January 2022 | Vol 417

Letter from the Church Council

Waiting at the Arusha airport, a woman approached me trying to sell a hat emblazoned with the words Tanzania: Hakuna Matata! “Unadanganya dada,” I told her, to which she readily agreed. Life in this community which we call home is full of challenges.

At the close of a year, it is typical to list all the blessings we have enjoyed and the accomplishments we have achieved. Indeed, we don’t want to ignore the ways that God has blessed us in through a year marred by a pandemic. For many in our international ACC community, Covid 19 has opened global communication channels that we barely knew existed. We have worshiped with old friends across continents. We have been able to keep in closer contact with family members scattered around the globe.

On the other hand, at the end of a year such as this, if we focus just on the good things, and gloss over the trials, we disrespect those who have suffered and those who continue to suffer. Can we embrace our pain, recognizing that it in some profound way, it brings balance to life?

Job’s friends told him that his suffering resulted from his own sin and impurity. They argued that a just God would never make a righteous man suffer! And yet that same God answered them with anger, saying that they counselled falsely (see Job, Chapter 42). The book of Job does not tell us why the righteous suffer, but it tells us clearly that we should honour and remember them.

So at the end of this year we want to honour and remember those in our midst who have suffered because of Covid-19 and other causes. Those we have lost, despite the measures we have taken to keep our community safe. We know not why they suffered, but we cherish the time they spent among us, and know that their suffering is part of a larger mystery that only God understands.

Our hope and our prayer is that in 2022 we will move from struggling with a pandemic to managing Covid 19 as an endemic reality of our lives. With this hope in mind, the ACC council is planning to resume several activities which have been halted for over a year. Children’s Sunday school will resume in a limited fashion in January. The activities of the Evangelism and Outreach Committee and the Projects and Benevolence Committee will also resume.

In order to undertake these ministries, We count on our congregation’s members to join in a variety of ways. First, we implore all members to protect themselves and those around them by becoming fully vaccinated. This is critical to safely resuming such corporate activities together. Your financial support will also be critical to resuming the external ministries of our congregation. For the past two years, with reduced attendance and offerings, we have not had the funds to carry out external ministries. The budget that the Council will present at the 2022 Annual General Meeting represents step in faith, assuming that our giving will increase so that 15M Tsh will be available for such activities.

We know that life will continue to present us with challenges. But as a people of faith, we also know that we are sustained through life’s trials by a hope beyond worldly reason.

–     Neil Miller on behalf of the ACC Council

Mission Statement

Arusha Community Church seeks to bring Christian praise and witness to God through worship, service and study. The congregation provides opportunity for Christian fellowship, service and witness, community outreach, personal growth and family growth. Recognizing the close link between worship and culture, Arusha Community Church has an inter-denominational ministry to the international community in Arusha.

ACC Annual General Meeting

Sunday 6^th February 2022 After Sunday service

ACC’s Annual General Meeting is not just ‘another

meeting’. It is a very important meeting in our church life, and written into our Constitution. Key activities are part of this meeting.

• Council elders are elected to serve the congregation: Who do you want to serve you on Council?
• The Annual Budget Proposal is presented and voted on: How have your offerings been used in the past year? How do you want your offerings to be used in the coming year? Are you willing to make a financial commitment to ACC?
• Committees give their annual

reports: What has or has not happened? Can you offer some of your time and skills to be part of a committee, or involved with committee activities and programs? How can you serve God and the congregation?

New Member Class

Saturday 15^th January 0900 – 1100

Anyone can apply to be a Registered Voting Member of ACC. It does mean that the person applying is making a commitment to ACC and our Constitution, including our Statement of Faith. We ask that you know how ACC functions as a lay-led church; have attended ACC for at least 3 months, and commit to attending for at least one more year. To learn more about ACC, we ask that you attend a New Member class, especially if you are relatively new to ACC.

Please give your name and contacts to Vivi in the church office or

email arushacommunitychurch.office@gmail.c om if you are interested in attending the

class. A New Member information package will be emailed to you before the class.

Baptism at ACC

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=fMUxzrgZv ZQ

Confirmation & Sunday School Teachers Needed

The Christian Education committee is considering starting Confirmation and Sunday School classes again, if that can be done in a safe way. All the teaching materials are there.

We are seeking committed people who want to be a part of this very important ministry. If you are interested 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.

ACC Income and Expenditure through 30th November 2021

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:

Your OFFERINGS are important, needed and appreciated. It is easier for accounting purposes, and without charges, if offerings are deposited directly into our Exim Bank Account (please see details below).  While the MPESA number remains available for receiving offerings, please consider making a deposit directly into our bank.

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 00 300 35 020

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: +255 755 992 394
NAME: NASIEKU MOLLEL (Church Administrator)