More than 28,000 are baptized after the meetings are broadcast on at least 3,000 sites.
Mwhere more than 28,000 people sealed their commitment to Jesus and the Adventist message in massive baptismal ceremonies across Tanzania after evangelistic meetings in June 2021. The series was held under the theme, “Shangwe katika njia yake“, An expression in Kiswahili which means” joy in its own way “.
The meetings were broadcast live from the town of Dodoma to the Kizota Seventh-day Adventist Church and broadcast to more than 3,000 sites across the country for three weeks.
Regional religious leaders said the initiative’s success was the result of a collaboration between Hope Channel Tanzania and Morning Star Radio, as well as targeted use of social media.
The keynote speaker for the series was Mark Walwa Malekana, president of the South Tanzania Union Mission of the Adventist Church. Malekana spoke of true joy as defined in the Bible. “Biblical joy is a fruit of the Spirit that does not change according to circumstances,†he told the new members after one of the baptism ceremonies. “[I know you] understand clearly that only Jesus can protect you from the trials of the world, â€he added.
Leaders said that the participation of individuals of various talents helped make the event holistic. Each sermon was preceded by presentations on health and family life, with practical solutions to social problems. “The shows not only caught the attention of people thirsty for physical and mental fitness, but they also provided tips for maintaining family bonds,†they said.
In addition to church health workers who volunteered, the Tanzanian government sent equipped nurses who tested participants for certain noncommunicable diseases.
Organizers said elders and church choirs were involved in compassionate ministries. They visited those in need in the slums of Dodoma, listened to them and provided them with financial assistance. One of the groups involved in the outreach explained how they built a shelter and donated money to an older woman who made a living collecting used bottles from landfills. The benefactors were shocked when the woman attended the Saturday (Sabbath) services and titled the small amount of money they gave her. She was finally baptized.
An army officer who was discussing with a pastor about the existence and intervention of God in the lives of his people also asked to be baptized. She bore witness to the presence of God after what she called miracles in her life from the time she began studying the Bible with a pastor.
Since 2016, the use of new media in Tanzania has helped attract thousands of new members to the church each year, church leaders reported. Most of the meetings are organized under the aegis of the Hope Channel.