On her SEKUCo blog, Amanda Grant offers some reflections on the work of partnership that Bishop Burkat and Joanne Carlson have been doing these last weeks in Tanzania:

Their visits were not simple "greetings" but rather the complex work of partnership. Bishop Claire, for one, was put to work preaching, baptizing and laying cornerstones. In the evenings when they returned to the hostel we had an opportunity to reflect on the day's work and the delicate balance of partnership.  

In our conversations it was clear Bishop Claire found that balance. She was respectful of cultural dynamics. She wore her clerics proudly everyday and even learned the Swahili greetings that bonded her to the hearts of many. And yet, when asked to preach or take part in dialogue with congregations she did not conform to what she thought people wanted to hear but rather stayed true to the call of the gospel viewed from within her beliefs and cultural background.

More good news: SEKUCo expected 100 students for its first term, and enrollment has now been closed at 178!