In the spring of 2006, Father Steve and a small group of St. Paul’s parishioners met with OCMC director, Fr. Martin Ritsi, to discuss the viability of forming a St. Paul’s mission trip to build a church in a foreign country where OCMC was already established. Father Martin suggested working with Archbishop Jeronymos from Tanzania as the Orthodox Church was growing throughout the country and the political situation was stable within the country.

That was the first step toward our years-long and continuing journey and partnership with the Orthodox Church of Tanzania. Since that quiet beginning, St. Paul’s mission committee – dubbed Mission Is Possible – built St. Paul’s Church in the township of Kobunswhi, constructed a priest’s home for the priest and his family at St. Paul’s, brought medical care on three medical mission trips to the Ufufuo Medical Clinic, provides financial support to the medical clinic, and ensures safe drinking water by drilling and repairing dozens of water wells in remote villages throughout Tanzania.

Our mission work may have had a quiet beginning, but our efforts continue to this day as we show Christ’s love to our neighbors in Tanzania and beyond. Consider answering God’s call to “go to all nations” and become a member of St. Paul’s Mission Is Possible team or donate to our ongoing work in Tanzania.