Imani Moja/One Faith - Part 5
Imani Moja/One Faith—Journeying with our companions in the Pare Diocese and Mwanga Diocese in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
~Bishop Amy Current
Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Amen (Swahili)
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Amen
(English)
I(Paul), therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)
Askofu is the Swahili word for bishop. What a privilege and honor to step into partnership with Askofu Mjema, Pare Diocese, and Askofu Mono, Mwanga Diocese asthey each welcomed us, hosted us, provided for our transportation and hospitality, introduced us to their country, their dioceses, their families, their pastors, their evangelists, their parishes, their ministries, and then together, the Holy Spirit opened our hearts and minds to celebrate the partnerships that have been and imagine partnerships moving forward between the Pare Diocese, the Mwanga Diocese, and the Southeastern Iowa Synod.
Askofu is the Swahili word of bishop, yes. But often the pastors, leaders, and parishioners refer to their bishops with affection with Baba Askofu (Father(or even Dad) Bishop). It was quite common to watch Bishop Mjema, who has served as bishop for many years, enter a room and smiles would begin to spread on the faces of the folks and they would get up to greet him, reaching out their hands and with the words, “Baba Askofu”. There is clearly deep love, affection, and respect for their dear bishop in Pare Diocese. Then I would enter the space, smiles would spread on the faces of the folks, and they would get up to greet me as well, reaching out their hands. I would then have a loss of words, as I am not a Baba.
Some may be thinking, how about Mama Askofu? Well, that simply would not work as most bishops are married in the ELCT and Mama Askofu is an affectionate term for the bishop’s spouse.
So, I was simply Askofu Amy. And it fit just right.
Bishop Current and Bishop Mjema
I was the first female bishop that many had seen in the Pare and Mwanga Dioceses. There are ordained women pastors in both dioceses, but there is not, as of yet, a woman in the role of bishop in the ELCT. And my experience shows that my gender was not a barrier to relationship, to partnership, to trust, or shared mission and ministry. It did, however, provide so many opportunities for selfies.
S8.12 in the Constitution of the ELCA, describes the role of bishop which includes this list with detailed subpoints under each one.
As this synod’s pastor, the bishop shall:
Preach, teach, and administer the sacraments in accord with the Confession of Faith of this church.
Exercise leadership in the mission of this church
Practice leadership in strengthening the unity of the Church
Oversee and administer the work of this synod.
I haven’t read the constitutional language for the role of bishop in the ELCT. I assume that it has many of these same responsibilities plus…
Community leader advocating for people and communities in need as well as for environmental concerns, agricultural concerns, and peace among the people
Government advocate at the local, state, and federal level for better roads, first responder services, safe water, and requesting governmental funding for projects
Administrator for the diocese and parishes, pastors… plus
Hospitals and Clinics
Kindergartens, Primary, and Secondary Schools
Bible Colleges
Social Service Agencies
Guest Houses
And more
Supervisor for the Diocese staff and all of the organizations listed above
Askofus in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania are church leaders, who in the culture of Tanzania, lead the Lutheran Church in providing services for Tanzanians throughout the country. These are not services for Lutherans or Christians alone, but for all people. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism propels the ELCT and our partner diocese to live their lives of faith in loving their neighbors.
What a humbling joy to be welcomed into this mission. What a humbling joy to then hear—”Askofu Amy, please give thanks to the people in Iowa for their partnership in these ministries. Askofu Amy, we can do this, due to the generosity of the people in the Southeastern Iowa Synod. Askofu Amy, come and see this is an example of the love of God shared through the people in Pella, Grimes, Ames, Iowa City, Swedesburg, Muscatine, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines…” And these were communities connected only to the places that we had the opportunity to visit in October.
Thank you, Southeastern Iowa Synod, for our commitment to our partners in the Mwanga and Pare Dioceses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Thank you for the opportunity for my visit in October and for the ways that I was able to witness our partnership that is not about us “helping” the people of Tanzania. Instead, this is partnership centered in sharing the Good News of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Together, we share One Faith, One Lord, One Baptism, and the Spirit guides us in the journey of accompaniment as Dioceses, Parishes/Congregations, and the beloved people of God in Southeastern Iowa and in Tanzania.
I invite your prayers for our partner bishops—Askofu Mono and Askofu Mjema, for their diocese staff, for their families, for the pastors, for the evangelists, for the administrators, for all employees, for all the baptized in Pare and Mwanga.
I invite your continued partnerships as congregations and parishes.
I invite your prayers for our shared accompaniment into the future.
I invite your generosity as our Synod Assembly offering this year will support our companions in the Pare Diocese and Mwanga Diocese. We will not designate how our partners use the gifts; instead, we will split the offering equally so that the Askofus might use our gifts to support the ministry where needed most.
I(Paul), therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)
Until next week…
Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Bwana Yesu Asifiwe. Amen (Swahili)
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Amen
(English)