I’ve been to 2 bishop consecrations in my life. The first one was in Sweden, where I could bicycle to the Uppsala Cathedral. To be honest, I went because I wanted to see someone from the royal family. I hit the jackpot with both the king and queen! I knew that I would have to get their early to get a good seat. I was chatting in a low voice with a woman from church, joining the quiet hubbub of many conversations. Soon, there was a hush that swept over the whole cathedral. The king and queen walked down the center aisle to the high alter, where their special chairs awaited. The amazing thing was that there was no magnetometer, no security check of bags. I thought this would never happen in the USA!
This morning, I was able to catch a ride with Randy Stubbs, my colleague at Tumaini University Makumira, as he was playing piano. But because the Vice President of Tanzania was going to show up, the VP’s motorcade would shut down the roads. So, Randy and the choir needed to be there by 7:30 am, which meant being picked up at 6:30 am.
I found an edge of a pew toward the back, thinking it was a place to sit that was not going to be squished. I had to work to not be pushed off though, when things were packed to overflow plastic chairs in the side aisles. I also chose the spot that had a likelihood of cross breeze from the open doors, and I was right and happy.
Before the service, there was a parade of the clergy with 198 pastors in the Diocese (though some came later, and later, and later). When the VP showed up, half a dozen clergy were displaced to plastic chairs.
The service started around 9:00 am and finished at 2:25ish. So, over 5 hours! (5 hours of trying not to be pushed too far off the end of the armless pew, and a pew that had a center pillar that was higher than the ends, so a bit of a teeter-totter for 5 hours!)
Prayers for Bishop Godson Abel Mollel
Prayers for Assistant to the Bishop Laretoni Loshiye
Assistant to the Bishop Loshiye is brother to one of my Wartburg Seminary students, who was here for the January-Term course last month, and I was invited to greet him last week in the Diocese office in Arusha.
Yes, is is a strange worship service with a 300 person choir, a long sermon (didn’t time it, but I’d guess 30 minutes minimum, but after the consecration, the VP also spoke for about 30 minutes (where he gave 20 million Tanzanian shillings–almost $8,000–and promised to tarmac the dirt road to the church!
The new Assistant to the Bishop of the North Central Diocese
I also greeted Maria Laiser, the widow of the late Bishop Laiser, who I met last month in Ketumbeine. Then there is food, but they didn’t start serving right away.
Afterwards, Randy and I went to the bishop’s party that was massive–and located at a Diocese high school. Randy estimated 15 roasted goats, but we didn’t wait for the food, as we were ready to head home.
This is a special roasted goat called kakey kakey!
Mungu akubariki! (God bless you! in Kiswahili)
Mikitamayana Engai! (God bless you! in Maa)