Methodist church's new minister makes spiritual journey from Kenya

Few have taken a longer road to historic La Conner United Methodist Church than its new pastor.

The Rev. Dr. Jacob Kanake, who assumed pastoral duties here this month, hails from the Kenya Methodist Church, where he served before moving with his family to the United States.

The Methodist Church was planted in Kenya, an East African nation and former British colony, in the early 1860s.

The Kanakes feel quite at home in Washington, where he has pastored at Colfax and St. John east of the Cascades. His wife, Rev. Grace Kanake, leads nearby Allen United Methodist Church.

Jacob Kanake proved his pa...