Rift rocks Methodist Church as member reject Bishop
Fridah Lucas, a leader in the Singwaya Synod, flanked by other synod leaders addressing journalists in Hola, Tana River County.
What you need to know:
- According to the members of the Singwaya Synode, the presiding bishop refused to listen and address their grievances regarding the appointment of the bishop.
- The appointment and ordination, they noted, is against the decision made at the Methodist Church of Kenya Headquarters Office.
Divisions in the Kenya Methodist Church have deepened after its Tana River County branch split into three factions.
The leadership of the church has been embroiled in wrangles for nearly five years now. Some members of the church have rejected appointees from the Coast Region Conference.
In a meeting held at the Malindi Ya Ngwena Methodist Church chaired by the Coast Region Conference Presiding Bishop Isaiah Deye, members of 51 out of the 58 churches in attendance walked out of the meeting citing dictatorship and arrogance from the bishop.
According to the members of the Singwaya Synode, the presiding bishop refused to listen and address their grievances regarding the appointment of the bishop.
"We thought we were coming to a meeting that sought to address our concerns, only to be told to get out of the meeting with our grievances, very rude," said Jacob Jillo, their spokesperson.
The leaders of the 51 aggrieved churches note that the Coast Region Conference Presiding Bishop went ahead to affirm to them that he had confirmed the appointment of Bishop Salat Semi to head the synod, and anyone urged those opposed to the decision to leave the Church.
The appointment and ordination, they noted, is against the decision made at the Methodist Church of Kenya Headquarters Office that appointed Bishop Genetone Funana as the Bishop of the Singwaya Synod.
"We as the members of the Singwaya Synod will not accept the forceful imposition of Reverend Salat as our Bishop, it is against the decision of MCK that we are allied to," said Fridah Lucas, a member.
Whereas the devolved office (CRC) has preferred Bishop Semi to head the 58-member Singwaya Synod, 51-member churches of the synod in a consensus writing have opposed the decision and hence have rooted for Bishop Genatone Funana.
The members have threatened to cut ties with the church if the headquarters office does not intervene, claiming the CRC is determined to cause more rift.
"Rebels will always be rebels, they will not have any agenda to unite, all they know is to split and scatter, we shall not allow that to happen this time, we shall stand with the decision of our MCK bonafide leaders," said Lucy Chao, a member.
They have warned that they will not sit to listen to the CRC which they have accused of bias and of pursuing selfish interests.
"We sought peace, but they have rejected us and chased us out of our Church, we shall pursue the law therefore, and if there must be any dialogue then it must be chaired by the MCK Overseer," said Gerald Amunabi, a church member.
Sought for comment, Bishop Deye through his communications officer said it was a private matter and not worth publicising.
Bishop Funana on the other hand has vowed to pursue legal redress concerning the decision by the CRC.
The three factions consist of a group paying full allegiance to the Methodist Church of Kenya, a group allied to a devolved unit the Coast Region Conference, and another group seeking a merger between the devolved units that have been labeled rebels, to the MCK.
