Matengenezo ya Kanisa: Mkuu wa Kanisa awakumbusha wana KKKT kujitambua
Na Elizabeth Lobulu
(English)

Mkuu wa Kanisa la Kiinjili la Kilutheri Tanzania (KKKT), Askofu Dkt. Fredrick Onael Shoo, amewataka wana KKKT katika umoja wao kujitambua kwamba Kanisa la Kilutheri lilitokana na Matengenezo baada ya kukataa viashiria vya ushirikina katika masuala yanayohusu wokovu.

Mkuu wa KKKT akikemea baadhi ya watu wanaodiriki kudhalilishwa
badala ya kujifunza Neno la Mungu, kuliamini na kulitii.

Alipokuwa akiusalimu Mkutano Mkuu wa 24 wa KKKT Dayosisi ya Kaskazini Kati hivi karibuni alisema Biblia inatufundisha mambo mengi kuhusu imani. Askofu Dkt. Shoo alisema baada ya kujifunza Neno, tukaliamini na kulitii tutakapomwita Mungu atatutegemeza zaidi.

Aliwapongeza wana Dayosisi ya Kasakazini Kati kwa kuchagua kauli mbiu: “Mungu kwetu ni kimbilio na nguvu, msaada unaoonekana tele wakati wa mateso,” (Zab. 46: 1). Alisema Neno hilo ni ushuhuda kwamba Mungu ameonekana, akiwa msaada mkubwa kwa Dayosisi na kuwavusha katika msukosuko wa deni la hoteli ya Dayosisi ‘Corridor Springs’. Alinukuu Kitabu cha Yeremia “Niite nami nitakuonesha mambo makuu ya ajabu usiyoyajua.”

Alisema mara kwa mara inatupasa kukumbushana kwamba uaminifu, nguvu na fadhili za Mungu ni za milele na wala tusikubali kumwelekea mwanadamu au vitu kwani kufanya hivyo ni dalili kwamba imani kwa Mungu imepungua.

Dalili kwamba mkristo imani haiko kwa Mungu tena ni kama vile mtu akitaka kusafiri au akiuguliwa au kila anachotaka kufanya lazima amtafute kwanza ‘mtume’ au ‘mtumishi wa kumwombea’.

Badala ya kuwasogeza kwa Mungu baadhi ya watu kama hao wanawapeleka watu mbali na Mungu kwa kuwadanganya kwamba wakitaka wawe salama wanunue mafuta, maji, chumvi, picha ya mtumishi, nk., toka kwao. Au waende kwenye ibada ya kukanyaga mafuta au ‘fruto’.

“Mambo haya ndugu zangu ni ushirikina na ndiyo mambo yaliyomfanya mwasisi wa matengenezo akemee vitendo vya kutoza fedha kwa jina la kuwaokoa watu”, alisema Askofu Dkt. Shoo.

Dkt. Shoo alisema kuna washarika wanakwenda kwenye makanisa ambayo lengo kuu la viongozi wao ni kujitajirisha kwa kuwalaghai wafuasi kwa mbwembwe za kila aina.

Mkuu alisema imefika mahali kuna wanaojiita manabii ambao hawataki kusimama chini wanapohubiri ila waumini ndio wanaopaswa kuinama ili wasimame migongoni mwao. Baadhi ya ‘watumishi’ wanalindwa na walinzi wengi (bodyguards) japo wanawaelekeza wafuasi wao wanunue picha ya ‘mtumishi’ ili iwekwe kwenye gari iwalinde. Mbona wenyewe analindwa na ‘bodyguards?’ Alihoji.

Pia wapo kina mama wanaodhalilishwa na viongozi wa makundi kama hayo kwa kulazimishwa kufanya mambo fulani kabla ya kuwafanyia maombi. Baadhi wanawaambia wafuasi wao kama wana imani ya kweli wanywe sumu au wameze mijusi au nyoka. “Tusipoweka imani mahali sahihi tutafikishwa huko,” Mkuu alisema na kusisitiza kwamba tunapaswa kuweka imani yetu kwa Yesu Kristo ambaye damu yake ilimwagika kwa kifo chake msalabani.

