November 15
Today we returned to Bishop Sima’s office at the Central
Diocese. Mark and Al spent time helping
the Bishop install Skype on his computer as well as getting other laptop
computers in the office up and running.
The Bishop and his staff were most appreciative. In addition, Andrea was able to make a
presentation to the Bishop on the ways in which Globe
University could further partner with Singida University once it is established.
I was able to tour the primary school located next to the
Diocese. Each class that I visited had
approximately 40 children; the children were very happy to sing! Although, the classrooms were sparingly
furnished with desks and a blackboard the children were eager to learn and the
teachers motivated.
The school actively provides for the needs of the children
including providing vaccinations, shoes and food for those families of children
whose parents have HIV. The children who
attend the school are poor and do not have to pay any fees to attend the
school. The school is funded through
private donors who live in Australia
and the United States. Although the school accepts children of all
faiths, the school actively teaches the Lutheran faith and celebrates many
baptisms each year.
Two of Bishop Sima’s Assistants who are pastors spent the
morning with me explaining their approach to education in the Diocese. Baptismal instruction and preparation for
teenagers and adults lasts two years and includes the following topics: the miracles and resurrection of Jesus Christ;
living faithfully as husband and wife; good peer relationships; malaria and HIV
education; the necessity for self reliability; exploration of the call to
ministry. Confirmation instruction also lasts for two years. They also explained that while the Lutheran
Church in Tanzania has a shortage of pastors due to the length and expense of
seminary education (as is true in the
United States), there is no shortage of evangelists and parish workers. 
The Lutheran Church in Tanzania makes heavy use of evangelists
and parish workers in carrying out the work of the church. For example, the Cathedral associated with
the Diocese has approximately 1,000 members.
The church has one pastor but another 17 evangelists and parish workers
that support the church’s work. The
Bishop’s staff believes that many people become evangelists and parish workers
because of the extensive baptismal education that the churches engage in.
The Lutheran Church
in Tanzania
has been in a period of rapid growth.
Currently in the Central Diocese there are 70 some churches each of
which has another 2 or more mission start congregations associated with it for
a total of over 300 congregations in the Diocese. Each of the mission start congregations are
under the responsibility of an evangelist as well as the pastor of the main
church. The largest church in the
Diocese has 5,000 members and it seems that many of the congregations number
500 in members. As the Bishop’s staff
explained to me, the Church is always in a mode of “evangelism” and always
wanting to make an impact for good in society as well as people’s individual
spiritual lives.
I was grateful for my time with the Bishop’s staff and
realized how much we have to learn from our Lutheran friends in Tanzania.
We had very good news today.
The laptops that we had ordered for the schools arrived just in time for
our trip to Lutheran Institute in Kiomboi (LIK - where Singida University
College is being formed
by the church). We are very grateful to
Pastor Shila and Pastor Mpumpa, who drove the five or six hours each way to
pick up the computers in Arusha and bring them to Singida. After the computers arrived, we drive to Old
Kiomboi from Singida. The drive was very
smooth and took only about one hour. We
are staying in the Minnesota
house, with Margaret being our host. This
is also where Mark, Al, Larry and Peter stayed during the 2007 mission trip.
God’s Peace, Pastor Laura
