The Baptist Times weekly since 1855 January 10 2008 • 80p • No 8208www.baptisttimes.co.uk

A hundred yeArs of heAling Chandraghona : The hospital which BMS World Mission started in Bangladesh • p10/11

holiday ideas for 2008 - P16/17

geneva welcomes 40,000 young Christians

Picture: W iesia Kl em ens

Gathering - Taizéé prior Brother Alois leads young people in prayer at the annual international youth meeting

FORTY thousand young Christians who gathered in Geneva in the New Year for the annual Taizéé meeting of young adults were urged to organise ‘vigils of reconciliation’ for unity between Churches. ‘How can we be credible in speaking of a God of love if we remain separate?’ said the ecumenical community’s leader Brother Alois in his meditation at a televised prayer service at Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition centre. ‘It is up to you young people to take the initiative. Those who hold positions of responsibility in the churches will support you. It is up to you young people to prepare these vigils of reconciliation.’ The Geneva gathering was the 30th Taizéé meeting of young adults from Europe. In a gesture of welcome, the Swiss Confederation covered the cost of visas for the young people who needed them, the Genevan transport companies offered special rates, and the director of Palexpo offered the use of the vast building. The next gathering will be in Brussels.

Kenya fighting condemned

By PAUL HOBSON

BAPTIST leaders in Kenya have issued the strongest possible condemnation of the violence that has swept the country – but have stated their hopes that a peaceful resolution can be found. More than 600 people were killed and an estimated quarter of a million fled their homes in the aftermath of the December 27 election which saw President Mwai Kibaki unexpectedly beat Raila Odinga. Supporters of Mr Odinga believed the election to have been rigged. The disputed result triggered the violence, which has been stoked by underlying tribal differences. Many Kikuyus, on whom Mr Kibaki’s support depends heavily, found themselves under attack from various ethnic groups loyal to Mr Odinga.

Revenge killings by Kikuyus are reported to have been on the rise. Shem Okello, general secretary of the Baptist Convention of Kenya, told The Baptist Times that his organisation condemned the violence ‘in the strongest terms possible.’ Euticauls Wambua, a member of the Baptist World Alliance emerging leaders network who runs a children’s project in one of the slums in Nairobi, added: ‘I have my own personal feelings that the elections were somehow rigged, but the steps the opposition took to get their attention cannot be justified.’ Mr Okello said that a number of Baptist churches had been attacked, while hundreds of Baptists were sheltering in police stations. ‘A lot of my members are very scared. We are not used to

what we have been seeing,’ he said. ‘There were shootings everywhere, cities, homes and cars have been destroyed very badly. ‘People have just run away, and many are holed up in police stations.’ Mr Wambua revealed to The Baptist Times that two of his members had been left with nothing after their businesses were broken into and looted. Children have also been directly affected by the chaos. Spurgeons Child Care Kenya, which runs an academy in Kibera, reported that 14 of its orphans saw their homes burned to the ground. The children now have to sleep at the school (established in 2003 to offer primary and secondary education to AIDS orphans), but even this was under threat.

Spurgeons international director John Smith said: ‘Gangs of angry young people are threatening to burn the school, thinking this will send a message to their government. ‘The only people it will affect are the vulnerable children who will then have no school.’ But both Mr Okello and Mr Wambua believe that international pressure could lead the country out of its current misery. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu arrived in Kenya to assist in a church-backed bid aimed at reaching a peaceful outcome to the political crisis. The general secretary of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, the Revd Samuel Kobia, himself a Kenyan, called for an immediate independent investigation of the electoral dispute that must be monitored by international observers.

And the chairman of the African Union, John Kufuor, flew to the country on Tuesday in an attempt to facilitate talks between Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga. Mr Wambua said: ‘The situation has not been resolved yet, but I am very much encouraged by the measures already put in place.’ Mr Okello added: ‘We must pray for peace to come back to Kenya. We see Kenya as a platform for the spread of evangelism in east Africa.’ Meanwhile, money was being collected by aid agencies and to help relieve the most urgent humanitarian needs of those affected by the post-election violence. Christian Aid partner organisation, the Anglican Church of Kenya and its development branch, the InterDiocesan Christian Community

Services (IDCCS) are providing relief to families in Kisumu town and the surrounding region in Nyanza province – one of the areas worst affected by the violence. This includes a month’s supply of maize, beans and sugar to 900 vulnerable households, plus mosquito nets, cooking utensils and soap. The UK’s Department for International Development announced that it will provide £1 million from the UK’s aid programme to the Red Cross to help those affected. Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, is also seeking funds to aid Kenyans whose lives have been disrupted. Donations received by Baptist World Aid (www.bwanet.org/ default.aspx?pid=13) will be used to support the relief efforts of Kenyan Baptists.