Tanzania Partnership

Thanks to a generous gift from the SOTV Endowment Fund, we were just able to send some funds to Usolanga this week.  The gift will be used to establish solar power for their main chapel and parsonage. Last year when Jenny Harrits and I visited Usolanga for Sunday morning worship, we were surprised to find this sound system in use. The professional audio system served as a call to worship.  For about thirty minutes prior to worship, contemporary Christian music played loudly from the chapel, broadcasting to the neighborhood that it was time to come to worship. The music was hard to ignore. The downside was that the chapel had no electrical power except what came from this generator.  The generator was almost as loud as the music. They placed it as far from the chapel as they could. So when we met with the partnership committee, they told us that one of their strategic goals was to install solar power. Lights in the chapel would enable them to h...

We celebrated our Tanzania Partnership in worship at the end of January.  This was the fourth or fifth time we've done this over the last dozen years, so things that were once really new and unexpected have come to be almost routine.  Like having the kwaya [choir] sing accompanied only by drums, and dressed in a collection of Tanzanian dresses, shirts and kitangas [fabric lengths] given to us by our partners. We've become accustomed to the auction at the end of worship, and there are people who show up on Sunday morning bearing items to be auctioned -- bananas, beans, eggs.  There was a chicken who made a little noise when the choir sang, but who stayed in her cage (unlike the chicken of 2013). The Kwaya ya Watoto [Children's Choir] added a new element this year, leading the singing of a Maasai song.  The children dressed in Maasai clothing and jewelry. Pastor Chris introduced the song to the congregation.  The text goes someth...

  a chicken in church?! I hope at least some of you had as much fun at worship last weekend as I did. I hope you had even half as much fun as I did.  I had a lot of fun. Senior choir leads worship with songs and drums    Worship was a celebration of our partnership with Tungamalenga Parish.  As soon as you walked into the building, you could see gifts from our partners on display: ebony carvings, colorful kitangas, favorite photos from our travels. The songs we sang in worship were largely gifts from our partners as well.  Asante sana Yesu, Amejaa Neema, Hosannah, Baba Yetu -- all songs we've learned from our partners.  All but one of the hymns in the sanctuary were accompanied by drums that have been given to us by our partners.  The one hymn that we sang with piano accompaniment was a hymn that we have sung together in Tanzania, with words that call us "to act with justice, to love tenderly, to serve one another, to walk humbly...

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 pat...

Pastor Naftal greeting congregation members Sunday mornings at Shepherd of the Valley can be stimulating and almost exhausting even for those of us who go there every week. Three services in the sanctuary plus two in the Table, a narthex full of people, children dashing toward the donut table, the parking lot overflows.... Today our guests participated in worship, were the speakers at Adult Forum, Pastor Naftal brought a word of greetings and thanks to the congregation at every service and presented both Bishop Rogness and the SOTV pastors with gifts that visually depict our two congregations connected through the cross of Christ, Dr Saga presented our congregation with a gift of ebony candlesticks and with the observation that we will be reminded that the light of Christ is shining around the globe. And in between services our guests were greeted by many people with words of welcome. At the end of the morning, we shared a meal and delightful conversation with Bishop Rogness befo...