We have just received a report from Team Leader Ben Beecroft on the recent conferences held in the Dioceses of East Ruwenzori and South Rwenzori in Uganda. Uganda was particularly badly affected by the Covid restrictions, which remained in force for many months and prevented churches from meeting together – so it was particularly good to be able to hold refresher conferences in both dioceses.
A workshop in East Ruwenzori, against the backdrop of the Ruwenzori mountains
The Diocese of East Ruwenzori
The team was composed of members from the UK, Uganda and Kenya. They travelled first to East Ruwenzori, where Rooted in Jesus was introduced in 2019. Over 170 leaders were trained then, and groups had been established – until the pandemic hit.
The conference was held in a local school and attended by 80 leaders, mostly new to the programme.
Ben reports that the hospitality shown to the team was outstanding, and that the teaching was very well received. One team member wrote that for him the most memorable part of the visit was ‘the attentive/appreciative look in the eyes of most participants.’ Another team member particularly valued the change to talk and pray with a pastor whose experience very closely matched his own – ‘ I think God clearly brought us together.’ The prayer times were characterised by healing and deliverance. One man who had been suffering from an ulcerated digestive tract for fourteen years found that by the following day all the pain had gone, and he was able to eat and drink freely. Many others received healing, insight into the issues which had been troubling them, and anointing from the Holy Spirit.
All those attending were given books in the local language of Runyankore. The conference closed on a high note, with participants singing the East Africa revival song at the final commissioning.
The Diocese of South Rwenzori
Rooted in Jesus has been running in South Rwenzori since 2008, with both the adult and the Junior programmes in regular use there. But Bishop Nason Baluku is new to the diocese and places a high emphasis on discipleship, and Coordinator William Musisi has recently returned home after several years away for theological training. The time seemed right to inject fresh impetus into both the adult and the children’s groups – not least to enable the programme to reach out into those areas which are experiencing rapid population growth.
The Rooted in Jesus Junior conference in South Rwenzori
Two conferences were held, running alongside one another, each supported by three team members. Attendance was impressive, with a mix of existing leaders coming for refreshment and new leaders coming for the first time. The adult conference was attended by 99 pastors and lay leaders, and the Junior conference by 78 Sunday School teachers. All those attending were given books in the local language of Lhukonzo.
The team
As always, team members felt that they received far more than they gave. Team leader Ben wrote that although they had begun as strangers, ‘they all gelled together quickly, a testament to God’s grace, answered prayer and their Christian maturity.’ Team members themselves reflected:
For me it very much felt I was part of the body of Christ doing discipleship together, supported by the intercessors at home. I received more from the trip than I gave, even though I gave as much as I could.
I personally had a tremendous spiritual uplift and blessing, something that had been missing in the past few years, and I want to thank God, the team and the participants for that
The visit was amazing. It exceeded our expectations and we felt that God had planned this mission for us with specific moments over the last 30 years. In some ways it was the culmination of a lifetime’s calling.
I felt so challenged seeing what the training does in the lives of the individuals – beginning with me! I left with one main challenge, to use the skills I obtained through the leadership, team spirit, humility and love of each member.
The team and coordinators with Bishop George Turyasingura in East Ruwenzori
What next?
The team came home with a great sense of optimism for the future in both dioceses, under the leadership of their bishops George and Nason, and with the commitment of coordinators James, Philip and William. An early encouragement came from Byesembu parish in South Rwenzori, where the Sunday School immediately started following Rooted in Jesus Junior. They sent this photo of the children, who are enjoying the programme and have already completed the third lesson.
The Rooted in Jesus Junior class in Byesembu
We are hugely grateful as always to all those who prayed for the team, participants and dioceses before, during and following the two conferences. Both dioceses ask us to continue to support them in prayer, with Bishop Nason requesting: ‘I pledge to do my best in ensuring that both the implementation and sustainability of the groups are registering growth in South Rwenzori Diocese. Kindly join us in prayer that many more people will be trained to reach out to the increasing population.’
In August we were delighted to be able to run the first Rooted in Jesus introductory conference since the Covid19 pandemic began. A team from Tanzania and Burundi travelled to DR Congo to help build the spiritual foundations for the new missionary diocese of Lake Tanganyika which will be formed from within the existing Diocese of Bukavu.
The conference took place at the initiative of Bishop Elisha Tendwa, a missionary bishop who has already used Rooted in Jesus to help plant the Diocese of Kalemie in eastern DRC. The conference was held in Uvira, where it was opened by the Archbishop of DR Congo, Zacharia Masimango Katanga. It was attended by 110 participants – pastors, Mothers Union leaders, Youth leaders, representatives from neighbouring denominations, and the Diocesan Secretary and other central staff members from the parent Diocese of Bukavu.
Bishop Elisha Tendwa writes:
“We thank God that the first address to the conference came from the Archbishop of Congo, The Most Revd Zachariah Masimango Katanda with his wife Naomi. They opened the conference and he said: ‘In our provincial Synod held at the end of July this year we reflected that the Church of Congo was planted about 125 years ago, but that it has not grown; it is stuck like a child who has mulnutrition, because our Christians don’t have roots in Jesus.’ He said we must make sure this Rooted in Jesus course spreads to all dioceses because it provides foundational teaching to the church.”
The team was led by Canon Jacob Robert of the Diocese of Lake Rukwa, Tanzania, with Revd Clement Manyatta of the Diocese of Mt Kilimanjaro, and Revd Elisha Nkeza from the Diocese of Muyinga, Burundi, along with Bishop Tendwa himself.
Team leader Jacob Robert reports:
“The conference took place at Uvira town in the eastern part of the country. Uvira is in the mission area according to Bukavu Diocesan synod plan for next two years. Uvira mission area is covered by four Archdeaconries: Uvira, Fizi, Lake Tanganyika and Itombwe. Each Archdeaconry has five to seven Parishes. In the last Synod they agreed to use RinJ as a tool for reaching out with the Gospel in the area of Uvira so that after a few years they may be able to start a new Diocese which will be called Lake Tanganyika Diocese.
“Facilitators were very keen with the programme timetable and Rev. Elisha, Bishop Tendwa, Rev. Clement and Jacob played carefully their roles of introducing RinJ to participants. I would like to give thanks to the Lord who protected us from the COVID 19. We were afraid that it could attack some of our participants and facilitators, but through God’s grace we completed all we have planned safely.”
A prayerful response
The conference went well. Bishop Tendwa writes, “It was a wonderful conference because some pastors repented and surrendered their life to Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit shows their lives how they are living, so they cried and received to be born again in their lives. They agreed and announced that from now the conference has changed their direction to be disciples of Jesus Christ by having their roots in Jesus. One Pastor said ‘this teaching from Rooted in Jesus is a light to the Church of Congo, it comes to open our eyes that are blind’. We thank God.”
Jacob reports that Marie, Mother’s Union representative, declared that “We are going to form groups in the Mothers Union when we return home, so that we find many new leaders as soon as the Lord will enable us. From this we are going to fulfill the great commission as Jesus commanded.”
