Tracy J. Sukraw
With three raps of his crozier, Bishop Alan Gates bids the center's doors open.
There was much to celebrate in Everett on Oct. 12 as the bishops and bishop-elect gathered with the diocese's African Clergy Caucus, members of their families and worshiping communities, and friends from around the diocese for the dedication of the new Bishop Alan M. Gates African Anglican-Episcopal Mission Center.
The caucus proposed, and the Diocesan Council approved, that the center be named in honor of retiring bishop Alan Gates to recognize his 10 years of episcopal ministry and, in particular, his steady support of African clergy and their families and ministries in the diocese, and his efforts to more fully integrate multicultural ministries with diocesan mission.
Tracy J. Sukraw
New sign outside the former Grace Church in Everett announces the Bishop Alan M. Gates Anglican-Episcopal African Mission Center.
The new African Mission Center is located in the former Grace Church in Everett, which closed last fall. Now, with new paint, lighting, flooring and landscaping--and a second phase of work coming up to remove pews and create multipurpose event space--the rejuvenated facility is being readied for a new chapter of ministry and outreach. The center has been proposed as a hub for cultural exchange, worship services, meetings and community events, open to all.
The African Clergy Caucus--whose members' countries of origin include Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria--will manage the new center, with part-time staffing to be hired.
Highlights of the Oct. 12 dedication celebration included the blessing of a newly installed Peace Pole, bearing the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in many languages, and the dedication of a refurbished meditation garden. The bishops also administered the rite of Confirmation for 12 candidates from four congregations: Christ the King in Lynn, St. Thomas's in Taunton, St. Peter's in Cambridge, and the South Sudanese Community, which has been worshiping at Grace Church before its closure and is planning to return to Everett after a temporary sojourn at St. Paul's Church in Malden.
The Rev. Canon Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa, who is the chair of the African Clergy Caucus and serves on the diocesan staff as canon for immigration and multicultural ministries, said afterward that the idea for the center was first floated about five years ago, and having some 140 people come together for its official opening, at last, was "uplifting."
"To see this building coming back into life, and to have our two sitting bishops and bishop-elect there taking part in the dedication service together, it was a blessing," he said.