Upon completing membership classes, together with my fellow classmates we have been admitted as members of the Anglican Church of Kenya and All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi.
In 2019, I started on a spiritual journey not to only to delve deeper into Church History, but also to understand different doctrines and traditions. I did not want to be a Christian just because I was born in a Christian Family and raised as a staunch Presbyterian. I wanted to have an understanding of the Christian faith as a whole, then make a decision on whether I actually wanted to continue being a Christian and if so, under which denomination. And I had questions, very difficult ones.
Christianity as a religious institution first developed in Europe courtesy of Roman Emperor Constantine, and even the Protestant Reformation sprang up in Europe. My journey thereafter took me to places of worship in England and in Italy; from St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London to the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, Cathedral of Siena and other places in between.
I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to remain a Christian, believing in God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Next question was on the denomination?
I like some aspects of Catholicism especially its governance structure and the concept of inculturation; incorporation of cultural tunes and instruments is quite appealing, and I love their Kiswahili and Kikuyu songs. But again, I was drawn to protestant doctrines so I decided that I needed something in between Catholicsm and Protestanism. That could only be Anglican.
Because I love order and I consider myself conservative in this regard, I enjoy liturgical services and liturgical choirs. Meanwhile, from the moment I entered St. Paul’s Cathedral, London in July 2019 and heard the sound of the pipe organ for the first time, I fell in love with it! I wished to hear that sound every Sunday. All Saints Cathedral offered me that, and there was more! During the 11:30am service which has a liturgical choir, sometimes especially during Holy Communion they sing some of the Kiswahili Catholic songs.
Today therefore marks a defining moment in my faith journey, as I have officially become an Anglican, pending confirmation.
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