Learn More about the Anglican Church of Kenya from Seminarian Rob Davis
St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12: If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
This is evident in the wide diversity of people who worship each week in American Episcopal parishes. But as the Gospel of Our Lord has spread across the planet, St. Paul's words apply not only to our individual members and parishes but also to the body of global Anglicans. In our modern world where political, economic, and social systems of all nations are closely linked and the decisions of one affect the welfare of another, we Episcopalians have a responsibility to seek understanding of different expressions of Anglicanism so that we may "do the work God has given us to do." How can we know whether our work is as ears, eyes, hands, or feet if we cannot commune with the rest of the body?
Greetings and blessings. My name is Rob Davis, and I am a Diocese of Milwaukee seminarian beginning my last semester at Nashotah House in September. My background is in professional training and development in the corporate world before discerning a call to ministry. Field education and practical ministry is a foundational aspect of our formation as future priests, critical for developing the skills necessary to face the challenges of parish ministry.
This summer, I have had the delight of experiencing the unique expression of Anglicanism from our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Anglican Church of Kenya. While Kenyan and American expressions of Anglicanism differ greatly as our ministries are governed by inescapable cultural and socio-economic factors, our shared values of faith in action and commitment to Christ’s call to Christian unity offer many opportunities to serve God’s people…wherever they may be.
Throughout my seven-week mission, from the emerging modernity of cathedrals in Nairobi and Mombasa to the quintessential rural African village parishes, I have witnessed familiar ground that binds all Anglicans in common worship and explored new territory and opportunities for service in God's One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. For all our differences, there is much that unites our communities.
Upon return to the US in mid-July, I will be traveling across the Midwest to share my experience and observations in Kenya for the remainder of the summer. If your parish would like to learn more about how American and Kenyan Anglican contexts converge, or how you can help continue the dialogue between our diocese and the Anglican Church of Kenya and support the simple initiatives we have identified that can make a real difference in people’s lives, please contact me at
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For in one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body…Americans or Kenyans, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Blessings,
Rob Davis