For many people, Sunday evening is a time to squeeze in last-minute errands, rush home from an outing, or prepare for the demands of another working week. But at the All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, the pace is noticeably different.
Congregants casually trickle in one by one and spread out across the pews at their leisure. There is no jostling for seats, no rush to squeeze into a row, no pressure to settle in before the service begins. Some spend a few moments in quiet prayer or reflection.
Then, as the clock strikes six, the pipe organ begins to play. As its notes swell through the vast cathedral, the congregation rises to its feet, and the choir and the clergy silently process into the sanctuary.
For the next hour, young and old voices echo beneath the cathedral’s great arches, blending with the rich notes of the organ as the congregation moves through prayers, Bible readings and sung psalms.
“This evening service is called Evensong because it’s a song service,” says the Reverend Jandson Njoroge, priest and Head of the Worship and Hospital Chaplaincy Department at All Saints Cathedral.
“The Anglican church has a way of worship where the priest says something and the Christians respond. In this service, most of these responses are sung.”
According to the priest, Evensong is one of the services that have been part of the Anglican church since the beginning and is observed in cathedrals around the world. In some cathedrals, he says, it is held every day of the week.
Beyond the singing, the 6 pm service retains much of the traditional Anglican liturgy and draws on the Book of Common Prayer , which was published in 1662. This differentiates it from the cathedral’s other services, which have been adapted over the years to make worship more African and vibrant.
“These other services, which we call modern services, follow the new prayer book and involve things not found in the Evensong such as praise and worship,” explains Reverend Njoroge.
“But the Evensong follows the old way of doing things. Even the language is Old English, with a lot of ‘thy’ and ‘thou’. The way we begin the service and call people to prayer and confession is also very traditional.”
But these, he believes, are what make it so special.
“It is a very rich, fulfilling and meditative service that leaves you feeling like you have ended your Sunday in a blessed way,” he says, adding that the evening time is also convenient for people who have spent the day working or travelling and want to set aside an hour for worship.
The service typically draws between 70 and 100 people, a figure Reverend Njoroge says has remained fairly consistent over the years.
This is modest compared with the cathedral’s larger Sunday services, some of which can attract even up to a thousand worshippers.
Congregants attend morning Mass at the cathedral in Nairobi on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
The congregation has also changed over the years. In the early days, Reverend Njoroge says, the cathedral had a larger white congregation, with most Africans worshipping at St Stephen’s Cathedral. However, as African clergy took on leadership roles at All Saints Cathedral, including as provosts and archbishops, its congregation gradually changed.
Today, he says, the service is attended predominantly by Africans, with foreigners occasionally joining, particularly around Christmas or when visiting Nairobi and staying at nearby hotels.
Inviting more people to the service, Reverend Njoroge hopes the cathedral will eventually introduce a midweek Evensong, giving more people an opportunity to experience the service outside Sunday.
59, has sung in the cathedral choir for 10 years now. He used to attend both the 11:30 am service as well as the Evensong, but that all changed last year.
“Now I only come for the evening service,” he says. “I work at the Technical University of Kenya in an administration position. I wake up early during the week, and work like crazy, so the body requires that I slow down a bit. The evening service allows me to rest on Sunday mornings, though I still practice the music on my own.”
While the service itself has changed little in the decade he has been part of the choir, George has noticed more young people joining. He is particularly encouraged by their growing involvement in the choir’s leadership.
“It is selfish to belong to an organisation and not ensure that it continues when you’re gone,” he says. “So when I was the choir’s chair in 2024-2025, I pushed for having more young people, especially in the leadership. Currently, there are a few, including the deputy choir director.”
He believes the service is special and especially endearing because if there is one thing Anglicans enjoy, it is singing hymns. And though in a slightly different manner, the Evensong speaks to that desire. Other people, he adds, like it for the peace and calm.
“The feeling is different”
This is true for Bobby Johnson and his wife Miriam. Bobby has been attending the 6 pm service at All Saints Cathedral for 31 years now, continuing a tradition that began in his childhood.
Like George, the timing is part of the appeal, allowing him to sleep in on Sunday mornings after a gruelling work week. But he also appreciates the quieter atmosphere, which allows him more time to pray and reflect without feeling pressed to leave and give way to the next service.
Congregants attend morning Mass at the cathedral in Nairobi on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
“For the morning services, there are always people waiting to get into the next service, so you have to rush in and rush out,” he says.
“But in the evening, the feeling is different. The church is lit up, and you get to see how beautiful it really is, the choir is very good; there’s ample parking; the temperatures are much more forgiving, especially now with the heat, and you get enough time to pray and reflect as much as you want. After the service, you can also interact a lot more with the reverend.”
Over the years, Bobby says, the congregation has remained fairly consistent. Many worshippers know one another, even if only by face, giving the service a sense of familiarity and fellowship.
But there is a notable exception in attendance every once a year when the service sees just as much action as the morning ones. This happens in the last week of November during Advent.
“It marks the beginning of the Christmas season, so it’s always packed,” he says. “You often need to come earlier to get a seat.”
For the rest of the year, however, he hopes more worshippers will discover the evening service and what it offers.
Not the type to sing and jump
Fredrick Opot, 76, has been attending Evensong since the late 1970s. For him, the 6 pm service offers both convenience and a style of worship he has grown to love.
“I can’t wake up very early in the morning. It takes me time to get ready, so I find this one is perfect,” he says.
But that is only part of the appeal. Fredrick loves the hymns and the quieter, more traditional approach to worship, which he finds more suited to him than services built around lively praise and worship.
“I just love the hymns that are sung here,” he says. “I’m more of a calm person, not the type to sing praise and jump around.”
He attends the service with his wife, who also serves at the cathedral. According to him, attendance has improved slightly over the years, although the congregation remains relatively small. For him, that is part of what makes the service special: it offers a way to worship that may not appeal to everyone, but feels right for those who choose it.
“The worship of God is very personal. Everyone has their own way of both living and approaching God. And it is alright,” he says. “And this, for me, is the best way to start a week.”
No obligation to socialise
At 25, Angela Lelei offers a younger perspective on the appeal of Evensong. She has been attending for about a year, usually twice a month when she is in Nairobi, and appreciates the flexibility of the evening service.
“It’s very convenient to come in the evening,” she says. “It suits my Sunday plans perfectly, and just makes sense for my schedule.”
She also appreciates the small congregation. For now, she says, she appreciates being able to attend church without feeling obliged to socialise. It is another way the service accommodates its worshippers: some come for the music and tradition, others for the familiarity, and others for the space to worship quietly.
