Church & Community Mobilization Programme 

Extending the programme to more parishes

In 2023, the Diocese extended the number of parishes taking part in the Church and Community Mobilization Programme (CCMP) from five to seventeen. Above, Bishop Given and Rev'd Judi Hammill, sign a partnership agreement between the Diocese and St James' Church, in Tunbridge Wells, who continue to fund the programme. 

The CCMP was first introduced in 2018 to help local churches work with their communities to address issues of poverty and build strong foundations to help them flourish together in the future. The CCMP is a Bible-based, guided training approach that a local church can use with its community to identify the resources they have, then, working together, bring about long-lasting, whole-life change. Key elements include bible-study, the implementation of climate-smart agricultural methods, and the formation and mobilization of savings groups. 
 

The parishes 

2018-2022: St James' Church in Tunbridge Wells, a parish in the Diocese of Rochester in the UK, provided the funding for five parishes to take part in the training programme -  Magungu, Hamia, Sanzawa, Makorongo and Chinyika. 
2023-2025: The CCMP has been extended to include the parishes of Wekense, Humekwa, Songolo, Mwaikisabe, Rofati, Soya, Ombile, Gwandi, Chemba, Kidoka, and Kambi Nyasa, as well as the Cathedral of St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles and the Church of the Good Shepherd.

The Kondoa Bible College has included the theology of integral mission, that underpins the CCMP process, as part of the curriculum, with the first students' graduating in June 2023.

As a result of the CCMP, local churches and their communities are responding to the challenges they face, working together to pursue long-term sustainable initiatives such as self-help groups, construction of modern family houses, paying college fees, climate-smart farming activities, and venturing into small business enterprises. Examples of larger community projects include the building of seven new classrooms in Magungu, the construction of a dispensary in Chinyika and public toilets in Hamia.
 

You can contact St James' Church for more information about the CCMP at: https://www.stjamestw.co.uk/kondoa.htm

Rev Kedmon Nhgakamo is the CCMP Training Coordinator in Kondoa, and Janeth Naisaa is the Field Officer.