Christopher Mwashinga

Christopher Mwashinga
Born 9 January 1965
Mbeya, Tanzania
Occupation Christian Minister, Author, Poet
Nationality Tanzanian
Alma mater University of Arusha; University of Eastern Africa, Baraton; and Andrews University
Period 21st Century
Notable works Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa (2013)
and Beaches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (2009)
Spouse Ruth M. Mwashinga
Children

Christopher R. Mwashinga II

Anna Nakijwa Mwashinga

Christopher R. Mwashinga, Jr (born 9 January 1965) is a Tanzanian author and poet from Mbeya, Tanzania who lives in the United States. He has published books of Christian poetry, theology and religious history. His poetry has been published in reputable anthologies in the United States,[1] and other countries including Kenya,[2] Singapore,[3] and Tanzania.[4] He writes in English and Kiswahili.

Early life

Christopher Richard Mwashinga was born to Richard Male Mwashinga and Christine Mwashinga in the Igawilo ward of Mbeya, Tanzania. He spent his first 20 years in West Kilimanjaro[5] about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from his home village in the southern highlands of Tanzania.[6][7] He is the third of the eleven children born to his parents.

Education

For his primary school, Mwashinga attended Ngare-Nairobi Primary School in West Kilimanjaro before he moved south to attend Igawilo Secondary School in Mbeya (O-Levels), and Songea Boys High School in Songea (A-Levels)–all in Tanzania.[8] He was trained in theology at the Tanzania Adventist College (now the University of Arusha) in Tanzania and the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton in Kenya.[9] He then moved for graduate studies to the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University,[10] located at Berrien Springs, Michigan, US. At the seminary, Mwashinga earned two Masters Degrees: a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religion (Systematic Theology).[11] He is currently working on a Ph.D in Systematic Theology in the same institution.[12][13]

Personal life

Mwashinga is married to Ruth Michael Mwashinga and together they have two children: Christopher Richard Mwashinga II and Anna Nakijwa Mwashinga.[14][15] Mwashinga enjoys traveling to new cultures as he preaches and writes his Christian poetry and non-fiction.[16][17]

Youth and student ministry

For many years, Mwashinga, an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, served the youth and public university students in East Africa.[18][19] Before going to the US for further studies he worked as a chaplain in charge of Public Campus Ministries in the South-West Tanzania Field (now Southern Highlands Conference) headquartered in Mbeya. He also served as director of several church departments in the Eastern Tanzania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, including: Public Campus Ministries,[20] Youth, Education, Children’s Ministries, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, and as coordinator of the Satellite Evangelism Program for the same conference.[21][22] During his tenure, Mwashinga started a program he called Campus Evangelistic Campaigns (CEC) which was responsible for organizing and running evangelistic campaigns in major public universities in Tanzania. Between 2000-2004 he personally conducted big evangelistic campaigns in Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of Dar es Salaam,[23] and Mzumbe University,[24] utilizing major university auditoriums such as Nkrumah Hall (University of Dar es Salaam), New Assembly Hall (Mzumbe University) and Multi-purpose Hall (Sokoine University of Agriculture), among others.[25][26] He also spoke to university communities in a number of Kenyan universities including the University of Nairobi, Moi University, and the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.[27][28] His was a familiar voice in many of these centers of learning. He also spoke internationally as he visited universities around the world.[29][30] For the past twenty years, Mwashinga has travelled widely representing the Seventh-day Adventist Church in international conferences or preaching assignments. Between 2000 and 2012 alone, he crossed the Atlantic 13 times. His ministry and study tours took him to Brazil, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Rwanda, Uganda, Thailand, Kenya, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, the Czech Republic, and Zambia among others. During those international trips, he presented on a variety of subjects and wrote hundreds of letters and emails. He also wrote hundreds of poems both English and Kiswahili, and always kept a diary.[31]

