Our annual Alternative Christmas Gifts Sale is open until December 17, 2023. Please join us for four Sundays in the narthex to support our global partners and receive a handmade keepsake with each gift given.

The Global Mission Team serves Christ by bringing God’s love through Jesus Christ to those in other parts of our world. The Global Mission Team currently works with the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).
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Our purpose is to sustain an outward focus for our congregation, reminding us of our larger mission in serving Christ throughout the world. We work to educate the congregation, the community, and the Saint Paul Area Synod about the improvements, accomplishments, and impact our resources have on our brothers and sisters in Tanzania.

A bit about our partnership

Bega Kwa Bega (Shoulder to Shoulder)
Bega Kwa Bega is the name of our synod’s companion relationship with the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Bega Kwa Bega—“shoulder to shoulder” in Swahili—describes both the model of accompaniment with the Iringa Diocese and the umbrella name under which a variety of programmatic efforts are carried out, including:
  • Congregational visits
  • Scholarship support for secondary and theological students
  • Congregational projects
  • Various other efforts around health care, agriculture, support for pensions for retired pastors, wells, sanitation and hygiene, conservation, and microfinance—to name just a few.
Iringa Diocese, ELCT
It is because of the generosity of our congregation, we have been able to do so much for the Iringa Diocese including:
  • Support capital improvements
  • Provide scholarships at several schools
  • Support economic development through agricultural initiatives
  • Organize trips to Tanzania for short-term missionary work

As we continue to address the challenges our brothers and sisters face each and every day, we welcome you to join us and continue to bring God’s love to the Iringa Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. There is nothing more rewarding than building life-long relationships with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania.
You can make a financial gift toward education for our African partners. Your contribution of any size is welcome; specify that it is for “Global Mission”.
The recipients of this year’s Global Mission Sunday gifts will be:
  • Noduli Parish Secondary Schools (our companion congregation)
  • MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School
  • Moringe Sokoine Secondary School
  • Arusha Lutheran School of Nursing
  • Huruma Center in Iringa
  • Southern Madagascar Schools (5)

Thank you for supporting these partnerships.