Nigerian Journal #3

This morning Opara and his brother asked around for a Seventh-day Adventist church in the city; and for a long time nobody seemed to know where any were. Finally we got the general direction to one (which turned out to be the main one in the city), which we found a little ways out from the center of the city. It so happened that the Pastor was there briefly today (he has 18 churches!), and told us that the Township Church #2 was closer to my hotel and did almost all the service in English rather than Ibo. He took us there. But before I left, the kids’ Sabbath School class, at the main church, saw me and invited me in so that they could sing a welcome song for me!

The services at the Township were a blessing; I shall use insights from it in my classes, seminars, and publications. As a missiologist and liturgiologist, I found this to be a great study in African Adventism and worship -- in terms of liturgy, space, and culture. There was an interesting convergence of international/traditional Adventism and local African idioms and styles. As in Ghana and Tanzania there were the large spaces between the seated congregation and the platform. Unlike those other countries, I didn’t see them use the space for dance while singing. There was lots of singing – lots of African songs as well as traditional western hymns. They moved seamlessly between the styles – using keyboard with pipe-organ settings for the hymns and acapella with call and response for the African songs. All were sung with a unique vibrancy that I have only found in African and Caribbean churches. There were some other titbits that I loved and found fascinating: one was the slow, but lovely processional of the choir; another was the 2 basins for the offerings – worshippers left their seats to deposit the collection in them; another was the seating arrangement – the elders and retired pastors sat on one side; visitors from a service (?) club –all in black, who came to worship at the SDA church today, bringing gifts of yams—sat on the other side next to the choir. The children had their own service in an adjoining building.

Ah! The hats! – and fabulous outfits! They were dressed to “back-foot”! They take dressing for church very seriously in Africa! For many, church is still a place where you come with your “Sunday” (“Sabbath”?) best – just as special as if you were going to a wedding. And speaking of wedding, there was one taking place on the roof patio a few floors down from my hotel window. As expected, the hats and outfits were all exploding! One interesting feature was, instead of the guests throwing rice on the bride, they threw money – lots of 20 naira bills, as they danced around her!

Dean Cummings and James Opara went out to the village and homestead while I was at church. I hear that it was a great family reunion. Dean took some time to do some survey work for the water project for the community.