Kenya Nominates Six: The Anglican Church of Kenya has announced a six-member slate to choose the next archbishop. The Most Rev. Eliud Wabukala will retire June 1 when he turns 65.
The nominees are:
- The Rt. Rev. Lawrence Kavutsu Dena, Diocese of Malindi
- The Rt. Rev. Joseph Masamba Nthuka, Diocese of Mbeere
- The Rt. Rev. James Kenneth Ochiel, Diocese of Southern Nyanza
- The Rt. Rev. Jackson Nasoore Ole Sapit, Diocese of Kericho
- The Rt. Rev. Julius N. Wanyoike, Diocese of Thika
- The Rt. Rev. Joel Waweru, Diocese of Nairobi
A Golf Champion’s Vicar Dad: Danny Willett, 28, the first English 2016 Masters golf champion since Nick Faldo in 1996, is the son of an Anglican vicar. The Rev. Steve Willett served in the Diocese of Sheffield, is a former area dean, and is now retired.
Ahead of his son’s win, Willett senior told reporters, “I never pray for him to win — that would not be fair — but I will be praying that he has the best two rounds possible this weekend. And as far as the weather is concerned, I will be praying for plenty of wind while his rivals are finishing their rounds in the morning.”
The new champion said that during his childhood his father would drop him off at the local golf course “with a fiver for lunch.” He added, “When I came home a good day wasn’t about whether I’d shot 65 but whether I was all right. You see these parents force the game down the throats of their kids, and it’s so destructive. I’ve been to a few sports psychologists, but the best one I know is my dad.” His mother, Elisabet, is a Swedish-born math teacher.
Willett almost missed the Masters because his wife, Nicole, was expecting a baby, but Zachariah James arrived a week before the first round. He says over the years he’s grown used to the moniker “the son of a preacher man,” as in the Dusty Springfield song.
Pentecostalism Grows in Uganda: The shape of Ugandan religion is shifting, according to recent research. While Anglicans and Roman Catholics remain dominant in the country, they appear to be losing ground to Pentecostals. Between 2002 and 2014 Pentecostals increased from 4.7 to 11.1 percent.
In the same period the number of Roman Catholics shrank from 41.6 percent in 2002 to 39.3 percent (over 13.5 million) and Anglicans reduced from 36.7 percent to 32.0 percent (over 11 million) of the total population of 34.6 million (all based on the 2014 National Population and Housing Census). Together Anglicans and Catholics still number 80 percent of Uganda’s population.
Mark Kajuba, a senior demographer at Uganda Bureau of Statistics, attributed the changes to a Pentecostal movement that is “fishing” at the expense of Roman Catholics and Anglicans. Kajuba said Pentecostal churches are vibrant and do more to attract young people.
