THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF TANGA

JANUARY _ APRIL 2013 NEWS LETTER

P.O BOX 35 Korogwe,Tanga,Tanzania

Tel:=+255 27 2640522 E-mail:acttanga@yahoo.com

TABLE OF CONTENT

News from the Diocesan Bishop

Visit of the Bishop of Zanzibar

The Bishop Pastoral Visits to Village churches

Visit of Bishops from America

Fund Raising for a Diocesan Seminary

Entertainments

Management and Administration issues

Students at St. Mark’s Centre

News from the Diocesan Bishop

This first quarterly newsletter of our diocese results from our efforts to improve

communication with our partners. We thought we could produce it in January but several

challenges affected the process. It is with many thanks that we now have it. I am

thankful to our Synod and Information Office for their tireless endeavor which has

enabled this work to begin.

Shambaa reminds us that your future success lays on the choice you make today. Our

choices are well stipulated in our 2025 Mission. Our first year of the choices we have

made has just ended. The work we embarked to re-structurize, reorganize and recover our

diocese was greatly supported by our clergy and laity, friends from overseas, the

government of Tanzania and therefore we believe that God is on our side. Through

prayers, hard work, material and immaterial support, we are starting to see our diocese

stretching its ‘wings’ as a sign of taking off. We know it will take several years for the

seed we are sowing to bear fruit, but through working together, the future will tell us a

new story. This newsletter highlights some of these stories. It is my prayer that these

stories will steer joy, happiness and encourage you all as you pilgrim with us.

+ Maimbo

Anglican Diocese of Tanga

The Head Office of the Diocese receives visitors of all kinds. Here are two baboons

paying a visit to the bishop’s office on 7th

January 2013. They will always ask for a piece

of bread or a banana and if received none from the office will rough at us. They are good

friends to us all.

Picture by Angela Mganga.

THE BISHOP OF ZANZIBAR’S VISIT TO TANGA ON DECEMBER 2012

Bishop Michael Hafidhi of Zanzibar visited the Diocese of Tanga on December 2012.

He led priests and their wife Retreat at Majani Mapana in Tanga and he was also the

Guest of Honour at St. Andrew’s 50 Years Anniversary which was held at Manundu

Korogwe on 16th

December 2012.

BISHOP MAIMBO’S PASTORAL VISITS TO VILLAGES

A visit to Usambara Mountains

These are Usambara hills as viewed from Kwamhanya village. Although it is rocky but

the Shambaa people use this land to grow beans, cassava, maize and mango. The

consequences are high soil erosion and deforestation. The youth of Vugiri Deanery are

making efforts to grow tree nursery which will be given to people.

Bishop’s visit to Chanika Handeni

The Diocese of Tanga covers low land, hills and mountains. Angela Mganga took this

picture at Kweinjugo in the Handeni Archdeaconry which is low land. As the pictures

shows, poverty the extreme of poverty in one of the villages close to Chanika Handeni.

The owner of the plot is selling this house and the plot to the church at Handeni for Tshs

800,000 so that he may buy another plot and make a living.

Bishop’s visit to Magula village church

Magula is an outstation of St. Luke’s parish Misozwe located on the eastern edge of

Mount Mlinga. Bishop Maimbo became the first bishop to visit this community since it

was found in 1943. Although it took the bishop a walk of 6 km climbing the mountain,

the Christians happily waited for the bishop to arrive. They had put a mud bricks church

building in support of the mission 2025. The bishop promised them that he will dedicate

the church building in his 2013 visit to Magula.

Rev. Can Augustine Sebakwa, the Area Dean of Magila and Priest in charge of St. Luke’s

Parish encourages the Bishop Maimbo, Ven. Christopher Kiango (the Vicar General –

behind the bishop) to go an extra kilometer as he approaches Magula.

One of the blessings of which the diocese is proud of is the ‘growing church’. Below is a

group photo of Magoma Sunday School which was taken when Bishop Maimbo visited

the parish for the first time. The church building was full in such a way that there was no

even a space to move. Magoma is a very fast growing town and Head offices of Magoma

Deanery. It has government’s as well as private firms offices. Anglicans at Magoma are

building a new church which will accommodate 500 people

VISITS OF BISHOPS FROM AMERICA TO TANGA

On Bishops Mark from the Diocese of Ohio and Thomas from Massachusetts paid a visit

to Bishop Maimbo on 5 December 2012. The main aim of the visit was to strengthen

diocesan links. This picture was taken by Angela Mganga soon after the three bishop had

finished their talk in the diocesan office at Korogwe.

