Mennonite hymn sing in East Africa draws diverse group of worshippers

Eastern Mennonite Missions

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NAIROBI, Kenya – “Many years ago,” no one quite remembers when, workers with Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) began gathering in this East African hub city for a cappella hymn sings on Sunday evenings.

For the past six years, Kevin and Sharon Yoder, workers with EMM and Mennonite Mission Network, have helped to host the event on the grounds of the Mennonite Guest House.

News of the hymn sing travels through the foreign grapevine, drawing in a devoted core of worshippers, now over 100. The ever-changing team of Mennonite missionaries and Mennonite Guest House staff host the event in a way that invites participant ownership.

Currently Adelia Wiens, a Canadian Mennonite teacher at Rosslyn Academy*, leads the music and brings a sense of structure to the random selections from the 1969 red Mennonite Hymnal.

Claire LePage, who penned the following description, describes herself as “a 17-year-old senior at Rosslyn and semi-convert to the Mennonite tradition, thanks to Ana Yoder (daughter of Kevin and Sharon) and Adelia Wiens.” Her parents, Tom and Ann LePage, have worked with World Concern in Nairobi since 1993. They'll return to the U.S. in June.

By Jewel Showalter


A Mennonite hymn sing ‘convert’

At first glance, this hymn sing at the Mennonite Guest House doesn’t look like it should work. It has no budget and little scripting. It is mostly comprised of non-Mennonites and non-singers, and possesses no accompaniment and limited space. The songs are among the oldest in the hymnbook, and wouldn’t be very appealing to your average mega-church. And yet, it is the setting for some of the most authentic worship I ever hope to see.

This is not a one-dimensional service. It’s a service in the grand tradition of the early church, with an edge of grounded rebellion against cheap answers. These old hymns aren’t marketable, and our community wouldn’t look very good on a billboard. The only possible reason to buy into this service, and what it stands for, is love for the intrinsic beauty of the songs, for the strength of the community, and for the God that we honor here. That, and the good Mennonite food waiting outside. There are layers of blessing here, and that is what keeps this service alive.

The first layer is the setting. The Mennonite Guest House is an absolute jewel of a place to hold a worship service. On clear mornings, when the sun washes the grass and the jacaranda trees are dappled with green and gold, it looks like the pearly gates should be set up just over by the Yoders’ house. On misty mornings, when the clouds turn everything slate-gray and people outside start to eye the coffee tray, it’s like being wrapped in an old quilt. Holding worship services here is like transplanting the early church into Out of Africa, unfortunately minus Robert Redford.

The second layer of blessing is the community here. I know many of the people in this room as friends and teachers, and most of those I don’t know by name I know by face. These are the relationships that hem my life. Few people in this room share exactly the same theology, background, or philosophy of life. In fact, I can think of a few who could get into some really rip-roaring arguments, given the right topic. That diversity of thinking has added such texture and strength to my high school years here. This is not always an easy community to be a part of, but it is a good one. In this room, we are truly the Body of Christ.

The third layer is, of course, the songs. The words are strong and old, unafraid of suffering or battle or faith. They are shot through with poetry – “fire so masterful and bright,” “some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above,” “when sorrows like sea billows roll.” These are hymns that capture the pain and the beauty of living a life pleasing to God, with all the courage that takes. And the sound of all these voices lifting them up is a foretaste of heaven.

I can pick out voices I know well – my Spanish teacher, Señor Nick, for once saying something that I understand, Mrs. Wiens leading the troops, Rebecca belting it out with a smile that’s about to split the heavens open.

When all the voices blend, it only becomes more stunning. I know nothing about music, but the harmonies of “What wondrous love is this?” made me cry last month, just for the sheer beauty of the thing. It’s the joy of listening to people who know how to make good music do it to the best of their ability, with some of the most glorious raw material ever penned, and with all the crashing weight of church tradition swooping up in praise of the Savior. This is what faith and worship were meant to look like in song.

The Mennonite Hymn Sing is at its best when it collects all these layers together. Community was meant to be tied to beauty like this, and good food was supposed to be included in hearing good theology. We receive this priceless heritage, of natural beauty, faithful community, strong theology, and joyous music, as a single gift, free of charge. This hymn sing, at its core, is pure grace.

Rosslyn Academy is an international school in Nairobi, run by a partnership that includes EMM, the Assemblies of God World Missions, and the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

By Claire LePage