Since May 2025, the Forest Hills Community of Christ in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, has been fostering a ministry called Sea Galilee, comprising African refugees. Primarily from Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, they arrived in the USA through a refugee camp in Tanzania.
Forest Hills has been sharing its building with Sea Galilee for choir practices and worship services. Forest Hills members have hosted classes about Community of Christ, provided resources like toys for the children, and offered sacramental witness through baptisms, Communion, confirmations, baby blessings, and laying on of hands for the sick.
In November 2025, the Sea Galilee members voted unanimously to become an emerging congregation in Community of Christ, with me serving as pastor. In January, a dedication service was held at Forest Hills. More than 250 people attended, including church members from the Light of Hope Congregation in Independence, Missouri, USA, and a new Community of Christ ministry in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
Much effort will be required in the months ahead as we work through Temple School classes, youth-worker training, and continue developing leadership in the new congregation.
God works to bring joy to refugee congregations.
Apostle Joey Williams’ Testimony
Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush in Exodus 3 tells us that one day Moses was walking his sheep, taking the trail that he had taken many times up the mountain. In fact, for forty years, he had been taking that trail up the mountain. He probably had seen everything on that mountain. So much so, that on that day, why would he even look around? He knew what everything looked like. But the story is very clear about one thing. It said that Moses had to stop and turn to see what God was doing.
Several years ago during the pandemic, I was working at the Temple in Independence and received an odd email. The email said: “My name is Eddie, and I am part of a refugee choir. And we’re looking for some gloves and some clothes because it’s winter, it’s cold.” He sent that to I was in charge of tours, and I thought, “This is strange…”
Before the pandemic, I was in Europe working with two Congolese groups. I thought that maybe this email was from Europe. And I just put it away in another box. But for two weeks, my mind kept thinking about that email. So, I wrote to that person, Eddie, and I said, “Tell me more. Can we meet?” We met, and we began to talk about his group, which was meeting in Independence.
He came to the Temple and took a tour with some of his friends. Later, he came back with some leaders of his congregation. Then he brought more friends. On the fourth visit, he asked if he could bring his family, when they were not working. So, at 10:30 at night, Eddie came with his family.
When you enter the Worshiper’s Path, you quickly see fabrics that represent the burning bush. We are reminded of that moment when Moses had to stop, turn, and see what God was up to. Eddie and I stopped in front of that, and I explained what it meant. And I said, “Eddie, it’s so strange. I have been working with groups from the Congo in Brussels and in London.”
And he said, “I’d love to go to Belgium.”
I said, “Because it’s in Europe?”
He said, “No, because I have family there.”
God works to bring joy to refugee congregations.
Eddie took out his phone, and he showed me a picture of his aunt. Surprised, I took out my phone and said, “Here is a picture of me in your aunt’s house! For six years, I have been working with your Aunt Vivian.”
At that moment, I knew something Divine was happening.
When Moses realized that divine thing, he took his shoes off, because he knew this was holy work that was happening. And he wanted to be part of it, even though he didn’t understand it. It was a little crazy. The bush was on fire, but it wasn’t burning. But he knew it was important work. So, he stopped and turned to see what God was doing.
From that point, we started a congregation called Light of Hope in Independence.
Eddie then put me in contact with Byaombe Yaninga, a refugee living in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. We started talking on WhatsApp. On phone calls, I could feel in his voice and energy that this was someone I needed to pay attention to. God was doing something in him and through him. We talked, and soon he came to Independence with his family. They sang beautiful songs. In fact, I didn’t know if we were having worship or a guitar competition between Byaombe and Eddie!
In May, I was invited to Louisville to confirm Byaombe and others as members in Community of Christ. I didn’t have time to come to Louisville, but I made time because I wanted them to experience Community of Christ’s World Conference, scheduled later that month. I wanted them to feel they were part of a worldwide church.
I am one of twelve Apostles who work in sixty nations where Community of Christ is present. We are committed to being like Moses. To stop, to turn, to see what God is doing in our lives. Will you stop? Will you turn? Will you see what God is doing in your life, what God is doing in you today? Amen.
Jay Rogers’ Testimony
We in Forest Hills, at our quiet Community of Christ congregation in Louisville, got an email that said, “We’re coming.” Uh-oh…
In April 2025, Joey Williams, along with the Light of Hope Congregation in Independence, drove to Louisville on a Friday night. We filled the baptismal font. We worshiped all day Saturday. I baptized two people in the font.