Although it rained on 7th

December 2012 and Kizara is such a high hill, Land Cruisers

brought visitors from America to Kizara. Bishop Maimbo led the inauguration service in

Kiswahili and Bishop Thomas preached in English. It was such a memorable service. The

picture below shows bishop Maimbo and Thomas assisted by Rev. Fr. Eliya Singano (the

Arean Dean of Magoma standing on the right of Bishop Maimbo) and Ven. William

Mbuji, Dean of the Cathedral of St. Michaels and Archdeacon of Cathedral Archdeaconry

(standing on the left of Bishop Thomas). After the service the two bishops and the

American visitors drove through Kizara Rainy Forest. In this forest, there is a point which

is dedicated to Bishop Frank Weston who, in one of his visits to Kizara in 1920, felt

thirsty and because he could not get water, he knocked on one of the rocks facing him by

using a stick and look, there was water. To this day this point is known as water of

wonders.

FUNDRASING FOR FRANK WESTON SEMINARY.

Magila where Bishop Frank Weston is buried is well known in the Anglican Communion.

Facing Magila is a hill known as Hegongo where when Bishop Frank transferred the head

offices of the Diocese of Zanzibar to Magila in 1917, made Hegongo bishop’s residence.

Since then, Hegongo became not only bishop’s residential area, but also a theological

training college for deacons and priests. This is the site which the Diocese of Tanga is

building a seminary in the name of Frank Weston. Fund raising service through which

Tshs 22, 000, 000 were raised was held at St. Augustine Parish in Tanga. The picture

below shows the bishop leading the service. It is our hope that the seminary will be a

place where our candidates for ordination can easily be identified and developed.

ENTERTAIMENTS

Priest and their wives are always occupied by parish work but the 13th

December 2012

was a different day. They opted to go out and play some games as these pictures shows.

Wives of priests (on red uniforms) playing Netball with lay women of Tanga City (on

yellow uniforms) at Mkwakwani Stadium on 13 December 2012. Although the wives of

priests were defeated 23 by 16, they prayed such an entertaining game.

As it was for their wives, priests (on white jazzy) too played with the lay people of Tanga

City. The priests were defeated 3 by 1. When the Diocesan Vicar General (Can.

Christopher Kiango) who played as attacking mid fielder, he said the priests were

defeated simply because they do not exercise. He however commended a good game

shown by the priests.

MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION ISSUES

The year 2013 started with creation of new board’s members. Standing in this picture are

members of Hegongo Holy Cross Secondary School. The chairperson is the former

Diocesan General Secretary, Mr. Ernest Chambo (on gray suite) and his assistant is Mr.

Samuel Kamote (on black suite standing at the back).

The third Diocesan Management Committee Meeting was held at St. Mark’s Centre in

Dar es Salaam from 7th

-9th

October 2012. The committee members were given time to

visit several projects run by Lutherans. At Kijitonyama, they studies about how

parishioners managed to build a ten story building as an investment for the parish. In their

unison, they said that can also be done in the diocese of Tanga.

ST. BARNABAS CHRISTIAN TRAINING CENTRE

The Diocese of Tanga runs a Christian Training Centre which offers courses to

evangelists, catechists, Qualifying Tests for all people who missed the opportunity of

studying secondary education and some short courses on entrepreneurship and religious

education. Currently there are 10 catechists who are studying for nine months. Two

catechists out of these ten are women. It is with thanks to God that the number of women

coming for training for ministry in the church is slightly growing. We now have Monica

Mngodo and Sofia Malogo Singano who are pursuing their diplomas in theology at. Saint

Marks Centre in Dar es Salaam. Whereas Monica is sponsored by Lit-Moi Foundation,

Sofia is under the joint sponsorship between the diocese and her husband who is our

priest at St. Raphael Parish Mdote, Muheza. Our hope is that if we get more scholarship

for women, we will train more women for various ministries in the church.