Construction of $5 Million Kenyan Community Church in Kent, Washington Nears Completion
Members of the Kenyan Community International Church (KCIC) are preparing to relocate to their own building in Kent, Washington as its construction nears completion.
The 20,000-square-foot church building is being put up on a five-acre parcel of land off Pacific Highway in Kent and is expected to cost about $5 million when complete.
The church has been renting out a space in Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church in Seattle for 20 years and moving to its own building will eliminate many challenges members face at the current location.
“The other [Seattle] space was a rented space, and we had certain time slots. If we wanted to do anything outside of that, then we had to go and consult with the other congregations. At one point we had three congregations in that building,” Edgar Rurii, the KCI Church building committee chairman told Kent Reporter.
“It’s very difficult to expand service offerings because there are a lot of parts that are moving. But now over here in Kent, it’s very simple.”
Rurii says they expected to move into the building last year but its construction was delayed due to the number of permits needed. The new location is more convenient for a majority of members to attend services.
“Most of our congregation moved from the Seattle area to the suburbs around Federal Way, Kent, Puyallup and Tacoma. It has really been a drive for them to be able to go here [Seattle]. Eighty percent of the congregation is within 20 minutes of the new site. It’s much closer for everybody,” said Ririi.
The new location will offer a perfect venue to hold services, conduct ceremonies, teach Sunday School, and act as a meeting place for community members as well as host events such as birthday parties, baptisms, weddings and graduations. It will also host a daycare, a bookshop, and a gift store.
“Most of our members have Christian backgrounds and Christianity is very vibrant in Africa, especially in Kenya where we come from,” said Joseph Karanja, the Chairman of Mission Ministry at KCI Church.
“So we know that moving to our new location is going to improve the diversity of the people who come to our church. We’re going to try and reach not only Kenyans, but also the general public in America.”
Services at the new building will be held in a mix of languages including English, Kiswahili, and Kikuyu to cater to their multi-ethnic congregation.
Fundraising for the new church building has been entirely from members of the community and congregation.
The church’s leadership is next month expected to close their mortgage and learn how much they need to pay back the bank. They estimate the building will cost around $5 million, and they have already raised over $1 million from the support of church members.
Comments
Really? Who is the…
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Really? Who is the beneficiary?
haaaaaa thats funny.
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In reply to Really? Who is the… by sokora (not verified)
haaaaaa thats funny.
Wouldn’t an equivalently…
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Wouldn’t an equivalently valued hospital serving many in Kenya make more sense? I never get the urgency to fundraise to build a house of worship to secure a good unknown afterlife while taking away from better currently known life.
Life is spiritual. A human…
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In reply to Wouldn’t an equivalently… by Thuraku (not verified)
Life is spiritual. A human is a spirit prior to being given a body and soul. Life continues in either heaven or hell. It never ends
@ Thuraku: I totally agree…
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In reply to Wouldn’t an equivalently… by Thuraku (not verified)
@ Thuraku:
I totally agree with you. I am no longer a follower of the religion that is based on the Son of Mariam. When I was brainwashed and a believer of this slave-based religion, I was very confused why my parents wanted me to go to church after I independently read the Jewish book of faith aka bible.
This is what the Son of Mariam said about praying in Matthew Chapter 6: 6-8:
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for the think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not b like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Why do we have churches?
This means the Church will…
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This means the Church will be Soldiering on Paying the Remaining $4 Million. May he LORD God Almighty help Us.🙏
I have no issues with the…
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I have no issues with the preaching of the GOSPEL or the QURAN.
The issue is how MASSES are duped into believing that the bigger the church is, the easier is for them to enter the kingdom of heaven. The bigger our pastor's car, houses,private jets and all earthly possessions are,the easier it is to get to heaven.
JESUS didn't have alot of possessions.
JESUS didn't ride on golden chariots.
LET'S not get confused by about the PREACHING and the BUSINESS aspect of it.
