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Bega Kwa Bega!
In Kiswahili means: Shoulder to shoulder, side by side, hand in hand.
Bega kwa bega is the theme of our Companion Congregation relationship. It truly defines the partnership that is shared between our congregations. Although one might be in Africa and the other in Minnesota, we work and stand bega kwa bega as we grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ.
Our Vision
In this companion relationship we will share Christ’s love through prayer. We are committed to fostering education through student scholarships, congregational and special needs, communication and visitor exchanges.
Companion Congregation Program
 Farmington Lutheran’s companion congregation is located in the town of Idete. Idete is a small town located in the south central highlands of Tanzania, about 3 hours southeast of the town of Iringa. It is located in the mountains. The congregation consists of Idete church and 4 preaching points. It is served by 2 pastors. The Pastor of the Idete congregation is Patson Lubava and Naphtale.
 Idete Secondary School Scholarships: An Opportunity to Make a Big Difference
The need for scholarship sponsorship is created in part by the economic conditions within Tanzania. Students and their families are asked to co-pay for their education. The problem is that most families do not have any cash to contribute towards a student’s education.
Not many Iringa area students are attending secondary schools because they (and their families) cannot afford the school fees. These fees generally cost about $300 US per year. While that may not be a huge amount for Americans it is in fact an insurmountable amount for most Tanzanians.
How can you help? Currently, Farmington Lutheran sponsors nine secondary student at the Idete Secondary School located in the mountains near Idete, through individual donations.
 Companion Congregation Program with the Iringa Diocese
Officially begun in 1987 as a synod to synod program with a primary focus on educating pastors for the rapidly growing Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, the synod’s relationship with the Iringa Diocese has evolved into a grassroots movement in which congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod are matched with congregations in the Iringa Diocese. The companion congregation program focuses on five areas, including prayer, communication, scholarship for secondary and post-secondary education, exchange visits, and financial support. Fifty-six partnerships have been formed with congregations in Iringa Diocese.
Participating congregations agree to pray for one another regularly and to engage in regular communication through e-mail, videos, letters, or photographs. Providing scholarships helps strengthen the local economy, and exchanges between congregations affirm unity in mission and foster cultural understanding. In addition, Saint Paul Area Synod congregations support Tanzanian congregations with up to $1,000 annually over three years, which might include the purchase of roofing and building materials, program support, cows, or bicycles for evangelists. Funds contributed above this amount are added to a Common Basket and used for congregations without companions to meet specific needs.
Since its inception in 1987, more than 500 visitors from the Saint Paul Area Synod have visited Iringa, with more than half of those visiting since the congregation partnerships began in 2000. More than 40 have visited the synod from Iringa, ten of those since 2000. And, thirty synod congregations have visited partner parishes in groups ranging from three to twenty people. These visits have strengthened and cemented relationships with partner parishes by enabling visitors to understand the culture, faith, and life of our brothers and sisters in Christ living in Iringa.
Ilula Lutheran Hospital
The Ilula Lutheran Hospital is registered as having 70 beds: 10
for private patients, 20 in the maternity ward, and 40 for general patients.
The Ilula Health Center, granted hospital status in April 2007, is operated by the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). The Diocese also operates eight rural dispensaries (small clinics that serve several villages and are staffed by a clinical officer, with training roughly equivalent to that of a nurse practitioner).
The health center receives some government funding in the form of staffing
grants. One of the eight dispensaries is located in Idete Tanzania.
The Ilula campus includes an administration building, a building which houses
outpatient services, a maternal/child health clinic with delivery room and
maternity ward, a private ward, a general ward with a wing housing the
infectious disease ward, and a laboratory building. Outlying buildings include
kitchen facilities, laundry, and a workshop.
Current staffing includes two medical doctors, several clinical officers, nurses
with varying levels of training, nine nurse midwives, lab assistants, and various
administrators and accountants.
Ilula Hospital and the local task force are striving for district hospital designation which are key to sustaining the medical mission at Ilula since the government will then
provide salary support and money for drugs and supplies.
Saint Paul Partners
Saint Paul Partners is a 401c3 non-profit organization that provides fresh water wells for communities in Tanzania. We pride ourselves on utilizing donations as effectively as possible. We are currently at an extremely high ratio of donated funds being used to build and service wells. This is a great undertaking and a proud achievement. Thanks to all who contribute not only through financial donations but also through volunteering.
THE VISION
We will assist and enable the Tanzanian people to obtain universal access to safe water, community by community.
THE MISSION
We aim to improve the life prospects of all people of Tanzania by providing safe water and health education in partnership with local communities.
Tanzania in Context
For most Tanzanians, life is an enormous struggle for clean water, wood for cooking fires, adequate food for the family, school fees for children and medical care. Subsistence farmers, who make up the majority of the population, face periodic droughts. Urbanization is a new phenomenon, as many move to the city to seek a better life. Health and education are major challenges for the government and the church.
The rapidly growing Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) has more than 2.7 million members, 1,000 pastors and 1,900 evangelists in 20 dioceses. Evangelism, leadership, development, health ministries and social justice are priorities, with a growing involvement in secondary education.
Did You Know:
- AFRICA is 3 times the size of Europe
- AFRICA is 4 times the size of the US
- TANZANIA has 363,495 square miles
- MINNESOTA has 218,576 square miles
THE IRINGA DIOCESE HAS:
- 100 pastors/leaders
- 306 trained evangelists who preach and teach on a regular basis
- 52 parishes – each parish has several preaching points – 324 congregations
- 60,000 baptized members
- An annual diocese budget of $235,000
With available leadership THE IRINGA DIOCESE could start ten new congregations each year for the next ten years.
THE POPULATION of TANZANIA is 30 million.
THE RELIGIOUS MAKEUP is:
- 47% Christian
- 33% Muslim
- 20% traditional religions
LUTHERANS IN TANZANIA:
- 2.7 million
- 20 Diocese in ELCT
Contact Information
Global Missions Committee | 
