Associated Church in Owatonna Gets Noticed for Hospitality to African Immigrants
The Associated Church (a Presbyterian/United Church of Christ congregation) in Owatonna recieved some favorable news from the Owatonna People’s Press recently for hosting a worship gathering of Sudanese and Ethiopian Presbyterians. The came from all around the Midwest to praise God.
Here is how the People’s Press described how these African sisters and brothers in Christ worshipped:
The day of worship, which opened its doors at 11 a.m., was slated to run until 8 p.m., finishing off with a traditional dinner of lamb and African spices. But the focus of the congregation, on this Easter weekend, was on one sole concept – worship.
As more Sudanese congregants began to arrive in the afternoon, casually enjoying fellowship and sharing stories in their native tongue, musicians were practicing in the sanctuary. And when the crowd of 75 to 100 people finally gathered for the beginning of the program, the sanctuary was filled with vibrant sound. The choir lined up into one single file line and marched down the center aisle, singing and clapping their hands. They sang familiar songs in foreign languages, like “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” that were perhaps altered for the upbeat sound made by African drums.
“It’s an expression of who they are as an African,” said Wilson. He said instead of following so closely the formats seen in other churches, the Sudanese are more focused on the emotion found in worship, moving through the motions at their own pace.
To read the whole story, please go here. Another story can be found here. You can also read an editorial honoring the church for its welcoming attitude:
In the days, weeks, months and years following the first Easter, nearly 2,000 years ago, the leaders of the early church were looking for some sign of what shape their mission to world would take. Would they remain a small faction within Judaism, as some of the early church fathers believed and likely hoped they would? Or would their mission take them to the gentiles as well? In the end, Christians came to believe that they were being called to take their message of love and forgiveness across ethnic lines and to the ends of the earth.
A vision of that universal brotherhood came to Owatonna on Saturday, on the eve of Easter, the day that Christians throughout the world celebrate as the center of their liturgical year. A group of Christians gathered in the Associated Church Saturday afternoon to celebrate their faith in a special worship service. What made the event unusual was that the vast majority of those who came together that afternoon were African immigrants who had come to the United States as refugees from war-torn African nations. They came here to Owatonna to share not the things that separated them, but to celebrate the faith that united them.What made Saturday’s celebration so inspiring was the fact that few of those who gathered at the church for that day’s worship were actual members of the Associated Church. They came to the church from across southern Minnesota, Iowa and as far away as Kansas City, Mo.
Since time immemorial, humans have had the tendency to concentrate on the things that separate them from others – tribe, clan, race, religion, culture, you name it. As the world has grown smaller through the explosion of technology, the concentration on our differences has been amplified. The end result has been that the world has become an even more dangerous place.
We appreciate the example of the Associated Church, for seeing beyond differences of culture, race and language to reach out to others and make them welcome. Let us hope we can all follow that example.
