by Elly Malima and Bryan Cleeton
Tanzania is a country located in East Africa, bordering Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. It was ruled in the past by Germany and Great Britain and became a nation in 1964.
There are more than 120 tribes in Tanzania, including the Masai and Sukuma. Swahili and English are the country’s official languages, while more than 100 different languages are spoken by its various tribes.
Tanzania’s climate is warm and tropical with significant regional variations due to its large size and location. Coffee, tea, corn, rice, cassava, and bananas are common food crops there. Fishing, cattle raising, and mining are also significant industries.
Different religions can be found in Tanzania, including Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and traditional faiths.
Beginnings
The Church of God (Seventh Day) was established in Tanzania in 1997. After Pastor Moses Nonga learned about the Church in Kenya and its biblical teachings, he and other pastors in Tanzania agreed to organize themselves as the Church of God (Seventh Day).
The first national leadership team consisted of Moses Nonga, chairman; Selestine Lyamayaga, vice-chairman; Sosthenes Bhitta, secretary; Petro Chibuga, treasurer; and Benard Bwakitare, evangelist. The Church was officially registered with the Tanzanian government in 2013.
Recognized as a member of the International Federation of the Church of God (Seventh Day) in 2023, the Church in Tanzania today has 20 official congregations, and more than 1,200 baptized members located in six of the country’s 36 regions.
Challenges
The people of Tanzania face significant challenges. Poverty, disease, and lack of education are the most common issues.
The vast majority of Tanzania’s population work in agriculture, making just enough to provide for their daily needs. Drought, flooding, and lack of capital are common as well, making most people vulnerable and limited in their ability to expand their earning opportunities.
Forty percent of Tanzania’s population is uneducated. This contributes to a lack of employment and of other opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, the country experiences common health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, cholera, and tuberculosis. These contribute to financial hardships, loss of jobs, and instability.
The Church is not immune to these challenges. However, despite a difficult life in Tanzania and the struggle many people have in getting adequate resources for their daily needs, the Tanzanian people desire to know the Lord and understand the gospel.
Goals
The Church of God in Tanzania is actively addressing these challenges. It is working to provide spiritual education and guidance through evangelism and education. Crusades are held in different areas to establish and grow new churches. The Church is also opening schools for children. In addition, it is working with the vulnerable, including widows and orphans, the sick, and the elderly, embracing them as part of the Church community and assisting their needs to the best of its ability.
To strengthen its capacity to preach and teach the good news and serve those in need, the Church of God is developing income-generating projects. These sustain daily ministry needs, provide for purchasing equipment (such as public address systems), and supply training for pastors and leaders.
Such efforts enable the Church in Tanzania to extend its ministry into urban and rural areas. They also provide means for the Church to be economically independent and to support new ministry. Church leaders are also better prepared to overcome problems they may encounter and are better organized to conduct their evangelistic activities.
Appeal
If you or your church would like to partner with GC Missions and the Church in Tanzania to equip pastors and evangelists, share the good news, and assist people in spiritual and physical need, please contact us at
office@cog7missions.org or bryan.cleeton@cog7.org.
Elly Malima is secretary of the Church of God (Seventh Day) in Tanzania. He and his wife and children live in Katoro.
Bryan Cleeton is director of GC Missions and lives in Denver, CO.
