The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) today buries retired Bishop Dr. Samson Mushemba (1935 – 2020), who served the church from 1961 to 2007 as Pastor, Bishop of the North West Diocese and leading Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
As a former teacher (before attending theological college), Dr. Samson Mushemba felt a special affinity for and commitment to education. He was the first Bishop in Africa to train a female theologian (Pastor Alice Kabugumila). In the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) he represented the ELCT as a member of the Executive Committee. He was also a member of the LWF Council and chairperson of the LWF World Service Division – Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity (1995 – 2005).
In 2008, Mushemba’s family and community established the Mushemba Foundation to honor the legacy of Bishop Dr. Samson Mushemba. A few years later, in 2012, they established the GPENreformation member Mushemba Trinity School which supports children at risk and is 50% funded by the Mushemba Foundation. Josephat Mushemba, the last born of Bishop Dr Mushemba, is the Director of the school.
Pastor Dr Josephat Rweyimamu who is the General Secretary of Mushemba Foundation wrote his biography in 2017. Bishop Dr. Samson Mushemba leaves behind his wife and seven children.
GPENreformation Ambassador Mimii Brown describes Bishop Mushemba as “a gift to Tanzania and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, [as] a gift to the world. He was a man of faith and a true guardian!”
The text is based on information from Ambassador Mimii Brown.