A Mothers Union representative gives her response to the conference (click on image to play video, which is in French)
The reality of life in DR Congo
It is not easy to minister in DR Congo, one of the most troubled countries of Africa. Team member Elisha Nkeza comments:
“A problem came before we even arrived in the country: when I saw different soldiers from different countries I recognized that this is not a peaceful country. But I was warmly welcomed by the local people, and was encouraged. DRC has a problem of differences more than other countries I knew. I was so pleased and proud to meet different people who speak more than 400 languages. But they are open to sharing their problems, pointing to the endless wars. I chatted and prayed with them; they are tired with wars. With their differences they testified forgiveness and reconciliation. We cried much on this when time came in giving testimony in groups. How wonderful it was!”
Afterwards, the Diocesan General Secretary concluded “The seminar is ended. It has left us with a new saving spirit and reminded us that we must walk in the footstep of Jesus if our desire is be true Christians.”
Bishop Tendwa and the team are keen to express their thanks, both to the participants for their open-hearted response to the conference and to those who supported the conference each day in prayer. “I am looking for the fire of God in Uvira; I will be going there for the very first time so I will need your prayers,” Clement Manyatta had written beforehand. “All this became possible since we know people were praying for us,” he concluded afterwards.
Each participant was given a copy of the Leader’s Introduction and Book 1 in Congolese Swahili or French
Rooted in Jesus is published and supported by the Mathetes Trust. To find out more visit the Rooted in Jesus website.
One of the benefits of the coronavirus pandemic this year has been to prompt us all to experiment with new ways of meeting together. Martin and Colleen Breytenbach have been leading the first ever Rooted in Jesus group to meet online through Zoom. After successfully working through the first book, they are now continuing with the second – and beginning to prepare some of the members to lead their own groups. Colleen has written the following report, which we hope will both guide and encourage others:
Colleen demonstrating RinJ, in pre-Covid days!
“Martin and I have been running a Zoom Discipleship group during the months of Covid lockdown in Cape Town. Here are some of the comments we received when our group took a break after Book 1:
“I have appreciated the weekly study of the Word and the contact with other in prayer. It has strengthened me, so that when we re-opened the church after the Covid Lockdown, I had a new confidence to lead the church. I felt like I had grown.”
“It is interesting to see that although this material was designed to teach people who are not necessarily literate, that it was malleable enough be used effectively with graduates in the city context.”
“Coming from a Moslem background I never felt like I had a Christian family. I now have a family, and I have a team of Christian prayer warriors who love each other. I fell like I fit in for the first time.”
“It has been a precious experience to be part of a group. It has never been about manipulating people. There has been a measured approach with our leaders preparing very well and not placing on us any dogmatic agendas or pressure to go and start a church immediately. You have reminded me first and foremost that Jesus wants to have a relationship with me. Also, I love being part of a group who prays.“
Timescale
“The first book took 15 weeks to complete. We favoured depth of study rather than brevity. If the group (who are all graduates) wished to search the Scriptures more deeply, we allowed them to do that. In this way, we ensured that each person drank deeply of the material and were fully satiated.
We took a four-week break after Book 1, during which time we had one social gathering, where we barbecued safely out of doors in line with Covid-19 guidance. We resumed on the 6th Nov and the group expressed great joy to be together again.
Preparation
Before we started our group, we spent time discerning what God was calling us to do.
As we conceived of running one group, many names came to mind from our congregation. We wanted to invite them all! Some of the names were of those who were mature in the faith and we realised that they could potentially be future leaders. We realised that our small group could potentially lead to many groups starting up, and that as we grew in experience in running the first group, we could possibly run a training course for those who would volunteer to run groups in the future.
We shared our calling with the priest of our church to get permission to run the group and got his support and his assurance of prayer.
We created a Whatsapp group and invited participants, having first spoken to them each in person and got their agreement to join the Whatsapp group.
Guidelines
“The following Guidelines were sent out on a WhatsApp group, four days before the first meeting started:
Welcome: Dear all, welcome to the new St Peter’s Discipleship Group, facilitated by Martin and Colleen Breytenbach.
Etiquette: We have created this group in order to communicate essential arrangements and prayer requests. Please keep responses to a minimum so that we do not spam each other. There is no need to assure each other that we are praying, by sending emoticons. Let us take it as read that we will support one another. Remember that prayer requests are confidential and are not to be shared outside of this group.
The Material: We will be following the Rooted in Jesus manuals, the first of which we will study over the next twelve weeks. There are four books in total, which lead a Disciple all the way from making a basic commitment to Jesus, to the point of maturity in Christ, where they can train other disciples. After twelve weeks we will take a break before continuing this journey. We aim to fulfil that Great Commission by making Disciples who will make Disciples (Matt 28:19, 2 Timothy 2:2). The course requires one to memorise Scripture verses, so that the Word of God will dwell in you richly.
Practical arrangements: Our meetings will commence on Friday 29th May 2020 at 19h15 for 19h30 on Zoom. To avoid overloading the Wi-Fi bandwidth, we suggest that if you are a couple, you share one computer. We will end at 21h00 each evening.
The nature of the evening: The Sessions are designed to be interactive and fun. They contain practical demonstrations, videos, and breakaway conversations in Zoom breakout groups. You will be encouraged to participate fully in discussions and sharing. You will need a Bible and a notebook at your side in which to record your personal notes.
Final Greeting: God bless you all. We are praying for this journey of faith, and for all the individuals in the group. You may want to ask a friend to support you in prayer during this journey.
Technical aspects
We had to check that every person had enough data or a strong enough Wi-Fi connection to support their audio and video on Zoom. Sometimes it was necessary to have a private Zoom meeting to establish that the individual understood the system and could participate fully.
We rehearsed Zoom techniques as leaders i.e. Zoom Breakout rooms, and Screen sharing
We practised using the material. We used our morning quiet times to work prayerfully through the verses so that we were ready spiritually, and had brainstormed some of the questions we might want to ask the participants during the session (that served us well during the actual session because it took the discussion much deeper).
Some thoughts in hindsight
“We needed to be flexible in our leadership. Some of what we prepared never happened. Some subjects were never covered, but we realise that that they may be covered later.
We allowed discussion to go off on a tangent if the tangent was worthwhile and not a distraction. However, we never allowed the group to go completely off the topic. We reined in people who talked for too long, by saying, “Thank you very much for that point. That was very helpful. Let us move on to the next paragraph” (or something like that).
We allowed time for people to share their needs, their fears and distractions. For instance, one couple was very distracted one evening because they were hearing about service delivery protests and riots in their near neighbourhood. They needed immediate prayer support. We stopped the meeting to pray for the people concerned and to intercede for the situation. It was an enriching time and brought the group closer together.”
In South Africa Rooted in Jesus is directed by Trevor Pearce and overseen by Growing the Church, based in Cape Town. The Rooted in Jesus Administrator is Estelle Adams.
