It is hard to believe that it has been four years since five Salem members traveled to Arusha, Tanzania to begin our lifelong partnership (Udugu) with our companion congregation, the Kijenge Lutheran Parish. The Global Missions Committee is committed to keeping this lifelong partnership alive and well. We have tried to bring the members of Salem pieces of our journey so you too can experience some of this amazing place and these amazing people we now call our friends.
One of the most interesting experiences was conducted after each service, for you see, many in that congregation do not have money to give for the offering. Instead they bring goods -- livestock, produce, eggs, flour, sugar, coffee, you name it -- that is placed at the front of the church during their offering time. After the service, many gather in the front of the church and these goods are auctioned off. The amount collected for each individual item is then logged as the amount the person who brought the item gave as their offering.
We have held a Tanzanian-style auction twice since our return from Arusha and both auctions were met with much interest and Salem friends. We will again be conducting this auction on July 22 at 9:15am. To make this again a success, we need help from the Salem congregation.
First, we need your prayers to help us continue to keep the partnership alive. Second, we are asking for donations to populate our sanctuary at the 5pm and 8am services that weekend. Past years have brought us experiences with chickens (who were quite vocal during the sermon), potatoes and other staples, craft items, beef, service vouchers, baked goods, and the list goes on and on...
And finally, we need you to come and experience this little bit of Tanzania with us between services. It promises to be a lot of fun and a day you won't soon forget. Funds raised at the auction will be sent to our companion congregation, the Kijenge Lutheran Parish, so they too may keep God's word alive. See you there!!
Posts
