Revd Dr Linnet Smith is currently spending 2 months in Tanzania on secondment from the UK. She’s based in Arusha but is also visiting other parts of the country where Rooted in Jesus is in use.

Linnet met with Revd Charles Unjiro, Rooted in Jesus Coordinator for the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro: “He is so enthusiastic. He talked about how people in the groups were saying ‘God speaks to ME’ in these groups!’  And that some of the people in the groups have gone to new places where they are planting new churches and are being evangelists there. People are growing up in spiritual ways, helping their  pastors with evangelism and becoming the future servants of God.  Some of them have set up home-cell groups to continue studying the Bible together.”

She has visited the Diocese of Mara, travelling with Regional Coordinator Canon Jacob Robert to a number of villages: “Visiting different churches where there are RinJ groups was great. Each time we arrived at a church, after a long drive over dirt roads, we waited for a while for people to gather and then Jacob gathered the children in a group, asked them questions about what they were learning in their RinJ group and  tested them on memory verses. He was so kind and affirming with them – it was a joy to watch. Then he repeated the exercise with the adults and took the opportunity to teach them more from the Word and about how RinJ groups work at the same time.”  In all they visited 9 churches in 4 days. Some highlights:

• “We visited Kirumi Church where the people seemed very poor – subsistence farmers with little or no cash for school fees etc. People did gather eventually and Jacob gave them opportunity to talk about how their lives had changed through knowing Jesus and through RinJ. One woman told us that before she gave her life to Jesus, her husband had left her with several children so she turned to prostitution. Then she came to Christ and gave up that way of life and prayed for her husband. Now he has come back and they are a family again.

• “Our next stop was at Buhema church. It took a while for the people to gather there and Jacob reminded me that people were making a real sacrifice coming to meet with us when there was work to be done in the fields. In the end a group of about 60 children gathered. After playing a game with them, Jacob asked them questions from the RinJ course and then tested them on memory verses, giving each child who got one right, a big round of applause. He was just lovely with the children and then with the adults. It was a joy to watch!!

• “Then we went to the Church at Mmazame.  They shared with us how they had benefitted from RinJ. For example, now they had confidence in opening the Bible for themselves; now they felt able to share their faith with others; now they had learned the memory verses, they could stand against temptation; now they felt able to teach others. One man had learned 33 verses while studying 3 RinJ books – he didn’t say them all but he did say quite a few word perfect. They were given new books also and the evangelist challenged them to start a new group each.”

Linnet concludes: “It was truly wonderful to see Rin J groups in operation in the parishes – I praise God for your vision and hard work in creating something that God is using  so much for the growth of the church here. Jacob and I travelled back here together and then on Friday we met with James Almasi, the other Regional Coordinator, to plan for 2014 and beyond. It was a joy to work with such men of God and I think we made good plans. We stepped out in faith and planned for more conferences than we really have funding for so please pray that the extra money will be given!”

Linnet is also working through Book 1 of RinJ with the diocesan staff in Arusha, and talking with Charles Unjiro about how they can help RinJ become a self-sustaining ministry within the diocese. A grant is being applied for, and there are plans to hold special ‘Rooted in Jesus’ Sundays when an offering can be made to support the costs of the programme. Charles is also considering a tea and cake/groundnuts event when people would be invited to come and have a cuppa and make a contribution to the work of RinJ.

We continue to pray for Linnet as she travels, advises, assists and speaks, and for the Tanzanian Rooted in Jesus team Bishop Stanley Hotay, Canon Jacob Robert and Canon James Almasi.

For other recent feedback please visit http://www.rootedinjesus.net/news.php.

Posted 20th February 2014 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

Rooted in Jesus had an excellent and fruitful 2013, and we have posted the 2013 annual report on our website – you can read it online or download it by clicking here.

It was a busy year – the report contains the stories, the images, the details. But in summary,

• We facilitated conferences in 17 Anglican dioceses, and Growing the Church trained leaders from a further 5 dioceses in South Africa.
• We established a RinJ Tanzania office and handed over the running of RinJ in Tanzania to Bishop Stanley Hotay and his national colleagues Canons Jacob Robert and James Almasi
• We ran several RinJ Junior conferences in Tanzania, where in one diocese alone there are now almost 2000 children in Junior groups.

