New Around the Mission
June 16, 2010
Archdeacon of Rwanda Installed in LA
Bishop Sandy Greene (right) with Ven. Dr. Bennett C. Nworie (right)
The city of Hawthorne, California, is best known as home of the legendary Beach Boys. But on May 22, 2010, the music flowing from this Los Angeles suburb was a mixture of Anglican hymnody and African praise thanks to the voices of over 120 worshippers gathered at All Saints to celebrate the official opening of its recently acquired property. The celebration also featured the Installation of the Ven. Dr. Bennett C. Nworie, Rector of all Saints, as an Archdeacon in the Anglican Province of Rwanda.
Bishop Sandy Greene was joined by the Mayor Pro-Tem of Hawthorne in a brief ribbon cutting ceremony on the front sidewalk of the church. The cities of Hawthorne and Los Angeles also sent greetings to All Saints acknowledging this significant moment in the life of the Church.
“Only in our day of globalization can a man from Nigeria, living in the USA become an Archdeacon of Rwanda,” Bishop Sandy noted in his sermon. He also charged the congregation to be “persistent in praying for your neighbors, as the Holy Spirit will warm them to you and your ministry of service in their midst.”
The Rev. Dr. Helen Williams, Dean of the School of Education at Azusa Pacific University where Ben is a faculty member, passed along her support to hold him up in prayer as he has been “called, equipped and appointed for this work.”
Also present was the Rev. Dr. Mark Quay, Dean of the Anglican School for Ministry (ASM) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Quay announced that Ben will open the Los Angeles branch of ASM, featuring a Foundations for Christian Ministry program designed to train Licensed Lay Ministers for work throughout the Anglican Mission.
Ben described the milestone event at All Saints as “a new beginning, a new dimension and new season of reaching out to this neighborhood and the broader communities of Los Angeles.”
“I am humbled about my call as Archdeacon,” Ben commented. “I feel like Isaiah being called by God, and I want to faithfully respond ‘here am I, send me.’”
Posted By: Cynthia P. Brust
Categories: Rwanda, Recent News