Kondoa is a small town which sits on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley in central Tanzania. It’s an unremarkable place, an ordinary rural community whose people support themselves predominantly by subsistence farming – but it’s bursting with remarkable history: geological, cultural and spiritual. Missionary Vincent Donovan famously remarked that God enables a people, any people, to reach salvation through their culture and tribal, racial customs and traditions. And perhaps the key to understanding the ministry of the Diocese of Kondoa today is to be found in its history.
Traditional religion
The Great Rift Valley formed some 25 million years ago, as powerful tectonic shifts deep underground pulled the landscape apart, creating a great rift down the middle of what today is Tanzania. Kondoa sits on the edge of the escarpment which rises above the valley on its eastern side. It’s an odd landscape, dotted with massive granite boulders which look as if they had been tossed there by giants; a mysterious landscape which for thousands of years has invited its inhabitants to consider the spiritual realities which lie behind the visible world. And from the earliest times, that invitation has been accepted: these boulders shelter some of the oldest cultural and religious rock art in the world, thought to date from 50,000 to 2,000 years ago. Some of the sites are still used for traditional spiritual ceremonies to this day.
A rock painting at Kolo, Kondoa District
Islam
But there are many ways of thinking about spiritual questions, and sometimes answers are suggested not by geological but by cultural factors. The 19th century saw a huge increase in the Arab slave and ivory caravans which passed through this region on their way from the slave dealing areas in the west to the export markets on the east coast. The economic welfare of these inland communities was bound up with this trade, and many of the peoples along the route abandoned the traditional religion of their ancestors and embraced Islam. Kondoa, once a place of rest for the slave caravans, today has a population which is 90% Muslim.
Christian mission
Fast forward to the late 19th century. As Christian missionaries brought the gospel to Tanzania, Anglican dioceses were founded, starting in the former slave trading regions. In 1927 the Diocese of Central Tanganyika became the third Anglican diocese in Tanzania, covering a vast area which included Kondoa. For many years the bishop of the diocese cherished the hope that one day Kondoa could become a diocese in its own right.
But Kondoa is a difficult place to minister. Not only because of its majority Muslim population, but because of its poverty. The road system is very poor, with just one tarmacked road running through its centre. The economy is mostly subsistence farming, with only 25% of the land cultivated; erratic rainfall mans that crop failure is common. Electricity is available in Kondoa itself but not yet in the villages, most of which do not have running water; educational attainment is the second lowest in the country. But notwithstanding these difficulties, the Diocese of Kondoa was eventually founded in 2001 – following a rather unexpected development.
The spiritual foundations for growth
By the 1990s an Anglican pastor named Given and a New Zealand missionary named David were working together to bring the gospel to the people of Kondoa. ‘Given’, named by the nurse who had saved his life as a premature baby, was the son of an illegitimate mother and an alcoholic father; he spent the first 14 years of his life in a leaking hut, often going without food for days at a time. But his mother was a strong Christian, and when Given was 14 a visiting preacher invited people to give their lives to Jesus. Given welcomed Jesus as his Saviour, and began a journey which has shaped the Diocese of Kondoa to this day. One thing led to another as God’s plan unfolded. Given was confirmed; he was sent by the Bishop to school; he trained with the Church Army as an Evangelist; and he began with David to minister the gospel in the villages of Kondoa.
One day Given and David were travelling when they came across a woman who had collapsed. Doctors had been called and said she needed a blood transfusion to save her life. Her friends and family had offered their blood but were found to be of the wrong blood group. “Try mine,” David said. It was the correct group. He gave blood, and the woman was healed. Given traces the spiritual foundation of the Diocese of Kondoa to this moment. It was, he says, a huge step forward for the gospel. Three things were important:
Christ on the cross, by William Mather
A man gave his blood to a woman – in Muslim society women are considered inferior to men
A man gave his blood to a blackwoman – in Muslim society a black woman is considered inferior to an Arab woman
A white man gave his blood to a black woman. Remember, this is a place which offered shelter to the slave caravans…
The giving of blood, Given says, represented the sacrifice of Jesus. Something had happened in the heavenly places, and from that day onwards the gospel began to spread in Kondoa.
The ministry of the Diocese today
In 2001 Kondoa became a diocese in its own right, and in 2012 Given was asked to become its second bishop. In worldly terms this was not an attractive prospect, and Given had two other job offers at the same time. But his wife Lilian, who is also ordained, suggested they spend a night in prayer. God spoke to them from the Book of Esther: for such a time as this… Given was consecrated later that year as Rt Revd Dr Given Gaula, second Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kondoa.
Today the Diocese of Kondoa has 34 parishes, 8 deacons, 50 pastors and 97 catechists, and serves a population of 600,000 people. The Cathedral is currently the only parish in the diocese which is self sustaining financially, and most of the pastors are not paid. But despite these difficulties the diocese is growing. There are now some 18,000 Anglicans, up from just 7,000 in 2012, and whereas then there were no church buildings at all, now there are many. The diocese even has its own Bible College.
The Anglican cathedral in Kondoa
Rooted in Jesus is introduced to Kondoa
In June 2019 Bishop Given, with the support of the Barnabas Fund and the Diocese of Rochester with which Kondoa is linked, invited us to send a Rooted in Jesus team to the diocese. Rooted in Jesus is designed to support people who may have received little formal education and yet who wish to learn more about the Christian faith – people in places like Kondoa. Bishop Given hopes that the groups will both strengthen the faith of church members, and provide a tool for evangelism in local communities across the diocese.
So the first Rooted in Jesus conference was held in November 2019, in the church which currently serves as the cathedral. The team of facilitators was led by Canon Jacob Robert from the Diocese of Mara, and the conference was attended by 126 pastors, catechists, evangelists and Bible College students. The team provided teaching on the nature of discipleship, on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and on the rewards and difficulties of ministry. Team member Bishop Elisha Tendwa shared his inspirational experiences of planting a diocese with Rooted in Jesus in DR Congo. Participants engaged attentively in the workshops on leadership, pastoral care and prayer, and twenty bravely volunteered to lead practice groups. Outside boys played football in the sandy riverbed, two women trudged up and down with cans of water for the plants in the cathedral’s plant nursery, and children gathered to watch a Muslim family train their new camel. Something new was happening in the midst of the ordinary people of this ordinary place.
Practising Rooted in Jesus beneath the ancient sycamore trees of Kondoa
There were many poignant moments in the conference, not least when people shared the despair they feel at being a religious minority in their own communities, despite Tanzania being a largely Christian country. Many said that they have experienced discrimination on the basis of their faith; but as the days passed gradually people began to feel that Rooted in Jesus offers the hope of reaching out to their neighbours with the gospel. The most painful moment, though, was when Bishop Given explained that despite his urgent desire to be fully present at the conference, he must go home to be with his mother, who had been admitted urgently to hospital. Marina, a lifelong Christian, had been seriously ill since Easter; and the following day she died. Given, whose childhood faith had been nurtured by his mother in such difficult circumstances, has remained the primary support for his family for many years, and he was with her as she died. The team was able to visit him and offer their condolences after the conference. “My mum was everything to me,” Bishop Given said sadly as he told of her death, sharing his conviction that her release from suffering was nonetheless an answer to the prayers of the faithful.
