Mission Trip History

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7915164904940435099.post-16187311383305985662008-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:002008-01-18T09:22:52.704-08:002008-01-18T09:22:52.704-08:00Mission Trip HistorySometimes people ask why we have chosen to go to Tanzania, a country that is literally half way around the world! "Isn't there enough need locally to keep you busy?" is the most common question. "Wouldn't it be easier to work somewhere that is less expensive to get to?" is another. The answer to both the questions is YES. Both are valid. However, there IS a reason we chose Tanzania. In 1998, Bishop Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the<a title="Visit the ELCA's website." href="http://www.elca.org/"> Evangelical Lutheran Church of America</a>, and Bishop Mshana of the Pare Diocese of the <a title="Visit the ELCT's website." href="http://www.elct.org/">Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania</a> met and made the decision that their Synod and Diocese would become "companions." It would be a Synod-Diocese Companionship. (These terms actually refer to the same thing; the ELCA uses the term Synod to describe a group of churches in a geographical area, and Tanzanians use the word "Diocese"). Their vision looked something like this: + To have a cultural exchange designed to help each of these branches of the world-wide Lutheran Church learn more about the global similarities and differences in our denomination. + To encourage individual churches to partner up, and begin a more personal relationship and cultural exchange. + To help both the ELCA churches and the ELCT churches grow stronger in their evangelism and ministry through these partnerships. So, the real reason we chose to start this ministry at Bethany was very simple: we had a desire, as a church, to add an international compassion ministry to our local and national ministries already in place, and this was a program that our synod had already begun. We just joined in! The companionship between Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch, Iowa, and the Mbakweni Lutheran Parish in Tanzania officially began around 2001. Pastor Marty Jacobsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10455820920231192856noreply@blogger.com