Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I’m sending this week’s Meet-Up a day early to give you a little more notice about some upcoming opportunities this weekend. If you worshiped with us on Sunday at 10:00 am, you had the opportunity to meet my friend Pastor Heritage Munyakuri. I first met Heritage a few years ago and have been blessed to know him better since then. He has an incredible story of coming to America as a refugee. He was forced to be a child soldier in the Congo, escaped to Burundi, found faith in Jesus, and then came to the United States in 2005. Today, he is the Pastor of El Shaddai Church, a congregation comprised of African immigrants and refugees from Burundi, Rwanda, the Congo, and Uganda that meets inside the Gates Presbyterian Church. On Sunday, he told us about the various ways that his congregation lives out their faith in Jesus. First and foremost, they are a congregation that meets to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Heritage and his church leadership help the members of their congregation assimilate into life in the United States in many ways. One ministry they began this year is a weekly tutoring program for children, to help them with school work, life challenges, and learning English. They are currently serving 48 children in this tutoring program. Heritage also told us about their “Pathways to Employment” program, in which they help adults move toward stable work and independence.
As I mentioned on Sunday, if you would like to know more about El Shaddai Church and how we might partner with them, you have two opportunities this weekend.
This Saturday, March 21, from 1-3pm, El Shaddai is hosting a Prayer Walk at the Gates Presbyterian Church (at 1049 Wegman Road). During this time of prayer, participants will be praying for refugees and learning a little about what it’s like to be a refugee. You are invited to attend!
The following day, Sunday, March 22, starting 1pm, you are invited to worship with El Shaddai Church during their regular weekly worship service at the Gates Presbyterian Church. I will be preaching the sermon. Come to experience singing, dancing, and an uplifting time of worship. You can expect the service to be in Swahili (with much of it translated into English) and to last about two and a half hours. (This is the same day that our youth will be leading our worship services in the morning.)
Also, if you are interested in learning more about El Shaddai’s tutoring program, I am organizing a “field trip” for us to go and observe one of their tutoring sessions on Wednesday, April 15, from 5:00-6:30pm. If you would like to attend this field trip, please RSVP to connect@pittsfordpres.org so I can give Heritage a heads up about how many of us will be coming. (Finish filing your taxes and come with us!)
As I said in my sermon on Sunday, a revival is happening in churches throughout Africa, and God is bringing the African Church to us here in Rochester. I believe that God may be preparing us for our own revival by leading us to El Shaddai. Come and see for yourself!
Peace,
Aaron