A new assembly inaugurated

Today I spent the morning in Vällingby. As the general secretary of the Swedish Bible Society I was, some time ago, invited to attend the inauguration of the Pentecost City Church in Stockholm. I gladly accepted the invitation and today was the day.

This specific Pentecostal denomination has its origins in Ghana. It was formed in 1953 and has over 20 000 congregations with more than 4 000 000 members worldwide. This is "mission to the north". The worldwide church in changing landscapes.

The congregation rents a venue in Vällingby. It used to be a place where an organisation of immigrants from Syria had its operations. The leader of the Church told me that since the Government of Sweden had changed its policies and decided not to give grants to such organisations, the Syrians moved out and the Pentecost Church could move in. Some companies were also looking at the same venue, but the landlord were Christian and decided to allow the Church to get the contract. 

The history of this Church started already in 2016. I quote from a text that was part of the program for this occasion:

The story began in 2016, when the leadership of the Church of Pentecost – Sweden headed by the then National Head, Ps Livingstone Joseph Mensah, carved a small group of young adults from the Central Assembly to start a PIWC using the English language as a communication tool to spread the gospel within Stockholm and its environs. These young adults met weekly to pray, study God’s Word, and encourage one another. Their heartfelt prayer and desire were simple: that God would raise a church where people from every nation could experience His presence, find a spiritual home, and be equipped to spread the gospel. The congregation started meeting in a rented hall in Hallunda, using the mornings between 10 and 12 on Sundays for services. Out of this humble beginning, God began to move. Resources were limited, yet faith abounded.

Dr Ben Debrah presents the leadership of the Pentecostal 
City Church of Stockholm.

We were further told that Apostle Dr Ben and Mrs. Oheneba Akua Debrah came from UK in 2021 and took over the leadership of the Church of Pentecost – Sweden. The text continues:

They were convinced that God had called this small group of young adults not only to plant a congregation, but to establish a spiritual family which is very much inclusive and opened to people from all walks of life. Despite the challenges at the time — such as inadequate permanent meeting spaces, barriers to becoming more culturally and racially diverse, and financial constraints—the fellowship grew steadily. /…/ Today a small group of 8 which begun this journey records a total congregation of 76 comprising 4 nationalities.

We were three guests. Nausikaa Haupt who is an Ecumenical Officer at the Christian Council of Sweden was one of us. She also represented the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm and Bishop Anders Arborelius. Olof Edsinger is the General Secretary of the Swedish Evangelical Alliance. He was well known to especially the Dr Ben Debrah. And then it was me.

The hospitality of the congregation was warm and welcoming. Dr Ben preached over Acts 19 (the full chapter was read) and the theme was: Jesus and the city. It was a contextual sermon wanting to encourage the congregation to influence the city of Stockholm in a transforming way. He spoke about gangs and drugs and how the problems we have in Sweden cannot be changed with new legislation. Jesus is the cure!

I was especially impressed by three young males who delivered some Spoken words. I believe that this young, vibrant Church walks the talk.

After two and half hour, which to me – with my South African experience – was not especially long, the service ended and we were all invited to “fika”. That was one of few Swedish words used. One of the Bible readings, however, was read in Swedish. Also the announcements were given both in English and Swedish.

When I left the building a second service had already begun. It was the Ghanaian part of the worship – in Twee – one of the most used languages in Ghana. Dr Ben told me that this service would be much more African and vibrant. After having opened the door to the hall and seen for myself I realised that this was the case.

Probably half of the service we sang worship songs.
And the worship was led by a number of different, young persons.

At one stage some of us just had to enter the floor
and start dancing.

At the end of the service Dr Ben asked if someone was
there for the first time. Thos persons were all ask to come
in front and introduce themselves.

Emmanuel is the local Pastor.

A group of young women were responsible for the technical part
of the service.

This is how the stage looked like when I arrived.

This is the entrance of the Church building.

World Assembly – Final day

After a long and engaging day, the World Assembly has come to an end. I could write a long blog post about this gathering but tonight I will only share a few things. We had some business meetings in the morning. We made a statement and took some decisions about how the United Bible Societies will navigate the coming few years. We resolved to continue with Bible translation and making the Bible available both digitally and in printed format.

But what fills my heart this evening is the fellowship with sisters and brothers from all over the globe. Especially during the dinner when people from Africa gathered in the hall and formed a procession and started to sing and dance. I directly felt that I had to join the group. A saying from the founding father of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, came to me:

I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.

