Drumming in the light of God

Today at worship we continued the celebration of the Epiphany season with its wonderful light imagery. You are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.

The gathering hymn today was "We are Marching in the Light of God" and was accompanied only by drums and percussion instruments. Three of the drums we used today were gifts from our companions in Tungamalenga Parish, Tanzania. Let me tell you a little about those drums.

Way back in August, 2002, when Shepherd of the Valley members first visited our partners, two of the drums in the photo above accompanied our group as we traveled around the parish, visiting many of the 20 village congregations that make up the parish. Our group of ten from Shepherd, plus the Tungamalenga Pastors and evangelists, would load up the bus each day for a tour of the parish. We'd bump along over dirt roads or paths used normally by walkers and bicyclists.

As we visited each congregation (sometimes called 'preaching points') the villagers would sing for us. At each stop, the only accompaniment to full throated singing were these two drums. Sometimes Absalum played them, sometimes Evelina and her brother played them. The only other instrument used during our time there (and only at one village) was a whistle like those used by gym teachers or basketball referrees.

Early on during our visit, I had asked the pastor where I could purchase drums, telling him that was the one thing I wanted to take home to my children. Should I buy them in the big city of Iringa, I asked, or wait until I was in Tungamalenga? Oh, of course I should wait until Tungamalenga, he said. Throughout our time in Tungamalenga, I didn't ever see a shop where I could purchase a drum, but I let it go, knowing we'd be going back through Iringa on the way home and figuring I could buy one then.

Imagine my surprise, when on our last day in Tungamalenga, during all the good byes and the public presentation of gifts of baskets and necklaces, when all the other gifts had been given, Pastor called me to the front of the church and presented me with the two drums that had been used in worship during our visit. What an extraordinary gift, and how humbling to receive them.

They are rough and humble, hewn from hollow logs, their heads made from the skin of some large lizard (Lyn MacLean could tell you the exact kind), trimmed with a little animal fur, the drum heads nailed in place using acacia tree needles that are about four inches long and very sharp. The photo below shows the inside of the drum head.

We use these drums in worship at Shepherd of the Valley a couple times every year. They never fail to remind me of our precious partnership, of the gift of singing and dancing and drumming, and of the amazing generosity of our partners. Asante sana.