September diocese visits
I had opportunities to visit some dioceses in September, as part of an effort to get familiar with our companion dioceses. In fact, Mwanga is a new diocese, split from the Pare Diocese in 2016, and as such it does not have an ELCA companion synod. But we still want to be together with them on the journey of accompaniment.
In Pare, I met with Bishop Charles Mjema and General Secretary Chambua Tumaini. They are both educators, and the diocese is intentional about focusing on youth and education as key parts of its core evangelism and mission activities. Our meeting place had many young people, as hundreds of them would gather for the following several days for a diocese youth conference. We got to know each other over fresh juice from their hostel.
In Mwanga, I met with Bishop Chediel Sendoro and his leadership team. His is a small diocese geographically, and they estimate 24,000 church members. They estimate 80 percent of the diocese area is Muslim, and the place is very dry with a weak local economy and lots of out-migration. But I was impressed by the hearts of service of the diocese leadership, and the strategies in place to raise funds in a place where most families' Sunday offerings are less than $0.25.
In the Meru Diocese, I met with Bishop Nassari and his leadership team. I was impressed by their commitment to companionship, and the sophistication of how the accompaniment values are applied. The bishop spent some years in the ELCA's Greater Milwaukee Synod, which he said had a big effect on his understanding of companionship.
In Pare, I met with Bishop Charles Mjema and General Secretary Chambua Tumaini. They are both educators, and the diocese is intentional about focusing on youth and education as key parts of its core evangelism and mission activities. Our meeting place had many young people, as hundreds of them would gather for the following several days for a diocese youth conference. We got to know each other over fresh juice from their hostel.
In Mwanga, I met with Bishop Chediel Sendoro and his leadership team. His is a small diocese geographically, and they estimate 24,000 church members. They estimate 80 percent of the diocese area is Muslim, and the place is very dry with a weak local economy and lots of out-migration. But I was impressed by the hearts of service of the diocese leadership, and the strategies in place to raise funds in a place where most families' Sunday offerings are less than $0.25.
In the Meru Diocese, I met with Bishop Nassari and his leadership team. I was impressed by their commitment to companionship, and the sophistication of how the accompaniment values are applied. The bishop spent some years in the ELCA's Greater Milwaukee Synod, which he said had a big effect on his understanding of companionship.
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