In January of 2022, Pathway celebrated 20 years of being a church. For our anniversary, we wanted to give back in a BIG way.
Compassion Church Plant in Tanzania
Partnering with God in Tanzania
In early 2021, Pathway was presented with the opportunity to partner with Compassion International to build a church in the Dodoma Region of Tanzania. Thanks to your generous gifts, the facilities were completed in June of 2021. In January of 2022, Pathway had the opportunity to sponsor children in this community. This Compassion church in Tanzania is currently ministering to an impoverished community of people (50% of whom are children) and has become the center of a life-changing experience for 150+ children and their families.
In January of 2024, a few of our staff were blessed with the opportunity to visit our Compassion Center in Chemba, Tanzania.
The Goal: $75,187.44
You Gave: $136,000
This financial gift from Pathway has funded the construction of the new church and the facilities for a Compassion-assisted student center. The surplus will go toward other Compassion churches in this area who need additional support.
- One Large Meeting Room / Sanctuary
- Three Classrooms
- Kitchen / Food Preparation Space
- Restrooms / Latrines
View photos and read updates HERE.
Why Compassion International?
In 65+ years of ministry, Compassion International has served more than 1.9 million children in 25 of the poorest countries in the world, as well as over 8,000 international church partners—all in Jesus’ name. The Compassion ministry model is built on three distinct foundations.
Exclusive Focus on Children
All Compassion programs take a holistic approach to child development, addressing a child’s physical, spiritual, socio-emotional, economic, and educational needs. Compassion intentionally seeks out children who are facing extreme poverty—”the poorest of the poor”.
Exclusive Work with the local church
Compassion believes the Church is God’s agent for change in a broken world, and their programs are offered only through partnership with local churches in the developing world who have the same passion to prioritize and minister to children.
Jesus at the center
Children and families are not required to profess Jesus as their Savior to participate in Compassion programs, but children will hear the gospel, see living faith, and be discipled in the ways of Jesus. Every mother and child receive age-appropriate Bibles, which are replaced as children mature.
Our Opportunity in Tanzania
Compassion is not a church-planting organization, but when they identify a place with great need that does not have a church, they partner with a church-planting organization to start a church that will become the hub of Compassion ministry in a community.
The Church |
Pathway and Compassion will be partnering with FPCT Kondoa to build and plant the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania. This new church is based in an area composed of the Burunge, Rangi, Gogo and Sandawe tribes. Most of the community members are not Christians and there is a strong need for a vibrant church. |
Pastor Yohana Elias |
Pastor Yohana Elias has been serving in the mother church (FPCT Kondoa) and is a respected leader. He has been ministering in the target community and feels called to plant a church there. To help with construction, he recruited members from the mother church and the community. He supports his family through farming and keeping livestock. The mother church provides oversight and mentorship to the daughter church, its pastor, and its leaders. Yohana Elias is married and has six children. |
The Community |
Typical homes in the area are made of burnt bricks or mud; some are covered with iron sheets or grass. To provide for their families, adults in the community depend on farming and raising animals. The area is dry and it only rains once a year during the rainy season, but this season often brings damaging rains and floods that destroy crops and the livelihood of the people. Additionally, COVID-19 has contributed to food scarcity in Tanzania. Compassion has been providing food packets and hygiene kits, and has been meeting medical needs during this time. |
The Location |
The daughter church has secured land with a small existing structure that they will expand to support the planned ministry. They are waiting to receive a title deed from the government. |
The Timeline
The average construction of the church building takes between 8-14 months, depending on its location.
Many variables will influence the timeline, including availability of materials, road conditions, and weather.
1
Gift funding received by the national Compassion office.
2
Church staff members in Tanzania begin soliciting bids for construction. Materials are purchased. Planning is finalized.
3
Construction begins. Church leaders conduct activities in the community to build awareness and excitement, and they identify children who are eligible to register with the child development center.
4
As construction progresses, church staff members hire child development center staff. Staff are trained, and preparation for child registration continues.
5
150-200 children are registered with the center. A caregiver orientation is held.
6
Construction concludes. The new church opens its doors to the community, and the center begins ministry to children.
Child Sponsorship
Once the church and child development center were open, Pathway had the opportunity to sponsor children in this community. In one weekend, the people of Pathway sponsored all the children in the Dodoma Region of Tanzania as well as children in the surrounding areas (over 600 children!). There are Compassion churches just like ours that meet the needs of children and families in the poorest areas of the world. If you choose to sponsor a child in ANY country, here is what your gift can do:
For $43 a month, you can provide a child:
Medical checkups
Nutritious food
Health and hygiene training
Educational assistance
Access to special services, such as surgeries and disaster relief
Mentoring to help them discover their incredible value as God’s children
The good news about Jesus Christ, and the encouragement to develop a lifelong relationship with God.
Ready to meet your sponsor child?
