ELCA Northwestern PA Synod

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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MISSIONARY FROM OUR MIDST

On August 16, 2009 Colleen Hetrick, a young lady from Immanuel in Erie, will be traveling to Cieszyn, Poland to spend a year teaching conversational English to high school age students. This is an exciting undertaking for Colleen, her family, her congregation, and our synod. Please pray for Colleen as she travels and then follow her adventures in Poland on her blog www.colleenpoland.blogspot.com.

WE'RE ON A MISSION...

The Global Missions Committee has been revamped to include fewer but intensely interested people who enjoy working to uplift and improve the conditions of our brothers and sisters outside the borders of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod. Our mission and vision is reflective of the vision of the synod… Making Disciples, Forming Faith, Developing Leadership.

The current membership of the committee includes: Linda Armstrong (Holy Trinity, Greenville), Beth Spahn (Trinity, Meadville), Jack Wonner (Trinity, McKean), Colleen Witmer (First, Warren), Pastor Samuel Mabugu (Emanuel, Titusville and Mt. Zion, Tionesta), Pastor Andrea Ng’weshemi (Thiel College, Greenville), Dr. Linda Winkler (Zion, Oil City), Susan Bittler (Holy Trinity, Greenville), and Bishop Ralph Jones.

PARTNERSHIPS

Karagwe Diocese, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Protestant Church in Central Germany

Where in the world is Karagwe?

Tanzania is located in east Africa along the coast of the Indian Ocean. It borders Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Zambia. Its capital is Dodomo, but most governmental offices and embassies are still located in the old capital of Dare Es Salaam, on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Karagwe is part of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is located in the uppermost northwest corner of Tanzania. It borders Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, and Burundi.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania

With over 3 million members, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania is the largest Lutheran Church body on the continent of Africa. It is led by the Presiding Bishop and twenty Diocesan Bishops.

The Karagwe Diocese

The Karagwe Diocese is a relatively new diocese, having been formed out of the Northwestern Diocese in the late 1970s. Bishop Benson Bagonza is the third bishop of the diocese. The diocese has its headquarters in Karagwe, a few kilometers from the Nyakahanga hospital.

Tanzania is a poor country. The Kagera Region, in which the Karagwe Diocese is located, is one of the poorest of the poor. The district of Morongo – which is near the Ugandan and Rwandan border, has a per capita mean income of $39 USD per year.

Our Partnership

The partnership between the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod and the Karagwe Diocese, ELCT is young. Yet, in that short time much has been accomplished. We sent a 20 foot sea-going container with medical supplies to the Nyakahanga Hospital. We have had members of the synod visiting in medical missions, AIDs projects, the Bishop's appeal for the Bweranyange Girls' Secondary School, as well as visits between Bishop Jones and Bishop Bagonza.

Projects

Bweranyange Girls' Secondary School
Parish to Parish Partnerships
- One way for congregations to maintain an on-going and personal relationship with the Karagwe Diocese is to become a companion congregation. When a companion relationship is established your congregation will be able to be in direct contact with a congregation in the Karagwe Diocese. This relationship includes the exchange of letters, prayer petitions, ideas, pictures, and gifts. In some cases, youth groups, women's groups, or choirs could become companionships.
Missionary Support

PRIORITIES for the KARAGWE DIOCESE

Support for the Bweryange Girl's School.
Personal exchanges between Karagwe Diocese and Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod.
HIV/AIDS Orphan and Widow Support
Growth of the Diocese Outreach Support
Addressing poverty
Water provisions for mission stations.
Advocacy for job creation in the Kagera Region

PARISH to PARISH PROJECTS

We are all moved by the needs of our brothers and sisters in Karagwe. Yet, the best way to provide assistance to your sister parish and your sisters and brothers in Christ is to get to know and listen to the people of Karagwe. Listen to what are actual needs for them. Before deciding on a project to help, find out if such a project is really something that is sustainable for them. e.g. - if an appliance, motorcycle, etc. - Will there be parts available for repairs in the future?

Does such a project help the congregation/ persons or is ti something that will make us feel better, but perhaps not be the best thing for our brothers and sisters in Karagwe?

Transferring Funds to Karagwe

When transferring funds to the Karagwe Diocese, it is best that all such transfers be completed through the synod office. You may designate where the funds are to go, and the office will make the transfer for your congregation.

The reason for all such transfers is that the banks in Tanzania often charge up to 20% of the total amount of the transfer as service fees. By transferring funds through the synod office, the transfers can be made directly to the diocese.

What you can do...

Pray for our companion diocese, its mission and ministry
Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they struggle against poverty, Malaria, HIV/AIDs, and other threatening diseases.
Invite a NWPA synod member who has visited in the Karagwe Diocese to speak at an even in your congregation.
Become a companion congregation with a congregation or mission area in the Karagwe Diocese.
Help sponsor visitors to and from the Karagwe Diocese.
Learn about the Karagwe Diocese during vacation Bible school and/or Sunday school.
Sponsor a specific project or scholarship relationship.
Serve as a member of the Global Mission Committee.
Visit the website of the Karagwe Diocese.

Protestant Church in Central Germany

The merger of the Thuringia and Saxony region is a reality. Bishop Jones traveled to Germany in August to take part in the consecration of their new bishop.