Dakar Church

Our first Sunday in Dakar was a great experience! The church building is about a twenty minute taxi ride from our apartment. There were about 75 in attendance. There are all ages of people, many of whom are young families with children. Bible class is first, followed by the worship service. There are two children's classes and two adult classes. One of the adult classes meets up the stairs on the roof, and that class is taught in English. The other class is taught in a combination of French and the native Wolof language. The first photo is of the outside of the building. The blue tarp on the top covers the classroom on the roof. Notice that there is no parking lot! There is room for one car in front of the building, and there are a few parking places on the street beside the building. This photo is of the inside of the main room. Every Sunday morning someone arrives early to set up all of the white plastic chairs for the worship service. There is no air conditioning, but there are about eight oscillating fans that are attached to the ceiling or to the walls. One learns quickly to choose a seat where air can be felt! In the following picture, notice that the men are sitting together. None of the husbands sat with their wives. That makes it really difficult to learn which husband goes with which wife! In the following photo you will see the oldest man of the congregation. When I asked someone how old he is, that person said, "He is really old---he must be at least 60"!
Next shows the stairs leading up to the classroom on the roof. The best seats in this classroom are beside the left wall, because the most consistent breeze is from the front left opening in the tarp. The next picture shows Nelson, one of the teachers in the English Sunday School class. He is a great teacher. This is the view from the roof.
Take the time to listen to the following video of the church singing. The singing is so enthusiastic and inspiring!! The happiness is contagious!