All One in Christ Jesus

Christopher Brown and Jemimah Ngatia

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. —Galatians 3:27–28

Neema African Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud are only
an hour’s drive away from each other in Colorado, but our neighborhoods and congregations may as well be worlds apart. Neema (whose name means “Grace” in Swahili) sits in urban Aurora, Colorado, a city that is currently a landing point for newcomers to the United States from around the world. A congregation that includes many African immigrants and refugees, Neema worships in the building of Aurora First Presbyterian Church, which also hosts four other congregations of diverse cultural backgrounds. In January of 2024, a Presbyterian News Service article highlighted Aurora First Presbyterian Church as an example of how established congregations can share their buildings with new worshiping communities, and a video showing these partnerships can be found online.¹

Berthoud, on the other hand, is a sleepy rural community an hour north of Aurora. Its demographics are less diverse, and the membership of First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud is almost entirely white. This makes the partnership our congregations have developed even more remarkable, given the ways our work together bridges ethnic, economic, and linguistic barriers. Like the first century Jews and Gentiles who were made one through a common baptism in Christ (Gal. 3:28), Neema African Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud have been brought together to bear witness to the unity God desires for the church. 

I (Chris) first met the Rev. Dr. Jemimah Ngatia at an event for new worshiping community leaders in 2018. She introduced herself to me that day in the same way she does with everyone she meets: “My name is Jemimah Ngatia, and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.” She could easily have introduced herself as the first African woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or as the founder of multiple African immigrant congregations across the United States or as someone who began her ministry as a hospital chaplain in her home country of Kenya. She could have said that people across the United States call her “Mama” because she’s been a mother figure for so many immigrants as they adjusted to life in a new country. These things are all true, and they are detailed in the autobiography she published, Lifted by Hope. But Jemimah chooses to keep the focus on the one who is at the center of her faith and ministry: Jesus. 

Knowing that I would be away one Sunday later in 2018, I invited Pastor Jemimah to fill the pulpit at First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud. Given the demographics of our town and congregation, I hoped to expose them to a voice and perspective they would not normally hear. When Jemimah came, she did far more than preach. Nearly all the members of Neema came to worship with her at our church, sharing songs from their cultures as special music during the service. When Jemimah entered the pulpit, she announced that we were now sister churches and partners in ministry. This was news to our congregation, but when Pastor Jemimah makes such declarations, there is no room for disagreement.

The partnership has stuck ever since, leading members of each congregation into relationships they otherwise would never have. Just as Jemimah occasionally preaches at Berthoud, I have also preached several times at Neema (with the aid of a translator from the congregation). In both cases, members from our congregations come along with us to the other church. This gives all of us opportunities to discover both similarities and differences in our expressions of worship. 

Both of our congregations include the same elements in our worship services: congregational singing, Scripture reading, a sermon, the sacraments, prayers of the people, testimonies from worshipers, and an offering. But we express each of these elements differently, as is appropriate for the context and personality of the congregation. For example, music at Neema African Fellowship is loud and unreserved, often accompanied by dancing, while worship in Berthoud is more reserved. Some of Berthoud’s members may say that Neema’s services also feel somewhat improvised as visitors are called upon to speak or given leadership roles in a service at a moment’s notice. It is a setting in which many older and more traditional Presbyterians may not naturally feel comfortable. Not many, that is, except Dorothy Kurlander. 

Now ninety-one years old and limited in mobility, Dorothy has an infectious faith, which she shares passionately with all who will listen. On April 7, 2019, Dorothy and I drove from Berthoud to Aurora together to worship with Neema. On this particular Sunday, we had the joy of watching a refugee family present their child for baptism. When loving parents pass their child into the arms of a minister for baptism, they symbolically entrust the child to God and to the church. Many pastors then extend this symbolism by passing the newly baptized child to other members of the congregation before returning the child to their parents. With such actions, we testify that the child belongs to God and to the family of faith in the church, as well as to the child’s immediate family. 

