Yesterday was one of my favorite days in Kenya. I spent the day learning from some phenomenal women!
Rev. Josephine Mutuota (pictured above) is the Parish Minister at PCEA Ruiru East Parish. Our paths have crossed twice before at PCEA functions, but yesterday was the first opportunity we've had to actually get to know one another. She picked me up early in the morning and drove me to St. Paul's University to meet with Dr. Esther Mombo. Dr. Mombo is absolutely inspiring and has been a fierce advocate for women in the Kenyan church for decades.
I spent some time visiting with Dr. Mombo (pictured above) and she shared with me about the work shes been doing to challenge reformed denominations regarding their stances on women in leadership. While I've experienced first hand how difficult it is to be a female leader in the PCEA, she opened my eyes to the history of women's ordination in many denominations throughout Kenya. As a lecturer, she empowers women to change their denominations and create spaces for themselves in leadership positions within the church. She frequently is in opposition to the patriarchal nature of Kenyan religious culture and says that it's her "trademark." Dr. Mombo continues to raise questions about feminism and says that women have still not arrived as leaders in the church because of the challenges they continue to face within their denominations. She says that one of the major factors in these struggles is the way in which men and women are socialized within the cultural context of the church. As part of her efforts to reform Christianity in Kenya and empower women, Dr. Mombo started a fellowship of women in ministry that meets on Thursday mornings. I had the opportunity to join their fellowship.
I didn't realize it when I showed up, but I was the featured guest of the fellowship. I gave some basic information about myself and my sense of call, then Dr. Mombo facilitated a Q&A. The students asked some insightful questions and I was able to share about my (limited) experience is as a young woman in ministry. It was such an incredible opportunity because these fantastic women are my peers. We are all theological students (some already ordained and some not) who are trying to find our place in the church. Such an awesome morning!
After spending time at St. Paul's, Rev. Josephine took me to her parish and I was able to visit 3 of her 5 congregations.
We did a few home visits so that I could get to know some of the members in her congregation. After visiting, we spent most of the afternoon in the office.
I was able to visit with some of her women's guild members (pictured below) and I also spent a significant amount of time with her Student Minister Mary (pink dress on the left).
Mary shared openly with me about her call to ministry, theological education, and time as a Student Minister. On Sunday, she will be officially licensed as a Minister of the Word. In a few months she will be officially ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament. It was nice to connect with Mary because she is currently serving in a role that is similar to my own and it was refreshing to compare notes with someone.
I had the most amazing time spending the day with Rev. Josephine. She's become a sister/aunt/mentor to me and I wish we had gotten to know each other sooner. We shared about our personal lives and our experiences in ministry. She is anxious to host me whenever I come back to visit Kenya and is hoping to visit me in the US at some point.
Rev. Josephine is incredible. She pastors 5 congregations, serves as presbytery and synod clerk, maintains her household and provides for her 3 children while her husband is doing a PhD in Belgium. Oh, and did I mention she's learning French just for fun? On top of that, she had the energy to host me all day and it was one of the most wonderful days I've had.
We entertained some surprise guests who stopped by the office to say hello on their way back from a burial. After visiting and praying together, we headed back to Rev. Josephine's house to have dinner with her son, Prince. Obviously he was not feeling as goofy as we were at the end of a busy day.
~ Nell in Nairobi