Looking ahead
“The Lord appointed seventy-two others … He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Luke 10: 1-3
It was agreed that the groups would be formally launched across the diocese on 30th November. The Rooted in Jesus programme will be coordinated by Canon Lameck Masambi, the Diocesan Mission and Evangelism Officer. Reports will be provided by group leaders to the pastors, discussed in the parish councils, and passed to the area deans. Lameck will meet regularly with the area deans to review progress.
Our prayers remain with Bishop Gaula and his family, with Canon Lameck and with all those who will lead the groups, trusting that Rooted in Jesus will contribute to the ongoing spiritual growth of the people of Kondoa.
Bishop Given Gaula and Canon Lameck Masambi
Rooted in Jesus is published and overseen by The Mathetes Trust, and supported in the Diocese of Kondoa by the Barnabas Fund and by the Diocese of Rochester. The diocese has its own website, and you can read Bishop Given’s personal testimony here.
Posted by Revd Dr Alison Morgan, 15th December 2019.
Report by Glynnis Moorcroft, Diocesan RinJ Coordinator
A Rooted in Jesus (RinJ) Training Conference was held in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman at St Cyprian’s Cathedral Hall from Wednesday, 25 September to Friday, 27 September 2019. It was led by four GtC facilitators. The three-day training was intense but a real blessing to those who attended it.
The training included:
Daily morning devotions, teaching sessions which included “An introduction to Rooted in Jesus?” “Rewards and Challenges of Ministry”, “The Work of the Holy Spirit” – and more. Practice Lessons covered: “What is the problem?” “Who is Jesus” and “Assurance of Victory.” Ministry topics: “Knowing God’s Love,” “Rewards and Challenges of Ministry” and “Repentance and Renewal.” The presence of God’s Spirit was very evident and experienced by many.
The Holy Spirit gave us the freedom to pray for each other. Some were moved to tears. Worshipping God through song and prayer during the training was meaningful and enriching. Many received Christ and left the training feeling transformed, encouraged, strengthened, and ready to serve oth- ers by starting their own RinJ groups in their different parishes.
One lady said to me: “I did not find it all that exciting until we did the Holy Spirit session. I stood there and others prayed and laid hands on me. I started crying and the Holy Spirit touched me deeply.”
Another told me how she cried with release and relief after the teaching on the Holy Spirit. “The teaching on the Holy Spirit at the Rooted in Jesus Training Conference was more powerful than we could ever have imagined.”
Team member Anthony McAnda has already started a small group at St Barnabas and Denzyl Sampson from St Mary the Virgin in Barkly West, has also started one. More are being started as I write. To God be all the glory!
Petrus Long commented:
“This Rooted in Jesus Training Conference had a great impact on my life. It caused me to look at the bible with new eyes. My desire to read the bible has also greatly increased. The RinJ small group, which I had started, means so much to me. We started with 4 members and increased to 8. All the members are so enthusiastic and would like to meet more often than once a week. That we will reconsider next year. We also trust that our youth will start a new group in the future and we intend to start a community RinJ Group too”.
Firoza shares her testimony
“It has been seven months since I converted from Islam to Christianity. Then one of the parishioners called and asked if I would like to attend a Rooted in Jesus course. Not knowing what to expect, I agreed.
“The facilitators explained the difference between a convert and a disciple of Christ. We were divided into three small groups to read and discuss scriptures in the bible. Some of the priests shared beautiful testimonies of what happened to them when the bible was first opened to them.
“While I was engaging, there was always someone that would share a scripture that would speak to me. We also made acquaintances with people from other parishes. I was intrigued by their enthusiasm and how they wanted to know more about the Word of God.
Others shared ideas on how they where going to start small discipleship groups and work from the books received. Rooted in Jesus helped me understand more about the Christian faith, the power of prayer and how to stand firm in the faith. We learned several memory verses. The material in the RinJ course has also given me so much peace of mind. It has taught me to live as Jesus did and assured me that whenever I face challenges, God will always be with me.”
In South Africa Rooted in Jesus is supported by Growing the Church, a church growth institute that serves the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Growing the Church is directed by Revd Trevor Pearce. This report first appeared in the GtC November 2019 newsletter.
Rooted in Jesus was created in 2002 for the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at the request of its Diocesan Missioner, Stanley Hotay. In 2011 Stanley was elected as the third bishop of the diocese, and in 2014 he became the National Director for Rooted in Jesus in the Province of Tanzania.
Over the last 18 years Rooted in Jesus has been introduced to twenty of the twenty-eight dioceses in the Province. Each diocese appoints its own coordinator, usually the Head of the Mission or Christian Education Department. Every couple of years a National Coordinator conference is held, and the fourth of these has just taken place at Munguishi Bible College near Arusha.
Set in its own grounds and surrounded by a 90 acre farm, Munguishi provided a relaxing venue for the conference. The Principal of the College, Joseph Bea, and his wife Martha, gave a wonderful welcome to the ten delegates who were able to attend, many of whom had travelled long distances to be there.
The Challenge of discipleship
The conference was hosted by Bishop Stanley, who opened with a rousing talk on the ability of the Church in Tanzania to take responsibility for its own growth and development. He pointed out that almost half the world population is African, and that Africa is home to a staggering 400 million Christians, more than anywhere else in the world. “We must understand the Word of God, believe it and live it, use the resources given to us by God, and invest not just in adults but also in children,” he said.
Stanley went on to explain how Rooted in Jesus was created as a resource to help people understand and practise their faith. “We had no resources to teach with,” he said; “our culture is to talk. We needed a suitable course for Africa, which permits people to talk, not read. Sometimes we can think we do not need God. We come to church, but we want to get on with our daily lives during the week. We are not rooted. We need to repent and change our perspectives. If we are rooted in Jesus, the church will be healed.”
Diocesan Reports
Each Diocesan Coordinator had been asked to present a report on the progress of Rooted in Jesus within their diocese. For some, the programme is well established both among adults and, using Rooted in Jesus Junior, in Sunday schools. For others, various factors had inhibited the groups and growth had slowed. Each presentation was followed by careful discussion, and suggestions and proposals for the best way forward were made.
Some highlights from the reports:
Canon Jacob Robert of the Diocese of Mara reported that there are currently 72 groups meeting in 26 parishes. Rooted in Jesus was first introduced to the diocese in 2009, and many of those who have previously completed the course have become active in ministry, preaching, church planting, and prayer. The older teenagers who have completed Rooted in Jesus Junior are now teaching the younger ones, and many children are now actively sharing their faith with others. There has been considerable church growth across the diocese as a result of Rooted in Jesus.