Over the last 10 years we have trained 8500 group leaders and 1500 Junior leaders, and others have been trained locally. Not all of those have gone on to lead groups, and it’s impossible to be precise about how many people have participated in RinJ groups – but it’s probably somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people. RinJ is standard now for confirmation preparation in many dioceses; in some the complete course is used as foundational training for lay ministers and community clergy; in others it’s now part of the syllabus in the diocesan Bible College.

2014 will bring its own challenges – we will be working again in South Sudan, if the situation there does not worsen; and in DR Congo as well. RinJ will be launched in three new countries, bringing the total to 18.

We continue to be dependent on your participation, your prayers and your financial support – so this comes with a big thank you to all of you, and with our best wishes for a blessed 2014.

Revd Dr Alison Morgan, Director, Rooted in Jesus
Posted 3rd January 2014

I have just returned from the first National Rooted in Jesus Conference in Tanzania, attended by representatives from 8 of the dioceses currently using Rooted in Jesus. The Conference was hosted by Bishop Stanley Hotay, with Bishop James Newcome of the Diocese of Carlisle as the guest speaker, sharing his experience of what it means to place discipleship at the heart of a growing rural diocese. We also heard from Estelle Adams, the Administrator for Rooted in Jesus in South Africa, who travelled from Cape Town to join us. We had expected that many of the Tanzanian bishops would also be with us, but due to the untimely death and the funeral of Bishop John Simalenga they were sadly prevented from doing so. However, we had an excellent time with the Diocesan Coordinators, who were able to report fully on the progress of Rooted in Jesus in their dioceses and spend time sharing their experiences and getting to know one another. Some highlights:

• In Mara there are now 81 RinJ groups at all stages of the course across the diocese, and 71 Junior groups
• In Mount Kilimanjaro there are 1841 children involved in Rooted in Jesus Junior groups, in every parish
• In Kiteto children are coming to faith from a Muslim background, and discarding their traditional charm bracelets
• Rooted in Jesus is being introduced as part of the syllabus in three of the Diocesan Bible Colleges

In South Africa Rooted in Jesus has been locally directed and supported for over a year now. Estelle reported that in that time they have held 8 training conferences attended by 575 leaders, and that they have had much encouraging feedback. RinJ is simple but powerful, she said; it changes people’s hearts and lives because it addresses the whole person. She told us an inspiring story of how one particular group had responded to the violence of gang warfare, and seen peace return to their neighbourhood in a township of Cape Town.

The major purpose of the conference was to hand over responsibility for Rooted in Jesus within Tanzania to Bishop Stanley Hotay, who now becomes the National Director for Rooted in Jesus in Tanzania. He will be supported by Canon James Almasi and Canon Jacob Robert, appointed as Regional Coordinators with responsibility for the South and the North of the country respectively; and by Revd Dr Linnet Smith who will be working for a part of each year in Arusha to help with the administration and development of the programme. They have a busy year ahead, with follow-up conferences to be planned and invitations from three further dioceses to introduce Rooted in Jesus. They will still need financial support in order to print the books and subsidise the conferences, and we have covenanted with them to try and help with that.

One of the diocesan coordinators, Emmanuel Rubuye from the Diocese of Tabora where RinJ was introduced just a few months ago, shared these thoughts in his first report:

• “I have been receiving testimony from few ministers who are running RinJ group classes to their congregations, trainees has learn minister coming down to their level, something which was quite difficult before, the classes is full of friendship, relationship and collaboration. It is a great change, I really feel a great enthusiasm to visit their congregation and see by my own eye such great testimony.”

He offered the following response from Pastor Jonas Mkuyu, who has been leading a RinJ group in his parish:

• “The book and its teaching has been a big help to my mission of up bringing Christian through Christian teaching. The book is speaking to Christian level, it is very easy for the group to discuss the questions and give a good answer, every group member has a word to say and advice to others, and I’m very encouraged and see a good future of my first group. The RinJ group members are very comfortable with the teaching and enjoying the teachings. Surely I’m going to be free and do other necessarily activities and the rest be left to the trained group.”

If you’d like to read more about the conference and catch up with the state of play of RinJ in Tanzania you can download the report here.

