Tanzania
The vision of the Tanzania Mission Partners at Prince of Peace is to hold us in Christ and free us to walk shoulder to shoulder [Bega Kwa Bega] with our brothers and sisters in Bomalang’ombe, the Iringa Diocese, and Tanzania.
Tanzania Mission
The vision of the Tanzania Mission Partners at Prince of Peace is to hold us in Christ and frees us to walk shoulder to shoulder [Bega Kwa Bega] with our brothers and sisters in Bomalang’ombe, the Iringa Diocese, and Tanzania. We will strive to nurture relationships, create understanding, and grow in faith together through prayer, education, sharing, and communication.
Since 1999, Prince of Peace has participated in mission work at the Bomalang’ombe parish, in Tanzania. The Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is partnered with the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. There are over 60 Parishes in the Iringa Diocese, and nearly all of them are partnered with congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod. Prince of Peace is partnered with the Bomalang’ombe Parish in the Iringa Diocese.
As part of our covenant with Bomalang’ombe Parish, we agree to learn more about each other’s congregation and community; exchange information through letters and photographs, develop individual-to-individual relationships; pray for each other at every opportunity, including regularly scheduled worship services; keep each other informed of projects underway; give of ourselves to each other even as Christ has first given himself to us; and to exchange visits by members of our congregations as frequently as possible. Prince of Peace provides financial support of $1,000 per year that is to be used for building projects in the Parish.
Prince of Peace is currently providing secondary-school scholarships for twenty students from Bomalang’ombe Parish. The government provides education for seven years in the primary schools. To continue on in the secondary schools, the students need to pay for their own education. Most of the secondary schools are boarding schools, so they need to pay room and board as well as tuition. The secondary schools provide four years (Form I to Form IV). Those who successfully complete Form IV have the option of going on to Form V and VI. Beyond that, they can go on to a university.
The Tanzanian Mission Partners sponsor the annual Tanzania Dinner each November. Typical Tanzanian food is served along with Tanzanian music. A free-will offering is taken, with the proceeds going toward secondary school scholarships for the students we are sponsoring.
Members of Prince of Peace have gone to visit our brothers and sisters in Bomalang’ombe to develop relationships with them. There were four visitors in 2002 and seven in 2004, including two youth. Another group of ten, including two youth and a Pastor, went to Iringa and Bomalang’ombe in 2006.
This flag symbolizes our mission work at Bomalang’ombe, reflecting our attitude of working together.
If you have specific questions about this mission initiative, or if you wish to travel with the next visiting delegation, please contact Caryn Josephson via the church office
Tanzania Partnership Updates
Stories of Talents Multiplied – Roger Hintze
Last Friday, we featured the first in a series of stories from Prince of Peace members, telling how they multiplied the talents they were given for the “Investing for Good” initiative. Today we hear from Roger Hintze. I’m a “standardized patient” at the University of...
Updates from Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa Parishes
In mid-March we were delighted to get emails from both Pastor Tewele at Bomalang’ombe and Pastor Mdegela at Vikongwa. We had shared with them some of the news of events at Prince of Peace including our Lenten worship services and our “Tiny Home” project with...
Multiplying and Making Real
Iringa Hope, our Bega Kwa Bega affiliated ministry partner, has created a powerful way for our brothers and sisters in Tanzania to invest their modest resources cooperatively into their communities and create real transformation in the process. Using the model of “micro-financing,” similar to the savings & loans systems that pre-existed modern banking, local cooperatives trained and supported by Iringa Hope are providing the financial services that are lacking in the mostly rural areas of central Tanzania.
Meet the Bega kwa Bega Program Coordinators!
Bega Kwa Bega's program coordinators, Ryan and Astine Bose, are on a holiday break from Tanzania and are visiting St. Paul before heading to visit their family in Kansas. They are planning to worship with us at Prince of Peace this Sunday December 11th. There...
Help Needed for Upcoming Tanzanian Dinner
Saturday, November 12 & Sunday, November 13 Our annual Tanzanian dinner on Sunday November 13th celebrates the partnership between Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and our companions, Bomalang’ombe Lutheran Church and Vikongwa Lutheran Church in Tanzania. ...
21st Annual Tanzanian Dinner
Sunday, November 13; 5:30 - 7:30pm You are warmly welcome to join us for our Annual Tanzanian dinner to celebrate the relationship between Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and our companions, Bomalang’ombe Lutheran Church and Vikongwa Lutheran Church in Tanzania. We...
News from Vikongwa
Our companion congregation Vikongwa is growing in more ways than one! We recently heard from Pastor Mdegela about 2 exciting events. First, Pastor Mdegela and his wife Lillian welcomed twin daughters to their family! Lillian and the babies are doing...
Help needed for Bega kwa Bega Reception
During the past school year, Pastor Lusungu Msigwa and Pastor Nixon Mwitula from Iringa Tanzania have been in Minnesota studying at Luther Seminary. Pastor Msigwa has served as a Translator on some of Prince of Peace’s trips to Tanzania. The Bega kwa Bega...
Updates from Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa
Exciting things are happening for our Tanzanian Companion Congregations of Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa! The wonders of technology let us stay connected through email, Facebook and an occasional Zoom call. We recently received updates from both...