Poetry and non-fiction

Mwashinga began to write and recite poetry at a fairly young age. He was about 13 when his first piece was published in Kilimanjaro Leo a weekly Kiswahili Newspaper in his native country of Tanzania. Since then he has published two collections of English poems Beeches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (2009)[32] and Windows of Love (2012).[33] He has also published a collection of Kiswahili poems entitled: Sauti Toka Ughaibuni (Voice From the Diaspora).[34] He has also published ten other books both scholarly and popular, especially in the area of theology and religion.[35] The most notable works in the area of non-fiction are perhaps his books on Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa and The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, in 5vols.[36][37]

Membership in professional organizations

Publications

References

  1. ↑ The League of American Poets' Anthology: A Treasury of American Poetry Vol. III, published in 2007; Literature Evangelist Magazine published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, June 1996; and Great Poems of the Western World, 2010.
  2. ↑ Kenya's Sunday Nation of 18 June 1995; 13 August 1995.
  3. ↑ El Shadai Magazine.
  4. ↑ Tanzania's Sunday News of October 1991
  5. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga, Barua na Mashairi (Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books, 2013), 13-14.
  6. ↑ Mwashinga, Barua na Mashairi, 36
  7. ↑ http://tanroads.org/oct/Tanzania%20Road%20Distance%20Chart%20-%20June%202012.pdf
  8. ↑ Mwashinga, Barua na Mashairi,14-15
  9. ↑ Gazeti la Parapanda Gazeti Na. 2, Toleo la 1, Januari-Juni, 2004
  10. ↑ IN TOUCH Volume 2 Issue 3. A Newsletter of the Seminary Student Forum, March 2008. Andrews University.
  11. ↑ Bruce Bauer, ed. Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities. Berrien Springs, MI: Department of World Mission, Andrews University, 2010, 79-82.
  12. ↑ Mwashinga, The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Volume 1,535-536
  13. ↑ Maximum Hope Newsletter, Volume 1 Number 1, Winter 2015, 33
  14. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga, Windows of LoveBerrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books, 2012), 8
  15. ↑ Lavender Aurora, Great Poems of the Western World (Oregon: Famous Poets Press, 2009),7
  16. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga,The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Volume II: Sermons, Speeches, and Poems(Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books,2014),609.
  17. ↑ The East African Standard, Sunday 17 March 1996
  18. ↑ Mwashinga, Enduring the Cross: Messages of Salvation and Hope, 250-252
  19. ↑ Seventh-day Adventist Year Book 2005, p. 51
  20. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga "Kanisa ETF Lafungua Ukurasa Mpya","Gazeti la Parapanda" Toleo 1, June 2003
  21. ↑ Christopher Mwashinga,Jr The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Volume II: Sermons, Speeches, and Poems (Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books,2014),609.
  22. ↑ Seventh-day Adventist Year Book 2005, p. 51
  23. ↑ Parapanda, Toleo 1 Juni 2003, pp. 13-14
  24. ↑ Parapanda, Januari-Juni, 2004, 12.
  25. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga, Jr, Enduring the Cross: Messages of Salvation and Hope (Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books, 2012, 8.
  26. ↑ College and University Dialogue, Volume 13, Number 3, 2001
  27. ↑ Mwashinga, Enduring the Cross: Messages of Salvation and Hope, 8
  28. ↑ See University of Eastern Africa, Baraton 1997 graduation program
  29. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga,Jr,Beaches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (Berrien Springs, MI: Marejeo Books, 2009), 12.
  30. ↑ See also The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Volume I: Letters (Berrien Springs, MI: Marejeo Books, 2014), 184,188.
  31. ↑ Mwashinga, The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Vol. I, 11
  32. ↑ Christopher Mwashinga,Beeches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (Berrien Springs, MI: Marejeo Books, 2009)
  33. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga, Windows of Love (Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books, 2012)
  34. ↑ Christopher R. Mwashinga, Sauti Toka Ughaibuni (Berrien Springs, MI: Maximum Hope Books, 2014)
  35. ↑ Mwashinga, Mission Theology, 2013
  36. ↑ See publications section in this article
  37. ↑ Maximum Hope Newsletter, Volume 1 Number 1 Winter, 2015, p. 16.
  38. ↑ Mwashinga, The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Vol. II, 610
  39. ↑ Mwashinga, The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, Vol. II, 610

See also

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