Another Sunday in Iringa

This is the third Sunday I've been in Iringa and the third time I'm writing about Sunday worship. As you might guess, Sunday is a highlight of the week. This week I traveled with Gary Langness to Ipogoro Lutheran Church, fifteen minutes outside of Iringa. This congregation was the first one to partner with a congregation in the St. Paul Area Synod. They partnered with Augustana Lutheran in West Saint Paul when Gary was senior pastor there. He has preached there fourteen times. There are now sixty-six congregations partnering both in the Iringa Diocese and the St. Paul Area Synod.

I think I helped gender equality at Ipogoro. I was to sit up front with the other pastors during worship. As we processed down the aisle, I noticed that there were only three chairs and four of us. I was the only one not leading worship, so I nodded to the pastor that I would slip into the front row. It wasn't until about a third of the way through the service when I noticed all the voices behind me were female voices. You guessed it. I sat on the women's side of the church. Now, as only one of two whites guys in church that morning, I stuck out as it was. Now I was downright conspicuous. Suddenly, a chair appeared from the back of the church and was planted up front with the other three. I was waved forward, asked to introduce myself, and take the new seat. Saved by the pastor!

The first service began at 7:00 a.m. That's in the morning. The church was packed. Same was true last Sunday. During my introduction, I told them that people from Minnesota wouldn't believe the church was full of singing, dancing people at 7:00 in the morning. So I took their picture.

During the two hour service, the confession and forgiveness comes about 30 minutes in. The doors are closed during confession. All latecomers must stay outside the church until confession and forgiveness are finished. When the doors opened, a whole busload of people came in. I guess they're on their own for confession this week.

Oh, and I now know where Lutherans got the idea that the back pews are the best in church. In Tanzania, those who sit in the back are ushered out first after the service. At Ipogoro, only the back half of the church pews had backs on them. The front half was just benches.

There were no screens on the windows at Ipogoro. Throughout the service, several birds flew in and out. During quiet moments when no one else was singing, the birds added their songs to worship. All creation sings praise to God.

One last thing. As the second service was to begin, Pastor Abbas, Pastor Gary, Pastor Benson and I gathered to walk into church from the back. As we stepped out of the office in an adjoining building, there were two lines of people formed in front of us. The choir. They led us singing and dancing (at least they were dancing!) through the parking lot, into the back doors of the church and down the aisle. When the service was finished, they did the same in reverse. They led us singing and dancing down the aisle, out the door, across the parking lot and into the pastor's office. Cool!

I tried uploading pictures from today's worship, but to no avail. You'll have to supply your own images.