Itolwa Parish
The parish church is St Peter's
The Parish
The Pastor and Area Dean is Rev. Stephen Madinda. There are four churches in the parish, in the nearby villages of Mlongia, Machakosi and Kihogoro. The catechists are:
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Itolwa Cat. Michael Wanga
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Mlongia Cat. Andrea Chibanhila
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Machakosi Cat. Daniel Petro
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Silale
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Kihogolo
The villages continue to be threatened by water shortages. There are no operating wells and in the dry season, water has to be collected by digging down into the dry river bed over a mile from the village. In the rainy season the soil is fertile and good crops of maize and sunflowers can be harvested, but climate change has made the rains more unreliable in recent years.
Parish link
Itolwa Parish is linked with St John’s and St Mildred’s in the UK Diocese of Rochester: http://stjohnsmeopham.co.uk/itolwa-tanzania/
The link started in 2015 with an exchange of letters, followed by a visit by Jill and Peter Kettle from St John's Church (see picture below). The friendship has continued through various means of communication, including e-mail, phone calls, text messages and Facebook. A video of a service at St Mark’s has been shown at St John’s in the UK, too. The two parishes aim to strengthen links between Meopham and Itolwa, so that the churches can provide each other with mutual support in spreading the word of God, and sharing spiritual and material resources. Meopham Community Academy is linked to Itolwa Primary School. The link has provided funding for a new church building at Mlongia, a new house for the pastor and the purchase of a motorbike - see pictures below.
The Christians of Itolwa have chosen 3 John 1: 13-14 as their mission for this relationship, "I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name."
Jill and Peter Kettle, from St John's Church in the UK.
The pastor's new house below.
The roof being added to the new church building at Mlongia.
The pastor's motorbike,
Contacts
Enquiries concerning baptism, marriages, funerals and Sunday Services should be addressed to the Pastor.
Any correspondence should be addressed to
Kanisa la Anglican
Itolwa Parish - Dinari ya Itolwa
Dayosisi ya Kondoa
PO Box 7
Kondoa
Tanzania