Dear Friends of RTC,
It brings us great joy to celebrate a milestone in the journey of Remember the Children's church planting mission in Tabora. Three years ago, with your generous support, we backed one of our house parents, Pastor Dionis Buhanda, to plant a new church called The House of Love. Yohana, our Tanzania Communications Coordinator, had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Dionis to reflect on our journey together and share his vision for the future.
Q: As you reflect on the past three years, what are some highlights and key achievements?
Pastor Dionis:
1) The harvest of souls: We are grateful for an increasing number of believers who have been added to the congregation. We started with 9 members, but as of today we are almost 150 adults and 200+ total with children inclusively.
2) Empowering our Community through education:Through preaching and seminars, we have awakened parents to the importance of education, leading to increased enrollment of our believers' children in schools. We have also helped believers with different entrepreneurship lessons and seminars.
3) Blessings of a Clinic: God has blessed us with a dispensary (medical clinic). When the dispensary officially opens, we hope it will enable us to minister to patients and win more souls for Christ.
Q: Looking back over the past three years, what have been some of the biggest challenges the church has faced, and how did you and the congregation overcome them?
Pastor Dionis: We faced challenges such as inadequate shelter and space due to rapid growth. With RTC's support, we replaced our temporary shelter with more durable materials (aluminum sheets) and expanded our facilities. However, the growing congregation calls for urgent action to build a permanent church to accommodate our members.
Q: In what ways has the church been involved in outreach and serving the local community? What impact have these efforts had?
Pastor Dionis: Our church has experienced spiritual growth through evangelism, praise, and worship activities. Numerically, our congregation has grown significantly, and we continue to engage with the community providing humanitarian support, evangelism, and educational assistance. We have made a positive impact on the community, leading to a greater understanding of God's love.
Q: Can you share any significant moments or testimonies that stand out to you personally from your time so far as pastor of the church?
Pastor Dionis: I have witnessed God's hand upon my ministry, providing protection and blessings amidst challenges and opposition. These testimonies affirm our faith and inspire us to continue serving Him.
Q: What vision or goals have you set for the church moving forward into the next years and beyond?
Pastor Dionis: Looking ahead, our goals include harvesting more souls, building a permanent church that can accommodate more members, introduce our believers to economic activities that will help them to get their daily bread such as farm activities and dairy farming entrepreneurship. We thank God that, through some of our projects at Eternal Families Tanzania, we will provide the chance for them to learn. For example this year, by the help of our believers, we’ve cultivated a few acres of white corn that will help us provide for the needs at our Church. Our goal is also to expand our reach to underserved areas. We desire to open more churches in the interior places and find a way to help the local members to develop their own churches.
Q: As you reflect on your journey as pastor thus far, what are some valuable lessons you have learned both personally and as a leader within the church?
Pastor Dionis: I have learned the power of Jesus, the importance of love, and the value of association in this journey as a leader and Pastor.
Q: How do you foster a sense of unity and belonging among the congregation, particularly as the church continues to grow?
Pastor Dionis: We foster unity through consistent prayer and an emphasis on the teachings of Jesus Christ, ensuring that every member feels valued and included.
Q: Finally, what message, Prayer request or encouragement would you like to share with the supporters and the broader community as you reach this significant milestone?
Pastor Dionis: We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all supporters and donors for your unwavering support. We humbly request prayers for the showering of God's love into our lives. Pray for the construction of a permanent church and for youth seminars we plan to have each month that will reach more than 1000 Tabora youth. Please also pray for God’s provision for funds that will help us reach young adults and for the expansion of our ministry to villages to reach more souls.
As we celebrate this milestone, pray for us to continue to walk in the fear of the Lord, obey His word, and spread His love to all. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Blessings,
Yohana Dioniz,
RTC/EFT Communications Coordinator,
Tabora, Tanzania.
Below, you can see some pictures showing the development of the church over the past three years.
