Reconnecting Tanzania

And new introductions...

The Anglican Diocese of Rochester partners with other Anglican dioceses in several countries, including two dioceses in Tanzania. In the past, the Trust has been able to feed books to them through this link, and indeed Chris Moffett visited Tanzania ten years ago. In November, two of their bishops visited the UK; an opportunity to refresh the connection.

Bishop Given Gaula of Dodoma serves in an area which is 90% Muslim, and with the help of Sue Chalkley who chairs this link, we provided him with a range of books including some specifically designed to help those working amongst people of the Islamic faith. We were able to give him a 30kg suitcase of books for his Bible College and to pay for this to be freighted to Tanzania with his other luggage. So, the books reached their destination within just a couple of days, couriered personally by the person responsible for deploying them. Also included were some copies of a book translated into Swahili for us by John Madinda who lives in England and was formerly the Principal of St John's Theological College. This was one of the outcomes of that Tanzania visit.

The other visiting leader was the recently appointed Bishop of Mpwapwa, Bishop Luzineth (pictured with Chris above). With the help of the Co-Chairs of the Mpwapwa Companion Diocese Group, Sylvie and Stephen Barbor (who are based locally in Tonbridge), Chris was able to spend some time discussing the needs of the Bishop's diocese with him. Nestled in Tanzania's central highlands, Mpwapwa is one of the youngest of the 28 dioceses in the Anglican Church of Tanzania. Since its formation, it has experienced significant growth, now encompassing 138 parishes and 650 small congregations spread across 13 deaneries. This growth is inspiring but comes with considerable challenges.

The region is plagued by climate instability, where failed rains often lead to drought and crop failures, leaving many in poverty and vulnerable. His Bible College cannot even afford, at this time, to fund a director and few of the catechists, evangelists and pastors speak and read English. Some do not even read Swahili well due to a lack of opportunity for secondary education. Bishop Luzineth, who is making great strides in learning English himself, was also able to take back a suitcase of books as extra luggage.

Many of the books currently available in Swahili are rather dated and, as we have described, not all can read in Swahili, still less English. So, we are thinking about audio material in the future. But, of course, devices to play audio files are expensive and need power. So, the challenges are formidable and our prayer is that we will be able to rise to them! Bishop Luzineth will be consulting with other leaders and will be coming back to us with feedback and requests.

We would appreciate your prayers for guidance and wisdom.