Kenya has an Underground Queer-Affirming Church

In Kenya, an increasingly homophobic country, a group of queer Christians have worked together to provide a safe space for LBGTQ+ members to worship in safety. For the past decade, this secretive church has provided a place for community members to come together and feel welcome. Kenya’s people are generally conservative and religious, viewing homosexuality as sinful. The church started when a couple of friends came together to support each other on Sundays, watching videos of sermons and looking for other Kenyans who felt ostracized in their own religious spaces. 

Church operations remain discreet and unpublicized to provide safety and security. Members often find their way there via word of mouth, although occasionally some stumble upon it on social media. Prospective members are carefully reviewed to prevent any hostility or hate crimes. Members protect details about the services, as the church has already had to switch locations nine times in their 10 years of operation. All of these things are done to help keep the community safe and protected. 

Relocation of the church is a safety precaution to uphold its secrecy. The church has faced countless attacks, such as landlords locking members out despite rent being paid and ransacks of the building. A priest from the church whose name has been changed for his protection comments, “I never imagined in my life as a priest, I would be in a space where I would say three words that people think are conflicting. That I am black; I am gay; I am a priest.” 

The church has also composed its own inclusive Apostle’s Creed which acknowledges women and the LBGTQ+ community. It reads as follows: “We believe in one God, our creator, the source of our being as queer and beloved children.” Despite the trials and tribulations, the church has amassed over 200 members and continues to grow today.

Photo courtesy of social media