Revd Clement Manyatta of the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro explained that Rooted in Jesus Junior is used as a two year programme to prepare young people for confirmation; 57 groups have completed the first four books of the Junior programme. The children learn very fast, he said; they are like sponges. There are 15 parishes using the adult programme, but the real need is to introduce it to the many new churches – over the last 5 years no fewer than 300 churches have been planted, mostly in Masai areas, with one among a previously unreached people group, the Tatoga, who had never heard of Jesus; 900 people from this community have now welcomed him into their hearts. We are revising the old Masai translation of Rooted in Jesus so that the new Christians, who often have only untrained local evangelists to care for them, will be able to learn about their new faith in their own language; and Clement will look at the possibility of translating it into Tatoga as well.
Canon Anderson Madimilo of the Diocese of Mpwapwa explained that he is new in post following the retirement of Dustan Mtoro, but reported that “this ministry is in all 13 deaneries in our diocese. For us it is a success everywhere. In these deaneries we have 123 Rooted in Jesus Junior groups with 1108 children, and 154 adult groups with 1284 members.” He went on to explain the impact that Rooted in Jesus has had in all the churches of the diocese; “it has raised the giving, it has established the faith in our Christians, because many now like the programme and love the church. The number of Christians has grown, because we no longer lose people to other churches as we used to. Because the groups pray together, many people have had their problems solved, their lives changed.” Anderson went on to outline his plans for the future, which are to see two new groups planted in each church, and to hold a big seminar for all the group leaders.
Canon Jacob Robert
Revd Clement Manyatta
Canon Anderson Madimilo
Canon George Mbago
Canon George Mbago of the Diocese of the Rift Valley – which had held its second Rooted in Jesus training conference just the week before – reported that in the first year many groups have started, with 40 of them doing particularly well; all these have now moved on to the second book. Others stopped during the cultivation period, but he hopes they will now resume. Groups are led by pastors, catechists and Mothers Union members. Perhaps the most striking testimony came from Bishop John Lupaa, who had himself led a group for just four people in a small rural church with a dilapidated building and very few members. Having taken those four through the first book, he encouraged them to start groups of their own. Just under a year on, that church has 84 members and a new building!
Other reports were more muted, with the most common challenge being changes in leadership within the diocese – the bishop himself, or the coordinator; continuity in leadership, everyone agreed, is a key factor for the success of Rooted in Jesus. Canon James Tuli reported that the Diocese of Shinyanga has been without a diocesan bishop for four years, which has resulted in an inevitable slow-down in ministry; he brought a request for further training from the newly appointed Bishop Johnson Chinyong’ole.
Revd Anderson Daudi of the Diocese of Kiteto had come straight from an Evangelism Conference in Dodoma. Kiteto has used Rooted in Jesus from its beginning – indeed many of the practices which are now standard were first developed in Kiteto under the leadership of Bishop John Hayden. The present bishop is Isaiah Chambala, formerly the Coordinator for Rooted in Jesus in Arusha deanery; Isaiah has himself taken part in a number of Rooted in Jesus teams both within Tanzania and internationally. Anderson reported that further training is planned in the diocese at the end of the year, focussing on Rooted in Jesus Junior.
Mrs Josephine Semwenda leads the Mothers Union in the Diocese of Morogoro, and has direct responsibility for the Junior programme – but not the adult programme, which has lost some of its impetus following the retirement of the diocesan coordinator. Josephine had however been able to invite Canon Dustan Mtoro from neighbouring Mpwapwa to provide further training for the deanery coordinators, and she suggested that it would be helpful for them to visit other dioceses for mutual encouragement and support.
Finally, Canon Lameck Masambi from the Diocese of Kondoa was attending for the first time, his diocese having just hosted their first conference. He reported that 126 people had been trained, and expressed his hope that Rooted in Jesus will help with the daunting task of evangelism in this predominantly rural diocese, in which over 90% of the population are Muslim. Rooted in Jesus will be launched across the diocese on 30th November.
Canon James Tuli
Revd Anderson Daudi
Mrs Josephine Semwenda
Canon Lameck Masambi
Looking to the future
One of the great benefits of drawing together all the Diocesan Coordinators in this way is that it creates a strong team atmosphere. All of the Coordinators have leadership responsibilities in their own dioceses, and they had much to offer one another by way of encouragement and advice. As Rooted in Jesus becomes ever more firmly established across the Province, this is the group from whom the training teams are now drawn.
The second major benefit of the conference was that it enabled these leaders to pool their experience and think strategically about the future. How can they strengthen Rooted in Jesus in their own dioceses and in those not represented, as well as introduce it to those not yet using it? What are the factors which make for success, and what are the pitfalls to avoid? Should Rooted in Jesus be introduced to the theological colleges? How can they ensure it becomes truly self-sustaining within the Province?
Rooted in Jesus has a long history in Tanzania, and although the task of evangelism and discipleship is of course never ending, Tanzania can be proud of its own track record, and of the gift it has offered to other countries in Africa:
RinJ was commissioned and pioneered here
Over the last 18 years 20 dioceses have hosted 59 conferences, in addition to conducting their own internal training
4,863 people have been trained to lead groups
There have been 4 National Coordinator Conferences
23 people have served on teams to other dioceses
There have been many reports of people coming to faith and experiencing life-changing healing, of churches growing in strength and numbers, of increasing confidence in ministry among members, and increased financial growth.
There have of course also been many challenges, and the call to make disciples and teach them so that they too can make disciples is never complete. So far there have been 8 requests from within the Province for further training in 2020, either to introduce Rooted in Jesus or Rooted in Jesus Junior for the first time, or to strengthen the programme and train another generation of leaders. There is a need for more books, and the latest edition of the Team Manual is currently being translated into Swhaili.
So the journey continues, and like the first disciples of Jesus we continue to learn as we go. But the task remains the same:
“Go, and make disciples of all peoples, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28.18-20
Rooted in Jesus is published and supported by theMathetes Trust.
Posted 23rd November 2019 by Alison Morgan
A Rooted in Jesus team has just returned to the UK from Ghana, where we had been invited by Bishop Felix Annancy to provide the first small group discipleship training for the Diocese of Koforidua. It was a first for Rooted in Jesus too, as Ghana becomes the 17th country to introduce the programme.
A small group tries out one of the practical demonstrations from Rooted in Jesus Book 1
Bishop Felix was consecrated in 2017 as the second bishop of Koforidua, which has 31 parishes serving a population of some two million people. Each parish had been asked to send up to four representatives to the conference, and in the event 110 enthusiastic participants arrived from all over the diocese. The conference was hosted at the Anglican Senior High and Technical School in Kwabeng, and opened by Bishop Felix and the five archdeacons. Ven Kofi Obeng Ofosu will act as the diocesan coordinator for the programme.
At the end of the conference the 110 group leaders were given certificates, and books in the local language of Asante Twi, or English for those in non-Twi speaking areas. Men and women were equally represented at the conference.
