There was drama at a church in Nyamira after a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pastor chased away a section of bridesmaids from a wedding for not being SDAs.
In a video clip that has since gone viral, the pastor identified as Jared Omwoyo is seen angrily asking some of the ladies to step aside for failing to dress in accordance with the SDA guidelines.
“Try somewhere else not this Seventh-day Adventist church. Nyinyi nyote, kama wewe si mSDA nmekukataa in capital letters, you are not going to escort the bride, if you are not an SDA move out,” he stated.
The incident brought a stand-off until the pastor’s orders were followed.
11 couples tie knot
Elsewhere in Nyeri, 11 couples on Sunday, December 18, 2022, participated in a mass wedding sponsored by the church.
Of the newly wedded the oldest was 85 years old man who married his 83-year-old wife in 1963 under Kikuyu customary marriage while the youngest groom was 33 years and had been married for 17 years.
According to the Parish Minister Reverend Mary Rie, the church had sponsored the entire event and the couple were only required to carry their rings and walk down the aisle.
“As a church, we realized that many of these couples who are our church members have not been able to solemnize their marriages owing to financial challenges and as the church, we chipped in to enable the couples to become legally married thus being able to participate fully in church activities,” she said.
Njoki said that the oldest couple had been married in 1963 and had not formalized their marriage hence they could not be allowed to participate in church leadership as per its constitution.
Wachira Mathai and his wife Jecinta Wangari from Gaikundo village said after the ceremony that they are a happy couple for attaining the feat at the age of 85 and 84 respectively.
“We feel like we are a newly wedded couple even if we have stayed as husband and wife for years. It’s a fresh start for us,” Wachira noted.
