Parish
Who we are
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF PROTOMARTYR STEPHEN IN MAI-A-IHII, KENYA
The parish of Protomartyr Stephen is situated in Mai-a-ihii, which is one of the villages within Kikuyu constituency in Kiambu County of central Kenya. This African Orthodox Church of Kenya parish is under the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, Metropolis of Nairobi
The parish of Protomartyr Stephen is on a donated half acre (204×100 feet) land set out in 1988 by one Orthodox family of the late Mr Stephen Kiguro Ndwaru and his wife the late Mrs Phyllis Wanjiku Kiguro. The parish was officially started on 6th Nov 2016 at the home of Mr and Mrs Godfrey Karanja Kiguro, the only donors’ son that is Orthodox. It was hosted there for two years until 3rd June 2018 when funds were enough to set up the current tin-roof church, and the services were moved to the church ground since.
Our Growth
Numbers
Since his arrival in February 2022, Fr Evangelos Thiani found only three families with a total of 3 women, 2 men and 2 female youths regularly attending the services
. The parish seems to have had more members, but most left due to the many challenges that follow a new parish and more so the financial burden on the new members.
The parish is currently serving the following as its permanent members
- Women – 7 Orthodox
- Men – 2 Orthodox
- Youth – 3 Orthodox
- Children – 4 Orthodox 3 non-Orthodox
The church having not much to give is struggled even buying the liturgical items needed for the services, including buying wine, flour for the prosphora, and even worse paying for the priest’s salary.
CHURCH MINISTERS
The church of Protomartyr Stephen was originally served by one Seminarian (now Fr. Angelos Solomon Njoroge Wamai)
Reader Solomon Njoroge would do the hours and typika services on Sundays, and worked with the substitute priest sent occasionally to serve with them. One assistant priest, Fr Nicodemos Gitau, who served another local parish was officially attached to this parish since 2019 to at least see that there is a monthly Divine Liturgy in the parish. To help foresee the development of this parish, and to create an active spiritual and liturgical life, Fr Evangelos Thiani was posted to this parish as the proistamenos as of 15th August 2021, with Fr Nicodemos attached to him as an assistant priest because Fr Evangelos had another parish too. As of 13th February 2022, Fr Evangelos Thiani stopped serving the second parish which Fr Nicodemos permanently took over, and that allowed Fr Thiani concentrate on the parish of Protomartyr Stephen on a permanent basis.
LITURGICAL AND PRAYER SERVICES
The Orthodox parish of Mai-a-ihii is opened on Sundays and all major feast days set in the Orthodox Calendar. On Sundays, the services start at 9am with the Orthros followed by a Eucharistic celebration. On Tuesdays, 4-6pm the parishioners converge for week-day meetings, which carries komposkini prayers, family and community prayers, catechism, and bible study sessions.
Future
Church Land
PROPOSED USE OF THE CHURCH LAND
After assessing the Mai-a-ihii area, that has gigantic Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical parishes, and a vibrant Muslim community on both sides of the village, Fr Evangelos Thiani, believes this parish can grow to be a large and active parish if only a permanent church was set up. We have divided the church plot into two: 80×100 feet of the land will be set aside for an income generating project to help pay the priest, future church workers and the church bills. The remaining part of the land, 124×100 feet shall be used for the church construction and the church offices.
RESOURCE MOBILIZING PROJECT
The parish shall need a constant cash flow for its survival until it grows to a level of self-sustenance through funds from the members. To raise all the necessary funds for the parish, we propose to build some 40 rental houses, with each fully built room covering 10×15 feet space. We shall build as many rooms as we can raise funds for. At least ten for a start shall do the parish good, helping cover the initial church bills and sacramental items, while the others will help cover the church caretaker, security man and the priest’s salary.
PROPOSED CHURCH BUILDINGS
The parish shall need a constant cash flow for its survival until it grows to a level of self-sustenance through funds from the members. To raise all the necessary funds for the parish, we propose to build some 40 rental houses, with each fully built room covering 10×15 feet space. We shall build as many rooms as we can raise funds for. At least ten for a start shall do the parish good, helping cover the initial church bills and sacramental items, while the others will help cover the church caretaker, security man and the priest’s salary.
CHURCH TOILETS/LATRINE
After assessing the Mai-a-ihii area, that has gigantic Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical parishes, and a vibrant Muslim community on both sides of the village, Fr Evangelos Thiani, believes this parish can grow to be a large and active parish if only a permanent church was set up. We have divided the church plot into two: 80×100 feet of the land will be set aside for an income generating project to help pay the priest, future church workers and the church bills. The remaining part of the land, 124×100 feet shall be used for the church construction and the church offices.
.
OUR PLEDGE AND PRAYER
As we journey in this great mission of our church, we take this opportunity to ask for your prayers, kindness, and donations as we seek to see the dreams of this parish become a reality.
May the prayers of St Stephen the Protomartyr accompany our mission and ministry in Mai-a-ihii, central Kenya.
PARISH PRIEST
Fr Evangelos Thiani is a married senior protopresbyter of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. He is a senior lecturer of public and practical theology at the only Orthodox Seminary of the Patriarchate, which is based in Nairobi. He studied theology, education, and psychology at different schools and countries including Kenya, USA, Greece, Italy, Australia, and Finland. He has the blessings of his spiritual father and hierarch, H.E. Archbishop Makarios of Nairobi to solicit for funds towards the wellbeing of the parish.
