Celebrating unity on World Communion Sunday

Key points:

• Hillcrest United Methodist Church’s Festival of Nations connects multicultural congregations and community through shared worship and fellowship.
• Five congregations and a nonprofit share the church’s space each week.
• The event was organized to celebrate World Communion Sunday.

Hillcrest United Methodist Church joined with four congregations and a nonprofit organization to celebrate World Communion Sunday with a Festival of Nations. The various groups represent many cultures from four continents and speak more than five languages. All of them utilize the Hillcrest United Methodist Church facility each week.

Members of the MARIM congregation worship in the Kinyarwanda language, spoken in Rwanda, eastern Congo and adjacent parts of southern Uganda during World Communion Sunday at Hillcrest United Methodist Church.

The Unity Choir, featuring members from five international congregations, sings during World Communion Sunday.

“Each one of these ministries is doing amazing work and is really allowing all of us to be part of something greater than what we could do individually,” said the Rev. David Ssebulime, lead pastor of Hillcrest United Methodist Church. “We have not yet seen or even imagined what is possible when we unite God’s people. … We believe that God has brought us together under the same roof for a greater purpose.”

Acacia Zuninga (left) and the Rev. Jorge Ramirez offer Holy Communion during a Festival of Nations celebration of World Communion Sunday at Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. They help lead the Casa de Transformación congregation that worships at Hillcrest.

The groups are now better connected through the shared experiences of the day, which included a worship service, a time of learning about each other, a meal comprising dishes from multiple cultures, and an opportunity for fellowship.

The Rev. David Ssebulime preaches about unity during a joint worship service of five ethnically diverse congregations on World Communion Sunday at Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. Ssebulime is the church’s senior pastor.

Five congregations from diverse backgrounds gather for worship during World Communion Sunday at Hillcrest United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn.

The congregations plan to continue supporting each other and strengthening their ministry partnerships. Each pastor expressed the same belief: God’s love unites us.

Buchanan works for UMC.org at United Methodist Communications. DuBose is staff photographer for UM News.

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