The first westerners ever at Gamasara church

The Gafcon-tiki tour (my name for my mission trip) split up on Sunday. Barbara Stephens and I went to Gamasara church. I did not know what to expect, so I was tense, but the welcome was immense. The congregation proceeded out of the church to meet us, ululating (the high-pitched tone of happiness Africans use). I felt instantly welcomed.

There were about 70 people in Gamasara church that morning. They would all have walked to church, up to 1km, as it is a very local church, many carrying chairs. The building, built after years of meeting under a tarp, is simple. A single-skin brick wall, grills instead of windows, the roof trusses open to the interior under a galv roof, and a dirt floor except for the stage. Barbara and I were the first Westerners ever to visit.

The choir and congregation sang and danced energetically – sort of Hillsong with dancing. But the music style was dance music – a strong flavour of Britpop or K-Pop.

Catechist Clemencio Mnyoro, who leads the parish, preached on John 10:1-16. ” in this passage, Christ is talking to us,” she said. “We have a Good shepherd. We need to follow the excellent example of Jesus, who gave his life for his sheep.

“We have guests from Australia,” she said. “We are all the same, we need to follow Jesus’ good example.”

“The members of the group that follows JesJesuse in the same group no matter if we are pl; ace in the region or the economy. No matter if you are from Australia or the region.” John Qambaro, our tour guide, gave us enough of the sermon to feel part of it. Thanks, John.

People came forward to give at collection time. Three oranges and an egg were added. John explained that people with no money can give “whatever they have in their house,” and the gift is auctioned at the end of the service. John stopped in this time.

We finished with a church photo, a memento of a remarkable visit. But more was to come.

Then we headed off to a school, a secondary school that will have girls only. More interesting was the motivation for the new school – which has some help from Anglican Aid. Bishop Mwita Akiri wants a girl’s school to achieve a lift in the marriage age in the region, which is currently 14. the school will also drive down the rate of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). There are FGM ceremonies in the area, mostly in December. So the bishop is pressing ahead with plans, although a lack of money means buildings’ use will need to be changed. The building (pictured below), intended initially as an administrative area, will now be the dormitory.

Back to our accommodation at Mogobiri, where a unique youth choir festival was happening. It was like Gamasara church on steroids. Youth teams from churches in the region came to perform, to sing and dance to the distinctive beat-laden rhythm of popular African music. It was loaded, passionate, and packed to the rafters. Between brackets, there was a great mosh pit.

Each choir had its dance moves, many of them extremely high energy.

This Sunday, the Gafcon-tiki tour was welcomed into the worship life of the people of the Tasrime diocese region. From the grassroots of the Anglican Church of Tanzania, it’s clear where the charismatic influence over the worship style at the Gafcon meeting came from. Sunday in Tarime was magnificent.