Finally, we are as ever extremely grateful to all those who prayed for the conference and to those who helped make it possible financially.

Posted 8th December 2013 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

The new Rooted in Jesus prayer diary is now online at http://www.rootedinjesus.net/docs/prayerdiary.pdf.
It covers the months of December, January and February.

On the Rooted in Jesus website you will also find:

• An encouraging report from the team which went last month to the Diocese of Kericho in Kenya. After a slow start to Rooted in Jesus in this young and poorly resourced diocese, team leader Tim Grew reports that at this second conference, led by a team from Trinity Cheltenham, ‘there was a strong sense of engagement, and high levels of participation, interest, involvement throughout’, and one man was particularly touched: ‘There was one lay leader, Frances from Narok who was so enthusiastic about the whole thing that it kept him awake on return to his town that Friday night. And at 2am in the morning he felt the Lord prompt him to go to the church (ACK St Luke’s) where they have an all night prayer meeting every Friday. He spent from 3am to 6am in utterly abandoned joy and laughter! He is now the area coordinator for RinJ.’ To read Tim’s report click here

• We have also had some feedback from Joyce Asaba, Mission Coordinator in the Diocese of Bunyoro Kitara in Uganda: “I am glad to inform you that I have now received reports from all the Parishes of Kagadi Archdeaconry. In Nyankoma Parish, Kagadi Archdeaconry, 12 people have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior as a result of RINJ, two couples have been wedded. In all parishes members of RINJ have started healing ministry in their respective Churches, many members have learned to apply the word of God in their prayers and their lives have been changed. Glory goes to God!”

• Fr Robert Sihubwa, the Diocesan Youth Pastor & Provincial Coordinator in the Diocese of Lusaka writes: “Children’s ministry has been a major focus in 2013. We trained 51 Teachers in Lusaka, 18 in Southern Archdeaconry in Level one training covering; Child development, Child evangelism, Lesson planning and class management. We have further trained 8 Trainers who will go round the Diocese in 2014 to conduct Level 1 training in the most rural areas. We managed to run Rooted in Jesus course for children at 9 congregations and we hope to scale up in the coming year.”

Keep abreast with news as it comes in on our frequently updated news page http://www.rootedinjesus.net/news.php.

Posted 22nd November 2013 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

2013 has been the busiest year yet for Rooted in Jesus, with teams working in 22 dioceses to introduce or support Rooted in Jesus; and just one conference to go. RinJ is now in use in 59 dioceses or denominations, with 16 new invitations for next year as well as a number of followup conferences. Translations are always in progress, and RinJ is now in use in 15 African countries, with plans for a further 3 in 2014.

CONFERENCES

Feedback from recent conferences is encouraging. A team led by Mike Edson has just returned from the Diocese of Kajiado in Kenya,  where they worked with 80 leaders in two centres. Mike writes:

• “And then there was the worship. As you know it is always uplifting… but the last morning was truly amazing… the Spirit fell immediately and moved in ways I had not experienced for many years… freely flowing… touching this one… prostrating another…. firing the word… Imagine what it was like commissioning them in all of that! We had already decided to anoint them as part of the ceremony… they came forward as church groups… and they were magnificently overwhelmed by the Spirit as they were anointed… crying, slain… imagine what it is like trying to catch a 6 feet 8 inch Maasai ex warrior weighing 150k!”

Team member Sylvia Barbor added:

• “Many healings: Joyce had a stroke 13 years ago and had no strength in her right arm. She can now lift it. A back healed, chest pains gone, cataracts gone, a friend in Nairobi pregnant and suffering from blood clots and swelling of the legs was healed instantly, confirmed by text!  And many more!! Lots to add from last weeks as well.  Many were touched yesterday as they learned to listen to God and share words of knowledge with one another and this mornings worship was wonderful. At the commissioning service this morning over 30 were anointed with oil and filled with the Spirit.”

To read the full report click here.

