Dispatch One from East Africa, November 2009

Matt. 28:19-20  “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world. Amen.”

Most Christians recognize that quote from the Great Commission.  Part of verse 20, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” is one of the foundation Words of the Lord for OFM.  Another Word of the Lord that is part of the Scriptural foundation of OFM, is found  in Ephesians 4:12: “to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, to build up the Body of Christ.”  That is what OFM does in Africa.  Not glamorous, not fancy, just basic ministry work.

God’s call sent me to Africa for the eighth time.  The journey went from Cleveland to New York City to Dubai on the Persian Gulf above Saudi Arabia, to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania, to Mwanza in Tanzania on the shore of Lake Victoria, all by air, four flights.  The journey continued with an eight hour bus trip across the Kenyan border, to Rabour, to visit an old friend and examine the legacy of four teaching trips there several years ago.  Leave Cleveland on Sunday; arrive in Rabour on Wednesday.

After six days in Rabour, return to Mwanza and work under the authority of Anglican bishop, Rt Rev Boniface Kwangu, of the Diocese of Victoria Nyanza (DVN).

I will teach for two weeks to around twenty new clergy and lay leaders.  I will teach them about the beliefs, teachings and practices of the Faith; also introduce them to the ethos of ordained ministry, to liturgy, to sacraments, to preaching, and to Scripture.  Most of these adult students were ordained with little or no ministry education because of the immediate great needs there.  Our instruction is for the church leaders and teachers who will teach others.  The students soak up the instruction like a sponge.

I will also teach advanced topics to around twenty different students to whom I taught the basic subjects listed above , on my last trip to Mwanza.  Advanced topics include pastoral theology, and in depth instruction on the Trinity, on the Incarnation, and on Grace.  This will be a challenge for them – one they will work hard at and succeed.

Thanks be to God and thanks be to you for sending me on this work.   I pledge the most ministry to Him for His people and the most ministry to you for your donated dollar.  Please continue to pray for blessings, protection and sustenance for this work.  Please continue your financial support to keep this ministry alive.  I can be contacted in Africa at e-mail address:  jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com

Fr Francis Wardega
Canon Missioner to East Africa
Missionary Society of St John
Forward in Faith, Anglican Church

Fr. Francis is all packed and ready to leave tomorrow for Africa.  We have been blessed to see most of the grandchildren before he leaves.  He saw Jacob, Toby and Nora last week.  He spent time last night with Morgan and Gavin and today he will spend time with Brendan and Brady.

We will be up early to be at the airport by 4:00 AM.

The last days before he leaves are hard.  I have mixed feelings. I support his going but I miss him already.  Please keep us all in your prayers.  I will be posting updates of the trip so check back often.

Jesus bless you all.

What Does OFM Do?

Over the past nine years, the director of OFM, Fr Francis Wardega, has been serving the African Church, teaching and developing future leaders.  This ministry gives flesh to the part of the Great Commission that says:  “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

The ministry has done great work both in Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa.  It is not a colonial ministry that sends someone in for a week to pass out money.  This ministry puts a person on the ground for over a month, in a specific focused area, to teach ministry to young clergy and lay leaders in areas where such education is hard to get.

Many others go the large cities in Africa.  They do good work.  OFM goes to the rural, more primitive areas, where few go, lives there, and offers ministry education that is not locally available.  It works.  An examination of the pages at the web site, http://connectionkenya.wordpress.com, shows the long lasting effects of the work.

An individual days instruction to a group of three hundred people is often quickly forgotten.  However, knowledge gleaned from many small groups (8-10 clergy & church leaders), each spending a week in close contact with a “mwalimu” (Swahili for teacher), has a profound effect on a diocese.

Classes include:

What the Church Believes, Teaches and Practices.         Map of TanzaniaMap of Tanzania
The Ethos of Ordained Ministry, a Calling, not a Job.
Fundamentals of Sacred Scripture.
Liturgy
Sacraments
Pastoral Theology
Preaching
Anglican Studies
Case Studies in Parish Ministry

This ministry must work.  OFM has current invitations to come and teach from Bishop Boniface Kwangu, Bishop Jackton Lugumira, Bishop Daudi Chidawali, Bishop Maternus Kapinga, Bishop Gerard Mpango, all from Tanzania, and from Bishop Jackson Nzerebende from Uganda.  In the past, OFM has worked alongside of Bishop Alpha Mohammed of Tanzania, and SOMA-UK.  See below for the details of the newxt mission trip.

Dodoma Class

Mission Trip to Africa – 2009

OFM missioner, Fr Francis Wardega will leave Nov 8th for Tanzania on a six week teaching trip to the Anglican diocese of Victoria-Nyanza.  There, he will teach advanced ministry topics to twelve students he first taught in August-Sept 2008.  Additionally, he will teach basic subjects to twelve new students from the diocese.  He will return just before Christmas.

