ELCT
Press Release
Date:
May 24, 2008
Press release No. 001/05/2008
Mwakabana to be installed Bishop
Rev. Dr. Hance O.
A. Mwakabana will be installed as Bishop of South Central
Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) at a ceremony
scheduled to takes place on Sunday, 25 May 2008, at Makete Cathedral,
Iringa Region.
The ELCT Deputy Secretary
General for Finance and Administration, Mr.
Aminiel Mungure described the appointment as another milestone for Dr.
Mwakabana who takes over from Bishop Shadrack Manyiewa. Bishop Manyiewa
has
retired since December last year.
He said Dr. Mwakabana
commands high respect among pastors in Tanzania as
most of them studied at Makumira University College when he was Principal
of the Theological Seminary from May 1984 to 30 April 1992.
Thousands of people
from Makete and outside world are expected to attend
the installation service.
Hance A. O. Mwakabana
was born at Suma Village in Rungwe District, South
Western Tanzania in 1939 and attended Primary and Middle Schools in Rungwe.
From 1960 to 1963 he joined Ilboru Lutheran Secondary School and obtained
Cambridge School Certificate.
He studied Theology
at Makumira from 1964 to 1967 and worked as Parish
Pastor for High School and College students in Iringa and Mbeya regions
in
1968. In 1969 he became Rector of Mafinga Lutheran Training Centre of
the
then Southern Synod.
He went to Helsinki,
Finland for Masters in Theology studies from 1970-1974
and from July to November 1974 he was lecturer of Kidugala Bible School
in
Southern Synod.
Dr. Mwakabana became
Rector of the Morogoro Lutheran Junior Seminary from
1975-1976 and went for further studies at the University of Helsinki,
Faculty of Theology, from 1977-1982 and was awarded a Doctorate in Theology
in 1982.
He returned to Tanzania
and became a Parish Pastor at Manow, Rungwe
District, for one year from July 1982 to July 1983 before he became a
Senior Lecturer at Makumira Lutheran Theological College as it was known
then.
While at Makumira
University College as it is known today, Dr. Mwakabana
was also visiting lecturer at several Lutheran Seminaries in the United
States of America as well as a visiting Scholar in Finland.
From 1984 he became
Principal and Senior lecturer at Makumira until April,
1992 when he joined the Geneva based Lutheran World Federation Department
for Theological Studies where he was responsible for Interfaith Dialogue.
He retired 28 February
2001 and upon his return to Tanzania Dr. Hance
Mwakabana was installed on May 12, 2002 in Dar es Salaam as Interim Leader
of the Eastern and Coastal Diocese (ECD). He served in that capacity for
two years before an election was held and Bishop Alex Malasusa became
Bishop of ECD effective 17 April, 2004. ###
Issued by:
Secretary General's Office
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
For more information contact:
Elizabeth
Lobulu
Communication Desk Officer, ELCT
E-mail: ELobulu@elct.or.tz