All I know is that of late so many KENYA churches are popping up like mushrooms across the USA and the members TAKING on all the burden.
Everyone's opinion matters…
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Everyone's opinion matters regardless of what people say or view things. This is a member's driven church with no strings attached. It's owned by members. It's not those churches that belongs to an individual and that's why the members have taken ownership to build their church. It's such a big thing for how the congregation have come together to build a house of worship without being forced to do it. This church is exemptional, it has fulfilled members desires that have been promised over the years.
There are many churches in the Diaspora that fundraise to build a church. However, they don't show it by actions. May God continue blessing this church for all the great work they have done. This is AMAZING!
No difference than chama…
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In reply to Everyone's opinion matters… by Sue (not verified)
No difference than chama. Lakini ni sawa tu.
What a shame! Constructing a…
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What a shame!
Constructing a “ church” whose foundation is based on slavery, colorism, and disrespecting woman is a shame and an insult to humanity.s
In the Jewish book of faith, slavery is accepted. Please read Leviticus 25: 44-46.
In the New Testament, the son of Mariam endorsed slavery by saying that, servants should obey their masters.
Women are required to “obey” their husbands and remain silent in churches while covering their heads.
Building a church is an embarrassment and a shame to those Kenyans who came with such a Stone Age based idea of building a church instead of building a hospital back home in Kenya.
Avoid Egocentric Reasoning…
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In reply to What a shame! Constructing a… by Imara Daima (not verified)
Avoid Egocentric Reasoning.
Everyone have the freedom of choice.
In this case scenario, you need to see the work attainable by a team spirit, in Purse of a vision.
A dream comes true.
You can do the same and build a Hospital
if that’s your choice.
It’s God who gives the burden and desire. A burden of a Church and not of a Hospital, is yet to be revealed.
A slave and a colonized…
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In reply to Avoid Egocentric Reasoning… by Joseta (not verified)
A slave and a colonized person does not have the capability of making a rational and independent choice about what religion to be a member.
If the people of India did what the British did to us, I bet, you would now be a diehard follower of the Hindu religion😢.
A slave or a colonized person does not the freedom to make a free and rational “religious choice.”
There’s nothing Kenyans will…
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There’s nothing Kenyans will do that’s not met with harsh criticism. If the Kenyans in Seattle saw a need to build their own church, let them do it in peace. Most of us call ourselves Christians and most likely go to church on Sunday. Do you complain about your church building? I bet most of you show up on Sunday, do your thing and not even think about cost associated with building. You put your couple dollars in the offering basket and go home feeling good about yourself.
Let these people build a church for themselves. Offer congratulations for once. I don’t understand why most Kenyans have deep rooted jealousy and hatred towards their own kind.
They don’t have deep rooted…
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In reply to There’s nothing Kenyans will… by KK (not verified)
They don’t have deep rooted jealousy towards their own. They are enlightened enough to wonder why their people would sink serious loot towards a building they will spend their time on their knees, wailing for help from the invisible man up there somewhere , when they could have invested their hard earned cash on an enterprise that would secure their future. But again, many care about the afterlife than the now. Sad.
@Ombeta everyone is entitled…
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In reply to They don’t have deep rooted… by Ombeta (not verified)
@Ombeta everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect yours. When the TD Jakes of the world build mega churches, do you voice the same concerns? It’s obvious you are not a believer but I will not rule out that are familiar with The Bible. The word of God calls us to first seek the kingdom of God. For these people, have a place to come together as a community is how they chose to worship their creator. Visit a church one day and see what they don’t there. You might enjoy it.
Religion is a byproduct of…
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In reply to @Ombeta everyone is entitled… by KK (not verified)
Religion is a byproduct of peoples language, culture, and history. That is why there are over 4,000 religions in the world.
Kenya should take the Saudi Arabia and China's stand on foreign religions in their countries. They are not tolerated.
Try to spread the religion that is based on the son of Amina (Mohammed) and that of the son of Mariam and see what happens to you! You will be deported immediately.
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