It takes three days to get to Mwanza, on the coast of Lake Victoria, the see city for Bishop Boniface Kwangu.  The journey goes through New York City, to Dubai, and then to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania.  From Dar, a Tanzanian flight takes Fr Francis the last six hundred miles to Mwanza.

While there, Fr Francis will also visit parishes of the diocese, celebrating liturgy, preaching, working with vestries, meeting congregations, visiting orphanages and hospitals.  He will bring greetings from faithful Anglicans in America and show Anglicans in Africa that there are faithful Anglicans in America.

From the very beginning of the Christian era, followers of Jesus had a Spirit driven concern for evangelism, in their own backyard, and for the whole world.  That same concern dwells within each one of us today.  One of the marks of a good church, a good parish, is a heart for the missions.  Go into any church and look at the bulletin board.  Do you find information about the foreign missions?  Are the people and the parish part of an ongoing mission effort?  Look and see.

OFM offers an opportunity to give flesh to the Great Commission.  God does not call everyone to travel to distant foreign lands to spread the Gospel message.  Yet, all can share in that task through concern, prayer, and financial support.  All can share in the grace through concern, prayer and financial support.

We ask your help.  We ask your prayers.  We ask your financial support.  This ministry, OFM, continues to serve God and His people, through the blessings of His grace and the contributions of His people.  The needs are great.  The work is vast.  The Holy Spirit is all-powerful.

Would you become a patron of Office of Foreign Missions?

Costs for the 2009 mission trip:  $5,500
Money already raised:  $4,900
Still needed:  $600

Can you help us go to Africa?  Can you send a donation.  Please note: we will send stuff for your bulletin board.  Please let us know if you need that.

In the mendicant tradition of the church, we beg your prayers, personal and corporate.  In the mendicant tradition of the church, we beg your financial support, personal and corporate.
Fr Francis & Chigogo Children
Please send donations to:  Office of Foreign Missions,
St John the Apostle Church, 18401 Canal Rd, Clinton Township MI 48038.

We pledge the most ministry for your donated dollar.

Asante sana!          (Thank you very much in Swahili)

Fr Francis Wardega
Canon Missioner to Africa

Fr Francis Wardega
Office of Foreign Missions
Missionary Society of St John
A Member of Forward in Faith
18401 Canal Rd, Clinton Twp MI 48038
248-345-2651  jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com
http://www.connectionkenya.wordpress.com

Dispatch 5 – Last Dispatch for this trip

From Station Dar es Salaam in Tanzania

My Bus

Buigiri School

They learned the basic beliefs and practices and teachings of the histo ric Anglican Christian Church. They had many misconceptions. They also learned of the ethos of ordained ministry and how that is different from that of an independent minister. Their excitement grew every day. They sensed what was happening – they were learning new things and understanding them. It was making a difference in their thinking. The class on ordained ministry was especially moving to the priests, life changing. They were eager to return to the their parishes and deaneries and pass on what they had learned.

Final Exam Taking

Dodoma Class

There was much contact with local Anglicans who were vitally interested inthe details of the Jerusalem GAFCON gathering and in the details of the Lambreth Conference. We talked long about the future of the Anglican Communion and possible steps that they could take as faithful Anglicans in a diocese where the bishop was not
faithful.

Bishop Chidawali

My hubby has arrive in Dodoma after a 12 hour bus trip, half of which was on dirt roads!  People wrapped themselves in material to keep the dust off of them.  Fr. Francis will do this as well the next time!

Dispatch 3 From Station Mwanza in Tanzania

Summer 2008

Fr Francis Wardega

For many, mission ministry has a sort of exotic glamour to it. Such work includes large crowds, healing services, hospitals built, schools visited, and similar events. Such work is very good and very blessed. This ministry is different. We teach. We teach the teachers. We teach the preachers. We teach the leaders. We teach the ones who had no real prior opportunity to learn. There are many such people in Africa.

The bulk of the work is done daily. The schedule: teach 9 am to 7 pm. Teach ministry subjects to the depth that they are useful to the leaders of the parish. Do this every day, less an occasional rest day. The students quickly adapt to the schedule. They write down more notes than is needed. They listen and ask insightful questions. This is a two-week investment in a life that bears fruit in a parish for the next twenty to thirty years. Not glamorous – just effective.

Pastor Erasto puzzles about the deeper meaning of

Ezekiel chapter 37.
Notice the copious notes that he has taken in his notebook.

This week, we finished up the class on Ordained Ministry and moved into Fundamentals of Sacred Scripture. Then we ended with Sacramental Theology. These eleven students are different. They have absorbed so much. They talk about different things. They have a whole new and deeper appreciation of the Bible and their personal Bible. Everyone preached once and was affirmed and critiqued. They want more. “Can you stay for three months?” Sorry. They were very proud to pose for their class picture.