It was an inspiring time for us all. The first thing we learned is that in Ghana people dance! And laugh, and worship, and sing… It all made for a very joyful conference, with people attentive in their listening and enthusiastic in their participation. Delegates took full advantage of the opportunities to lead a small group through a practice lesson, and engaged us with many comments and questions during the workshops on prayer, pastoral care and small group leadership. Prayer was a keynote of the conference, with people praying now quietly in ones and twos, now passionately in groups. The daily ministry times offered further opportunities for people to bring their needs to the Lord.
One of the bonuses for the team was that English is a national language in Ghana, which meant that we were able to engage personally with the conference participants. One on one conversations are often revealing – not least when the person explains, as Augustine did, that they hadn’t actually wanted to come to the conference at all! What Augustine went on to say next was one of the most encouraging things we have heard – so much so that we asked him to say it all over again so that we could share it with others. Click on the image to listen for yourself.
Augustine Baafi speaks about his faith at the Rooted in Jesus conference in Kwabeng
On the Sundays before and after the conference the team was invited to attend two notable events in the life of the diocese. The first was the silver jubilee being celebrated by Archdeacon Paul Kwabena Akomea-Marfo, who has completed 25 years of ordained ministry; the second was the installation of her Ladyship Justice Mrs Sophia Ophilia Adjeibea Adinyira, a Supreme Court judge who becomes the first lay canon, and the first woman canon, of the Cathedral Church of St Peter, Koforidua. Each of these services lasted between four and five hours, and each was followed by a reception to which we were also generously welcomed. Although this vibrant Anglo-Catholic diocese does not currently ordain women, it was inspiring to see the example being set by Sophia and by the many women at the conference, all of whom are deeply committed and active in their Christian ministry.
We are immensely grateful to all those who upheld the conference in prayer. I can’t at the moment think of a prayer that wasn’t answered!
In South Africa, Rooted in Jesus is overseen by Trevor Pearce and his team at Growing the Church, based in Cape Town. They have recently published a number of video interviews and an exciting report on recent conferences in the Dioceses of Lesotho, Natal and Free State.
THE DIOCESE OF FREE STATE
The Diocese of the Free State held a discipleship training conference in May last year, followed by their own Anglicans Ablaze Conference in November. Bishop Dintoe has spoken recently about the growth of discipleship within the diocese which has resulted from the introduction of Rooted in Jesus – click on the image to hear his remarkable testimony:
Bishop Dintoe Letloeyane of the Diocese of the Free State, speaks with Bishop Martin Breytenbach about the impact of Rooted in Jesus in the diocese
The GtC newsletter confirms: ‘A recent visit by Trevor Pearce revealed that as a result of Rooted in Jesus the Diocese was growing in fruitfulness, and development was obvious. Bishop Dintoe’s group with his staff members are now moving on to book three of Rooted in Jesus. Fr Itumeleng Pooe has a group with some of the members of the Fellowship of Vocation. He also runs a RinJ Junior group with his family. The programme has also taken root in the Far Eastern Free State, where the Revd Hectorina Tsotetsi, on her own, is coordinating 7 discipleship groups!’
Revd Hectorina Tsotsi reports: “So far Qwaqwa has seven RinJ groups, four RinJ adult groups, two RinJ junior groups and one group for The God Who is There. God is awesome; through the RinJ program people are growing spiritually, physically and economically. The church of God is growing!”
The GtC Implementation team from Qwa Qwa met with Trevor (on the left).
With the help of a team from Free State, Growing the Church was able to facilitate two further conferences in Lesotho and Natal. They report:
THE DIOCESE OF LESOTHO
‘The Diocese of Lesotho recently hosted a Discipleship Training Conference – training small group leaders in Rooted in Jesus, Rooted in Jesus Junior and in the urban, post-modern discipleship tool, The God Who Is There. What an exciting and vibrant group of participants – about 55 people attended. Facilitators consisted of Trevor Pearce and Estelle Adams of the Diocese of Cape Town, the Revds Itumeleng Pooe and Hectorina Tsotetsi from Qwaqwa, and Dr Joseph Morenammele, Dr Frangena Rathabanang and Me Thakane Mohapi, from Lesotho. ‘The 55 facilitators committed to starting 24 small groups. With an average of 10 people in each group, 240 people will be discipled! There is such excitement. Yes! Lesotho TV aired part of the conference.’
“I am totally humbled as I reflect on the weekend—words will never be enough to express what the Lord has done here! It was a wow experience. As Isaiah 43:18 says, ‘God is doing a new thing.’ Several participants heard the gospel for the first time and committed their lives to Jesus. Thank God for Revd Trevor who preached boldly about salvation and gently challenged the people to consider inviting Jesus in their lives.”
Joseph Morenammele
THE DIOCESE OF NATAL
‘After hosting Anglicans Ablaze 2018, the Diocese of Natal has become unstoppable! Their enthusiasm has led to lots of activities. They launched Growing the Church, Natal, which included training conferences on various aspects of Intentional Discipleship in five different regions, including Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Shepstone, Ladysmith and Durban North. The training tools used were Rooted in Jesus Adult, Rooted in Jesus Junior, J-Life, Alpha and a Discipleship Workshop. Teams of trainers spread across the Diocese of Natal.’
Bruce Woolley explains: “Each course will be rotating around the diocese over a period of 15 months. We are, with our Bishop’s support, taking GtC to the people, and assisting and enabling parishes to evangelize and make disciples. God is good!” Since then, three new Rooted in Jesus Adult groups, one new Rooted in Jesus Junior group, three new Alpha Groups and one new J-Life group have been formed at Parish Level.”
Zama Dlamini reports: “RinJ took off nicely in our diocese. We had a great start in Ladysmith. God’s presence was experienced by all. The participants showed so much excitement with regards to RinJ. We had both lay people and clergy attending. On Saturday, youth members from various parishes joined us. All in all, the sessions went well. We appreciated all the support from Revd Bruce and Revd Shezi for organising the logistics pertaining to the workshops.”
Find out more about Rooted in Jesus
The first diocese in South Africa to introduce Rooted in Jesus was the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist in Limpopo Province, ten years ago now. Bishop Martin Breytenbach, who has just stepped down as Chair of Growing the Church, explains how Rooted in Jesus works:
It is exciting to see the difference that Rooted in Jesus is making in the Province. to find out more about Rooted in Jesus in South Africa visit our South Africa page. To watch more video interviews by Martin, visit the Rooted in Jesus website here or have a look at our youtube page here. The Rooted in Jesus report from Growing the Church can be downloaded here. If you would like to follow this blog just click on the ‘Follow’ button on the right.
Rooted in Jesus is a project of the Mathetes Trust, a UK registered charity which publishes both Rooted in Jesus and The God Who is There. To find out more visit our website.
Rooted in Jesus in isiZulu (left) and Xhosa (right), and the first book of The God Who is There.
