Happy Lutheran

We all made it safely to Tanzania last night: here we are leaving the airport, getting ready to take the bus to Tumaini University, Makumira:

Then, a little jet-lagged but eager to see what the day had in store, we were up early for breakfast, and then chapel.

After chapel, we were blessed to have some time with Rev. Dr. Elieshi Mungure [a Wartburg alum], and her first year Introduction to Ministry class. She shared some very interesting history about the ELCT [Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania], theological education, and ongoing concerns for the church here. [We certainly share some similar issues—climate change and gender justice, for example.] She talked about the need for pastors to focus on holistic engagement with people, not just “spiritual engagement.” Because of her extensive experience, including time with the Lutheran World Federation, she really sees the importance of partnerships and working together. One of the questions she encouraged us to focus on is “How can we build a better oikos together—a house of God where all belong, the whole creation?”

Then, after lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Cultural Arts Center, [http://www.cac.ac.tz/] where we heard an interesting presentation on church music in the ELCT. One of the things that I found particularly interesting was to hear how, initially, the ELCT did not really welcome traditional African music in the church. But that has really changed over time, and, especially for the Maasai, being able to worship using their traditional tunes with Christian lyrics is something that has prompted many of them to become Christian. [Our speaker, Pastor Seth Mesiaki Ole Sululu, is doing his Ph.D. dissertation on music as a process of transformation and evangelism with the Maasai.] We watched a couple YouTube videos of Christian Maasai choirs—amazing!

We ended the afternoon hearing about the amazing work of the Cultural Arts Center, brainchild of former ELCA missionary Randy Stubbs. Its mission is the preservation and promotion of traditional African cultural arts, and it is the only institution like it in the country that has year-round resident artists. We got a drumming and a dancing lesson—no videos were taken to preserve the dignity of everyone involved! And then we were treated to an amazing performance by a group of the dancers. We also talked about some of the considerations that are involved when they research traditional dances: they take care to always have someone from the specific ethnic group involved, and not all dances are appropriate for performance.

We are all exhausted and ready for bed tonight, but it was a fantastic day, and wow—what a beautiful place, a beautiful campus.

More to come tomorrow; until then, “Usiku mwema”—Good night!