H E I S R I S E N - H AL L E L U J A H! Qu'Appelle Signs Covenant with Muyinga
April, 2010
A Section of Anglican Journal
by Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson REGINA At the Lambeth Conference in 2008 I renewed an acquaintance with Bishop Eraste Bigirimana from the Diocese of Muyinga in Burundi, who I had first met at a new bishops course in 2007. During the conference, Vicki and I had a number of conversations with Bishop Eraste and his wife Consolate about the possibility of establishing a Companion Diocese relationship between Muyinga and Qu'Appelle, in addition to our Companion Link with Lichfield. After some follow-up correspondence our friends from Burundi came to visit our diocese in Canada, and in return we were invited to visit them in Burundi. On November 22 we flew from Canada, via London and Nairobi, to Bujumbura and then drove for three hours through the mountains of Burundi to get to the city of Muyinga. The total travel time was about 41 hours. Burundi is geographically in the centre of Africa; and interestingly, the shape of the country looks much like a heart. We were told that Burundians like to think of their country as the heart of Africa. It is a beautiful country with rich red soil, mountains, rivers and lakes, and much that grows green during the rainy season. After years of civil war the country has had peace and relative stability for the past four or five years. The devastation of the past remains in the ruined homes and businesses, the loss of livestock and trees, in the numbers of orphans and broken families, and in the enormous poverty that very many folk there live with. encountered a people who, despite the hardships and poverty, are rich in dignity, respect, generosity and hospitality. We
discovered that amongst the colourfully clad people walking the roads with their loads for the markets, a simple wave would bring forth bright smiles and waving in return. Our time in Muyinga involved a variety of activities - somewhere different almost everyday. We visited the deputy governor of Muyinga, the local hospital and school, the Roman Catholic Church's rehabilitation centre, a Congelese refugee camp, a church tree nursery project, a banana growing operation on church grounds, the Muyinga Bible school, two other diocesan bishops and their centres, the provincial church office and a number of congregations spread throughout the province. I have given a more detailed account of our visit on my blog at bishopgreg.blogspot.com. Our experience in the church was particularly impressive and moving. People in the rural areas of Burundi such as Muyinga will often walk for an hour or two to attend services. They gather in the hundreds in mudbrick churches and engage in worship for three to four hours before walking home another hour or two. Choirs that have met to share, pray and practice during the week take turns throughout the service singing and dancing. It is sometimes surprising to people from the western world, but for Burundian Christians, building and maintaining their local church and its worship is a priority which provides the foundation and strength by which they are equipped to deal with the challenges and hardships of their lives. The Diocese of Muyinga is deeply involved in the work of helping to meet the enormous needs of the people of Burundi. They are engaged in helping to provide schools, literacy programs for
Photo courtesy Vicki Kerr-Wilson
The Kigamba Parish church in rural Burundi is made of mud bricks. adults, HIV/AIDS education, work with orphans and development projects of various sorts. They are also looking to build a medical clinic in this area so severely lacking in medical aid. All of this work is quite ambitious with the very limited resources they have, but by working through partnerships and with creativity and ingenuity they are making a significant difference in the lives of Burundians. On the final Sunday of our stay in Muyinga we attended worship at the Cathedral, where I preached and where Bishop Eraste and I signed a covenant establishing our relationship as Companion Dioceses. Our companion relationship affirms “our common membership in the one Body of Christ, our sharing in the one Spirit who sustains
us and calls us into mission, and our fellowship in the Gospel within the Anglican Communion,” and agrees “to involve our people in the offering of mutual encouragement and prayer, the sharing of information to help us gain a better understanding of each other, and the giving and receiving of concerns, insights and experience to strengthen our common mission. We agree to support each other in our mission and ministry by sharing our gifts and resources with one another as God calls and enables us to do so.” This covenant is for an initial period of five years. We look forward to walking together with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Diocese of Muyinga in Burundi.
Photo courtesy Vicki Kerr-Wilson
Bishop Greg (centre) and Bishop Eraste (right) visit Mukoni School, which the church supports. The KerrWilsons distributed a lot of donated school supplies to teachers at the school. Photo courtesy Vicki Kerr-Wilson
Photo courtesy Vicki Kerr-Wilson
Bishop Eraste Bigirimana and his wife Consolate (centre) and their children pose with Vicki and Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson.
These people could not fit inside the church building, so are watching the service through the open window.
Photo courtesy Vicki Kerr-Wilson
The diocese of Muyinga planted banana trees on the Cathedral grounds to grow food which supports the church and people. Vicki Kerr-Wilson poses with a group of children.