In stark contrast to latter years of the nineteenth century, when European missionaries arrived in Uganda to spread the gospel of Christianity, Ugandan pastors are now part of the new millennium African missionaries in America. They are aggressively turning on the heat of prayer with a Christian revival in Boston, Massachusetts. A city that is perceived as too liberal, permissive and growing further away from mainstream Christianity. Massachusetts is the first state in U.S. history to legalize gay marriage.

Pastor Frank Mwebesa from Uganda Photo by H.Maina/ AjabuAfrica

Whereas the early missionaries in Uganda faced threat of persecution for refusing to forsake their faith, and some ended up paying the ultimate price with their lives, U.S. immigrants are free to express and spread their religious beliefs.

In 2005, the Catholic Church took measures to close 80 parishes in Massachusetts, amid dwindling congregations and lack of priests to minister to more than 2 million Catholics in greater Boston. Consequently, many church buildings have been abandoned, turned into gyms, apartments and business stores. African immigrants are seizing the opportunity to purchase the closed churches at throwaway prices. This year in Lawrence, MA, the Kenyan community purchased such a church, while in the neighboring Lowell, the Liberian Community did the same.

On October 20 th, 2007, the InterCity Prayer Altars Network, headed and founded by Pastor Frank Mwebesa, held a five-hour prayer meeting at the beautiful Boston Commons Park. The objective was to start a series of prayer meetings to seek divine intervention for the city of Boston, which has been plagued by gang violence and other crimes. Pastor Mwembesa is a graduate of North Eastern University, a top private University in Boston, and is well versed with the challenges facing the community at large. Pastor John Katende, who preaches in Waltham, attended too.

A network of women and men of God from Guyana, East and Central Africa, as well as Spanish and Brazilian communities in Boston attended the event. Musicians from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi were present.

A large crowd that had participated in the Gulu Walk in Boston joined in and waved colorful Ugandan flags. Mr. Apollo, one of the organizers of the Gulu Walk summed it up well when he said, “We have been walking all day raising awareness of the war in Gulu and this is a good ending of the day.”

Boston Prayer Network can be reached at http://www.InterCityPrayerAltars.org

Story by ajabuafrica.com staffer: Harrison Maina