As God expands our influence throughout the once unreached Rufiji lands, and as He entrusts pockets of isolated Christians to our mission’s care, it is our goal to partner North American churches, already connected to EastARM, with a Rufiji church counterpart in a type of ‘sister church’ relationship.

There are three practical components to the church partnerships we establish.

Local Grocery Delivery

There are currently two Tanzanian pastors serving in the Rufiji villages under the care of EastARM. One pastor is from outside the area, and the other a Rufiji native-convert to Christ. Their village congregations are small, and not capable of providing the needs of these pastors or their families. EastARM sees one of our key roles in the Rufiji is to identify any existing work of God and to support it, grow it, protect it from withering and dying. In an area such as the Rufiji, previously reported as being 99% unreached, existing works are few and far between. When we first established in the Rufiji, these pastors and their congregations were suffering, mistreated by the surrounding village. The children of both pastors were malnourished, and their wives did the best they could as mothers to starving kids. Often the ‘best’ they could do was to pray. This in truth was the best, and God answered their prayers. We understand that we, as EastARM, are God’s answer to these prayers of His faithful few. We are the hands and feet of God to a dead and dying world. It is to this end that we bring a regular supply of groceries to both pastors, their wives and children. This forms the first practical component of the partnership we form between the North American and Rufiji churches. Within the partnership, the North American church commits to giving a monthly financial amount, facilitated by EastARM, and on the other side of the ocean the kitchens of the pastors’ families are always stocked with a fresh and ample supply of food. We want to invest in God’s chosen servants, to keep his local shepherds fed, and their minds assured of the health and wellbeing of their homes. We invest in the men of the Rufiji who invest in others, and multiply themselves in the village by thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

EastARM delivering a bag of ground corn flour to a pastor and his family in Mloka Village Rufiji. The corn flour is used to make a local staple food high in carbohydrates called ‘Ugali’.

EastARM Postal Service

As EastARM carries the regular supplies of local bought groceries to the pastors’ families under our care, we also manage a courier service of correspondence between the ‘sister’ churches in the partnerships we’ve established. Both churches give us letters intended for the other – generally the North American church sends us via email, and the Rufiji church handwritten. We translate the letters, from English to Swahili and Swahili to English, and carry the correspondence back and forth in our contact with both. This ‘Postal Service’ of EastARM is a great blessing to both churches involved in the partnership. It is a way to encourage each other, sharpen and spur on the other, and to keep the relationship vital and on the forefront of the hearts, minds, and prayers of all involved.

A letter written by Ngorongo Church in the Rufiji, written in Swahili and translated into English for their sister church in Chatham Ontario (click on the photos above to read the letters).

Trips to Tanzania

The third practical commitment made by the North American church in this sister church relationship to a Rufiji congregation, with EastARM, is a commitment to visit their sister church in the Rufiji Tanzania. These trips to Tanzania can take on many forms and serve in various functions. EastARM have hosted multiple short-term mission teams from North America, sent to serve Christ in the Rufiji through kids camps, construction efforts, soccer outreach, etc. We are also on the lookout for longer term individuals and couples to come and serve the mission through our Rufiji Lighthouse – these too can come through the North American sister church commitment. Another opportunity that we’re excited about is a new initiative to invite the pastors of these partner churches from North America, to join us in the Rufiji, and to give our local Rufiji pastors Biblical training at a seminary level education. EastARM is hosting this Biblical training for our Rufiji pastors, and we already have a few pastors committed to coming from North America to teach and spend time with the local pastors under our care – serving within the once unreached Rufiji.

To learn more about these Church Partnerships established and managed by EastARM, together with the growing church in the Rufiji, email projects@eastarm.net