya visited our orphanage and education center.  The joy and love of Christ he brings with him blesses us all.  In his message he spoke about the good work being done in educating the children not only with regular classes but, more so, with the spiritual teachings and food given by the Grace of God.  Further, His Eminence made a special request to all supporters to please share the good news of the work being done at St. Barnabas with friends and relatives so that it may continue.  The food situation is dire in the area due to lack of rain for the crops.  Calling the teachers “heroes” Archbishop Makarios commended them for their dedication and diligence to the work of the mission.  “The children are happy,” he said.  A good sign of the work being accomplished at St. Barnabas Orphanage and Education Center.

The children at St Barnabas Orphanage and School depend upon your generosity. Please don’t forget them. Any donation you are able to make helps. To donate click here or here.

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St. Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage in Kenya – The Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa – August 2018

Visit
https://www.stireneorthodoxmission.org/

Click Here to Donate

Water is Life and this is the way we could display God’s love in dedicating the water well to the kids at the orphanage and needy community around us where people have no access to get enough water to cater for their daily needs.

Glory to the Almighty God.

The project idea is to improve access to clean water for the pupils and the community at Kanyawa through borehole drilling. It has been a long-term dream in the making, and like most dreams of such a nature, heartbreaks, false promises and pitfalls have taken their turns in making sure the dream does not come to reality.

At other times, it was a question of lack of funds that saw the dream taking long to materialize. But where there is perseverance, where there is a will, there is bound to be a way. So it was thus, that on the evening of a Wednesday, a two weeks ago, after months of planning, hoping and several let-downs, the dream finally looked like coming to fruition, for the borehole rig had confirmed that they would come the following day.

Drilling Team Arrives at the Orphanage
The following day, as the sun kissed the mountains over Aberdare Ranges, the drilling team drove into St Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage in Kanyawa Kenya. Just that, the team’s arrival, was an achievement. If they were to wave goodbye that evening, even without drilling the hole, the contention that, after all those months of planning and fundraising, sleepless nights, a borehole drilling team had finally arrived in the orphanage was enough consolation.

Come the following day, it was down to business. It took the drilling team 3 days to complete the work and we hit the water at 256 meters deep.

Again, as the sun set its lips on those mountains in the yonder, The Drilling’s team waved goodbye to St Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage.

For a dream that was a decade in the making, it was, indeed, a dream come true. We now look forward to constructing a 6 Meter Steel Elevated Tower. Also, purchasing and installation of a water pump & accessories and purchasing big reservoir tanks. This would cost us USD 41,144.70. For more information, you can visit here

Click Here to Donate

PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

The sustainability of this water project is based on the following:

• Contribution from the community members. Water shall be sold to the community at affordable rates currently a 20 litres can of water costs $0.4. We shall sell for $0.05. The amount collected from the sale will help in the maintenance.
• Horticulture farming: Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage in partnership with school management will train the community on horticulture farming. Money raised from the sales will improve their living standards.
• Afforestation program: Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage will initiate a tree seedlings nursery. The community will be supplied with these trees for free. The trees planted will help in sustaining the environmental biodiversity.
• Water for Animals: This will lead to improved health and productivity of livestock.

Public and private partnership: St. Irene Orthodox Mission Center & Orphanage in partnership with both the public and private sectors will generate resources to sustain the project.

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Pic – Orthodox Christian Mission Center – OCMC

Orthodox Kisumu– OCP News Service – 4/1/19

+Memory Eternal+

Kenya: His Grace Bishop Athanasios Akunda of Kisumu and all Western Kenya of the Greek Orthodox Alexandrian Patriarchate has entered eternal rest. The Prelate passed away at the St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester Massachusetts, the USA after battling a severe illness. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace!!!

His Grace Athanasios (Amos Akunda Masaba) Bishop of Kisumu and West Kenya, was born in Ebusitatsi Ebukhubi, Bunyore, West Kenya. He studied at Mundecheyo Primary and Mill Hill Catholic High School, the “Makarios III” Seminary, and the Holy Cross Theological Academy in the USA. He is also a Doctor of Theology (DTH) from the UNISA State University of South Africa. He was ordained Deacon on 12th April 1998 by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Zimbabwe and Presbyter on 25th July 2002 by the same Hierarch as Metropolitan of Johannesburg and Pretoria. He was consecrated as Archimandrite on 18th January 2010 by His Eminence Damaskinos Metropolitan of Johannesburg and Pretoria. He served in the Metropolis of Kenya, the Metropolis of Boston, USA, and the Missions of South Africa. He was also a Lecturer in Ceremonial rites, Patristics, Culture, Anthropology and Ecumenism at the “Makarios III” Patriarchal Seminary in Kenya. He is a member of the Association of the Theological Institutions of Eastern Africa (ATIEA).

On 24th November 2015, by proposal f His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, he was elected by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria as Bishop of the newly-established Diocese of Kisumu and West Kenya. He was ordained by His Beatitude on 6th December 2015.

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St. Barnabas Orthodox Mission Kenya – 29/1/2019

By the grace of God today at St. Barnabas orphanage and school in Kenya I concelebrated 11 baptisms with Fr Seraphim Holland. The community is growing every day. To learn more about my humble mission and see how you can help follow the link below www.orthodoxmissionkenya.org

God bless you.

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Dr Romina Istratii (Center) with Fr Thiani and Mr Girma Batu

Project dldl/ድልድል – 29/8/21

#Project dldl/ድልድል facilitates connection and knowledge sharing between the African Orthodox Church of Kenya and the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahәdo Church. 

Addis Ababa-Ethiopia-Africa: Fr Evangelos Thiani, a priest of the African Orthodox Church of Kenya recently visited Addis Ababa for a training conference. The occasion provided Dr Romina Istratii and Fr Thiani, who had previously collaborated on a special issue on Orthodox missions in Africa, to make connections with colleagues in the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahәdo Church.

Over Hundred EOTC Clergy Trained by Project dldl Leadership on ‘Domestic Violence’ in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region

Dr Istratii facilitated a meeting between Fr Thiani and Mr Girma Batu, an instructor and former academic vice dean of the Holy Trinity Theological College in Addis Ababa, during which the three discussed their churches’ respective approaches to diaconia and community engagement, responses to and teaching on contemporary issues – such as domestic violence and other sensitive issues – and the potential for sharing knowledge and experience through joint teaching programmes and co-production of research papers. The meeting raised the need for African Orthodox Churches to work together more closely, share experience and accessible information about their theological traditions (raising the need for translation) and build more mutual understanding.

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Project dldl/ድልድል