Hard to believe it was a year ago when we celebrated with the Latin American countries at Kensington Temple and what a memorable night – Latin American Food, music, dance, and an opportunity to share the gospel. Great to host many from the local community of Latin American heritage in our building and this was just prior to the Covid-19 outbreak so no social distancing.

Blessed with over 100 nationalities and cultures in the Kensington Temple family, you would expect the celebration of such overwhelming diversity to be massive. And that’s exactly the case in our church and especially at our monthly Kensington Temple ‘All Nations Praise’ Celebrations. A year ago, and before the Covid-19 pandemic escalated, we celebrated with the Latin American Nations, followed by Ghana independence in March.

Our multicultural celebrations at Kensington Temple have been second to none. Rich programs depicting cultural heritage, lavish decorations, and sumptuous local dishes characterise these enjoyable evenings and they provide a tremendous open door for visitors to enjoy a completely different side of church. The fun celebrations are always capped by a short evangelistic message and Pastor Marcelo Albuquerque from Brazil caught everyone’s attention at our 2020 Latin American night.

Pray for the South American countries as they struggle with some of the highest Covid-19 infection rates in the world – full hospitals, inability to cope with the staggering number of deaths, and struggling economies with inadequate support for suffering families. The local press describes it as a humanitarian crisis with an estimated 231 million people living below the poverty line. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are among the ones hardest hit during the pandemic.

Close to the South American countries, Grenada celebrated its independence on February 7th. A small Caribbean island blessed with stunning beaches and spices (nutmeg), Grenada, too, has suffered through Covid restrictions and its tourism industry has been seriously battered. We congratulate and wish all Grenadians or those connected with Grenada from the Kensington Temple family, a joyous but different type of independence celebration this year. We also pray that God will bless and restore the island and islanders as the pandemic recedes.