Benjamin's funeral

Rev. Dr. Benjamin Ngede

leaving Kihesa Lutheran Church

Bishop Mdegella

Our friends in Iringa, Tanzania are reporting that Benjamin Ngede's funeral was the largest in anyone's memory, with estimates of a crowd as large as 3,000 attending the gravesite services. Here is an account written by Pastor Kent Claussen Gubrud from Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Apple Valley.

Literally thousands of people came to mourn and remember Rev. Dr. Benjamin Ngede, gathering from far and wide across Tanzania.

We were picked up at noon and brought to Kihesa Church gathering hall for a bite for lunch, as all of the pastors gathered together putting on their robes and stoles for the procession to the church, along with the faculty of Tumaini University all decked out in their academic robes. Our instructions from Rev. Msigwa were to go to the church ahead of time to be seated, which turned out to be in the middle of all the pastors, to the left of the family, who either sat up front or on the floor up front.

Aftyer the procession of the academic faculty, the pastors, and Bishop Mdegella and the lead pastors and dignitaries, the coffin was carried in led by a cross with Pastor Ngede's birthdate and deathdate, as well as a framed picture of him. The singing began in earnest as people continued to file in. There was not enough room in the church for all of the people. The whole neighborhood was filled with people gathered for the funeral.

After a few prayers and more songs, the Bishop began to give instructions on how the procession in front of the casket should be done. This took a while, as there were many people to organize. As the procession began we also began to sing hymns and clap our hands, as one by one people filed by the casket to make their last goodbyes. This took about one hour. Then the pastors lined up outside the church as the casket was carried to a vehicle sent by Tumaini University.

Everyone proceeded down the hill and around the corner to the right where thousands of people were waiting. People were hanging in the trees, sitting on huge boulders that dotted the area, and ringing the area where the grave was, surrounded by a fence of string and rope to make space for all of the family, guests, faculty and pastors.

After a few prayers, lessons, and songs, the eulogies began. The first was Bishop Mdegella, who spoke of Rev. Ngede's many accomplishments, his impact on the lives of so many people, and his leadership in the Iringa Diocese and the Bega Kwa Bega partnership.

Members of the family, faculty, pastors, visiting dignitaries and I were called forward to cast three handfulls of dirt on the casket: "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; amen."

Soon silver circles of flowers and silver crosses were placed on top of the grave. Rev. Msigwa and I were called forward to place one of these wreaths on the grave together, signifying our Bega Kwa Bega partnership.

The speeches then continued...I was next...It was a humbling and moving experience standing in front of these people to give words of consolation and sympathy, and to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership that has been created out of the hard work and visionary leadership of Rev. Ngede and others. The light that so brightly shown in his life and ministry was not his own, but a gift of God, the light of Christ, that we share and that has now passed on to each one of us to carry forward and continue the great work of God's kingdom that is Bega Kwa Bega.

There were more prayers and singing, and after five hours we stood to pray the Lord's prayer together and to receive the final benediction.

There will be a memorial service to honor Benjamin in Minnesota on Monday, September 13 at 7 p.m. at Forest Lake Lutheran Church, Forest Lake.