June 16 - Church

June 16, 2013 – Church

Before we returned to the guesthouse from our homestay we had the pleasure of attending church with our host families.  Our family attends African New Life Church, which seems to be non-denominational.

They had the English service from 9am-11am with the Kinyarwanda service following.  We were late to church due to the getting ready habits of the 14-year-old -- remember I said that Rwandan culture and American culture do have some similarities.

We got to church about 30 minutes late.  When we came in everyone was singing a song; I can’t remember the name of it but I knew it from the United States.  I was surprised to find that there were quite a few “muzungu” there – and a few other students from our program were there with their host families.

The preacher’s message was about fostering godly relationships.  He spent 10 years in the United States and made references back to his time there throughout his message.  I found it particularly interesting that he made the statement that people do not lie in America like they do in Africa.  He talked about going to get gas in the U.S. and there was nobody to pump it for him (like there is here) and he got gas and went inside to pay afterward.  He also talked about how there was a tray of cookies somewhere and you paid by the honor system and how that would never happen in Africa.  I found it interesting because I definitely don’t see America as an honest society, but I have also not spent enough time in Africa to see them as a dishonest society.  He also referenced Bill Clinton and how Americans were madder about the fact that he lied than that he had “sexual relations with that woman,” which I found interesting.

He also made a point that nurturing anger was not healthy for godly relationships and that if people continued to hold anger in their hearts, feelings would muster and could cause another genocide.  I think it’s very interesting how the church makes references back to 1994 and it makes me wonder what the pastors were preaching before and during the genocide.  Were they telling their congregations to forgo hate or were they helping to spread the genocidal rhetoric? I’m sure the answer is different depending on the pastor and the church, but it’s something to think about.

I really enjoyed going to church this morning and am planning on attending the Presbyterian service at the church beside our guesthouse next Sunday.