By Wahome Thuku via FB
YES in my PCEA church (and I mean each and every PCEA church) if you want a chance to speak or to sing a song, you must be there at the very beginning of the ceremony.
Infact, during Sunday services, if you want to get an opportunity to sing or to “bring” greetings from another place, or to say a poem you must go to the vestry way before the service starts and get permission from the leading elder. And you will be well vetted unless you are a member of that congregation.
It’s called a church of order (mûtaratara) and we love it. You don’t even read your own portions of the Bible.
Everything that happens in every Sunday service is recorded down. If I want to know who led the Service on a Sunday in 2010, and who preached and who prayed for the offering and which Bible sections were read, it’s all there in black and white. Infact I can even tell you who counted the offering in 2015 and who counter checked.
Coming late even for elders is inexcusable. If you are not present at the start, you will only wave at the congregation or you will not even wave at all.
Karanja W Karanja adds: It’s my church and I love the order in it. Having preached and interacted with so many other church denominations I can tell you order and procedures are very important. However, some pcea churches are so rigid in those procedures and practice things that it completely hinders the move of God in the church. Some churches would even spend more time in announcements than preachings. Singing becomes boring, preaching is methodical, prayers are long and have no spiritual touch, and of course elders who are more powerful than pastors whose primary role they feel is to push for strict adherence to the said rules and regulations, the so called practice and procedures. They fear change more than they fear God. So bwana wakili as you vouch for the change in political leadership start from your church to become more relevant in today’s highly dynamic world
Nahashon Nganga says: In my church, there is always a printed program. You are given a copy by the ushers at the door.It is basically a guide to the order of events and time allocated. During time for testimonies for example,you can simply raise your hand and you will be given an opportunity provided you are within the time set for that. I love it that way because it reflects discipline as practised in real life not Utopia.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM
