Why we should engage with the Tanzanian Church

How can I sum up what I learned from our Tanzanian hosts?  What they offered us was as important as any of the assistance that we offered them. They gave us a vision of a lively, enthusiastic, and evangelical church. 

     We often asked ourselves why the Tanzanian Lutheran church is experiencing such phenomenal growth, while our ELCA (following European patterns) has declined to the point of being significantly outnumbered by Tanzanian Lutherans.  The best answer that I can provide is that the youthful Tanzanian church exhibits many of the characteristics of the fledgling Christian movement that spread rapidly through the ancient Roman Empire.  These New Testament characteristics included: 1) unapologetic proclamation of the gospel of new life in a risen Lord Jesus Christ; 2) the  reorientation of community around love, service, and witness; and 3) the commitment of teachers and evangelists to the entire lives of their followers. The early Christians spread by actively showing the love of God in their lives and interactions with others.  (This reality overrides the many attempts at sociological or cultural explanations for the spread of the ancient church.)

     In Tanzania, the same New Testament patterns prevail.  Resilient Christian communities are emerging and  asserting themselves in ways that make their faith, love, and service appealing to their neighbors.  In addition, Tanzanian Lutherans provide for the future of their communities and their society in many ways that American Lutherans also once did: founding church-related schools, offering medical treatment in church-related hospItals and clinics, and responding to family issues with orphanages and other forms of aid.  So, if early Christianity spread through the force of love and the example of service — both within the church and toward the neighbor — so has the church in Tanzania.  This is not to say that the Tanzanian church is any freer of issues than were the early Christians (a most contentious lot, as the New Testament epistles suggest), but what we observed was nevertheless the intense commitment of Tanzanian Christians to the gospel.

     Perhaps we need to consider ways in which African Christianity could serve as a model for the revitalization of American churches. I suppose that is a stretch, but then so was the idea that the early, persecuted Christian communities that developed throughout the Roman Empire might change the world.  

      I was so glad that we had two teens in our group, and I hope that many American teenagers will have the opportunity to experience African Christianity in all its power and authenticity.  But be forewarned: engaging with Tanzanian Christians will change your life and challenge your perspectives.  Truly, we can all look up to African Christians.  They have their economic and political struggles, to be sure; but they can also teach us a great deal. We need to stop thinking of them as only poor and wanting, for they often possess a spiritual richness that we are in danger of losing.

     Finally, thanks to Ken and Birdie Olson and to Bega Kwa Bega for making this opportunity available to our mission group.       

We have visited two Lutheran secondary boarding schools in recent days and were greeted by wonderfully energetic students. They met us with frond wreaths, singing, dancing, and high spirits. Lutangilo Secondary School is developing rapidly under the leadership of its headmaster Sebastian Chuala. We stopped at Lutangilo on our way back to Iringa from Idunda. It is a special place for us because St James has contributed to the school fees for many Lutangilo students from Idunda. We met with the current Idunda students as a group and were introduced to each one. The school has about 230 students, more than double the size when Sebastian became headmaster a few years ago. Girls’ dormitories have been built; a science lab is under construction (with cornerstone laid by bishop of the St Paul Area Synod); and a water pumping system runs on solar power. 

     Image School is somewhat larger.  It was started by Doctor Pastor Ngogo some 15 years ago when his office was located in the shade of a tree. He had a vision of a modern secondary school, and under his leadership the school has become notable for the academic successes of its students and for its beautiful campus. Our visits to the schools reminded me of the founding of Lutheran schools in the Upper Midwest by visionary Lutheran immigrant pastors.  Many of those schools developed into strong church-related colleges and have provided pastors and professional people for generations.  We hope and pray that both Lutangilo and Image will continue to make similar contributions to the future of Tanzania.