In September a team led by Fr James Almasi returned to the Diocese of Mpwapwa in Tanzania, where RinJ was first introduced in 2011, and is now ably supported by coordinator Dunstan Mtoro. 160 leaders attended the conference, which means that in addition to the 96 groups currently running, another 100 new groups are now being started. The conferenc e was apparently marked both by answered prayer and much joy and laughter. Team member Hilary Buckingham brought back an encouraging testimony:

• “Judith Chitemo had been a delegate in 2011 and shared her testimony. Her marriage to Michael was not good. Following a time of ministry at the previous conference she received the Holy Spirit’s joy and power into her heart and she was like a new woman. When she returned home her husband could see such a change in Judith that he wanted to come to church. He now knows Jesus and he received the Holy Spirit too.”

To read the full report click here.

September also saw the first RinJ conference to be held in the Diocese of Natal, South Africa, where 56 leaders were trained by a team from Growing the Church. The conference was held in Winterton in September 2013, and attended by participants from the Archdeaconry of Uthukela and representatives from World Vision and Philakahle. For a report by Archdeacon John Green (and a remarkable testimony from one of the participants, previously a traditional healer but now co-leading a RinJ group) click here.

DIOCESAN NEWS

News has also been coming in from dioceses where RinJ has been in use for some time. Bishop Samuel Enosa of the Diocese of Nzara in South Sudan wrote “There has been tremendous progress in the Rooted in Jesus work in the parishes. many groups have been formed and I am delighted with the work Rev. Josephate has been doing. A visit in March will be very good to strengthen the ministry.” Capt William Musisi, coordinator in the Diocese of S Rwenzori, Uganda, writes that the original 40 RinJ groups in the diocese have now become 100. Of these, 60 have completed book 3 and 40 have completed book 2; they would like to introduce Rooted in Jesus Junior to their Sunday Schools next year. Revd Mupugazi Bwanamuzuri writes from the Diocese of Nord Kivu – located in the most troubled area of DR Congo – that new groups have been started in eight villages, and the Baptist church has asked him to introduce the RinJ programme to their pastors. He too is looking for another conference next year.

Rooted in Jesus Junior is now growing strongly in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Diocese of Mara, Tanzania. Canon Jacob Robert sent this testimony, from a 13 year old boy named Joakim Chacha:

• “My father is a traditionalist god worshipper, he killed my mother and gave sacrifies to local gods. She died into my hands. We are 6 children from the my mother’s womb. After the death of my mother, I joined Uncle’s family where I am still living. My Uncle used take us to church. In church I met with the family of one heart and one mind [the diocesan name for RinJ] and I joined them. I heard a lesson about how Jesus was crucified and died and on the third day He rose gain. In the group they said that there is no other Love like this of Jesus to take a cross for our salvation.This touches my life and I committed my life to the almighty God.”

Jacob commented, “truly, the Lord comes to save!” Jacob also reports that the Junior conference held in June has led to a transformation in how Sunday School teachers perceive their ministry to children. Revd Grace Daudi has been appointed children’s coordinator, and has been visiting the new Sunday School RinJ groups in the parishes – there are 87 Junior groups, of which 64 are doing very well and of which 23 need further encouragement!

Meanwhile Bishop Stanley Hotay reports that there are now some 2000 children in the new RinJ Junior groups set up after the conference in June in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Coordinator Charles Unjiro reports from the smallest deanery, Kilimanjaro, that “Through this syllabus we believe we shall have a strong believers or people who have a good strong roots in Jesus from a little age. We have 322 Sunday school children taught in this deanery with are number of 19 Sunday school teachers and 11 assistant teachers.” Meanwhile the atmosphere amongst the pastors was transformed following the visit by the RinJ team last October, and this change has proved permanent: “there is now great unity, and those who repented at the conference are now among the most committed and active within the diocese,” +Stanley commented. The cathedral are exploring their future and asking some hard questions of themselves, RinJ is now the standard requirement for confirmation preparation, and they have planted 30 churches this year. I am looking forward to preaching in the cathedral on Advent Sunday!

In the Diocese of Niassa, Mozambique, Rooted in Jesus has been in use since 2006. Coordinator Helen Van Koevering wrote 3 years ago that “Rooted in Jesus is the basis for all our ministry and mission training, supporting as it does our diocesan vision to ‘become a communion of communities in Jesus’, ie small groups studying, discipling one another, church planting and rooting, growing in faith and changed lives together.’ They have seen and continue to see phenomenal church growth, and the dicoese is now preparing to multiply into three diocese. This summer Helen published an article in New Wine magazine in which she wrote:

• “Our church is reading the Bible differently. With high levels of illiteracy and insufficient Bibles, a study method similar to the lectio divina was implemented early on – a method which required only one Bible and one reader in each group. This led to us using the Rooted in Jesus resource, which has led to confidence in the movement of the Spirit leading to some significant growth in the Church.”