So, it felt natural to be part of the African group tonight.

Tomorrow I will leave Egmond aan Zee and begin my journey back home. It has been an intense week. But a very good week.

The journey to Karlsruhe

The train between Uppsala and Karlsruhe ran without major problems. A few minor delays but overall, I arrived on time. Not without hardships, however. The World Council of Churches travel agency booked the ticket. Uppsala - Stockholm - Malmö - Copenhagen - Hamburg - Karlsruhe. Five changes, but I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for, however, was the fact that the night train between Copenhagen and Hamburg only had seats. In other words, the sleep was not very good. And short because the train left at midnight and arrived at half past seven. But it’s fine. Tonight I shall sleep in a bed.

At Hamburg's central station I was able to eat breakfast and also visit a toilet. For one Euro you get access to a toilet and sink. There is a machine outside, where you put your Euro, and a barrier opens. Like on the subway.

But now a ragged person stood inside the barrier and opened it from the inside and then asked for a Euro. Hmmm! I understand how it works and what it is about. But that's not right. I saw many who hesitated, but what do you do when the need is great? And can you blame a person who creatively acquires a source of income? But it still isn’t right. I looked around for any staff but found none.

Ultimately, it is a symptom o society where some end up on the outside and see no other way out than the one I just described.

Of course, I could have refused to pay and put my Euro in the machine, but the guy didn't seem to want to negotiate.

The rest of the journey went without mishaps and now I have arrived in Karlsruhe.

One of the first persons I met was Damon. We are together responsible for a couple of sessions during the preassembly, when women and men are in sperate groups. We have met many times but only on zoom. It was such a joy to meet Damon face to face.

In the evening I went to the huge dining area and then the rain started to pour. In southern Africa rain means blessing. I take the rain as that. The following video is very short but one can hear the rain clearly.

Make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem!

Elmina Castle is the oldest European building south of Sahara.
A symbol of slave trade. What does it say to us today?

In the shadow of Elmina Castle, the stronghold used by European slave traders on the Cape Coast of Ghana …

A consultation of Christians, studying the Bible, praying, worshiping and listening to God and one another met in Ghana some time ago. They met to listen ...

... to the stories of individual Christians who have struggled to form their consciences and deepen their faith in churches that frequently deny the very humanity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

I was touched by the statement that came out of this gathering. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was a key text that the group studied. 

The call to the Anglican Communion (but I take it as a call to the Universal Church) is to serve as ... 

... places of sanctuary for those who live under the threat of violence for working on behalf of the gospel. We understand this group to include LGBTI people, women and men living with HIV, ethnic, racial and religious minorities on both continents and those who are potential victims of gender violence. 

I was especially moved by the end of the statement (which can be found on the website of the Ujamaa Centre for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. 

And because we understand that the church must not only act as Good Samaritans to those who are robbed and beaten but also work at the systemic level to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem that is walked by everyone who strives for just and fair societies and full inclusion in the Body of Christ, we pledge to work collaboratively in opposing the legacy of colonialism and its present day manifestations, to stand against all principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12, Romans 8:38-39), and to understand that these evils are rooted in ideologies of power and domination that have no place in the church or in our societies. 

How can we help each other to make safe the road from Jericho to Jerusalem?

Toto

Toto! Det blev en trevlig helkväll tillsammans med konsert-räven Lasse. Tur det, eftersom vi annars hade släpat med oss tre brasse-stolar. Nu behövde vi bara lämna en brasse-stol utanför slottsruinen. Man får ju inte ha med sig stolar in.
Vi fick höra de välkända låtarna: Hold the line (2 gånger), Rosanna och så klart: Africa, som vi lyssnade så mycket på under våra år i Sydafrika.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

Ja, så upplevde vi då. Och så upplever vi alltid suget efter Afrika!
Det var en ljummen, härlig kväll och mycket god musik för pengarna. Konsertturnén görs delvis som stöd för gruppens basist, Mike Porcaro, som lider av ALS. Flera av de som var med vid starten har bytts ut och vad jag förstod var de nya artisterna minst lika bra. Liksom de två som stod i bakgrunden och körade. De fick även komma ut på scenen och visa upp sig. I en av låtarna dök plösligt ”no women, no cry” upp. Kul!
Medelåldern på denna konsertkväll låg väl kring 50. Vi kände oss hemma!