The Bridge in Plain Text
Issue To Be Used Any Time After
Dec. 1, 2007
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The Bridge
A monthly publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA
Connecting the congregational, synodical, and churchwide expressions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rising Up with Education: Tanzania
Scholarship Fund
By Jane Rinehart
Chair, Global Mission/Companion Synod Committee
"Shake off your dust, rise
up." (Isaiah 52:2)
These stirring words were
chosen by Bishop Sima, Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Tanzania, to set the theme for the work of our Companion Synod in Tanzania.
He is not referring to the dust of the dirt roads, but to the dust of
poverty and lack of opportunity. And with it he presents a challenge both to
his churches and to ours as we partner with them, a challenge to work with
them to bring their people out of poverty into the world of knowledge and
possibility. As Mr. Richard Ngowi, Chairperson of the Central Diocese
Partnership Committee stated, "If we educate our children, then they will be
able to build the churches in the Central Diocese. If we do not educate our
children, they will always depend on our partners to provide for us. This is
not the kind of partnership we want."
The need for education is
great. Tanzania is a country of about 37 million people. Only 12 percent
complete high school, and only one percent go on to a university. Why?
Education is not free beyond primary school, and the people are extremely
poor. The per capita income is only $300 per year. The number of public
schools is increasing, but a shortage remains, and even these have fees.
Our synod has created the
Tanzania Scholarship Fund. The scholarship money is sent to the Central
Diocese, and their committee awards scholarships to students from their
churches who apply. Our synod also supports two secondary schools (Iambi and
Ihanja), a girls’ vocational school (Vivian Guleen), and a Lutheran Seminary
(Kiomboi Lutheran Institute).
These are residential schools,
and tuition is $360 a year for the secondary schools, and $480 a year for
the theology students. This means that about $1.00 a day would support a
secondary student for one year of school, and $1.30 per day would support a
theology student. All the students at these schools need scholarships.
The Global Mission/Companion
Synod Committee challenges every congregation in the Southeast Minnesota
Synod to consider how many students they are willing and able to educate.
"Shake off the dust, arise." To each of us, the opportunity is waiting. How
will we meet the challenge?
All scholarship donations
should be sent to the Southeastern Minnesota Synod office (see address
below), with “TZ Scholarship Fund” noted on the memo line.
Featured Resource
Monthly Bible Verse
This Bible verse was selected by Harold Usgaard, bishop of the
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, for everyone in the synod to study.
“Train children in the right
way, and when old, they will not stray.” Proverbs
22:6
About Our Synod
The Southeastern Minnesota Synod is a faith community of 130,000 baptized
people in 184 congregations as well as related institutions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Its geographic area includes
15 counties in the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
The Bridge is a monthly
publication of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod, ELCA. For more information,
contact the synod office:
Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
ELCA
1001 14th St. NW, Suite 300
Rochester, MN 55901-2551
(507) 280-9457
www.semnsynod.org
This issue is designed to be
used any time after Dec. 1, 2007.
Graphics from this issue
Right-click the link and choose "save to disk" to save the
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