Rare prayers to bring back dead pastors

• Church faithful gather to shame the devil for taking the lives of their pastors in crash

They came from the four corners of the country and even neighbouring Uganda with one mission — to pray for a miracle.

Two pastors in the Kingdom Seekers Fellowship International church were killed in a road accident on Monday last week and the faithful believed that God would resurrect them if they prayed hard enough.

Their death in a car that rolled on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway, the faithful believed, was the work of the devil and the miracle was to shame the evil one.

“Our pastors have been perishing in road accidents and it is time for us to shame the devil, who is behind the tragedies,” Pastor John Kamau William, the church’s general overseer, announced to the congregation outside their church in Nakuru.

There was a large congregation of faithful and curious onlookers who were eager to witness the resurrection.

Word had gone round the town that a miracle was to happen during the requiem mass for pastors Patrick Wanjohi Wanja and Francis Kamau Ndetei.

So, when the caskets carrying the remains of the two were taken to the church, crowds of people milled around to see what would happen.

The neutral people in the crowd were amazed by the aggressive and drawn out prayers that the believers engaged in.

Even a heavy downpour that pounded Nakuru as the prayers went on did not dampen their spirits. In fact, the sudden rains were seen as a sign that the miracle was about to happen. The prayers continued with even more vigour.

Scores of pastors surrounded the caskets and cried out to God for more than an hour.

At one point, Pastor Ndetei’s widow, went to the tent where the coffin was placed and shook it as she hysterically pleaded with God to raise her husband.

Another worshipper pushed the coffins in an attempt to stir the dead pastors to wake up from their “deep sleep.” Nothing happened.

By this time, one could sense doubts creeping into the minds of some of the faithful. To banish any such thoughts, Apostle Steven Bulungi from Uganda chased away the doubting Thomases.

He kept on telling the congregation that they were not being “fanatical or emotional” enough. ‘‘You are practising the word of God,” he exhorted them.

Nevertheless, the worshippers eventually lost hope. One of the pastors announced: “Some miracles do not happen instantly, as was the case when Jesus cursed the fig tree.”