Ajabu Africa News

PHOTO:

Congregants evicted form the Kenyan All Saints Community church in Quincy raise funds for a legal bill at the VFW Hall in Randolp, MA. AJABU AFRICA PIC/H.MAINA

By:

HARRISON MAINA

Posted:

Sep,06-2016 14:49:54

BOSTON---Close to 60 members of the Kenyan community in Boston recently evicted from the All Saints Community church in Quincy near Boston raised over $10,000 Sunday evening, in addition to another $13,000 raised over the last couple of weeks towards a legal bill associated with a suit against their pastor, Rev. Fredrick Thanji.

At the same time, an outcry has erupted in the Kenyan community in Boston with many concerned Kenyans taking to social media and other forums, calling for an end to church based disputes that have caused serious divisions and increased animosity among countrymen and women far from their motherland.

During the fundraiser held at the VFW Hall in Randolph, several other Kenyans from the region attended to support their suffering countrymen and women, while others sent donations through various means, including CashApp and in person.

Organizers felt buoyed by the selfless effort by several dozen Kenyans attending the event whose contributions will go a long way towards curing a legal bill accrued in the process of seeking legal redress in the courts after their pastor snubbed all efforts for an amicable dispute resolution.

"This is really good. It shows what can be achieved when people unite and stay committed to a cause they believe in. We thank all those who came and all who sent their donations. May God bless you all," said David Karumwa, one of the event organizers while speaking during a vote of thanks.

Kenya children evicted from the All Saints Church Quincy engage in an activity to raise money. AJABU IMAGE/H.MAINA

Several speakers who addressed the gathering congratulated the group for sticking together to search for a solution instead of scattering to different other churches, leaving the problem unresolved to the detriment of future generations.

"Many Kenyans have been moving from one church to the other when they feel violated at their place of worship. This is not good. I am glad we did not do the same but decided to stay together. The challenge is ours to find a solution and we should not stop as we have not yet achieved our goal," said Jacob Thuo, one of the event organizers.

"It has been eleven months now since this thing started and we are still together. That is a big commitment that was not present before among us. People have been volunteering their time and resources to do different things that advanced our cause, including showing up at the court and going in and out of different offices. That is very inspiring," said George Kamau, another leader of the group.

Kamau added that as sad as it was to be evicted from their church, the group must stick together and find a solution for the sake of their suffering children.

"We started that church because we wanted our kids to have a strong foundation in Christian values as we were given by our parents. Now I feel very bad when my kids keep asking me if they will ever go back to their church since I don't have an answer," he continued.

Kamau blamed Rev. Thanji for causing the problem that has left many kids confused and unsure of the importance of the church. He added that similar problems were occurring in other Kenyan community churches in Boston.

"There is currently a big outcry in the Kenyan community in Boston for our young kids and future generations. Some of our kids now say they don't want to go to church after witnessing all the ugly fighting going on. We need to stand together and find urgent lasting solutions for this."

Rev. Agness Kuria leads in a Praise and Worship session.AJABU IMAGE/H.MAINA

The father of three attributed the problem to the poor foundations that the Kenyan community in the region was established on, with many clergymen starting churches that were run as personal businesses rather than public non-profit organizations where documented governance structures were transparent and made easily available to members.

Encouraging the group to have faith and stay committed, Rev. Dorcas urged members of the group to remain committed and focused to do the right thing before God in order to receive healing and a brighter future.

"Be committed and one day, you will look back and say that you went through a difficult problem in your church but God saw you through to become even stronger than before."

Pastor Agness Kuria, who recently quit as the leading minister of the St. Luke's Anglican Church in Malden in an almost similar scandal to the All Saints Quincy, attended the fundraiser, leading the group in several praise and worship songs.

An outcry by other Kenyans unhappy with the development at the All Saints Church also exploded on facebook with many terming it as "very embarrassing".

But in a message of support and encouragement, Frank Kahiga, a user based in Boston, sympathized with members of the evicted group, reminding them that such situations they were going through were predicted in the bible already, and remedies prescribed in the book of Jeremiah 23:

Frank KahigaTo all those affected, be encouraged that: "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.... (Jeremiah 23)."

To celebrate the progress achieved, the group will be holding an end of summer goat eating Labour Day barbecue this Sunday September 4 at the Houghton Pond Park in Canton starting 3pm, where all those who supported them with funds and prayers are invited to attend.

Rev. Dorcas Abreletch donates funds.