ELCT
Press Release
Date:
January 27, 2010
Press release No. 002/01/2010
Bishop Malasusa receives honorary degree
Trinity Seminary of Columbus Ohio, a well known Lutheran seminary in America, has bestowed an Honorary Doctorate Degree upon the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Alex Gehaz Malasusa, for his outstanding contributions to society both within and outside the country.
Bishop Marcus Lohrmann of the North-Western Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), assisted by a team from Makumira University College in Tanzania, bestowed the award upon Bishop Dr. Malasusa in Dodoma on 8 November last year at an occasion graced by the presence of the Tanzanian Premier Mizengo Peter Pinda.
The Tanzanian Premier commended Bishop Malasusa for his achievements that led to his being given the honorary degree.
On 18 July, 2007, the ELCT Assembly elected Bishop Malasusa, 47, to become the Presiding Bishop of the ELCT for four years while at the same time serving as bishop of the ELCT Eastern and Coastal Diocese.
He took over from Bishop Dr. Samson Mushemba who had been Presiding Bishop of the church from 1992 to July 2007.
Born 18 June, 1960, Bishop Malasusa, who hails from Rungwe, Mbeya region, is a son of a pastor and the youngest Presiding Bishop of the ELCT to date.
Bishops prior to Mushemba (1992 - 2007) were the late Bishop Dr. Sebastian Kolowa (1976 - 1992) and the late Bishop Stephano Moshi (1963-1976).
Bishop Malasusa received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree from Makumira University College in Arusha and became pastor in 1992. He was consecrated Bishop of the Eastern and Coastal Diocese, based in Dar es Salaam, on 17 April, 2004. Makumira is a constituent college of Tumaini University owned by the ELCT.
Bishop Malasusa is taking Master of Theology studies by extension at the Catholic Theology College in Nairobi, Kenya. He is married and has three children.
As of January 2010, ELCT had over 5.3 million members, having grown from 4,632,480 members in 2007.
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Elizabeth Lobulu
Communication Coordinator,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania
Box 3033, ARUSHA, Tanzania.
Phone: +255-27-250-8856/7
FAX: +255-27-254-8858
E-mail: Elizabeth Lobulu <ELobulu@elct.or.tz>
For more information contact:
Elizabeth
Lobulu
Communication Desk Officer, ELCT
E-mail: ELobulu@elct.or.tz