Gordon's Work at AICT

This year Africa Inland Church of Tanzania (AICT) is celebrating its 100th year. It was started in 1909 by missionaries from America, called the Africa Inland Mission (AIM), which is still active in Africa today. Sixty years after its founding, the AIM turned over the ownership and supervision of the Tanzanian church to local leaders, and AICT was formed. The two organizations have been operating in partnership in Tanzania ever since.

The AICT church has about 1,000,000 members. They are spread across Tanzania, but concentrated in the northwestern part of the country where the church began. I (Gordon) am volunteering at the national headquarters under the direction of General Secretary Joseph Gisayi. I have my own office, which I share with a couple geckos and a few cabinets full of records. Lately I have been reviewing five-year plans. First the strategic plan for the entire national church. Next the strategic plan for the health department. The plans are written in English, so I am able to offer many editorial suggestions to help clarify the text and intent of the plans. Soon I will be reviewing plans for other departments of the church, like the publishing department, the finance department, and others. The health department plan is already finished; all of the others are presently drafts, or not yet even written. The church is in the midst of an intense planning process to focus its strategy and operations in accordance with its vision and mission. In summary, AICT’s mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus to all people and to promote holistic human development to help the poor achieve major improvements in their mental, physical, and spiritual growth and development.

The five-year plans of the church are impressive, as are its existing operations. It already operates a theological college, two successful secondary schools, a nursing school, two large hospitals, two health centers with small inpatient wards (about 30 beds each), and 18 smaller health dispensaries, along with many other programs. But with much still needed to be accomplished in Africa, its five-year plans focus on improving and expanding its operations, not only to increase spiritual care, but also to contribute towards sustainable and affordable access to quality social and economic services (health, education, agriculture) for the people of Tanzania, with particular focus on the poorest communities and those affected by disasters. Among the goals AICT seeks are improvements in access to safe water, increased education for village children, HIV/AIDS counseling and education, improved agricultural practices, and greater justice and gender equality for women. Interestingly, it has chosen significant reductions in national infant and maternal mortality rates as the primary indicators of success for many of its food, health, and sanitation goals. The church recognizes that it cannot accomplish such significant changes by itself, so it expressly states that it plans to contribute to the work of the national government and other churches and NGOs in achieving these goals.

I still have much trouble understanding Swahilli, but it did not take me long to understand, even in Swahili, that the church in Tanzania believes in the power of prayer. If you will, please pray with me that the plans and work of the AICT will, along with that of its partners, be effective to improve the spiritual, mental, and physical condition of Africans in Tanzania, both now and for many years to come. As they say in Swahili, tuombe -- let us pray.