GETTING TO KNOW KENYA – U.S. PERSPECTIVE
Churchgoers at the Kingdom Interdenominational Community Church in San Bernardino (Photo: Press Enterprise)
This from the Press Enterprise in Riverside, Calif.:
For most Americans, the recent unrest in Kenya, touched off by disputes over a presidential election in December, is something that pops up only occasionally, if at all, in the news these days.
But for native Kenyans living in Southern California, the violence and the anguish their families are going through back home has been a constant concern.
Martin Okoth, 46, of Chino Hills, worries about his sister whose city has seen businesses burned in tribal clashes. One of his brothers was forced from his home in Nairobi. Another brother, a well-known soccer player in the country, was forced to pay a ransom before his kidnapped son was safely returned.
“All of us have these stories,” Okoth says, standing outside the Kingdom Interdenominational Community Church in San Bernardino.
The church is Southern California’s first Kenyan church. Started in 1997, the church purchased the San Bernardino property in 2005. It has satellite churches in San Jacinto and Los Angeles.
The wooden pews in this squat cinderblock building are filled this Sunday with men, women and children singing hymns in English and Kiswahili and listening to Pastor Benson Andebe deliver a passionate sermon.
But there is more here than just a worship service. Recently, the church has been serving as a source of emotional support, information and aid for a community caught up in a crisis half a world away.
“The church has been like a refuge where you can come and vent in a more respectful manner,” says Okoth, who is the congregation chairman. “It’s like a form of therapy. Here, I’m talking to other people who are dealing with the same problem. Whatever has happened, we can come here and express our love for each other and come together.”
Excerpts from church service VIDEO.
