Some friends have been posting about the threat to Christian church services in Uganda and Kenya of late, and earlier in May, the State Department issued a warning with wording about a “specific terrorist threat” against churches in Kampala.
I do take these warnings seriously, though honestly, to what extent can you let a threat inhibit your life? The larger churches, like cathedrals and All Saints’ Kampala, have had security at their services for years; in 2010, at the last Easter service at All Saints’, we had to pass through proper metal detectors.
Last Sunday, during the second service at my student’s placement, I kept hearing a beeping, and assumed it was the electricity going on and off. I finally realized that it was the hand-held metal detector that the security officer was passing over all the men who were entering church. I’m going to assume that she wasn’t at the first service because it is not as well attended… but my point is that this threat is very real, and security at churches and shopping centers, both to enter the parking lot and the larger stores, is normal here.
Kenya recently legalized polygamy, and yet Al-Shabab, the group focusing on Uganda, Kenya, and other countries that have sent troops into Somalia, declared that they would be focusing on Kenya next. Clearly, polygamy isn’t enough for them.
While the threats are real, I believe all we can do is pray and be vigilant, in that order. We need to worship, and the terrorists win if we are afraid.
This brings to mind Psalm 27, which is my prayer.
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