It was a whistle stop tour of the diocese for Bishop Bethuel and Bishop Mama Agnes of the Diocese of Kiteto in Tanzania, when they recently made their first ever visit to Leicester.
During their stay, the Bishop and his wife travelled through the rural heart and urban heartlands of the diocese, to experience life, faith and fellowship across the city and county in which we worship.
Building on the partnership we share as link dioceses, and seeking to learn from one another through the exchange of ‘gifts’, the week was a celebration of the Global Church.
Bishop Bethuel and Bishop Mama Agnes met, worshipped, and shared meals with many people from our church communities, including school children, clergy, congregations, faith groups, and people who have visited Tanzania in times past as part of our link diocese teams.
During the week they went to St John the Baptist School in Whitwick, joining in a memorial service and leaving with hopes of linking the school to a partner school in Kiteto.
They also travelled to rural Framland, where they learned about farming and rural ministry, with stops including an arable farm at Stapleford and a dairy farm at Long Clawson.
As part of a packed day, they enjoyed a light lunch in Launde Abbey’s café and a visit to the chapel, joined worship at Harby Primary School, and later celebrated a joyful service of Holy Communion at St Mary the Virgin Church.
Aswell as attending a Mothers’ Union meeting, Bishop Bethuel delivered the Sunday sermon at Leicester Cathedral, and joined an evening service with the Intercultural Worshipping Community at the Church of Martyrs. They even managed to squeeze in a tour of Leicester City Football Club’s King Power Stadium!
Bishop Martyn expressed his delight in having Bishop Bethuel and Bishop Mama Agnes here in the diocese and presented them with a few tokens, including a personalised OS map of Leicester, to celebrate their visit.