Sunday morning, we had a giant worship service with many friends of the Louisville refugee group and the Forest Hills Congregation. The Louisville group members explained that they called themselves Sea Galilee. During that worship, we confirmed thirteen people to membership in Community of Christ. A church member prepared a basket of snack bags for the long trip home to Independence.
We began in May by worshiping together for Easter with Sea Galilee and made a valiant attempt at translating. But we soon realized that was tedious and frustrating to all. Sea Galilee members needed space to worship as they were accustomed to. So, we arranged to have the building open on Sunday afternoons. In came the guitars, drums, percussion instruments, microphones, mixers, and speakers. And the joyful choir began to sing praise.
Local members hosted one-hour classes on Saturdays to teach more about Community of Christ, using the Sharing in Community of Christ materials that were translated into Swahili. We kept the building open so Sea Galilee could have choir practice.
At that moment, I knew something Divine was happening.
I volunteered to be the supporting pastor for Sea Galilee, and we started referring to it as a ministry of the Forest Hills Congregation. Several Forest Hills priesthood members served Communion, blessed some children, and I learned how to say the Mission Prayer in Swahili.
I commented during a morning worship service with Forest Hills that the kids in Sea Galilee needed some toys. The generous response was evident the following week. We received bins filled with stuffed animals, building blocks, construction trucks, and various other toys.
I credit the Forest Hills members for all their work. They have organized meals. We have shared Easter egg hunts, game nights, and had pizza a few times. We worshiped in an evening Christmas service after being visited by Santa and Mrs. Claus, who brought gifts for the children. Forest Hills has made it a priority to make Sea Galilee feel supported while providing space for the members to develop their own worship style.
We in the Forest Hills Congregation are blessed to meet new friends, and it’s been a long time since every seat in the sanctuary was full! I’m very blessed and excited to see where this is going. Byaombe’s new grandson, Alembe, one day will talk about when his grandfather helped start the Sea Galilee Congregation. What a fun and exciting legacy to establish!
We stopped, turned, and saw what God was doing in our lives!
Byaombe Yaninga’s Testimony
Blessed be the name of the Lord. We are the people of God. God did not create you by chance; God created you for a purpose. We have continued to serve God even after leaving our homes in Africa and coming to America. In Louisville, we started by offering prayers, praise, and worship with my family at home.
We were doing small worship services there and began to meet friends, who joined us. The house became too small for our group, so we moved to the garage. I began to pray, asking, “What can we do to move forward?” It’s not easy to find a place to worship God and to do God’s work.
I got news of a friend named Willonja, who was here in America. I had done some ministry work with Willonja when we were together in Tanzania. We were singers in the joy band in the Nyarugusu refugee camp. We also ministered in Bujumbura, Rohero, and Makamba. After that, we got separated when he went back to Nyarugusu, and I went to Mumbiji. I had thought we never would see each other again.
Now that I was in America, I contacted Willonja, where he lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
My family and I made plans to visit him. It was my first very long road trip in America, more than eight hours of driving. God led us to Willonja’s house safely, where he received us with joy. At his house, we met Joey Williams. We learned about his experiences working with Congolese refugees in Europe.
We attended a worship and singing service at the Light of Hope Congregation in Independence, Missouri, USA where we met other refugees. I spent more time talking with Joey and realized God had a plan through him. I told Joey I wanted to be a child in this church, so I was confirmed a member of Community of Christ.
We stopped, turned, and saw what God was doing in our lives!
We parted ways, and we returned to Louisville.
It was quiet for a while, and I thought we had been forgotten. I’ve realized that when there is silence, God has plans for you.
In early May 2025, the whole team from Independence traveled here to the Forest Hills Community of Christ. We thought it was a dream that they would all gather here in Louisville. That was the first day that we saw this building, and when we got here, we met Pastors Jay Rogers and Kathleen Rosenbarger, and other members of the Forest Hills Congregation.
You would think Joey and Jay were twin brothers in the way they received us and treated us like long-lost church friends.
Jay, his wife, Sanna, and the church family have served our Sea Galilee group very well, and we see the glory of God continuing to fall like rain. God has sent many people to this place of worship. Today something has come to be, the founding of the Sea Galilee Emerging Congregation.
It is the will of God, legitimized by the authority of Apostle Joey Williams. May God continue to bless all the servants of God who are helping the Light of Hope and Sea Galilee congregations.