| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| Participants of the Training |
A team of Small Christian Communities trainers have been trained and deployed to their respective communities as AMECEA Pastoral Departments continues to strengthen the 1973 understanding of AMECEA bishops that basic Christian communities are not just pastoral programs but a new way of being ‘Church’ in Eastern Africa.
The training of trainers (ToT) took place at AMECEA Secretariat on November 10, facilitated by ‘Wanajumuiya’ Dr Alphonse Omolo of LENSTHRU Consultants, Fr Joseph Healey MM and Fr Emmanuel Chimombo the AMECEA Pastoral Department Coordinator.
They reiterated that since 1973, and thanks to the unique contributions of the then bishops of Rulenge Diocese Rt. Rev. Christopher Mwoleka from Tanzania and of the then Lilongwe Diocese Rt. Rev. Patrick Kalilombe from Malawi, there has grown within AMECEA region a pastoral understanding that people of God must be grouped into small parish based neighbourhood communities which must meet regularly to share the word of God and thereafter engage in outreach ministries. This ecclesiastical model is now spreading to the other continents including Europe and North America.
However, this understanding does not come automatically if there are no deliberate initiatives taken to form Christians on what SCCs are all about. Sharing his experience from Mbeya Archdiocese where he once served as parish priest, the AMECEA Secretary General Rev. Fr Anthony Makunde had this to say.
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| Add caption |
Thereafter he noted that despite AMECEA endorsing the SCCs in 1973, there are still a few challenges which Christians meet, citing for instance, how to facilitate Bible Sharing; how Christians interpret some Bible texts; how to handle marriage issues coming from the members of the SCC.
In addition, may parishes also realize that there is need to find ways of addressing challenges such as the role of the youth in SCCs; how the Catholic students in university campuses can live this SCC life in the university campuses; the poor participation of men and the youth; why SCC meetings are like a club of women and children; whether or not the clergy and Religious are SCC members or above the members.
“As we come together for this training, let us make a deep reflection on the life in our SCCs to see where we are, whether the LUMKO tools and the approaches we have are still viable or we should improve them. Let us serve the Church as a think-tank on Small Christian Communities. Yes, SCCs are a gift of the AMECEA region to the Church but we as the owners, how do we look at them?” Fr Makunde continued.
On their part, the trained team which comprised of some AMECEA staff and lay people from different dioceses within Kenya noted the dissatisfaction that is registered by members of some SCCs with regard to their meetings. For instance, they reported cases where where parish priests or SCC leaders undermine the centrality of the Bible by turning the meetings into a harambee, i.e. fundraising occasion.
Some of the team members hold leadership positions in their respective SCCs and parishes while others were members of student SCCs at Kenyatta University. They noted that there is need to engage in research across the region so as to appreciate what is happening with SCCs in AMECEA region, showcase the best models, and engage other stakeholders such as the Catholic media in deepening the understanding of the Small Christian Communities as the new way of becoming Church in Eastern Africa.
The training covered topics such as what is an SCC; the essential characteristics of SCC which include weekly lectionary based faith sharing, connection with parish as communion of communities, outreach and ongoing formation of leaders and members; the centrality of the Word of God during SCC meetings; skills for good facilitation of a SCC meeting where the facilitators emphasized listening skills and team work.
According to the facilitators, the trained team is expected to play a key role in helping Christians better understand what makes the Small Christian Community a communion of Christian families who share their faith, celebrate life together and remain committed to the service of the other.