Growth and change

Tungamalenga Parish is comprised of twenty village congregations (often referred to as preaching points) scattered across an area that's roughly comparable to that of Apple Valley, Eagan, Rosemount, Burnsville, Farmington and Lakeville.  The pastors serving the twenty congregations have one motorcycle between them.  For a long time, there has been a recognition that the parish is too large and spread out to work effectively as a single parish.

We've recently received word that change is coming to Tungamalenga Parish, and that a portion of the preaching points will split off and become an independent congregation. 

That's really good news, indicating that the parish as a whole is also financially healthy enough to make the change, with each new congregation able to sustain operations and support its own pastor.

We're not sure at this point how the parish will be divided.  A few months ago, we received a definitive statement from the diocese, passed along to us via the folks at Bega Kwa Bega, that Idodi would be the center of the new parish.  That makes sense, because the diocese last September stationed a new pastor there.  The plan was that Pastor Kareem would serve as pastor, with a special focus on chaplaincy duties at the Idodi Secondary School and the very busy Idodi Health Center (operated by the Tanzanian government).

However, more recently we've heard from Pastor Naftal that the congregation believes the new parish should be centered at Makifu, along with the preaching points of Makambalala, Mahuninga, Mahove, Kisliwa and others along that road (lower left quadrant of the map above).

That would also make sense, geographically.

At this point, we don't know what exactly will happen or who will make the decision.  We have been told by the diocese that the change would come about in 2012, and we've been told by the parish that the change is more likely 4 years off -- they need to build a parish center and parsonage at Makifu.

What we do know is that Shepherd of the Valley has been asked to remain partnered with both new congregations.  That would be a big change both for SOTV and Tungamalenga, as well as for the partnerships between Iringa Diocese and Saint Paul Area Synod.  In the past when new congregations have been established, a new US partner has been found.

But in recent years it seems to have been more difficult to locate stateside partners.  Of the 70 partner congregations, not all are SPAS congregations.  There's also a family as a partner, and congregations in New Hampshire, Arizona, Georgia.  None of the newest partners in recent years have been Minnesotan.  It seems that all the SPAS congregations that are interested and able to support a Tanzanian partner are already involved.  In fact, one congregation previously involved took a step back from its partnership in January, noting that as an inner city congregation with limited resources they had decided to focus on neighborhood mission.

The situation presents a new and welcome challenge for us.  We have long been aware that our resources are abundant, and that what we are able to share with our partners has the potential to create inequities and problems in the Iringa Diocese.  Over the years we have taken steps to spread our resources to others around the diocese when possible -- providing medicines not just to the Tungamalenga Dispensary, but to some of the other seven diocese dispensaries, for example.  We have 100 Tungamalenga students on our scholarship list, but have also provided 25 scholarships for orphans through the diocese's Huruma Center.  And when Bega Kwa Bega has, from time to time, let us know that one congregation or another has not been able to maintain its level of scholarship support, we have offered funds for those students.  Without taking anything away from our commitments to Tungamalenga Parish, we have been blessed with the resources to share more widely in the diocese mission.

So when we look to the future and consider partnership with two congregations, we are confident that the resources to support each will be there.

Perhaps a greater challenge as we move into a new partnership will be the challenge of clear and transparent communication with each partner, and jointly prioritizing the many requests.  This will be the subject of much of our work this summer when we travel to Tanzania.  We ask your prayers as we go through a time of transition, seeking to listen and learn, consider all options, coming to agreements with our partners that will enable us to do God's work with even more passion, patience, and partnership.