Building a church locally and globally: the ministry of Zedekiah Marwa Kisare, first African Bishop of the Tanzanian Mennonite Church

In July 1985, the first African bishop of the Tanzanian Mennonite Church, Zedekiah Marwa Kisare (ca. 1912-1999), signed copies of his autobiography in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the arrival of Mennonite missionaries in what was then Tanganyika. This was Kisare’s sixth visit to the United States. He had previously traveled to the US for “fraternal visits” hosted by the Lancaster mission board in 1961, 1967, 1972, 1974, and 1978, staying in Mennonite homes, speaking in Mennonite churches, and attending mission and church meetings. In addition, Kisare had worked with dozens of American Mennonite missionaries during his 50 years of church leadership in Tanzania, becoming a bridging figure between American Mennonite missionaries and Tanzanian Mennonites. In 1979, a new American missionary in Tanzania described Kisare as one who “understands Americans, and... also understands local people.” Upon Kisare’s death in 1999, his obituary was published in the local Lancaster paper and a well-attended memorial service was held to commemorate his passing.