To our delight on this particular Sunday, Pastor Jemimah extended the symbolism even further by passing the newly baptized baby not to a member of Neema African Presbyterian Church, but to Dorothy. Dorothy’s face lit up, elated to be included. I could tell she was praying for the baby whom she held, truly showing that our bonds in Christ transcend nationality, class, and the many other differences which divide our world. 

This is what we confess when we say we believe in “one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Catholicity refers to the universality of the church which includes people of “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). Believing in such a diverse church obligates us to seek relationships that demonstrate that unity. Some congregations are able to live into this unity by becoming multicultural, with people of diverse backgrounds worshiping together in one congregation. In other instances, such as at Aurora First Presbyterian Church, a variety of different congregations express commitment to the universal church by sharing resources or a location. These options are not as readily available to churches in more homogenous communities, such as Berthoud, so we express our commitment to the church universal through cross-cultural partnerships. Our partnership has blessed both of our congregations. 

Looking at the partnership between our churches from Neema’s perspective, I (Jemimah) testify that it has been a blessing to have a sister church that is actively involved and concerned for our ministry. Neema African Presbyterian Church has benefited much by our partnership because we felt loved and welcomed as we followed the guidance of Matthew 28:19 to make disciples of all nations. I have experienced the beauty of exchanging African culture and American culture in our liturgies, worshiping together multiculturally and singing songs of Zion in different languages from Africa. 

Food has also been an integral part of our partnership. Josphat Ombacho, a commissioned lay pastor who has assisted in leadership at Neema for many years, runs a food truck business named Msosi Kenyan Cuisine. Josphat’s cooking is loved by members of both congregations, and he regularly provides food for members of Neema following worship. When members of Neema travel to Berthoud to worship there, Josphat brings the food truck along and provides a fellowship meal for both congregations following the service. This table fellowship deepens the connection we feel at the Lord’s Table, making shared celebrations of communion powerful for both churches. 

While First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud has provided some financial support for Neema, the core of the partnership is shared prayer and support in mission. Neema African Presbyterian Church was started within Denver Presbytery in February 2015, formed by a community of African immigrants, refugees, and professionals. All ages are present: children, youth, parents, and grandparents. Neema Church has grown over the years through the programs that we are still engaged in. For example, youth ministry, women’s ministry, children’s ministry, and men’s ministry are all still active ministries in the church. Neema Church continued growing both in numbers and spiritually until we were hit by COVID season. First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud became part of our ministry movement as they supported us financially and through constant prayers. Working together as a church has been an awesome experience for both congregations to communicate well and offer continuous prayer and supplications. Both pastors help to build the prayer life of each individual as well as the combined churches. I believe the two churches have expanded our territories to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to multicultural and multilingual communities at large.

It is worth noting that Neema’s worship style is both distinctly African and distinctly Presbyterian. I (Jemimah) was raised as a Presbyterian. Neema’s worship reminds us how we worshiped God in Africa as Presbyterians from birth, before we came to America. These elements are part of Neema’s services (though not always in the same order):

• Praise and worship songs using African songs and hymns
• Scripture reading
• Sermons
• Personal testimonies
• Prayers for needs of our community, as well as for those who are sick and homebound
• Dedication of children / baptism / adult baptism
• Communion
• Sharing tithes and offerings

Each of these can be found in Presbyterian churches of other cultural expressions, whether in America or in other countries around the world with larger Presbyterian populations than the United States. (The Presbyterian Church of East Africa, headquartered in Kenya, has around four million members and sixty-one presbyteries.) While our outward expressions of worship vary based on cultural background, we share the same Reformed theology behind our worship. Even more deeply, we share a common baptism in Jesus Christ. 

In Ephesians we read that “there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4–6). Those who belong to Christ constitute a “new humanity” that binds us together despite all other differences (Eph. 2:15). Partnerships like the one God has given to Neema and First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud display this new humanity to the church and the world. 

Note

1. https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/multi-congregational-and-multicultural-church-in-colorado-is-a-model-for-the-pcusa/.