TANZANIA: Pastoral Coordinator Calls AMECEA Countries To Promote Small Christian Communities.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo, AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator
AMECEA Pastoral Coordinator Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Chimombo has encouraged AMECEA countries to promote Small Christian Communities.
He said this during an international workshop on Small Christian Communities (SCCs) which was held at Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) from 10th -12th September 2019.
Father Chimombo said that the Church in Africa will grow if SCCs are prioritized and strengthened.
“Let us move forward and make sure that no one is left behind, ensuring that all of us are partakers in this missionary activity,” he said.
He pointed out four guidelines of the workshop, which included that the Church must ensure that the lay faithful have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in the Church.
“How do we help men, women, children, aged, youth to have a realistic personal encounter with Jesus through SCC?” he asked.
The second guideline, he said, is testimony. He asked the participants to discuss how the Church is helping all groups of the lay faithful to make a testimony of their missionary work.
The third guideline is about the missionary dimension of the lay faithful, yet they have little formation in their Christian faith. “How do we assist lay faithful biblically, catechetical sense or help them to learn theology through SCC?” he continued.
Finally, he pointed out missionary charity as the fourth guideline. “How does the Church help these groups of the lay faithful to become charitable if not through the activities they do in SCC?”
Archbishop of Mbeya
and Chairman of Tanzania
Episcopal Conference
Speaking during the workshop, the President of Tanzania Episcopal Conference, Most Rev. Gervas Nyaisonga said that he wanted all countries in AMECEA region to make sure that SCCs become the model of evangelization and ensure that all challenges affecting the SCCs are being addressed so that they continue to grow.
The intention of this meeting was for the African Church to learn from each other on how they organize and strengthen the Church through SCCs.
On his part, Missio Aachen representative Johannes Duwe thanked AMECEA and Tanzania Episcopal Conference through bishop Methodius Kilaini who organized the SCC Network Meeting.
“On behalf of Missio, I would like to welcome you here in Dar es Salaam in the 6th meeting of the SCC Network Africa. I appreciate Bishop Kilaini and your team for the warm welcome and for accepting to host this 6th SCC Network Meeting,” he said.
Auxiliary Bishop of Bukoba
He also explained that, the Church is family of God built in communities and that communities are formed from the family then SCC. As such, the essence of SCCs is that people from the neighborhood come to share the Word of God.
“The SCCs model is gift of the African Church to universal Church. I am happy that we meet here to to share and learn from your experience and exchange experiences and ideas,” he said.
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By Sarah Pelaji