To read the full article, ‘Something different, something significant’ click here.

In South Africa Rooted in Jesus continues to grow very rapidly. The following story came from Amanda Ohlsson, RinJ trainer with Growing the Church, from the Diocese of Cape Town, where RinJ is in use in a single pilot parish:

• “Fr. Donny, Rector of the Church of Reconciliation, Manenberg, shared the following testimony: As you know, the gangs were doing warfare and shooting innocent people. As a result, all of our schools in the area were closed. The people of my church, in particularly those leaders who were a part of the RinJ training and the RinJ groups, approached me to do something about the gang shootings. They decided to come together and pray. Then they were going to go out .. to distribute soup and bread, to talk to the gangs and to even pray with some gang members.They took to the streets, demonstrating with placards, singing choruses and praying. The group went on to invite other clergy to join them; and eventually, along with Archbishop Thabo, they held talks with the gang leaders to work out a ceasefire.Now the schools have re-opened. People have the freedom and safety to walk in the community, and RinJ groups have started to meet again. To me, Fr. Donny’s testimony is an awesome celebration of what God is able to do when He uses ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things when they are “Rooted in Jesus”. I cannot wait to share with others about the exciting things God can do in an impossible situation, using the lessons of Rooted in Jesus. All the glory goes to God who is the author and finisher of our faith.”

Finally, Rooted in Jesus continues to grow in Uganda, where it has been introduced to 4 dioceses, with another planned for 2014. We have discovered that RinJ was featured in an issue of the Church of Uganda magazine Courage. Archdeacon Japheth is quoted as saying “I thank God for Rooted in Jesus because Christians’ spiritual lifestyles have been revived through that method of ‘Get rooted in Christ”; and there is a testimony: “One RinJ group member had been a Muslim. He said, “I didn’t know who Jesus was, but now I do. I’m telling all my family and friends that Jesus is the right way.”

TEAM MEMBERS

Team members continue to return inspired and refreshed from the conferences. Dave Smith, a youth minister in Cornwall who went on the RinJ Junior team to Tanzania in June, summarised what he had got out of the visit on his return:

“The trip was amazing. There’s nothing quite like the ‘hunger’ and hospitality of the African church.  I summarised the impact of the trip to me personally in the following points:
1.  We must learn again to live like missionaries, whoever we are in the community.
2. Live generously
3. Speak tenderly
4. Slow down for people
5. Work hard. Rise early in the morning.
6. Show hospitality.
7. To reduce ‘problems’ get on mission together
8. Practise humility
9. Be gentle.
10. Be expectant
11. We must decide to serve one God.”

RECENT APPEAL

Finally, thank you to all those of you who responded, or who pledged to respond, to our financial appeal in September. Jonathan Rendall’s sponsored walk raised just under £500, and we received a number of generous donations from individuals. Several churches have indicated that they would like to support Rooted in Jesus regularly, and the Diocese of Lichfield has decided to include RinJ in its Lent Appeal this year. We still have a long way to go if we are to honour all the invitations we are receiving, and we are asking more of host dioceses than we would like to – but we are immensely grateful to the Lord for the provision you have made, and we continue to trust in him for the future! If you have not yet contributed to the appeal but would like to do so, donations can be made very simply online by clicking on this link: https://mydonate.bt.com/donation/donate.html?charity=rootedinjesus – or by sending a cheque payable to Rooted in Jesus to Frances Hazell at the office.

THANK YOU!

Rooted in Jesus involves many people – perhaps 75,000 in groups in Africa, with many team leaders and diocesan coordinators who work tirelessly and often in trying and sometimes dangerous situations to support them. Teams travel in their own time and at their own expense, and our dedicated group of intercessors support them daily in prayer as they work. Still others pray in local churches, and give financially to make this ministry possible. I am immensely grateful to all of you, and feel very privileged to be part of what the Lord is doing among his people. Allow me to share with you this encouragement received recently from Michael Harvey, founder of Back to Church Sunday, alongside whom I was privileged to work last year at the Anglicans Ablaze Conference in Johannesburg: “RinJ is the most significant kingdom extending tool I have seen around.”

