By Hillary Michael Awiti, MHM and Ephigenia Wambui Gachiri, IBVM

Just like last year, the 2009 Lumko East Africa workshop was held in the Catholic Tabor Hill Spirituality Centre in Nyahururu Diocese, Kenya from 6 July 2009 to 1 August 2009.  The workshop was facilitated by Sister Ephigenia Wambui Gachiri, IBVM who was also the Programme Director and Mr. Joseph Waswa, SFO.  There were a total of 36 participants: 5 from Isiolo Diocese, 8 from Nyahururu Diocese, 5 from Meru Diocese, 2 from Lugazi Diocese in Uganda, 3 IBVM Loreto Sisters and 13 St Joseph’s Mill Hill Missionaries.
 

Right from the beginning of the workshop, the theme was mentioned as “Community Evangelising Humanity.”  This came after a colourful ceremony of the Installation of the Bible.  Significantly it meant that the whole workshop was anchored on the Word of God that is also our source of inspiration.  During the workshop the participants were able to cast a bird’s eye-view on their parishes so as to see what can be improved upon in the life, structures and activities of the parish.  The workshop material was divided in the four weeks that was spent as follows:

• Week One: Community Growth; Group Dynamics, 5 Stages of Parish Growth, Personal Faith Growth through Gospel Sharing and Prayer, Liturgy and Homily, Leadership Training.
• Week Two: Awareness Programmes; Amos Programme, Social Analysis, Skill Training; Leadership and Decision Making.
• Week Three: Building and Animating Small Christian Communities, Training SCC Leaders/Animators: Four Areas of Training, Spiritual Growth and Formation, Inculturation.
• Week Four: On-going Formation, Attitude Formation, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), Parish Pastoral Council, Conflicts and Resolution, Care for the Sick.

The Lumko East Africa workshop provides a methodology to help pastoral workers become aware of the potential in the parish. This implies enabling each parishioner to use HIS/HER gifts and talents to improve their own lives and the lives of their Christian community and neighbors’ through active participation.  Indeed the course strives to strengthen the SCCs so as help the parish to grow and become a “Communion of communities”, Self ministering, Self propagating, Self reliant. A great help towards this ideal is the use of the eight different methods of Gospel sharing for a proper and meaningful pastoral use of the Bible.
 

During the workshop the participants had a chance to present to the rest of the group their cultural heritage.  It was then that we realized we had people from Kenya such as the Borana, Kamba, Kikuyu, Luo, Meru and Turkana, The others came from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Philippines and Uganda.  This was also an opportunity for us to enrich one another with cultural values that can be useful in the inculturation process. Over the weekends we had outings.  It gave an opportunity to see how Lumko way of being church is being implemented.  Among the places we visited were St. Mark Olmoran Parish, Mary Immaculate Cathedral Parish and St Philip Neri Oljororok Parish, all in Nyahururu Diocese.  We also received a visit from a SCC Animation Team based in Nairobi led by Father Joseph Healey of the Maryknoll Missionaries who shared with us grassroots practical experiences of living the SCC way of being church. One of the highlights of the four weeks was a visit to St Martin’s Voluntary Service’s Centre in Nyahururu. We were encouraged to see a project that serves all types of persons with disabilities through volunteers.
 

All in all, the 2009 Lumko East Africa workshop was a great success.  During his second visit Bishop Luigi Paiaro of Nyahururu Diocese gave the participants certificates of participation in the workshop.  He also officially closed the workshop and sent us all out to implement and practice the Lumko way of being church.  Indeed we had been empowered with the tools and materials to go out and animate the People of God.  This was with the hope to bring about a holistic transformation in the parishes where we come from.  All were filled with great gratitude for the precious knowledge and skills we had received.
 

Jumuiya Oyee!!! Long live Lumko!!!!

Seminarian Hillary Michael Awiti, MHM
hmawiti@yahoo.com
Sister Ephigenia Wambui Gachiri, IBVM
loreto@wananchi.com
ephigachiri@yahoo.co.uk