For many years the British Province has maintained and developed a close partnership with the Moravian Church in Western Tanzania (MCWT). This has involved the sharing of both personnel and financial assistance in support of the Church's work in their part of East Africa. Among those people who have spent time there are Sr Dorothy Morton, Br Richard Ingham and Dr Keevil, the founder of the Sikonge Hospital and Leprosarium.
MCWT is a full Unity Province with its work beginning in 1897. Today there are 120,000 members spanning 79 congregations and 261 out stations, and these are served by 110 ordained ministers, including four sisters. In addition, MCWT supervises the five Mission Areas of Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and South Central Tanzania.
The MCWT Provincial Board comprises 16 members, with three members making up an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has the responsibility of the day to day management of the Province. Br Ezekial Yona is the Chair, and he is supported by a Vice Chair, and Br Richard Lwali who holds the office of General Secretary. You may remember that Br Yona was consecrated Bishop in 2018, and so will step down as Chair at their Synod in 2021.
The Executive Committee welcomed Sr Roberta Hoey and Br David Howarth and gave a very informative presentation on their work. They were pleased to highlight the composition of the Province, the main areas of social work (hospitals and schools) and the developments in the five Mission Areas. A number of these Mission Areas have been adopted from other denominations, and there is a desire to provide Moravian education and support the creation of Church Governance.
Our visit was a good opportunity for both Provincial Boards to share their hopes for the future, and one that the MCWT are keen to develop is the creation of sustainable income. The Executive Committee advised that this remains difficult, especially as one idea is the creation of investment projects similar to those found in the South Africa Province. They noted that a significant amount of external investment would be needed. At present, there is no clear direction on how this will progress, although there are plans to develop a Provincially owned farm in the Tabora region.
Our annual commitment to MCWT is primarily through a block grant to the Province and grants to Sikonge Hospital. Over the years various requests for project grants have been received, including a £12,000 grant for renovation of the medical dispensary in Tabora.
It is usual for a visit such as this for the host Province to take their guests on a brief tour of congregations and their work. Our visit was no exception. In addition to obtaining a feel for several of the local congregations we were shown the work being carried out at the Sikonge Hospital and Leprosarium.
The Leprosarium at Sikonge was founded in 1923 by the British missionary, Dr Keevil, and since then has extended its care beyond these specific patients. Other services provided are maternity (up to 20 deliveries per day in two labour rooms), pre and post-natal care, HIV/Aids, and Emergency and elective surgery. While there is still a need for the care of leprosy patients, due to advances in preventative measures and treatment, there are currently only six long-term inpatients in Sikonge. The Rehabilitation Centre continues to grow from strength to strength, developing prosthetics for both leprosy and non-leprosy patients.
A new building is currently being erected on the main Sikonge campus, and the leprosarium which is currently a mile away will be relocated.
As we know, HIV/Aids continue to be pandemic in rural Tanzania and there is a great stigma attached to this condition and tackling this has become a priority. This part of our trip was a true mixture of emotions: it was wonderful to see what they are doing, but there is so much more that could be done.
There is a real need for more doctors and nurses for both short term and long term deployments, and the hospital is keen to learn from practices from outside Tanzania. Perhaps you are someone with the right skills and who would wish to discuss the possibility of spending some time there. If so, please contact a member of the Provincial Board. Any expressions of interest or desire to want to know more will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
The Lusangi Bible College was established in 1957 by the Danish Moravian Church and Danish Lutheran Mission. It currently has twenty students who are preparing for ministry and evangelism by studying subjects such as New and Old Testament, Faith, Civics, Marriage, English, Swahili, Leadership & Reliance. There are six pastors who make up the teaching staff and five support staff.
There were many highlights of our short visit, but two immediately spring to mind. Firstly, 'Richard's Tree' continues to bear fruit (mangos). The Richard referred to is Br Richard Ingham, and not only is he remembered for planting this sapling, but more importantly for his ministry at the Moria congregation. And secondly, our visit to the congregation at Isevya, for it was here in 2005 that Br Howarth had the great privilege of preaching one Sunday morning during his time at the Unity Seminar held in Tabora in 2005, thankfully not in Swahili but in English with a Tanzanian brother translating.
Each time we visit this part of the Moravian Unity we are struck by several things, some of which have already been mentioned, but there are many others. These include the medical dispensary in Tabora who provide HIV testing kits and medicines to the local community; the sense of Call and Service to God and His people; the desire to share the Gospel message and the various church based activities and projects run in difficult circumstances, each one responding to a real need. Many of these projects are run in partnership with the international organisation 'Compassion' and are open to young and old alike, equipping them with life-skills such as sewing and dressmaking, carpentry and welding.
In closing, we believe the partnership between our two Provinces is something that we should celebrate and prayerfully encourage. We in the British Province are richly blessed by this, as we hope our sisters and brothers in Tanzanian are.
Br David Howarth
British Mission Board