Proud members of Class #1, Nyakato School of Theology

As available, I go to local churches to meet the people there and celebrate the liturgy. Last Sunday, I visited St John in Nyamanoro. I preached in both Sunday liturgies. Each service had a 25 person choir, a different choir for each service. They worship with contemporary African worship music, choreographed. It is Motown gone Jesus! Such music keeps the young people in the Anglican Church instead of being attracted to other, more seeker friendly churches.

Fr Francis preaches at St John Parish in Nyemanoro, Sunday Aug 17

The work this trip will soon be finished in this diocese, until next year. Next on the schedule is a ten hour bus journey to Dodoma, the national capital in the center of the country where I will be working with Bishop Daudi Chidawali again. I will be teaching at his Bible College in Buigiri where I taught last year.

One unusual experience. I was invited to dine with Bishop Kwangu and a visiting bishop. As we sat and talked, I realized that somehow, many red fire ants crawling on me. I tried to be a good guest as long as I could but the others noticed my discomfort. I ended up trying to stand still while two Anglican bishops and one bishop’s wife killed so many ants that were feasting on me! That was my lesson in humility that day.

Thank you for your support. God and you make this possible. Please keep on supporting this mission. Please sustain this good ministry. It works!

Fr Francis Wardega

Office of Foreign Missions

Missionary Priest in Africa

18401 Canal Rd

www.connectionkenya.wordpress.com

Clinton Twp MI 48038

Africa e-mail: jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com

I just received this dispatch my hubby early this morning, enjoy!

Dispatch 2 From Station Mwanza in Tanzania

Summer 2008

Fr FrancisWardega

Your mission support is beginning to bear fruit again in East Africa on the southern shores of Lake Victoria.  People here in Mwanza, a part of the Anglican Diocese of Victoria Nyanza, were excited to start this mission.  The mission started with liturgy on Sunday Aug 10, at St Nicholas Cathedral, one block away from the lake.  The lake breeze made the temperature most comfortable.  I preached and assisted the bishop, Rt Rev Boniface Kwangu, at the service.  The bishop asked me to distribute the Holy Eucharist to his people. One young woman was confirmed at the service.  This liturgy, one of three liturgies every Sunday, was the English service – the other two services are in Swahili..  It was very powerful to hear the Words of Institution, prayed by the bishop in his British accented, East African English.  “Thees ees my boudy, brrroken for you.”  Different and the same. Holy.

Our ministry is primarily a ministry of teaching.  The need here fits precisely what we do.  Here, there are many priests ordained over recent years with little or no ministry or priestly education.  Here, education is hard to get.  Bishop Boniface brought eleven priests together to receive the teaching that God has called us to give. 

Who are these men.  All but two are in their fifties.  The other two are in their sixties. All are ordained priests and are pastors of parishes in the diocese.  Two came from the island of Ukerewe in Lake Victoria.  Here in East Africa, they are addressed as “pastor.”  Their names sing an African song, grounded in Scripture, colored by British history.  Their names:  Japheth, Erasto, Stafford, Zephania, Julius, Boniface, Jesse, Solomon, Iohanna, Abednego, and Josiah.  Josiah has a bible school diploma and an M.Div from Cambridge in England.  Solomon will be beginning studies at a bible school in Uganda.  The rest have a 7^th grade education at best, some less.

They bring to the class many good qualities.  A daily prayer life, ministry experience (some have been ordained for over ten years), a desire to learn, and an ability to work.  Good investment for your prayers and for your donated dollars.  These men will be here for two weeks.  These classes are a major step in their lives, and an answer to their prayer.

This week, they learned the basics of the faith – they learned new things.  Things like Jesus is both God and man.  Things like Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins.  Things like the liturgy that they do is a 20^th century version of what the apostles did..  They are like sponges continually soaking up the waters of new life.  They also learned the meaning of what it is to be a priest – a calling from God, not a weekend job.  They learned that God calls them to higher standards – the highest possible by grace.  Their priesthood is being transformed. Their bishop, who sits in on many of the classes, is excited.  More is happening much quicker than he expected.

Thank you for your support.  God and you make this possible.  Please keep on supporting this mission.  Please sustain this good ministry.  It works!

Fr FrancisWardega

Missionary Priest in Africa

www.connectionkenya.wordpress.com

Africa e-mail:  jambofrfrancis@yahoo.com

I had a nice day today. I did all of my wash and cleaned up the house. My friend Jan Fick came by in the afternoon and we went up to Romeo MI. to do some shopping and then had ice cream. I enjoyed our time together. She is such a good friend.

I heard from my hubby today. He was pleased with his first day of teaching. He had five students and expects more tomorrow. These priest have not had formal training. Francis said that they did well.

He just texted me tonight. He slept for 7 hours which is great. He is having some stomach distress, so I ask for prayers for his health.

Thanks again for all the prayers. Jesus bless you all. Goodnight!