Rooted in Jesus is a discipleship programme designed in and for Africa. First developed in partnership with the Diocese of Mount Kiimanjaro in Tanzania, Rooted in Jesus has now been running for 17 years; it forms a major focus of the work of the Mathetes Trust, which publishes and supports it.
In 2012 Elisha Tendwa, then a pastor in the Anglican Diocese of Dar es Salaam, was appointed missionary bishop within the Diocese of Katanga in DR Congo. He got in touch with us to say he would like to use Rooted in Jesus – could we help? We were delighted to accept the invitation. To cut a long story short, the course books were duly adapted into congolese swahili, a team leader was appointed, a series of conferences held, local coordinators trained and Rooted in Jesus groups planted across the diocese.
Six years on, Elisha has completed his mission and returned home – and last month Alison Morgan met him in Arusha to catch up with the story.
To watch a short video interview click HERE: – or read on for the full story…
The call to serve
The Diocese of Katanga covers an area more than twice as big as the entire UK, and is home to some six million people. Elisha’s task was to grow the church in the eastern region of Kalémie in order to form a new diocese. He explained:
“The Archbishop of Tanzania was the chair of the House of Bishops in Africa. He was visiting DRC, and Katanga requested a missionary bishop from Tanzania who would come to serve in the area of Kalémie in Katanga to prepare it to become a new diocese. He came back and shared that request, and asked me to go to serve in that area. I was then a parish priest. I shared with my family and my wife Fidea. But the situation in Kalémie was not good, they had war, and it was difficult for me to accept. We prayed and fasted, and I said to my wife ‘Let me go and see the situation, and when I see it is all right I will be able to come home and say that I should accept.’ But my wife said, ‘No, if you go and you see the situation is not good to serve there, what then, will you come back and say you will not go? If this is God’s call on your life, you should accept.’
“So I accepted. I
left my parish, and we prepared to go to Kalémie. I used the boat to get there.
I reached Kalémie. The situation was so difficult. There were only three pastors
in that huge area, and four evangelists. My church was small, you had to bend
to enter, because it is a small building. My house was not good, and I prayed
and said to God, ‘Are you really calling me here? I have left a good house and
a good salary – why do you want me to come here? Is this a kind of punishment?’
“I started my episcopal ministry after being consecrated on November 25, 2012 at St Paul’s Cathedral in Lubumbashi as an assistant missionary Bishop who will live and work in Kalémie to prepare that area by making evangelization, and by increasing the number of Christians and church buildings and growing the numbers of ministers like pastors, catechists, deacons and evangelists. I asked my God through prayer and I took a time for fasting; I used Psalm 121 to ask God: ‘I lift my eyes to the mountain, where does my help come from?’
“And God is good. He gave me a vision.
The Province & Diocese of Katanga, DRC (white area)
Growing the church with Rooted in Jesus
“I returned to Tanzania and I connected with missionary Jerry in Zanzibar, and he connected me with Revd Dr Alison Morgan. I shared with Alison the situation including the security situation, and she connected me with team leader Matthew. As soon as the situation was OK Matthew came with a Rooted in Jesus team of six people, 4 from UK and two from Tanzania, to plant a Rooted in Jesus ministry. They conducted conferences at Lubumbshi and Kalémie.
“For me it was a time of blessing. Rooted in Jesus is a discipleship course; it plants groups. We invited people through the evangelists and pastors, and 270 participants came, from far away areas. People from Moba came with their bicycles, two days it takes to reach there. These were lay people from the different parishes, youth leaders, Mothers Union leaders, church councils. The team stayed for one week and taught us about church planting with Rooted in Jesus. It was very, very useful. Rooted in Jesus ministry changed the life of people in Congo.
A syllabus for evangelism and discipleship
“Rooted in Jesus has a syllabus. There are leaders’ books, which you can follow. It is based on Matthew 28, go and preach and teach and make disciples. There are 4 books. When you follow the first one you have a thirst to know what is next. The first book helps you to grow, it gives you faith. In DRC, discipleship and evangelism you cannot separate them, because evangelism is the beginning of discipleship. You don’t go to preach the word of God if you do not lead people into discipleship. It is useful for people of God in Kalémie because they have been affected by the wars, they do not believe in each other, they have many gods in their minds. They were suffering and finding God in other ways. But when we introduced them to the real God, and we prayed, and they saw miracles, they surrendered their lives to God. Some had been possessed by demons, and after praying they felt like a new human being. We prayed also for physical healing. This gave people confidence in God.
“When each group finished the first book the coordinator gave them the second book. The syllabus connects the books together. So the first book is a foundation, the second book teaches how to invite the Holy Spirit. The third book is about the church, about Jesus when he gave authority to St Peter, build my church. The third book talks about church, not as a building only but as a way of life, personal between people. The church is holy – how can we be holy? You can offer your life in the way of building a new church. With Rooted in Jesus the first church was built with mud and grass, but people learned that church is about the heart, and they began to build big churches with stone, and they put their money to buy cement. They brought material from different sources because they learned to worship God in a good place.
“Book Four is about ministry to others. Some groups went faster than others, because the coordinator was able to visit them easily. The groups further away, even 200 km, had less support. Book 4 is a good book because it helps people to help others. Women created a plan to visit the sick in hospitals – this is because book 4 teaches how to minister to others. They went every week to hospitals, they collected gifts like soap, sugar, salt, to encourage the sick people – in hospitals there is no food. They learned also that when you pray to God, if you look after others then God will look after you. They went to visit people in their houses who were suffering and invited them to come and pray and visit also – even if they were not Christians, and they too gave their lives to Christ. We were able to baptise and teach people, and the church grew through Rooted in Jesus.
A growing church
“After two years we saw the fruits. People were coming to worship under the tree, and they began to build churches from mud and trees, with a grass roof. Small groups who learned through Rooted in Jesus changed the surrounding community, because the church received new Christians from other denominations, and others who were not Christian before, including some who were pagans who were converted to be Christian and baptised. We chose James Mayundo to be the Kalémie coordinator. James Mayundo was always visiting groups, seeing how they were growing spiritually, and seeing how to help.
A newly planted church among the Batwa (pygmy) people of Kalemie
“We saw fruit, we made ordinations to deacons. We have opened churches, the situation is good now. After five years of my ministry in Kalémie, working together with Rooted in Jesus, the number of Christians increased, many parishes opened, and the number of ministers as pastors, catechists and evangelists increased. By the time I left Kalémie they had an archdeaconry of Manono with 6 parishes, each with sub parishes led by catechists. Manono is 460 km from Kalemie. The archdeaconry of Nyunzu has four parishes with sub parishes also. In the Nyunzu archdeaconry the people are pygmies; we have a pygmy catechist. In the archdeaconry of Kalémie they have 5 parishes. And that is where we are building the cathedral of St John the Baptist. Now we have 8 pastors, and more than 16 catechists. We have many churches, some worship under the tree, and they put a shelter up like a tent; others have built.