Another Idunda image

Safari to Idunda

Our visit to Idunda was profoundly moving.  We were greeted with enthusiasm, friendship, and love.  We met hundreds of people who embraced us, sang to us, danced with us, and welcomed us into their lives with open arms.  We appreciated the many thoughtful gifts, including shirts, jewelry, and handmade baskets. We were excited to learn about how the people of Idunda are carrying out God’s work in their village.  A meeting with the Bega Kwa Bega (Shoulder to Shoulder) partnership committee of the parish was one of the highlights.  We learned about Pastor Baraka Mponzi‘s need for a new motorcycle to travel the village’s difficult roads.  We were excited to hear about plans for the new dispensary and to see the foundations of a facility that will provide much needed medical care.  We visited all four preaching points, each with its own church building, and we met the evangelists at each station. Our Sunday worship experience was especially memorable — filled with singing, dancing, and thunderous praise of Jesus Christ. Our own Judy Twedt-Jensen gave a very thoughtful sermon responding to the principles of our partnership: prayer, presence, and projects.  Our friend Pastor John Mhekwa, who travelled with us and led the service, served as sermon translator.  We also shared communion with our Idunda friends. The service seemed to pass all too quickly, despite its 2 1/2 hour length. We appreciated how much effort the Idunda congregation put into our visit, as well as Pastor Mponzi’s invitation to St James to send visitors every year!  We look forward to seeing him again at St James in the autumn.

Idunda Scenes

Meeting with the General Secretary

This morning we had an engaging and informative hour with The General Secretary of the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, Nayman Chavalla. We enjoyed his warm welcome and his entertaining stories about cultural differences between the US and Tanzania. We learned that the partnership between the St Paul Area Synod and the Iringa Diocese is a standout among US-Tanzanian synodical relationships.  It is not top-down but rests on the involvement of thousands of people.  Our partnership creates lasting friendships among many visiting groups from Minnesota and their partner congregations here.  The personal sharing among these American and Tanzanian people creates a sustainable community that transcends our cultures and unites us in Christ. The three principles that undergird our shoulder-to-shoulder relationships are, in order: 1) prayer, 2) visitation, and 3) projects.  That order is critical, and the relationship is developing from it.  The people of our partner congregation in Idunda, whom we will visit tomorrow, are praying for us, preparing for our visit, and eager to talk about projects.  We look forward to seeing them and renewing and making connections over the weekend.

Dar to Iringa

Yesterday and Today

A little catch-up is in order. We are in Dar. In the morning we will be on our way to Iringa with our familiar driver Peter. I am sitting at The Waterfront restaurant at The Slipway. The others aren’t tired of shopping yet. We have already been to the Fish Market. We had a guide and his self-appointed assistant. I knew there would be money expected. But it was great to have a guide. Perhaps someone else will mention more.

Now as I mentioned we are at Slipway. Coco beach next, then the woodcarvers’ market.

Yesterday 

We went to the National Museum. Overall, it was a disappointment, though perhaps no one else will say so. There are bright spots. It looks to me like they are trying to revamp it. With such a rich anthropology, there is nothing to display it. And with such a rich flora and fauna, also nothing.

However, they do ave a very nice geological section and a history of hominids. The USA is a young country, but Tanzania is younger than me! Even so, I hope they begin to take some pride in their heritage and devote some resources to it. Of course, there are lots of needs ahead of the museum.

I asked the group for their highlights. One was at the museum: pictures of the rock paintings. Another was the human origins exhibit.

Here are some others. We ate at a restaurant and through the glass door we saw an interesting sign. There was a red arrow pointing left. It was accompanied by the word “LEFT.” We weren’t sure if that was the whole message or not.

A couple people, perhaps all of us found the the street vendors intriguing. I was imagining the conversations that did or did not take place before the trip to work. “Sweetheart, would you pick up a mop on the way to work today?” Or “Honey, I notice we need new windshield wipers? Could you get a pair?” Those were just a couple of the more unique things for sale by the men walking between the vehicles, dodging the motorbikes speeding between the cars, trucks and buses waiting to move ahead. The sellers were hawking plates, rugs, plastic ware, nuts, and boxes of facial tissues. There were signs of community too among the vendors. The  street life included men playing cards, groups of people talking, visiting, washing cars, walking somewhere.

Tangawizi is a highlight for a number of us; most of have choo stories.

We have arrived in Iringa! Dinner was excellent. We are tired out. Off to bed.