Emmanuel Kopwe

Reconciliation Ministries Director

The arrival of Emmanuel Kopwe in the AE Tanzania office was like a gale force wind hitting. All of a sudden there was movement everywhere. Things started to happen. The "wind" had direction. Mission after mission were planned and implemented. Evangelism was give top priority, both in theory and in practice. Action, order and system is Emmanuel's style.

Born in the Tanga region in northern Tanzania, Emmanuel was one of 17 children. One of his older brothers helped him through school. "He took an oath before the Lord to help us younger boys get an education" says Emmanuel.

On one of his missions, for various reasons, the local arrangements were found wanting, when the team arrived 3 days before the start date. Some of the members wanted to postpone the mission, but not Emmanuel. He worked for 3 days with only 3-4 hours of sleep. The mission took place on schedule and had a major impact on the community. More than 700 people responded to the Gospel in the Moslem dominated area.

"I'd like to see more teaching," Emmanuel says as he reflects on the work ahead. Many people are turning to Christ, and need to be properly nourished. "Teaching seems almost a bigger challenge than evangelism in Tanzania." "My heart is in it," he says.

Emmanuel has become AE's Reconciliation Ministries Director. The gale winds are still blowing: organizing, prioritizing, evangelizing and teaching are in full force and many thousands of people are hearing The Word throughout Africa.