Last year, St. John’s Vestry voted to ensure that 10% of all proceeds from any church fundraiser will go towards mission ministries beyond the parish. This year, our 10% will assist in the construction of the Bishop M. Thomas Shaw SSJE Nursery School in Kizara, Tanzania.

The Diocese of Massachusetts has an ongoing relationship with the Diocese of Tanga which is  in the northeast corner of Tanzania. In 2012, our rector, the Rev. Tom Mousin, traveled with Bishop Shaw and a group of lay and clergy from our diocese to Tanzania. They visited numerous churches and mission sites.  Among the places they visited was the village of Kizara, where the group participated in the dedication of a new health center for the community. Kizra is located in the Eastern Usambara mountains at the edge of the Nilo Nature Reserve, and is approximately 70 miles from the nearest hospital.

The new nursery school is in that same parish of St Francis Xavier, and will be a 100% church school. The Tanga diocesan development plan envisions an “English Medium” nursery school in every parish, meaning that the children will be taught basic English  and Arithmetic as part of the curriculum. Our proceeds from the fair will help to build the playground that will be a part of the nursery school. With your generous donations, we will be supporting this important addition to their community and honoring the memory of Bishop Shaw.

Bishop Mambo Mddolwa of Tanga and Bishop Mark Hollingsworth of Ohio dedicate the foundation for the new nursery school in January of 2014.