I’ve come across one Kenyan mother on TikTok by the user name @namunyakdebra who has expressed dismay at her church not having spaces/groups for single parents to meet after the main service. Usually, groups of people with similar interests meet to discuss issues of concern to them. For example widow groups, groups for young married couples as well as those who have been married for long, youth groups, men groups etc.
Her issue of concern is the church’s lack of single parents’ groups for congregants like her. She feels that single parents are unfairly discriminated against because of this. She laments about how this makes single parents like her feel left out and ‘out of place’.
The mother made the TikTok video while passing time after the main service, as she waited for her children to be released from their respective church engagements.
Visibly disappointed, she acknowledged that there’s nothing much she can do about it as it is the church’s structure. “It feels a bit unfair, but it is what it is,” she said. She is now considering finding a new church that is more accommodative of single parents like her.
@btnams sometimes it can be overwhelming.. it’s good to go to a place that is accomodative#church #sunday#singlemom
The comments section was quite interesting, with many women sharing recommendations about their own churches where they feel embraced as single parents.
Some suggested that she voice her concern to the church leadership about the absence of groups for single parents.
Others shared that it is because of such discriminative practices that they stopped going to church altogether, choosing to instead worship God from the comfort of their homes.
Others agreed with her, suggesting that she finds a church where she will feel loved and embraced as a single parent.
How about you? Does your church accommodate single parents, or do you feel that it discriminates them? As a single parent, do you have an experience that you’d like to share? You can email me at maryanne@mummytales.com
Mummy Tales by Maryanne W. Waweru is a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan moms here. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBE l INSTAGRAM l TWITTER