Posted 4th November 2013 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

 

In 2013 we experienced both a rapid expansion of Rooted in Jesus and a sharply reduced income. If we are to continue to support its development, we need to raise more funds. And so we are holding our first ever major appeal. We invite you and your churches to prayerfully consider whether you can offer some additional financial support to Rooted in Jesus.

Rooted in Jesus is now in use in 57 dioceses or denominations in 15 countries. Commended by the Anglican Communion Office and endorsed by many Anglican Provinces in Africa, it’s unique in its aims and methodology, and it’s proven to be effective. The new RinJ Junior programme designed for use with children is helping provide the first systematic Christian education many children have ever received.

UK team members return home challenged and inspired, so this work impacts the vitality of the Church here too.

We have two main needs:

1. Supporting Rooted in Jesus Conferences

This year we were invited to run 18 conferences; next year we are looking at up to 30. Some of these will be to new dioceses, some will be followup conferences; we know from experience that it’s often through the followup conference that the programme really becomes established. It’s all done on a shoestring, but with administrative and print costs we need something like £3000 to support each conference in addition to the contribution made by the receiving diocese; team members raise their own costs on top of that.

Often dioceses need financial help if they are to run a conference, particularly in missionary areas where there is no existing infrastructure, or in areas suffering from drought or floods, conflict or political instability, such as South Sudan, Madagascar, or DR Congo: to work in such places inevitably costs more.

Just yesterday I met with a Tanzanian bishop, appointed recently to serve a new diocese; he has half a house (the walls and roof), half an office (bricks up to waist height), 25 clergy (almost all unpaid) and 51 evangelists (who have had no training). His situation is not unusual; and it’s in places like these that Rooted in Jesus makes all the difference, establishing a foundation of discipleship on which the ministry of a whole diocese can be built.

2. Establishing regional ownership

As RinJ continues to expand, we are also aware that we need to move its administration to centres within each province, so that it can be locally owned and run. This is already happening in South Africa and in Tanzania, but ongoing support is needed in both places due to the rapid growth of RinJ across each province. We would like to do the same in Burundi, which is at an earlier stage but where the Archbishop is keen to see RinJ locally supported across the Province; and in Uganda, where again RinJ is endorsed by the Province.

Doing the sums

Rooted in Jesus is at a critical point. We know the difference it makes – and I hope you’ve been able to keep abreast of some of it – do check out the website news page and comments page. We’ve had significant help from particular churches and dioceses, and one-off grants from a couple of trusts, and we also have some generous individual donors. This has enabled us to do what we’ve done so far. Jonathan Rendall’s recent sponsored walk raised £500; it all helps.

But the crunch issue is this: although RinJ is endorsed by Anglican Provinces across Africa, it receives no central funding. ReSource helps with the salary costs of the part-time UK staff, but the operational costs have to come through donations – and we currently have less than £5,000 in the bank. In order to fulfil the invitations for 2014, we need £36,000; if we are to pursue the vision of establishing regional ownership we will need considerably more than that.

We know that times are not easy. We are immensely grateful for your encouragement and partnership. Would you be willing to help us continue the work of Rooted in Jesus, and move it to the next level? Would you help us support Christian discipleship in some of the poorest (and yet most passionate!) parts of Africa? So far the Lord has provided all the funding we have needed; but as things stand at the moment we are going to struggle to support RinJ in 2014.

If you would like to help, there are various options:

1. Make a one off donation, either online or by cheque payable to Rooted in Jesus and sent to Frances Hazell at the address below (online donations offer a gift aid option, cheques can be accompanied by a gift aid form). Visit our support page and click the green button which looks like this:
2. Take out a standing order – regular support is the most valuable as it enables us to budget
3. Ask your church or your diocese if it would be willing to support RinJ either regularly or by offering a one off grant.
4. Put us in touch with any grant making bodies who you think might be able to help us.
5. Last but not least, pray!

