7. A church by any other name...

...would still be as sweet. And indeed it is!

Arriving at Ibumu Church for the first time

Ibumu Church

The building is a fairly basic structure. The benches are a bit rickety and tend to fall over at the slightest movement. But the church is beautifully decorated and very practical as it suits the purpose. And this purpose is for the Christian brothers and sisters in Ibumu to meet together and worship God.

Ibumu  Church is an Anglican Church,  the same as St Stephen's and St Leodegar's Churches, where we worship here in the UK. The service order and liturgy was familiar, even though it was in an unfamiliar language. We had the orders of service in Swahili so that we could follow but the pronunciation was a bit foreign and fast for me. If Angela or Andy weren't pointing out where we were on the page, I'd never have kept up. It didn't matter anyway, as the service was wonderful, so very different, and yet so familiar to what we experience every Sunday.

The people of Ibumu know how to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, praising him with song and dance.  Their ability to harmonise effortlessly,  to sing so naturally and beautifully, accompanied by rhythmic clapping is only surpassed by their ability to dance! The church service was about 3 hours long, but it was over in a flash. It was amazing to watch them dance and sing with such utter joy.

I love this photo! It captures some of the joy and exuberance in the church service.

We were asked to sing some songs too. On the first Sunday, I regret to say, we were a very sad comparison. We were nervous but wanted to make a good impression. We lined up like a choir, song sheets in hand, and sang. It was probably our best rendition as a group, but I think we came across like rabbits caught in the headlights. We didn't move and there was certainly no clapping. After a week in Ibumu, observing (and joining in with) the people singing and moving and dancing so naturally, we let our guard drop and decided to enjoy ourselves. On the second Sunday we had no song sheets, did a call and response song and a movement song, to great amusement of the congregation! They cheered when we did a twirl at the end of the song!

I am very glad that we had an opportunity to attend a second service in Ibumu Church. On the first Sunday we were made very welcome and it was an amazing service. But we were a bit unfamiliar with what will happen and didn't want to do anything that would give offense. We were reserved in our actions and singing. We didn't know anyone. By the second Sunday, we have spent a lot of time together on the building site, in the village, at our house and on the football pitch. We got to know individual people and they got to know us. The second time round, we felt at home as well as welcome!

For me the highlight of the service, and yes I would say of the trip, was when we received Holy Communion. We joined the congregation in going up to the front and kneel down for the sacrament, just like at home. We received a wafer and the cup was passed, just like at home. (OK, at home we mostly have bread but we are served a wafer on occasion.) The difference was that it was served in Swahili, and instead of eating the wafer directly, we dipped it in the wine. Receiving Holy Communion is a big deal for me anyway, but here in Ibumu, being served by Mchungaji (Pastor), it was really special.

When we got back to our seats, Sue looked at her watch and we saw that St Stephen's was finishing its morning service then. It was affirmed to me then that we are indeed one family in the name of Christ. Here we are, worshiping the same God at the same time, receiving the same forgiveness, in spite of differences in language and geographical distance.

I like the way the tithing is collected in Ibumu Church. Instead of passing the plate around, the people get up and dance their gift to the front. An Iringa basket is put on a little table at the front and people line up to put in their offering, but while doing so, they sing and dance. This is certainly giving with a joyful heart! I couldn't help but be reminded about the verse in Corinthians which says that God loves a cheerful giver!

We were blessed with the opportunity to join in the cheerful giving.

Towards the end of the service, people brought their harvest to the front so that it could be blessed. What a wonderful thought that the food for the year and the seeds that will be planted for the following, are being blessed from the offset.

We were privileged to be part of the baptism of a baby while were there.

Another great tradition of the church in Ibumu is their greeting at the end of the service. In my native South Africa, we have 'ubuntu', a Nguni word that is difficult to translate but the closest meaning is probably "whole is greater than the sum of the parts" or "together we are more". The greeting at the end of the service was, in my mind, a practical reminder of this same unity in the community, a reminder that "we are together". How it works: at the end of the service, the pastor leads the way out and stands at the door, he shakes the hand of the first person coming out, who goes and stands next to him. The second person shakes the pastor's and the first person's hand and joins the queue. Every member of the congregation does this until everyone in the church has shaken the hand and greeted every other person in the church!

Worship in our house

On the two Tuesdays evenings in Ibumu, members of the church joined us in our 'house' in the village offices. We worshiped together, sang together, taught each other English and Swahili songs and really enjoyed some special time together in God's presence. This was another highlight of the trip, not just for me, but the whole team. Just listen to the clapping and singing in this video (it was a bit dark for photography, but close your eyes and listen)!

My musings

We went to Tanzania with Emmanuel International (EI). EI works with local churches to help them serve the poor in their communities. There is a longstanding relationship between the EI Country Representatives and the Anglican Church in Tanzania. Andrew and Miriam Wingfield have been in Iringa nearly 10 years now and have a close relationship with the Bishop. Projects, including trips like our summer team trip, are arranged in partnership with the church - according to their priorities and needs.

I like this way of working, because that ensures that summer teams fit in with the overall mission of the church and can do something that will really make a difference. If you Google mission trips, you almost get more sites warning against them than there are encouraging them. But the way EI works means that the team really contributes to a cause close to the heart of the community and there is very good guidance on what is acceptable and what is not, so that we do not do more harm than good.

What has this got to do with a blog on the church in Ibumu? I think everything. We were welcomed into Ibumu through the church. Andrew knows Mchungaji well and has worked with him through other projects in the community and will continue the relationship long after we have left. The whole community, whether Christian, Muslim or non-believer, united in welcoming us, working with us and getting to know us. That is what the church is supposed to be, isn't it? A presence that unites communities and encourages harmony, cooperation and love. That is what Ibumu Church does!

What can we do to support this church? Pray! The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Please remember Ibumu Church in your prayers. They, as a church, are faithfully praying for us here in our churches in the UK.