MEET YOUR SPONSOR CHILD
Scroll to view children available for sponsorship
Progress Updates
AUGUST 2023
Your gifts continue to improve the lives of the people of the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania (FPCT), the Compassion Center, and the surrounding area. Pathway has been able provide this community with safe water by funding a well (borehole, pump, water tower with storage tanks). Prior to the borehole, children in this community often had stomach issues and diarrhea caused by using unsafe water. The church didn’t have enough water to use for drinking, cleaning and hand washing. Now with ample water, these children have improved hygiene and health!
“Before the borehole, life was hard for me and other children. We walked almost two miles to collect water from a small spring…. I would like to thank all the sponsors who made it possible for us to get this water. The God of heaven will bless you and reward you in due time. We have nothing to pay you other than to say thank you very much.” – Yunista, 9 year-old Compassion participant
APRIL 2023
Pathway’s Compassion center, church, and the surrounding community are growing and flourishing. The new water wall is meeting a practical need and drawing people toward this place of ministry. The leaders ask for our continued prayers.
JUNE 2021
We received word that Pathway’s Compassion Church in Tanzania has been completed!
Although the church faced several obstacles—including frequent power outages and the scarcity of metals and other materials—they persisted. All of the construction is complete and the church is using the new facility. The new church center contains a sanctuary/multipurpose room, five classrooms, an office, bathroom and kitchen. The classrooms are partially furnished with 40 chairs and 20 tables. Playground equipment was being installed when the church team submitted their final update.
Currently, 48 adults and 42 children are attending the church. Church leaders and members are sharing the gospel in their community and already are making a positive difference. This construction project also contributed significantly to the village economy by providing jobs for laborers and local vendors.
Church staff and members pray over the church property, dedicating the land to God and asking God to remove all darkness.
The office building has two classrooms. An adjacent building has three classrooms.
The kitchen building during the final stages of construction
One of the fully furnished classrooms
Local youth and a teacher from the mother church installed playground equipment.
The completed latrine block
APRIL 2021
We received word from Compassion that the church plant is much further along than expected. Funding was given to keep the progress moving during COVID, and will be back-filled by Pathway’s gift.
The site: encompassing the church, a building with three classrooms, an office building with two classrooms, and toilets (not pictured)
Front view of the two buildings containing classrooms
Inside view of the church building
Local women fetching water for the domestic uses
The church building with completed roofing works
Progress on the kitchen
Back view of the latrine block
Front view of the latrine block
As chairman of the village, our government leaders and I are grateful to be able to promote this community service. This community will have young people with good morals raised by the church, people will receive the sermons and admonition of God. Children will get education, have a safe place to play, and have fun.
We believe the church brings peace in the village, and the church and child development center will benefit our community.
I am a small food trader here in the village, and I have been able to benefit greatly from this construction project at FPCT church. The number of customers in my restaurant increased as I served food to the laborers who worked on the church construction. It was a financial boost as I served many clients at the same time. I have been able to take care of my family from the income brought by the construction of this project. The construction project has greatly helped to improve the lives of entrepreneurs in the village.
Young people who used to beg found work as laborers on the construction, they have received wages, their life of begging has changed and now they are eager to continue working.
Prayer Requests
The church asks that you join them in prayer for the following requests:
- Pray for the community to follow God and experience renewed minds and beliefs. Pray that more people will become disciples of Jesus.
- Pray for the future crusade that is planned.
- Ask God to raise up zealous ministers who will continue the work of service in the various areas around the community.
- Continue to pray for the church so that they can complete any remaining details.
- Ask God to continue to improve the economic situation of the church.
- Pray that the church will be healthy spiritually, physically and mentally.
- Ask God to release the community from the vicious poverty that surrounds the village.
Sponsor Trip to Tanzania
January 19-24, 2024
This team has formed and registration is closed.
Thank you for your interest!
We are thrilled to offer our first mission trip to visit Pathway’s Compassion Center in Tanzania! This trip is open to those who currently sponsor a Compassion child at this location.
- Experiential Education: You’ll go deep into the cultural richness and diversity of the country.
- Service Opportunities: These experiences blend deep programmatic interaction with relationally-minded service opportunities
- Child-Sponsor Fun Day: You’ll get to spend time with your child at a central location in the country for an incredible day of interaction and child-enrichment activities.
The experience is open to adults and families. (Children must be age 10 or older.) The cost is TBA.
View the answers to frequently asked questions HERE.
Are you ready to “Be Sent”?
Email gomissions@pccfw.org.
Want to support this trip with a financial gift?
About Missions at Pathway
At Pathway, our mission is to lead people into a full life found in Jesus Christ (John 10:10). We believe the components of full life in Christ can be summed up as—Connect, Grow, Serve, Go. Our heart for Missions at Pathway is that we would serve others here, near, and far and play a part in God’s purpose for the world.
Contact us
Todd DeTurk
Missions Director
gomissions@pccfw.org