Tanzania

Letter from Tanzania

From Agape Chairperson:

This is the last letter I received from Pastor Edward Johnson of the Tukuyu Cathedral , in Tukuyu, the site of the synodical headquarters. Pastor Wenzke and his wife, a professor, are from York and are volunteering in Tanzania for six months - He is working with Pastoral leadership - she is teaching English plus. Pastor John Smaligo will be going to Tanzania with a group led by Pastor Tom or Judy McKee in the fall.

Grace Church has committed $2000.00 of benevolence to the Tanzanian Pastoral fund - a fund that will pay the salary or part of it for those churches that are not able. Sometimes the gift of a chicken just doesn't keep the Pastor going.

Dear Joyce S.

It is time again possible for us to cheer and enjoy our fellowship in Christ. "Asante sana" - Thank you very much. In Tanzania we speak one language called Swahili, so "Asante sana" means thank you very much.

I am glad to tell you that we have received Rev. John Wenzke and his wife, we are enjoying very much their stay in our diocese and especially in our town Tukuyu and in our country Tanzania. They are conducting seminars to pastors about pastoral counselling, stewardship and church administration. Well,this is a privilege for us as I believe that every day things are changing and we are living in a global world,so personally as a pastor I am so ambitious to learn how our fellow pastors in Lower susquehanna do their ministries.

Also I am glad to hear that Pastor John Smaligo was a member of your congregation, so I hope he will share to us many informations about your parish. However, we still need your visitation together with your pastor and your husband, even for next year, please think about if possible.

Good! In our workshop which was held in Zambia, my presentation was about "The Church Moving out as a Servant". I told the participants that the Christian community is a community which was sent by Jesus Christ himself for the purpose of serving. Therefore, the christian community was sent to others for the purpose of witnessing and serving as Jesus himself declared that "As the Father has sent me, So I am sending you" John 20:21(b).

I told the participants that there cannot be real witnessing and participation without the church moving out as a servant. I reminded them that Jesus himself went out every day to serve others. Jesus didn't remain in the office all six days of the week preparing sermons for the sundays, or balancing the books after his disciples had spent the money. He was committed to going from place to place visiting his friends, his enemies, the sick, the outcast, the sinners as well as the righteous, the poor as well as the rich, the children, the women and the men. Jesus didn't stay at home or even in the temple waiting for the people to come to him. He followed them where they lived and worked.

Jesus didn't even find good to stay in heaven and enjoy the riches of heaven while his beloved brothers and sisters were undergoing suffering and oppression on earth (Cf Philippians 2).

Lastly, I challenged the church as the servant to serve the AIDS/HIV victims and their orphans because as I told you in some of my letters, AIDS/HIV is an epidemic disease in Africa killing literates and illiterates. So I asked the church to serve the victims in real love because its for this purpose the church was sent and it exits for. The church which cannot reveal the love of Christ and serve others is dead. The task of the living church is not to segregate itself as a special community "in order to provide a new social environment for a different ways of behaviour" but its task is to live within the community by participating and extending the love of Christ in every sphere of life, liberating man from the tentacles of social, political and economic injustices.

So this was my presentation to that workshop in brief.

Asante sana. May God bless you indeed!

Pastor Edward Johnson.

	Grace Lutheran Church *Worshipping with the Saints -- Seeing Christ in others* Lancaster, Pennsylvania
(717) 397 2748 Welcome Our Mission For Every Day Map / Directions Thought to Ponder Staff Worship WorshipThoughts Services Worship Music Lessons 7/20/08 Sermons ComplineInfo Calendar Grace News June 24, 2008 June 17, 2008 June 10, 2008 Concerts Ministries Christian Education Akaloo Akaloo Schedule Music Music Groups Organs Childcare Youth Housing Ministry Parish Nurses Advice Seniors Slovakia Tanzania Links Our/Church Members Say History Windows of Grace Library	Letter from Tanzania From Agape Chairperson: This is the last letter I received from Pastor Edward Johnson of the Tukuyu Cathedral , in Tukuyu, the site of the synodical headquarters. Pastor Wenzke and his wife, a professor, are from York and are volunteering in Tanzania for six months - He is working with Pastoral leadership - she is teaching English plus. Pastor John Smaligo will be going to Tanzania with a group led by Pastor Tom or Judy McKee in the fall. Grace Church has committed $2000.00 of benevolence to the Tanzanian Pastoral fund - a fund that will pay the salary or part of it for those churches that are not able. Sometimes the gift of a chicken just doesn't keep the Pastor going. Dear Joyce S. It is time again possible for us to cheer and enjoy our fellowship in Christ. "Asante sana" - Thank you very much. In Tanzania we speak one language called Swahili, so "Asante sana" means thank you very much. I am glad to tell you that we have received Rev. John Wenzke and his wife, we are enjoying very much their stay in our diocese and especially in our town Tukuyu and in our country Tanzania. They are conducting seminars to pastors about pastoral counselling, stewardship and church administration. Well,this is a privilege for us as I believe that every day things are changing and we are living in a global world,so personally as a pastor I am so ambitious to learn how our fellow pastors in Lower susquehanna do their ministries. Also I am glad to hear that Pastor John Smaligo was a member of your congregation, so I hope he will share to us many informations about your parish. However, we still need your visitation together with your pastor and your husband, even for next year, please think about if possible. Good! In our workshop which was held in Zambia, my presentation was about "The Church Moving out as a Servant". I told the participants that the Christian community is a community which was sent by Jesus Christ himself for the purpose of serving. Therefore, the christian community was sent to others for the purpose of witnessing and serving as Jesus himself declared that "As the Father has sent me, So I am sending you" John 20:21(b). I told the participants that there cannot be real witnessing and participation without the church moving out as a servant. I reminded them that Jesus himself went out every day to serve others. Jesus didn't remain in the office all six days of the week preparing sermons for the sundays, or balancing the books after his disciples had spent the money. He was committed to going from place to place visiting his friends, his enemies, the sick, the outcast, the sinners as well as the righteous, the poor as well as the rich, the children, the women and the men. Jesus didn't stay at home or even in the temple waiting for the people to come to him. He followed them where they lived and worked. Jesus didn't even find good to stay in heaven and enjoy the riches of heaven while his beloved brothers and sisters were undergoing suffering and oppression on earth (Cf Philippians 2). Lastly, I challenged the church as the servant to serve the AIDS/HIV victims and their orphans because as I told you in some of my letters, AIDS/HIV is an epidemic disease in Africa killing literates and illiterates. So I asked the church to serve the victims in real love because its for this purpose the church was sent and it exits for. The church which cannot reveal the love of Christ and serve others is dead. The task of the living church is not to segregate itself as a special community "in order to provide a new social environment for a different ways of behaviour" but its task is to live within the community by participating and extending the love of Christ in every sphere of life, liberating man from the tentacles of social, political and economic injustices. So this was my presentation to that workshop in brief. Asante sana. May God bless you indeed! Pastor Edward Johnson.
Grace Lutheran Church -- 517 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 -- (717) 397 2748