A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 29 - Tuesday, July 20th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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African Women in Mission Bukoba, Tanzania - Recently, sixty East African women celebrated what many had thought could only be a dream. An incredible six-day seminar on “Women in Mission” was held in Bukoba, Tanzania. Twenty-five women traveled from the neighboring countries of Uganda and Kenya to join their sisters in Christ. With the blessing of His Grace Jeronymos, Bishop of Bukoba, the seminar was held at the OCMC-built Kasikizi Diocese Center. The women’s days were filled with study and worship as lay leaders and clergy wives enjoyed lessons, Church services and lively discussions. The women experienced a truly precious time during which they shared their Faith and developed what will be lifelong friendships, providing each other support as they face the challenges of the future as Orthodox women.
An uplifting highlight of the seminar was the opening of two new Orthodox communities in the Diocese. Two hundred people were baptized into the Orthodox Faith in the village of Mugaza as well as in Ntungamo, where one hundred and ninety seven people were baptized. While attending the seminar, the women also witnessed many couples having their marriages blessed. In 1983, the first Tanzanian priest, Fr. Sosthenes Kiyonga, was ordained. Today, there are 140 Orthodox communities in Tanzania, with 29 priests and deacons supported by the Mission Center’s Support A Mission Priest (SAMP) program. In this region, the average life span is under 45 years, with non-Christian faiths in the majority. His Grace Jeronymos of Bukoba shares with us that “There is great demand for Orthodoxy in our area. So pray for us, assist us and visit us.”
Note: Fr. Martin Ritsi, Executive Director of OCMC,
will be visiting the Bukoba region during a South
and East Africa tour in August. The journey will
include the consecration of two churches together
the OCMC sponsors who have helped to build and
fund these projects. More to come. |
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