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A.I.P.C.A Apostolic Succession

African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (A.I.P.C.A) draws its apostolic succession through Archbishop William Daniel Alexander of African Orthodox Church Africa, of South Africa.
Archbishop William Daniel Alexander was consecrated by George Alexander McGuire (Alexander I) on September 11th 1927. This consecration placed him in the apostolic succession.

 

George Alexander McGuire was consecrated as a Bishop on September 28th 1921, in Chicago, Illinois, by Archbishop Joseph Rene Vilatte assisted by Bishop Carl A. Nybladh. This placed Bishop McGuire in apostolic succession. Archbishop Joseph Rene Vilatte was consecrated on 29th May 1892 by Antonio Francis Xavier Alvarez (Mar Julius I) Archbishop of Ceylon, in accordance with the Patriarchal Bull of Ignatius Peter III, of 29th December 1891. Ignatius Peter III (1872) was number 126 from Peter the Apostle (35 A.D).

 

William Daniel Alexander left Anglican Church to form African Orthodox Church in 1924. He sought to affiliate this with George McGuire’s of African Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. after reading a sermon by McGuire in “Negro World” of August 9th 1924 and was consecrated a Bishop by McGuire and others in America in 1927.

 

In about 1928, Reuben Spartas in Uganda made contact with Alexander. Alexander traveled to Uganda in October 1931 and on a Trinity Sunday in 1932; he ordained Reuben Spartas and Obadiah Basajjikitalo as priests. When Alexander was travelling back to South Africa, he met a postal clerk by the name James Beuttah, in Mombasa. Beuttah suggested that he return to Kenya to visit the Independent Schools Association. In May 1935 Alexander wrote to Archbishop Isidore of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Johannesburg asking for letters of introduction to Fr. Nikodemos Sarikas of Tanganyika, now Tanzania, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

 

The Archbishop replied, suggesting that he visit the Patriarch of Alexandria. Alexander arrived in Kenya on November 18, 1935, and founded a seminary with eight students at Gituamba (Gatanga Diocese of A.I.P.C.A).
In June 1937 he ordained two of his students, Philip Kiande and Arthur Gatung’u, as priests and two, Harrison Gachukia and Daudi Maina, as deacons and returned to South Africa. Rev. Philip Kiande ordained Pastor Benjamin Kahihia at Kiriti Church who later became the first Spiritual Head of A.I.P.C.A. Following his death in 1998, Archbishop Samson Mwangi Gaitho took over as the second Spiritual Head. On his retirement in May 2011, he Consecrated Archbishop Evanson Ndung’u Kibe as the third Spiritual Head of A.I.P.C.A. Archbishop passed on in February 2013 leading to election of Archbishop Amos Mathenge Kabuthu on 10th May 2013 who became the 4th Spiritual Head of A.I.P.C.A. On his retirement Archbishop Julius Njoroge Gitau was elected on 9th January 2017 as the current Archbishop of A.I.P.C.A. His enthronement placed him 135th from Apostle Peter, in the Church apostolic succession and 5th Spiritual Head of A.I.P.C.A.