The Revd Pasis Simon was one of the first women to be ordained in our partner Diocese of Morogoro in Tanzania. She teaches at the Morogoro Bible College. She is also responsible for a Maasai church plant about two hours from Morogoro town, to which she travels every Sunday to lead worship.
Pasis said: “First of all, my heart wants everyone to hear the word of God, including the Maasai. I teach an evangelism class with strategies for evangelising various communities, and I always look for priests who have areas that are not reached by the gospel, to ask them if we can send evangelists to do ministry for at least a month. Unfortunately, the college hasn’t got enough money, so we ask the priests to help us take care of them with food and accommodation with the Diocese helping to pay the church planters' travel expenses. I feel proud to see various communities being reached with the word of God.”
There have been new converts among the Maasai of this area who form a small church. Samuel, a young man, was recently baptised and is training to begin as a Catechist among his own people. He has been ‘discouraged’ from being Christian by having his cattle stolen and rumours spread. This has not deterred him.
Following the work Pasis has been doing, two students from the Morogoro Bible College were sent on placement to this fledgling Maasai Church. They served for one month and the fruits of their ministry are a strengthening of the little church.
Pasis explains the photographs she sent:
“Those in front of the church building are old believers who, due to the lack of strong roots, they stopped worshiping and others joined other denominations. When the church planters arrived, they reawakened them.
“In general, the Maasai like the prayers for them and for their pastures and when they feel they are lacking prayers, they stop attending church.
“The second group are new converts who have now found a bush that looks like a house and use it for worship. We have baptised 23 of them and a few others are preparing for baptism.
“The big thing is to pray for these people so that they should be rooted in Jesus.
“Pray also for church building so that they can be safe during the rainy seasons”
Pasis shares this vision: “Here in our country there is a conflict between farmers and pastoralists. By evangelising them I can find an opportunity to reconcile the farmers and the pastoral community so that they can all live together and worship God. That is, despite their differences, they will cooperate in worship.”
Please pray with Pasis that her peace-making is fruitful, for ‘blessed are the peace-makers’.
