Saturday and Sunday

On Saturday morning we went off to visit the Kigali Anglican Theological College which is in the process of applying for University status. The college is situated some way out of Kigali on a campus that is being developed. New accommodation blocks have gone up in the last two years and further building work, including housing for teaching staff, is being done on site to bring it up to the level required by the government for a university. 

We were met by Viateur Ndikumana, who has recently taken over as principal and director. He was appointed to help with the changes needed and to raise the level of training and education. It is clear that he is making significant changes. With the recent government condition that all church leaders must be educated to degree level, KATC has a key role in helping this to happen in the Anglican Church. It is hoped that within the next few months, their application process will be complete and they will be granted University status. Please pray for Viateur and his staff, as they work together to move things forward.

We then went to the Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali. Most of the team has been before, but it is important to remind ourselves of what happened in 1994 and the history leading up to the genocide. Significant changes have happened over the last 25 years to help bring stability and economic improvements to Rwanda, and new buildings (office blocks, housing) are going up all over Kigali. But challenges remain. There are still many people, some of whom we have met, who are living in poverty and struggle to make ends meet day to day.

On Sunday, Valerie and Jim went to Bumbogo parish and Heather, Grace and Andy went to Rubungo parish. Valerie and Jim had a relatively short service, but then had the treat of staying on for a diocesan-wide choir competition! Church choirs, drama groups and readings filled the next few hours as they competed to be crowned ‘Choir of the Year’! Earlier heats had eliminated some choirs, but there were still plenty left in the competition and the standard was very impressive. At the end, the winning choir wanted photos taken with the ‘muzungu’, so Jim and Valerie duly obliged.

At Rubungo, things were more normal with a traditionally long service including five choirs (none of which presumably, had made it to the finals). Congregational singing was energetic and many came to the front to join in dancing, leaping and clapping. High heels did not stop some of the younger women joining in along with some of the robed clergy / servers. It is good to be with such groups of God’s people and to experience their way of praising him. It encourages us to be a little more expressive in our English services!

On Monday we have a day to be out and about in Kigali, do some sightseeing (?) and shopping as well as relax over a coffee or two. Jim and Valerie fly back to the UK in the evening.

Thanks for reading and goodnight.