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Umoja Puchases New Church Building
Written by Jacquie Pinder
Four years ago a small Swahili-speaking group began meeting in the Raleigh area. By February 2008, Umoja Central became an official church in the Carolina Conference. Enock Omosa, who relocated from Minnesota, became their pastor. Eventually the church outgrew its facilities and began renting a larger building. When the owners of this building decided to move their church to a different county, negotiations began for Umoja Central to purchase their first church home. In less than two years of becoming an organized church, Conference president, Jim Davidson attended their ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate this blessed accomplishment.
Before a place of worship existed, the people formed simply a social group, determined to help people in that area from East and Central Africa with everyday living. While there were a few Adventists within the group at the time, the primary motivation involved helping each other establish themselves in a different country. Today those social efforts still continue. Members are helping people in their community look for jobs, find ways to keep their children in high school and college, provide food, attend to the sick, and so much more. They also give Bible studies and conduct evangelistic seminars three times a year. From the beginning the Umoja Central church implemented a 5 year program to reach a goal of 500 members. To accomplish this, members divided themselves into small support groups to meet specific needs. For example, a group is specifically assigned to helping women, men, youth, and so on. They believe this will help them reach their goal efficiently.
The church also assigns different leaders to minister to other Adventists from east and central Africa who live in North and South Carolina. They try to find churches for them to attend in the area, set up Sabbath school programs in their Swahili language, and visit them whenever possible. Pastor Omosa would like to encourage other pastors in the Carolinas to encourage this community to come to church and contact the Umoja Central church for any assistance.
It is no surprise why this church is growing steadily. The Umoja Central church is an action church. They understand that the importance of living for Christ requires a constant motion of reaching out with love and biblical wisdom. Not only this, but Umoja means united and they tend to live up to the name. Currently there are 150 members, but up to 200 attend regularly. The Umoja church has much to celebrate and much to be thankful for. They seek your faithful prayers in reaching their goals.
Photography by Bonnie Davidson
