East Africans living in Minnesota are gearing for another annual day of prayer and reflection, as immigrant communities continue to deal with uncertain times in the United States.
The event known as the East African Day of Prayer, the event will take place Saturday, Apr. 18, at 3 p.m. at Ebenezer Community Church in Brooklyn Park. It is organized by faith leaders and community members and invites East Africans to come together in worship while strengthening relationships across cultures and countries from the region.
What began as a gathering of Kenyans has grown into an annual event that now brings people from across the East African region together for shared moments of faith, reflection and connection.
“It is a day that we come together as East Africans,” said Pastor Zipporah Bogonko of Divine Encounter Church, who is the host and one of the organizers of the event. “A time that we take time away from our schedules and stand together as East Africans, worshipping together, fellowshipping together as Africans and as a community praying.”
This year’s theme is “Discerning the Times,” and reflects what organizers describe as a need for hope and resilience during difficult moments immigrant communities in the United States are enduring as President Donald J. Trump’s administration continues its heavy-handed immigration enforcement. Recent events affecting immigrant families across Minnesota have caused fear and uncertainty in many East African communities, Bogonko said.
Bogonko said the event’s aim was to provide spiritual encouragement during those challenging times. She added that the Trump administration’s actions, such as Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the Twin Cities, created fears that have had ripple effects across families, churches, and community gatherings.
“It impacted church attendance, community event attendance, and really impacted us mentally, and socially in many ways,” Bogonko said.
East African Day of Prayer also reflects the lived experiences of many immigrants from that region who balance life in the United States with ties to their home countries. Bogonko said the event creates space to pray not only for life in America but also for loved ones back in Africa.
“Even though God has given us an opportunity to be here in a country of very many opportunities, where we have freedom to worship and also to excel, [it’s a day of] remembering and praying for our national countries – that our national countries will also continue to grow and that our people will continue to grow and experience better lives for themselves,” Bogonko said.
The event began its roots in 2011, when Kenyan Christians in Minnesota began gathering and praying together annually. For 13 years, it was called Kenyan Day of Prayer. But over the years, Minnesotans originating from countries neighboring Kenya began attending the event as well, prompting organizers to change the name to make the day more inclusive, Bogonko said.
“After that, we expanded or rebranded to East African Day of Prayer because, even as we did it as Kenyans, we found that many [from] other nations, the East African nations, were coming.”
The increase in the number of individuals from other East Africans backgrounds attending also led organizers to rethink the event’s structure and purpose. Faith leaders decided to rebrand the gathering as East African Day of Prayer, making it more reflective of the communities attending. Since the change, organizers said the event has continued to grow and build connections across communities.
“It has caused a lot of excitement among our communities, and we continue to see growth and the impact of that day among people,” Bogonko said. “It’s one of those annual highlights within our communities, that our communities look forward to.”
East African Day of Prayer is a day to remind community members that difficult seasons do not last forever. Bogonko said her vision is for the gathering to continue long after she and current leaders step aside.
“I pray that it will outlive us, and that at some point we will pass the baton to our young people to keep it up and continue.”
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About Lizzy Nyoike - Mshale Contributing Reporter
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student.
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