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| the 4 left to right for the celebration |
The
celebration began at the Butare Kinyarwanda parish, about a mile and a half
from the PIASS campus. I walked there with some of my students and my colleague
Pastor Juvenal and the new PC(USA) volunteer who had just arrived in Kigali on
Thursday, after we finished the 8:30 a.m. English service at PIASS. We arrived
a bit late, but that was not an issue. This is Africa. We were in time for the
choirs, who sang and danced with great delight. There were five of them, so
there was lots of music. The baptisms and confirmation came after the sermon, just
as in many congregations in the States. The difference was that the events were
divided and happened somewhat simultaneously. Three of those to be baptized were
12 or older, so they needed to answer the questions of faith for themselves.
Here in the Kinyarwanda service, the Apostle’s Creed is not recited, but is
sung, so the girls sang of their faith. It was delightful. The youngest to be
baptized is just 18 months old, so her
parents and godmother stood and answered as parents would in the States. One of
the girls had been baptized as an infant, so she was to be confirmed.
This
is where the service split and the actual baptism and confirmation happened
simultaneously. The Presbyterian Church here practices the phrase we use in the
States – reformed and always reforming. To address the concerns of the youth
who have been influenced by the Pentecostal movement in Africa, the Presbyterians
of Rwanda now allows for baptism by immersion for those who wish it. (The
church leaders rely on the practice of Jesus for their authority to change
things in this way.) The older girls requested immersion baptism. They were the
first to use the new “pool” outside the newly constructed church building. Water
had to be brought in for the event. The baby was also immersed, but held by her
mother. While about half of the congregation went outside to witness the
baptisms, the other half remained in the sanctuary for the affirmation of faith
and confirmation of the one who had been baptized as an infant. One pastor officiated
at the baptism while another officiated for the confirmation. Because this was
for a pastor’s children, there were many pastors attending. About15 of us
watched from the congregation. The Presbyterian Church here is relatively small
with fewer than 200 pastors, so it still has a “family” feel when there are
celebrations for the family of the clergy. That was the case here. When the
congregation split, so did the family, as Imaculee went with the girls to be
baptized and Celestin stayed with the one to be confirmed. He stood with her as
she answered her constitutional questions and sang of her faith. After the
baptism and confirmation, the congregation was joined again and the cottage
group to which the family belongs (the congregation is divided into small “cottage”
groups for weekly prayers) sang for the entire congregation, to show their
support of the girls. Again, it was a family event, the family of the church.
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| The tent for the reception |
That
“family feel” continued as we moved to the family’s home after the service for
a reception. The entire congregation was invited. About half the congregation accepted.
The family had set up a tent in the side yard, moving the living room furniture
out to the tent to provide comfortable setting for some special guests and
plastic chairs for others. This meant that the living room could be fitted with
the buffet table to serve the over 200 who had come to the reception. After the
welcoming speeches, we were entertained by the three choirs that had come with
us, as we filled our plates and ate. After the generous meal came speeches and
presentation of gifts to the honorees and then thank-you and farewell speeches.
The celebration ended about 5 p.m., a full day of sharing joy with friends and
the family of faith. There makes for a great celebration.
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