TANZANIA—Budget constraints prevent many church buildings in Tanzania from being completed. Mennonite World Conference’s Global Church Sharing Fund is helping to assure that a mission church in a predominantly Muslim area won’t be one that stands unfinished.

Church-planting efforts of the Kanisa La Mennonite Tanzania (Tanzania Mennonite Church, or KMT) Eastern Diocese have produced three congregations in the Muslim area. In Msikisi, the largest of the three, MWC has contributed $10,000, and the KMT Eastern Diocese has given $15,000, to compete the church building.

MWC has contributed $10,000 toward completion of a church building in Msikisi, Tanzania. “It is a great joy to partner with MWC to meet the needs of our people,” said Bishop Steven W. Mang’ana.

The Msikisi congregation’s goals are reaching unreached people, providing a space to worship God and fellowship together, establishing social services and strengthening new Christians by equipping them with biblical principles.

“A church building is a space to encounter God,” Mang’ana said. “This encounter is one of the most basic acts of drawing the kingdom of God into the heart of a community. When we build a church building, we set a place for God. People go there to seek God together, to pray, mourn, celebrate, ask and seek God’s blessing. God responds.”

Mang’ana sees the building of a church as an imitation of biblical characters who built structures for worship, including the Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4:10), Moses (Ex. 33:7-11), David (2 Sam. 6:17), and Solomon (1 Kings 5:4-5).

“The partnership with MWC gives KMT the assurance of working with an organization that shares our values of faith, integrity and dignity,” he said. “This collaboration with MWC strengthens networking, results in sharing gifts and blessings.”