09.07.2024

Exchange on the Work of UEM

The Delegates of the Africa Regional Board together with coworkers from the UEM Africa Region. Photo by: UEM

This year's Africa Regional Board (ARB) took place in Tanzania from 14 to 17 June 2024 at the invitation of the ECLT-KAD*.

The annual Regional Boards in the regions of Africa, Asia and Germany of the UEM have the task of advising the regional offices and supporting the implementation of the goals from the UEM General Assembly and the Regional Assemblies. They connect the members of the respective region with the work of the UEM. The Regional Board is composed of representatives of the churches who are elected at the Regional Assemblies. This year, representatives met from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, the DR Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Bishop Dr Abednego Keshomshahara, moderator of the UEM, opened the ARB in Bukoba with an atmospheric welcome: "Welcome to the member churches of the Africa region. Here, the support of the UEM is visible at the grassroots level of our churches."

The head of the Africa Department and member of the UEM Management Team, Rev. Dr John Wesley Kabango, together with staff from the regional office in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, presented the reports on the UEM's annual goals and activities, which were intensively discussed by the ARB members. These included the joint programmes and their evaluation over the past year, as well as an outlook until December 2024. The programmes, especially in the regions of Africa and Asia, make up a large part of the UEM's work, for example in staff exchanges, educational programmes or volunteer services. Learning experiences were shared and ideas for future activities were developed.

Bishop Mothusi Letlhage, Chairman of the ARB: "We are pleased to learn about the UEM's goals and activities at these annual meetings, to exchange ideas, to provide input and to experience how the UEM's work is implemented on the ground."

In addition to intensive talks and discussions, a varied programme of visits was also on the agenda: the agricultural university KARUCO, the Karagwe University College, which is concerned with improving the living conditions of people in the Kagera region of Tanzania and conducts research, particularly in the field of food security. After a needs analysis, Rural Opportunity Centres were set up to support the local population with measures such as the construction of a covered market and the rental of tractors or agricultural equipment. The ELCT-NWD operates a similar centre: the Igabiro Training Institute of Agriculture. Both institutions, with their large estates used for training purposes, train between 500 and 1,000 students a year from all over Tanzania. The aim is to use the training to promote the establishment of new businesses and to introduce modern agricultural techniques.

The bishops of the ELCT-KAD and the ELCT-NWD introduced the Nyakahanga and Ndolage hospitals to the members of the ARB and thanked supporters of the health facilities. The hospital in Ndolage, with its affiliated nursing school, also serves as a training centre. However, the challenge remains to further improve medical services and to ensure basic care.

The conclusion of the visits was that, through mutual support in the UEM Communion of churches, members can provide evangelisation on the one hand and the necessary social work at the grassroots level on the other: providing health and education services and hope for the disadvantaged population in order to improve the lives of people and their families. This commitment also leads to strong growth in the churches, according to Bishop Dr Abednego Keshomshahara: "Every year, 4-5 new congregations are opened, with an increase of hundreds of church members".

The Sunday service on 16 June took place on the day of the national celebration of ELCT Sunday: eight congregations of the ELCT-KAD  invited people to attend services and sent their greetings to the UEM Communion: Nyabwegira, Kayanga, Rukole, Lukajange, Omurushaka, Nyakahanga Hospital, Nyakahanga Parish and Kayenje.

*ELCT-KAD = Karagwe Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
*ELCT-NWD = North-West Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania