Church Planting is more than a word in the Southeast of Lake Victoria (SELVD) Lutheran Church of Tanzania, it is a priority. The SELVD area is in two large Governmental Regions, Shinyanga and Simiyu.
Bishop Yohana Nzelu told me “We have a vision of reaching all wards in these two regions by 2025 and all villages by 2030. It is also a goal and strategy that every district (similar to our circuits) will have a mission week each year to unreached wards and villages.”
Each year the SELVD identifies villages or wards within the two regions that have had little evangelism exposure because of their remote locations and schedules the mission team from the Mid-South District LCMS to go to those areas.
This year the Mid-South District mission team was sent to the Simiyu region. The Simiyu District is made up of five governmental Districts, (like our county system here in the USA), they are, Bariadi, Busega, Itilima, Maswa and Meatu.
Each District is divided into wards. This year the Diocese chose to do their mission week in the Meatu District, specifically in the Mwabusalu and Mwandoya wards and specifically in villages of Mhumunu, Mwakipugila and Mwaukoli.
The District Pastor in the Meatu District is our old friend Frank Mdindi and joining him from the Meatu District were Pastors Innocent Kimaro, Deus Peter and well as evangelist Hosea Malundu, Vicar Dominic Mmbwambo.
From the Diocese office, Bishop Yohana Nzelu and Assistant Bishop Daniel Mono joined us on this mission along with Pastor Mathias Mesele, and Missionary with Lutheran Bible Translator Tiffany Smith and many others.
Each day we drove to these very remote areas on gravel and dirt roads for 45 minutes to an hour to the location of the day’s evangelism. Joining us was the area Pastors and laymen from each of the villages who would lead us to the homes in the area.
Two of these small startup congregations Mhumunu and Mwakipugila had no permanent building or land to meet in, they were meeting under a tree or in a rented location. In fact, Mhumunu was meeting in a rented cotton warehouse but now could not because cotton was being harvested.
During our week of evangelism 903 were baptized in the villages of Mhumunu, Mwakipuglia and Mwaukol during the mission outreach event and Sinema Leo
The District Pastors are making plans to purchase land for the two startup locations.
For more info contact Bob Allen
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