Everything helps! If you’d like any more information please don’t hesitate to ask.
With love in Christ Jesus
Alison  Morgan

“Go, and make disciples … who will teach others also”
Matthew 28.19 & 2 Timothy 2.2

Posted 24th September 2012 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

 Rooted in Jesus in Tanzania

The last few months have been the busiest ever for Rooted in Jesus, our discipleship programme for Africa. We sent teams to no fewer than eight dioceses in Tanzania. Teams were either UK or Tanzanian led, with members from both countries. There are too many stories to tell, but we saw humble and inspiring leadership from the host bishops:

• Bishop Sospeter Ndenza said, “I was born again 35 years ago and I have been a bishop for 7 years, but the Rooted in Jesus Conference has done something in my ministry, not only as a bishop, but as a Christian and believer.”

• After a conference training Sunday School teachers to use Rooted in Jesus Junior, Bishop Hilkiah Omindo said, “The Gospel must be properly preached, properly led and properly resourced to support the engine of the church, and it is children who are the engine, the strength of the church. We are just tyres; nearly worn out. Our children need knowledge; if we have children who have the Word of God the Anglican church will go far.”

UK team members have also returned challenged and renewed for ministry at home. One wrote, “It is almost beyond my ability to explain what a difference it makes to visit an African country as opposed to viewing programmes about it”. Another said “The trip will impact my own ministry in a number of ways, but chiefly my re-learning that I need to rely completely on God”. Another commented, “For my own ministry, I am hoping that the African concept of ‘fully living in the moment’ will help me to be more effective engaging with people and giving them time, without conveying that I am too busy, or needing to rush off to someone or some other place. Letting go and letting God will also, I hope, be a change in the way I operate.” And one hoped “I am praying that things will never be the same again for me and that God indeed will bring new fruit in my life and ministry as a result of all the seed planting that was taking place in me during our time away.” Many team members talk about the impact on their ministry here at home – and we thank God for that.

Looking ahead, in November we will be holding the first national African Rooted in Jesus conference in Tanzania. 13 of Tanzania’s 26 dioceses now use RinJ, and we have invited all the bishops and coordinators to come together for 3 days in Arusha. These are the leaders and future leaders of the Anglican Church of Tanzania, and the conference will be a key factor for future growth. It will launch RinJ as a nationally owned and supported initiative, under the leadership of Bishop Stanley Hotay, Canon James Almasi and Canon Jacob Oyange. The guest speaker is Bishop James Newcome from the Diocese of Carlisle, who will share their experience of putting ‘Growing Disciples’ at the heart of the vision of a rural diocese. Please pray for us as we take this step of faith.

Rooted in Jesus in Burundi, Rwanda and South Africa

Meanwhile another team, led by Kevin Roberts, the archdeacon of Carlisle, headed out to offer conferences in the Diocese of Kigali, Rwanda, and Bujumbura, Burundi. We all know the context; church historian Timothy Yates sums it up: “It has been profoundly disturbing to many that areas such as Ruanda and Burundi, with a 90 per cent nominally Christian population, could be the context of ethnic violence of frightening savagery… The issue is whether such great numbers can be rooted, taught and nurtured, so that their Christianity is not superficial adherence but a deeply implanted moral and spiritual formation.” Archbishop Bernard Ntahouri needs no convincing, and he is currently looking to see how RinJ can be coordinated and supported right across the province.

In Kigali the conference, superbly organised by Diocesan Youth coordinator Manasseh Tuyizere, was attended by 75 youth leaders and 25 catechists. All of the Rooted in Jesus coursebooks were translated into Kinyarwanda before the conference began, and the delegates returned to their parishes eager to start Rwanda’s first Rooted in Jesus groups. Kevin writes that ‘it was clear from all we spoke to that this is a Diocese with a clear sense of strategic purpose, underpinned by a deep passion for God and the gospel.’ There were many testimonies of healing, repentance and forgiveness in both places – these, and the team leaders’ reports, can all be read on www.rootedinjesus.net.

In South Africa Rooted in Jesus is now run by Bishop Martin Breytenbach and Revd Trevor Pearce, and RinJ is spreading across the province. Reports from the Diocese of George say that “feet are being made brave and hearts are being opened to reach out into the community beyond the congregation” – and a lot of other things besides! Next stop, the Diocese of Natal.

Posted 6th September 2013 by Revd Dr Alison Morgan

http://www.rootedinjesus.net