Members of the second Mennonite church to be officially registered in Tanzania, Kanisa la Mennonite la Kiinjili Tanzania (KMKT, Evangelical Tanzania Mennonite Church) celebrated its 20th anniversary Dec. 1-7 in Musoma.

The weeklong celebration, with about 1,000 people in attendance, included daily sermons and teaching sessions, about 30 choirs and dedication of about a half dozen new churches, a school and a church office.

KMKT was recently accepted as a member church of Mennonite World Conference, and MWC president Henk Stenvers was welcomed as a guest. Daily teaching sessions on Mennonite history, faith and life were led by Joe Bontrager, retired missionary to Tanzania.

KMKT developed from a conflict within Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania (Tanzania Mennonite Church) in the 1980s. The separation was painful to the people who were closely involved, but conversations between a new generation of leaders of the two churches and invitations in recent years to attend each other’s church conferences have brought healing.

The church has grown to include seven dioceses in major Tanzanian cities, 112 congregations, 3,834 baptized members and attendance of 9,210, including children, with plans to expand into new areas. Growth and expansion are supported primarily by resources from within, as KMKT has not had a relationship with an external mission agency.