The United African Christian Council Holds Thanksgiving Service in the World Mission Center

John Magoola
November 18, 1985

Archbishop Mikael Kristos (with back to camera) installs the officers of the council. Seen in the photo (l to r): Rev. Abraham Oyo, Rev. Joseph Alex Alexander, Rev. Dwainina Kumi, Brother John Patrick Magoola, Rev. Samson N. Slobert, and Brother John Moore (with back to camera).

In the World Mission Center's Terrace Room on Sunday, November 18, a special event took place. A Thanksgiving service sponsored by the recently founded United African Christian Council (UACC), based in New York.

Th. United African Christian Council was founded early this year by a group of African ministers who have established churches in America, and individual African Christians. The UACC is an interdenominational missionary and social action movement, with the ultimate emphasis on evangelization in Africa.

It is indeed a blessing to be able to offer the use of our facilities to such a group as UACC, which, though it shares with us the goal of the betterment of humankind, is not a project of our movement. Through attending MAI seminars many of the ministers who founded UACC became our friends, and our member John Magoola serves as vice president of the organization.

The council's aim is to revitalize Christian fervor in the African community. It hopes to reach African residents in America with the Gospel and social action programs. The Builder, a newsletter started by the council, will facilitate interaction and communication.

The November 18 event was attended by bishops and ministers from the African community in New York, as well as members of their congregations and choirs, diplomats, and community leaders. The program was organized to give thanks to God for blessing Africa, and at the same time to pray that God could ease the great suffering of the people there, and that those people might repent and turn to God. The program was primarily designed, however, to mark the launching of the UACC.

The Thanksgiving service in the World Mission Center was the first public event sponsored by the council since the election of its first executive officers in July 1984. During the service Archbishop Mikael Kristos, prelate of the Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church -- one of the earliest churches in Africa -- installed the elected officials of UACC.

In his installation speech he called upon the council to return to the roots of Christianity. He said that ungodly forces today are going to Africa in the form of communism, telling the Africans that Christianity is a religion alien to them.

Archbishop Kristos then reminded the audience that Judeo-Christianity and Africa have been connected for much longer than in any other place, outside of the Middle East. He pointed out that Moses was born and raised in Egypt, an African country. Moses' wife was an Ethiopian, and when Jesus was born he was taken to Egypt for safety. When Jesus was unable to carry the cross all the way to Calvary it was an African from Cyrene who bore his cross.

He said Africa is the carrier of the cross of world Christianity. Citing the example of Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., who after so many tragedies in his family said he still could not hate, Archbishop Kristos told the congregation that the mission of Africa is to love and serve God and all humanity. He commended the formation of the United African Christian Council. Africans should not be dismayed about their continent, he told the audience: "We must love; [we] must not hate but love even unto death... God will take care of Africa." He then asked God's blessing upon the executive officers and commissioned them to the work of the council.

Speaking on behalf of the council after the installation, the Rev. Samson Slobert thanked and testified to Rev. Sun Myung Moon, whom he called a man of God. "The Bible teaches," Slobert said, "that we shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. The hall in which you are, we gave no penny for at all.... If [Rev. Moon] is so open-handed, he is not bad at all." He urged the congregation that, "while [Rev. Moon] is behind bars we should remember him in prayer so that the Lord can keep him and his ministry, which has brought together black, white, and yellow to serve God."