New pastor brings international view
Staff writer
David Manyara, who became pastor at Marion’s Eastmoor United Methodist Church in June, grew up in rural Kenya and graduated from St. Paul’s University – Kenya with a bachelor’s degree in 2008.
He became a full-time minister with the Methodist church in Kenya and was ordained in 2011.
Eight years later, he came to the United States with his wife, Dinah, and daughter Davina.
Here, he graduated in 2021 from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, with a master’s degree in theological studies.
He also holds a master’s degree in theology and transformative practice from Newman University - United Kingdom.
He began working for Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church after graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary.
He has served five Kansas churches — Barnes, Haddam, Washington, Phillipsburg, and now Eastmoor at Marion.
He was brought up a strong Christian foundation, Manyara said. Becoming a minister was a natural outgrowth of that upbringing.
“I was in ministry without knowing I was in ministry,” Manyara said. “I didn’t know I was called.”
Manyara has appreciated and benefited from long collaboration between American churches and African churches.
The American church built schools and seminaries in Africa, helping with education, which African people love, he said.
Coming here is a way of giving back, he said.
Small communities where he and his family have lived are great places to raise children, he said.
He fell in love with Marion the first day he visited, Manyara said.
Manyara’s main interests are pastoral care, social justice, evangelism, discipleship, community development, and a flourishing society.