“We have now built a good church, St John the Baptist, which in future will be the cathedral of the Diocese of Kalémie. The Synod of Katanga came to see the situation, and they said now it’s time for Kalémie to become a new diocese. The House of Bishops accepted that, and this was the end of my mission. The bishop will be elected soon. So I have come back to Tanzania.
Learning to trust God
“When I came
back from Kalémie by ship to Tanzania, there was thunder, sometimes people fear
they will die on Lake Tanganyika. People said pastor, bishop, we are here, in
this storm. I stood and I went to the corridor outside on the ship and I said
to God that time you were in the boat and you slept and your disciples woke you
and you said stop. So when the situation was dangerous I prayed. We reached
Kigoma in Tanzania and I took my small bag, and I dropped it into the lake with
my money and my computer and everything. I cried to God and said what about me,
but some people gave support and it was all given to me. I saw the hand of God
with me in trouble.
“Through Kalémie I have learned how to serve God in any situation, persecution, suffering. I have learned from Paul – I know how to get, how to lose. But always God has provided for me. In the six years I served in Kalémie, I was not without anything. I am ready to go anywhere, to serve God in any circumstances.
“So the mission in Congo gave me a new way and a new life in my
ministry. It is quite different from ministry in Tanzania. But I have a
thirst to continue to serve God in that way which has changed my life,
and which has changed my view on how to serve God in a situation of
suffering.”
Bishop Elisha (in black) has now joined the national Rooted in Jesus team in Tanzania, which is led by Bishop Stanley Hotay of the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro (in blue).
Rooted in Jesus is published and supported by theMathetes Trust. To find out more about how Rooted in Jesus was introduced to the Diocese of Katanga, visit the Rooted in Jesus website.
Last week the Diocese of the Rift Valley in Tanzania held its first Rooted in Jesus conference. The conference took place in the small town of Manyoni, near the geographical centre of the country, at the initiative of Bishop John Lupaa, and was attended by 235 pastors, catechists, Bible college students and Mothers Union representatives.
“I love you, Lord, my strength” (Ps 18.1)
Bishop John explained that the diocese, which covers the province of Singida, has 267 churches in 51 parishes, with a membership of some 130,000 people – about ten per cent of the population of the province. Over the last year he has visited every single one of these 267 churches, confirming 3000 people and baptising as many again; there is an openness here to the gospel. “We are lucky,” he says, because we are poor. People depend on God, because they have nothing else.”
But there is much still to do, he explained; of the 1300 villages in the province, 1000 have no Anglican presence, and many of those – particularly in the more remote rural areas – have no church of any kind. This is an area of primary evangelism. The diocesan vision is to increase the number of Christians by 2,200 every year, and to do this by becoming a self-sustaining community which grows through releasing the time, talents and gifts of its members. Bishop John hopes that Rooted in Jesus will help them to fulfil this vision.
Bishop John Lupaa
In Tanzania Rooted in Jesus is directed by Bishop Stanley Hotay of the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro; Stanley was one of the founders of the programme, which has now been running for nearly twenty years. In that time it has spread to 19 of the 27 dioceses in the country, and is still growing. Bishop Stanley had invited Canon Jacob Robert of the Diocese of Mara to lead the team. Jacob was joined by his colleague Canon Gaspar Kassanda, with Canon Dustan Mtoro from the Diocese of Mpwapwa, Revd Clement Manyatta from Mount Kilimanjaro, supported by Dr Alison Morgan from the UK. The conference had been organised by Canon George Mbago of the Department of Christian Education in DRV, ably supported by a team from the cathedral, where it was hosted.
The team was able to meet together the day before the conference to plan and pray, and everyone was delighted to find that each person brought a different gifting, Ephesians style, to the team – a leader, a pastor, an evangelist, a prayer minister, and a teacher. We worked hard, depended on one another, and rejoiced as we watched people learning and growing together.
A diverse pattern of learning
A Rooted in Jesus conference stretches over four days, and includes praise and worship, biblical teaching, small group practice, workshops and prayer; it also offers participants the opportunity to share their own needs and minister to one another. Each participant had paid their own bus fare to reach the conference, and many were offered hospitality by cathedral members who opened their homes to them. Each had come in the expectation that they would learn and grow during their time together, and they threw themselves wholeheartedly into every element of the programme. Bishop John was present throughout the conference to affirm and encourage, and this created a great sense of common purpose.
Rooted in Jesus is intentionally interactive and practical, and each session includes discussion, practical demonstration, times of sharing, questions, prayer and the learning of a memory verse. Encouraged to lead collaboratively rather than classroom style, participants found themselves caught up into something that was challenging but also hugely enjoyable. They adapted quickly to the new approach, and threw themselves with enthusiasm into the practical demonstrations.
Encouraging one another
This was a particularly experienced team, and participants were encouraged by the testimony of Jacob, Gaspar and Dustan, each of whom has been using Rooted in Jesus in their own diocese for over seven years now, and each of whom was able to share many stories of how people have grown in confidence and faith as they have committed themselves to learning together to be disciples of Jesus:
Dustan coordinates Rooted in Jesus in the Diocese of Mpwapwa. He reported that there are now nearly 300 groups in the diocese, some using the adult programme, some using Rooted in Jesus Junior in Sunday schools; many people have completed the course, and in every parish both church commitment and every member participation have risen dramatically as a result. Last year an ambitious fund raising campaign for a new building organised through the Rooted in Jesus groups raised the sum required within three months.
Gaspar is the Director of Evangelism in the Diocese of Mara. He told the conference how he has been steadily planting 7-10 churches a year, working with a small team and using Rooted in Jesus to disciple those who respond to the gospel. In each place the new Christians build a wooden church and thatch it with leaves, and the diocese has grown so much that they have already divided once and plan to do so again. Jacob said that there are nearly 200 adult groups and 135 Junior groups in the diocese – and that many people have already completed the course and developed their own ministry to others.
What next?
At the end of the conference Bishop John Lupaa gave a solemn charge. Each person commissioned will be expected to start a Rooted in Jesus group in their church, he said; the groups will meet weekly, perhaps on a Sunday morning before the church service. Each group leader will report regularly to a parish coordinator, and the reports will be shared with the deanery coordinator and then with the diocesan management. Progress will be evaluated at the next Diocesan Synod in April. A new department is to be created in the diocese for Rooted in Jesus, and Canon George Mbago will direct it. “We are expecting great growth,” Bishop John said; “and this growth will support our diocesan vision.”
Every Rooted in Jesus team is a lot bigger than it looks, and we are very grateful to those who prayed each day for the conference, to those who prepared magnificent meals for huge numbers of people with very basic facilities, and to those who support and encourage Rooted in Jesus financially and in other ways.
Find out more
To find out more about the Diocese of the Rift Valley visit its website. Rooted in Jesus is published and supported in the UK by the Mathetes Trust. For more information about the programme and how it works, visit the Rooted in Jesus website.
Rooted in Jesus 