Thanks to two AIM missionaries who stepped out in faith, the African Inland Church in Tanzania is thriving today. David Schuit reports on its centennial celebrations.

Beginnings

One hundred years ago AIM missionary Charles Hurlburt was travelling by ship back to Africa after his furlough. Among the other passengers on board was Anglican Bishop Tucker. While leaning over the rail talking, Bishop Tucker mentioned to Hurlburt that the CMS Mission had limited possibilities in keeping its one station at Nassa in Tanganyika open due to the distance from Uganda. Tucker asked Hurlburt if AIM would be willing to take over the work at Nassa with its small church. Hurlburt accepted the offer, and in June of 1909 the first AIM missionaries arrived – Emil and Marie Sywulka.

A legacy

On October 5 2009, one hundred years later, the grandson of Emil and Marie stood at the podium and looked out over a crowd of several thousand people including the president of the country, witnessing God’s work in growing the seeds that were planted by his grandparents into the Africa Inland Church. This church, which started on the little peninsula jutting into Lake Victoria, now stretches across the four corners of Tanzania – from Kagera in the north down to Mtwara in the south, from Tanga in the east to Kigoma in the west. The work that began with the Sukuma people now crosses multiple tribal lines, and the first little congregation adopted from CMS of 150 people now has up to one million attendees. What a witness to God’s faithfulness!

Celebrations

Tanzanians know how to celebrate a 100-year anniversary! The three days of festivities to commemorate this event began in a fairground outside of the city of Mwanza along the coast of Lake Victoria. From the air, it would have looked like a refugee camp with the bright blue United Nations tarps stretched between poles for shade. Each day included a three-hour service in the morning and another in the afternoon. Along with the preaching there were many very energetic choirs projected by a mountain of speakers. In the middle of the morning service on Saturday, a huge wind and rain swept through the fairground. Everyone scattered and it was only towards evening that we slowly came out of our shelters to reorganize again for the service.
Sunday morning was bright and sunny and we met in the stadium. The president of Tanzania spoke and congratulated the church on its successes in areas such as education and health care.

God was definitely the hero. What He has accomplished by building His Church in spite of us humans is a witness to God’s grace.

Several things stood out to me during the festivities:

God was definitely the hero. What He has accomplished by building His Church in spite of us humans is a witness to God’s grace.

God’s Church is alive and well. The energy and enthusiasm of the next generation of Christians in the church was encouraging.

There is still work to be done. As the national church grows and matures, opportunities for ministry still exist, especially among the 20 tribes in Tanzania unreached with the gospel.

David Schuit

David Schuit and his wife Rebekah served in Tanzania for 24 years. They now live in New Jersey where David serves as Missions Pastor for Hawthorne Gospel Church.