Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist Congregations in Africa

One of the goals of Reverend William G. Sinkford's November 2008 pilgrimage to Africa is to meet and worship with old and new Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist (U/U) colleagues in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and South Africa. While Unitarianism has existed in two of these countries—Nigeria and South Africa—for decades, Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist groups in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Congo (Brazzaville) are still relatively new.

Janice Brunson—a Unitarian Universalist (UU) from Phoenix, AZ—has been extremely committed to developing relationships with U/Us in Africa. She has visited with their leaders and congregations, led tours, and promoted "social entrepeneurship" most recently through an organization she founded: Bridges to Africa. In a recent message, she described the status of various projects:

"We currently are milling grain in a wholly-owned posho mill, providing public transportation in a wholly-owned van, producing cooking oil from dates, farming fish in a number of ponds throughout rural areas, planting fields of garden vegetables to eat and to sell, milking and breeding cows, and and planting and harvesting maize. Income from these projects are divided into wages for those who work them, all UUs, and in further developing each project."

U/U groups in Africa have been steadfastly involved with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU), in recent years. Many U/U leaders from African countries have participated in biannual ICUU council meetings, theological conferences, and, most recently in an ICUU sponsored "Leadership Development Conference" held in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2008.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) seeks to be in faithful, and mutually supportive relationship with old and new U/U organizations in Africa. And, Reverend Sinkford's upcoming visits are one aspect of the UUA's commitment to doing so. Individual UUs and UU congregations can contribute to these relationships by getting to know some of the history and current circumstances of our brothers and sisters in faith in Africa.

About Unitarian and Unitarian Universalist Groups in Africa

Nigeria

Bishop Adeniran Adedeji Isola's liberal religious outlook led to his break with the Anglican Church of Nigeria in 1915, and to the founding of what would become the Unitarian Brotherhood Church (Ijo Isokan Gbogbo Eda) in Lagos in 1917. This congregation offers Nigerians a religion that is based upon liberal Christianity but which is also welcoming to traditional and cultural practices. In 1994 another congregation, First Unitarian Church of Nigeria, was founded in a different section of Lagos. And, today, two of the sons of the founder of First Unitarian Church (Olufemi and Reverend Mati Matimoju) lead the two congregations.

Burundi

Fulgence Ndagijimana was a degree candidate and prospective Dominican priest when he learned about Unitarianism in 2002 and discovered that it addressed—or shared—many of the questions he had about orthodox Christianity. Since then he has founded a congregation in Bujumbura that consists of approximately 50 members and has been actively involved with ICUU. His congregation recently received two grants from the UU Funding Panel to provide educational and advocacy services to an ethnic minority group (the Batwa) in Burundi, and to facilitate a visit for theological training by a Transylvanian Unitarian minister.

Uganda

Rev. Mark Kiyimba leads a UU congregation in Kampala that he founded in 2004. The congregation has developed a school for HIV/AIDS orphans in the neighboring community of Masaka. Reverend Kiyimba has also been involved with ICUU in a variety of ways, and in May 2008 attended the Annual Meetings of the British Unitarian General Assembly. Reverend Sinkford looks forward to worshipping with the Unitarians in Kampala and visiting the school in Masaka which received a UU Funding Panel grant in 2007.

Congo (Brazzaville)

In 2004 Alain Patrice Yengue began organizing a Unitarian movement in Brazzaville. In 2008 leaders from his group attended the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) Leadership Conference in Nairobi. On June 8th he wrote with excitment to say that the Asemblee des Chretiens Unitariens du Congo held a special worship event in the Moungali quarter of Brazzaville that was very well attended.

South Africa

The "Free Protestant Church" in Cape Town, South Africa was founded in 1867 by a formerly Dutch Reformed clergyman: Reverend Dawid Pieter Faure. By 1937 it had officially adopted the "Unitarian" label and became involved in the global Unitarian movement. Today, in addition to the Cape Town church, there are 3 fellowships throughout South Africa. The current minister of the Cape Town church is Reverend Roux Malan. His predecessor, Rev. Gordon Oliver, is a former mayor of Cape Town and former president of ICUU.

Kenya

Unitarian Universalism began in Kenya in 2001 when Reverend Patrick Magara brought UU ideas he had discovered during a visit to the United States to congregations in the region of Kisii and led them toward a liberal religious theology. Reverend Magara reports that there are more than 40 congregations who have followed him towards UUism.

According to Ben Macharia, President of the Kenya Unitarian Universalist Council (KUUC) representing UUs throughout Kenya, members of three Nairobi congregations, a Central Kenya congregation, a Ruai congregation and Kisii congregations will join in worship and welcome with Reverend Sinkford during his visit to Nairobi. And, during his visit Reverend Sinkford will visit many of the social justice and income generating projects that the congregations have developed.

For more detailed information about U/U groups in Africa, please follow Reverend Sinkford's blog during his pilgrimage, or contact the UUA's International Resources office (international @ uua.org).

For more information contact international @ uua.org.

Last updated on Friday, September 19, 2008.

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