July 2021 | Vol 411

Letter from the Church Council

 I led a worship service in June, and as always when leading, I like to take an active part in choosing the
hymns, so that I can fit them into the flow of our worship time together. I look at websites which give charts of which hymns are reflective of the Bible readings of the day, and see those which may be more known to us all. But for the June service, I could only find two hymns which seemed to suit. What other hymns to consider? I could not think of any. So as usual when my mind draws a blank, I put it in the back of my head and let the thought simmer for a while. By the end of the day, three hymns had come to me: Love divine, all loves excelling; From heaven you came, Servant King; and I, the Lord of sea and sky/Here I am, Lord.

These three hymns somehow show the essence of our Christian faith. God, our Creator, whose love for us all is far more than we can ever conceive; God the Son, Jesus Christ who came to serve and show us how to
follow in Christ’s footsteps in concrete and human terms; and what our response to this love and gift of grace should be as we say “yes, here I am, ready to reflect Your love and care out to the world”, using the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance.

I, more often than not, have no answers to questions, or solutions to problems, especially as we, as ACC
Council, have considered (and still consider) the questions of the effect of Covid 19 on our community. I have the feeling that we will be dealing with these questions for a long time to come. I am thankful for the counsel given in the Psalms. I am thankful that we can ‘in stillness, lay our requests before God; and take heart knowing He will hear and will answer, and in His word we can put our hope.’

And that God is always with us no matter what; whether for small questions as to what hymns to choose for a Sunday service, or the larger concerns facing us all.

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and
wait expectantly.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
Psalm 38:15 Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.
Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

– Susan Simonson

Our Services

We are continuing our in-person worship services at 10:30 am every Sunday. However, we have a limited number of chairs available in the sanctuary to follow appropriate social distance guidelines. We encourage anyone with risk factors to stay at home and participate in worship by Zoom.

To prepare yourself: Download Zoom on a computer or mobile device by going to zoom.us . Click on these links to watch a tutorial on how to download the Zoom App and how to join a meeting from a computer or a phone.

Joining on mobile phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8JaUEORjSo
Joining on computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMUxzrgZvZQ

Confirmation Sunday – 6th June 2021

Nine students were confirmed on 6th of June by pastor Mark Rich. Their three confirmation teachers Rebecca Mosley, Vance Bicknell and Jeff Hollister presented their students of Eighteen months to the congregation. Each student in turn shared his/her favourite Bible verse which has inspired them through their journey of studies.

June 2021 Church Hike!

Right photo:

Hike up Kilima Moto on Sunday the 20th of June.

Look out for more ACC hikes in 2021. Well liked by all!

Photos from the recent Marriage Seminar at ACC

Marriage Seminar at ACC attended by twenty, from different churches in Arusha including Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist pastors and Church leaders and some who aspire to minister to strengthen Christian marriages. As one ACC member attending said, “This was time well spent!”

Sunday School – Teachers and Assistants Needed

The Christian Education committee is also considering starting Sunday School classes again, if that can be done in a safe way. Many of our key teachers have now left Arusha, and we are seeking others who want to be a part of this very important ministry. Past experience is not needed!

If you want to help teach, please give your name and contacts to Vivi in the ACC office, who can pass on the information to the Christian Education Committee.

Thank you.

Next Confirmation Class – Teachers and Students

Nine young people just affirmed their baptism during the confirmation service held in June and we do hope to start another Confirmation class in a few months, if that is possible. Two of our past confirmation teachers have now left Arusha and we are looking for others
who might want to be involved in this program. We also need to see if there are students who wish to take this program.

If you either want to help teach OR be a part of this class, please give your name and contacts to Vivi in the ACC office, who can pass on the information to the Christian Education Committee.

Thank you.

ACC Prayer Chain

If you have a prayer request and would like members of our community to support you in prayer, contact the four key persons – if possible by SMS- and they will inform the others from the prayer chain.

Erwin Kinsey 0754 480 184
Margaret Kenyi 0754 090 078
Susan Simonson 0754 266 559
Stella Karumuna 0754 281 337

TITHES AND OFFERINGS AT ACC:

Thank you to the many who continue to give your tithes and offerings to ACC. Please know that these offerings are needed, appreciated and are used to help many within the community.

ACC BANK DETAILS:
For anyone who wishes or needs to transfer funds via bank deposit to ACC please find the following details here:
EXIM BANK
TSH: ACCOUNT NUMBER 00 300 23 252
USD: ACCOUNT NUMBER 578 067 0116

ACC MOBILE MONEY ACCOUNT DETAILS:
For anyone who wishes or needs to transfer funds via mobile money to ACC please find the following details here:
M-PESA DEPOSIT NUMBER: +255755992394
NAME: NASIEKU MOLLEL (Church Administrator)