ELCT
Press Release
Date: June 13, 2013
Press release No. 001/06/2013
ELCT Celebrates 50 Years
At least 5,000 people are expected to attend the celebrations from 21 to 23 June 2013 to mark the Golden jubilee since the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).
The Secretary General of ELCT, Mr. Brighton Killewa, said recently that the climax of the jubilee will be held at Tumaini University Makumira (TUMA) located at Usa River, near Arusha.
Mr Brighton Killewa,
ELCT Secretary General
He said on the 21st June the ELCT Presiding Bishop, Dr. Alex Malasusa, was expected to open an exhibition, on the 22nd ELCT leadership and partners will attend a consultation in which presentations and discussion on five papers on the strides made so far in fulfilling God’s call to preach a holistic Gospel and plans on how to forge ahead in the future will be made.
On June 23rd, the climax, a procession to include choirs will precede a Church service and speeches.
The Church expects to receive 5,000 guests from inside and outside the country. Foreign guests are from Mission Societies and Churches from Europe, America as well as Africa. Those from Tanzania include representatives of the ELCT Dioceses, Government leaders, representatives of other churches and choirs.
Tumaini University Makumira is one of the ELCT ‘common work’ institution owned by the Church. It is a symbol of unity of the Church comprising 22 Dioceses spread all over the country. It is a theological training institution that has grown over the years to become a University, hence many Lutheran Church leaders in East, Central, West and Southern Africa and the Middle East; have been trained at Makumira. Exchange students have come from Europe and America.
Seven Lutheran Churches that existed in Tanzania united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanganyika on 19 June 1963. In 1964 the name of the country became Tanzania.
Lutheran Missionaries started evangelism activities almost 150 years ago and it was only in 1963 when the churches decided to unite and became dioceses/ synods of one Church.
As days went by, the church decided to have dioceses instead of synods and by May 26 2013 ELCT had 22 dioceses when two new dioceses were formed. The new ones are South East Diocese formerly Mtwara- Lindi Mission Area created on 26 May 2013 and the South East of Lake Victoria Diocese formerly Shinyanga-Simiyu Mission Area created on 5 May 2013.
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Elizabeth Lobulu
Communication Coordinator,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Box 3033, ARUSHA, Tanzania.
Phone: +255-27-250-8856/7
FAX: +255-27-254-8858
E-mail: Elizabeth Lobulu <ELobulu@elct.or.tz>
For more information contact:
Elizabeth
Lobulu
Communication Desk Officer, ELCT
E-mail: ELobulu@elct.or.tz