Solidarity in Small Christian Communities: A Case Study of St. Perpetua SCC in the Mukuru Slums in Nairobi, Kenya

By Fidelis Damana Kpeenbata, MAfr

INTRODUCTION

In September 2009, I was sent to St. Perpetua Small Christian Community (Jumuiya) in Mukuru slums in Nairobi, Kenya in a place called Kisii Village. This jumuiya is under Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in South B. Though I was taken somewhere else after one year of my pastoral experience in this jumuiya, I still feel I am part and parcel of this jumuiya. Thus, I can confidently say I am still a mwanajumuiya of this St. Perpetua. When I used to go there on weekly basis, we were meeting in the houses of the jumuiya members and that gave me the opportunity to discover more of the Mukuru slums and to have a personal experience of the social, economic and religious realities that are confronted by the people each day. At the moment I still visit that jumuiya when I am free. Now they have a permanent house that the parish bought for them where the meet on Sunday at 3 p.m. to pray.

There are about 35 families in this jumuiya. Though it was started four years ago, St Perpetua is one of the most active and vibrant jumuiyas in the parish. This is evident in the seriousness they put in the animation of mass and their involvement in other parish activities like seminars and meetings. This paper is a presentation on solidarity in Small Christian Communities with particular reference to St. Perpetua Small Christian Community in the Mukuru slums.

SOLIDARITY IN ST. PERPETUA SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

One of the unique characteristics of an African culture is the ability to show solidarity with each other under different situations in which people find themselves. The first thing I noticed in St. Perpetua was that they are interested in the life of the other person. They are not just a group of people who gather every Sunday afternoon to share the word of God and pray, but they live together as Christians who are called together to love and serve God and each other. In the beginning of every meeting they take time to share about their personal welfare in terms of health, family life, challenges at work and their joys and sadness as well.

Solidarity is actualized through the act of generosity. I was filled with joy on my first visit to the jumuiya. A certain gentleman offered to pay for me the jumuiya T-shirt, which was around Ksh. 300. For me it was a sign that they wanted me to feel that I belong fully to the jumuiya. When I was ordained a deacon last year, they gave me a gift again.

Most of the people in this jumuiya are needy people who work as causal workers in the industrial area. Some are engaged a small businesses like the sale of vegetables, second hand clothes and charcoal. A good number of the men are employed as security guards around the city. Most of the jumuiya members earn the money that is just enough to meet their daily needs like buying of food, paying rent and school fees.

The first place when members of the jumuiya show solidarity is to the members who are sick. Each week there is a collection and the treasurer announces the amount collected at the end each jumuiya meeting. Thus, anytime a member is sick, an amount is decided on by members of the jumuiya to support the sick person to cater for the hospital bills and to buy medicine as well. The treasurer gives an account to the jumuiya members from time to time.

Death is another inevitable reality of the human existence. Apart from going to mourn with the family of the diseased, SCC members show solidarity by contributing to the support the bereaved family. In a few instances the jumuiya delegates people to accompany the dead body to the rural parts of Kenya in order to show solidarity and love.

A rampant problem that confronts the people of the slums is fire outbreaks. Very often fire burns down their houses and belongings. Any time there is fire outbreak that usually destroys the properties of members of the jumuiya, SCC members show solidarity by contributing things like clothes, utensils, food and sometimes cash. During my pastoral work with this jumuiya, I witnessed three major fires that burned down houses and destroyed people’s businesses. This was a very painful and challenging moments for all the members of the jumuiya. I was helpless and I could not give them tangible material support. But they appreciated the fact that I showed my solidarity by journeying with them and praying with them.

It is interesting to note that there is a social welfare office in the parish that offers material help to needy people in the parish. To get any help from the parish a mwanajumuiya must collect a form from the jumuiya with the recommendation of the leader of the jumuiya. What I like about St. Perpetua is that before they send someone to the parish, they always ask each other what they can do to support the person before referring him or her to the parish for help.

In St. Perpetua Small Christian Community, we also celebrate happy moments like child birth, marriages, confirmation and baptism. To share in the joyful moment of all the members of the jumuiya show a great extent of the solidarity they have for each other. It also shows the love, unity and the bound of friendship that is shared among members of the jumuiya. St. Perpetua Small Christian Community truly represents the church as a Family of God. This is evident is the manner they relate and reach out to each other when they gather for the jumuiya meetings. What is amazing is that most of the major ethnic groups in are represented in this jumuiya.

Despite, the differences and diversities among jumuiya members, they try to show solidarity by supporting each at all times. For, example, one day after our usual meeting a lady told the animator of the jumuiya about her husband who was drinking too much beer and her fear that he might become an alcoholic. A delegation of five people was sent to talk to the husband of this lady. I was part of the delegation and he welcomed us nicely. He acknowledged that he was drinking too much and promised to reduce and also redirect more of his free time to church activities rather than drinking over the weekends. At the end of our visit we noticed the joy of that family especially the wife who hopes her husband will stop drinking. The husband appreciated the fact that we were able to visit them and show solidarity to him and his family.

Finally, with my personal experience I think that the jumuiyas are places where members learn from each other, support each other and journey with the Lord in solidarity.

Deacon Fidelis Damana Kpeenbata, MAfr

Missionaries of Formation House

Box 26052

Nairobi 00504

Kenya

Phone: 0723-216787

Email: damanafidelis@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

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