On Sunday September 18, 2016, I had the pleasure to
attend and also be a part of International Sunday at my church Ebenezer United Methodist Church During this cultural event, our church members bring in dishes
from different cultures that range from countries such as; Guyana, Jamaica,
Liberia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Vietnam every year. This allows
the congregation to try foods that they are not used to and it brings us all
closer together.
Each year the church has a guest pastor come in and
speak and share some their words from God. This year our guest pastor was Reverend
Maidstone Mulenga who is very devoted to God and works above and beyond to help
spread the word of the bible. Rev Mulenga serves in a dual role of the
Assistant to the Bishop and Director of Connectional Ministries in the
Baltimore- Washington Conference. Aside from the fact that he serves as a
leader to 34 distinct ministries and mission teams, Rev. Mulenga oversees conferences
of 640 churches, four campus ministries, and three camping and retreat facilities
alongside of the BWC.
The topic of
Rev. Mulenga’s service was “What does this mean?” He argued that in this day
and age, it is very hard for someone who is a child of God to be a leader. Rev.
Mulenga made sure we understood how imperative it is to find our purpose in
this world and follow through with it in order to spread this gospel. “What does it mean to be a child of God? It
means God has opened up his Kingdom to me, you, and everyone else who is a
child of God.”
Rev. Maidstone Mulenga leading the
sermon for today’s sermon
After the sermon, my fellow church members and I began
to serve the food to the congregation. I also had the pleasure of speaking to a
couple members about the service and were able to gain their reflections. “Not
only was it a good sermon, it was great service!” said Reverend Evelyn Manson
when I asked how she felt about the sermon by Rev Mulenga. She had passed me by
while I was serving her in the line of food. Another member said “Truly
inspirational, today was a learning experience of many different cultures”.
(From left to right) Kaleb Gray, Elijah Davis, Lenise
Robinson, Josh Stokes. Above is a picture of our youth ushers who wore their international
Sunday pins on their shirts. 
(From left to right) Michelle Finney, Shirley White,
Flossie Branch, Marylin Bell, Ms. Charmaine, and Pamela Branch. I worked
alongside these ladies setting up tables, wrapping food and serving to the congregation.
International Sunday brought together the congregation
as a whole. It is very refreshing when you can learn the different backgrounds
of others. It’s not every day that you get to try new foods from different countries
and since the opportunity came up, it was surely a great and memorable experience!
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