Alisema kanisa linakemea imani hizi potofu na kuwaomba wana KKKT washiriki kikamilifu kumbukumbu ya miaka 500 ya Matengenezo ya Kanisa. Yapo mambo mbalimbali yamepangwa kufanyika katika ngazi ya sharika zote za KKKT, vituo, Dayosisi na ngazi ya kitaifa. Na kilele chake ni tarehe 1 – 8 Oktoba 2017.

Upandaji miti ni tendo kubwa linalofanyika na Walutheri kuashiria kuenea duniani kote kwa Matengenezo ya Kanisa yaliyoanzishwa na Martin Luther miaka 500 iliyopita. Bustani ya Luther imeanzishwa Ujerumani ambapo makanisa na taasasi mbalimbali zimepanda mti wa kumbukumbu jijini Wittenberg.

(Habari na Picha na Elizabeth Lobulu)

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The Church's Reformation: Leader of Church reminds the ELCT to be self-aware
(Kiswahili)

The leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Bishop Dr. Fredrick Onael Shoo, has asked the ELCT, in its unity, to remember that the Lutheran Church was based on reform after rejecting superstition in matters of salvation.

The leader of the ELCT criticized people who are willing to be abused instead
of studying the Word of God to believe it and obey it.

While greeting the 24th General Conference of the ELCT's North Central Diocese recently, Bishop Dr. Shoo said that the Bible teaches us many things about faith. He noted that after we learn the Word we then believe and obey it as we call upon God to support us.

He commended the North Central Diocese for choosing the slogan: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble" (Psalm 46: 1). He said the Word is a testimony that God has appeared, being a great help to the Diocese as they faced the Corridor Springs Hotel debt crisis. He quoted the book of Jeremiah "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known."

He reminded us that the faithfulness, power and mercy of God are eternal and if we instead turn toward human beings or things it is a sign that faith in God has diminished.

When Christians feel that they must first seek out an "apostle" or "minister" to pray for them before they can travel or do other things, it is a sure sign that they are not trusting in God.

Instead of leading people to God, some of these "apostles" are turning people away from God by deceiving them. They say that they want to make them safe by selling them oil, water, salt, images of the servant, etc. Or they send them to a greedy "fruto"* worship service.

"These things, my friends, are superstitions. They are what made the Reformers shout against the demanding of money in the name of saving people," said Bishop Dr. Shoo.

Dr. Shoo said there were worshipers who went to churches where the main goal of their leaders is to enrich themselves, misleading their followers using all sorts of fanfare.

The Bishop said that there have come to be some who claim to be prophets who do not want to stand below while preaching but rather have believers bow down so they can stand on their backs. Some of these "servants" are protected by bodyguards and yet they their followers are told to buy a pictures of these "servants" to be kept in their cars to protect them. "Why are they themselves protected by bodyguards?" he questioned.

There are also mothers who are harassed by the leaders of such groups by being forced to do various things before they will pray for them. Some tell their followers to show they have true faith by drinking poison or eating a lizard or snake. "If we don't put our faith in the right place we ourselves will be brought to this kind of place," the Bishop said. He emphasized that we should put our faith in Jesus Christ whose blood was poured out in his death on the cross.

He said the Church condemns these misconceptions and urged ELCT members to cooperate fully in the 500 year commemoration of the Reformation of the Church. Various activities are scheduled to take place at all levels of the ELCT, from its centers, to its Dioceses to the national level. And its climax will be from 1 to 8 October 2017.

Planting trees is a major act of Lutherans to denote the spreading throughout the world of the Reformation initiated by Martin Luther some 500 years ago. Luther's Garden has been established in Wittenberg, Germany, where various churches and institutions have planted trees..

*"fruto" worship service. Preachers teach their followers not to consume alcohol and, instead, encourage them to use a soft drink known as fruto. This blackcurrant coloured drink (squash) is also to be used instead of wine during worship. In addition, people are encouraged to bring bottles of fruto to worship services in order to get blessed. Some then take them and place them amongst the commodities they are selling as a kind of charm, and when you ask them why they have fruto among vegetables they say it is the blood of Jesus blessed by the servant of God. Therefore, fruto is to them more than a simple, cheap, non alcoholic beverage; it also represents the blood of Jesus. However, the intent is evil since this fruto is being used as an amulet just like one given by, or bought from, a witch doctor.

(News and Photos by Elizabeth Lobulu)

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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: ELobulu@elct.or.tz