The former church building has been given new life as a center of cultural exchange and fellowship among Africans in the Diocese of Massachusetts.
This month, the diocese celebrated the opening of the Bishop Alan M. Gates African Episcopal Mission Center, located in the now-closed Grace Church. Located in Everett, a city of about 50,000 people just north of Boston, the center took about five years to build and is home to a parish of immigrant clergy and parishioners from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and the South. It reflects the vitality of a worshiping community. Sudan, Nigeria. Bishop Alan Gates, now retired, will also be recognized for his efforts in supporting African clergy ministry during his 10-year episcopacy.
The center is envisioned as a hub for African clergy, their families, and parishioners to gather for events, small group retreats, counseling, and spiritual direction. It also serves as a center of worship for emerging congregations and African communities.
Bishop Alan Gates lapped Crozier three times and motioned for the center door to open. |Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Gates said that early in his ministry, he became more aware of the important presence of the African Episcopal Church in the diocese, which includes six congregations that worship in the languages of their countries of origin.
“That seemed like a real blessing to me,” Gates said. “And part of the way to overcome the north-south divide in the global Anglican Church is to ensure that when African Anglicans are in our dioceses, they feel fully welcomed and empowered to have a seat at the table.” It also seemed to me to be part of who we are.
About five years ago, the diocese’s African Clergy Caucus submitted a proposal to build a mission center. The idea was embraced with enthusiasm, and the question became where to locate the center. When Grace Church closed in the fall of 2023, a perfect opportunity presented itself.
“In fact, the dots started to connect that it was an excellent location for the Africa Center proposal, especially since it was already home to a Dinka (South Sudanese) worshiping community,” Gates said of Old Grace Church. ” he said.
The facility received new paint, lighting, flooring and landscaping for reuse as a mission center. The next phase of construction will involve removing the seating and creating a multi-purpose event space, and plans are underway to hire a part-time manager for the center.
The diocese held a dedication ceremony for the center on October 12th, with approximately 140 people in attendance. The service included the blessing of a newly installed peace pole with the message “May there be peace on Earth” written in multiple languages, the dedication of a renovated meditation garden, and the dedication of 12 people from four congregations. It included candidate approval.
Bishop Jean-Baptiste Ntagengwa preaches at the inauguration of the new African Mission Center. |Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Bishop Jean-Baptiste Ntagengwa, Chaplain of the Ministry of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and head of the African Clergy Assembly, delivered the sermon. He envisioned the center as “a place where all people are welcome, all voices are lifted up, and where we build bridges between the Global South and the Western church.”
“I think the center is a place of refuge, a place where people who need respite, maybe people who are running from border to border and need a quiet place and meditation, come to find a place of peace and healing.” said in an interview.
“And in the future, I hope that this center will also invite churches and their representatives from the Global South, (and) African bishops, to show that we have a Savior, that we are welcoming to all people, and that we are inclusive and inclusive.” I think it will show that there is a Jesus who transcends ethnicity, transcends chauvinism, and transcends everything.”
Ntagenwa recalled arriving in the United States in September 1999. At the time, there was only one other Kenyan priest in the parish where he introduced me to the culture. Beyond that, there was no formal orientation for immigrant priests.
“It was very, very cold for me,” Ntagenwa said. “I’m used to it now, but it would have been helpful if someone had told me, ‘You need these (clothes).'”
Since then, the diocese’s African Clergy Caucus has grown to 12 members, including one person in the process of ordination.
This parallels an overall increase in immigration from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States. The nonpartisan Migration Policy Network estimated that 2.1 million immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa lived here in 2019, representing about 5% of the foreign-born population. The population has increased 16 times since 1980.
The majority of these immigrants come from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Somalia. Three of these countries, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, have large and vibrant Anglican churches. Boston has the seventh largest concentration of African immigrants in the United States.
Bishop Carol Gallagher blessed the newly installed peace pole with the message “May there be peace on earth” written in many languages. |Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Ntagengwa said the new mission center will address the shortage of newly arrived Africans, including students studying at Boston-area universities, by providing cultural orientation programs, help understanding their rights and benefits, and providing care packages with winter essentials. I hope that we can fill the gap. The center will also offer orientation courses for Americans preparing to travel to Africa.
The center will also offer an “Episcopal Church 101” course to help African Episcopalians understand the characteristics of worship in the American church.
The three new mission churches in the diocese are African Anglican worshiping communities. St. Peter’s Church in Waltham (Uganda), Christ the King in Lynn (Kenya), and Grace Chapel in Brockton (Pan-African).
Gates said the new center is the culmination of efforts over the past decade to bring multicultural ministries from the margins and integrate them more fully into the diocese’s mission.
“This more fully celebrates the truly cosmopolitan nature of our diocese, which reflects our Anglican character,” he said. “It is also about receiving and welcoming the gifts that our immigrant clergy have to offer the body.”
“I think one of the ways that we Anglicans can push back against the narrative that, for example, African Anglicans are not part of the Anglican Communion is to declare and celebrate their actual ways and ways of doing things.” The Anglican Church recognizes them as brethren of the Church of England. ”
