Peter Harrits

Dear Partners in Ministry: 

Many of you have been awaiting this news. I thank you for your patience and prayers. We have much for which to celebrate and give thanks!

I am pleased to announce that the Rev. Peter Harrits has accepted the call to serve as the Director of Bega Kwa Bega. Peter is currently serving as the Country Coordinator for the Young Adults in Global Mission program of the ELCA. He lives in Borneo, Malaysia, and frequently makes junkets throughout Southeast Asia and around the world!

Conversant in Swahili as well as Malay with elementary speaking ability with Indonesian and Spanish, he brings a variety of strengths to his position as the Director of Bega Kwa Bega, including an innate ability to use technology and social media to extend ministry and to share the stories of the gospel, as they unfold in the lives of individuals throughout the world. For a great introduction to Peter and his work, visit his blog to view his videos, photography, and writing.

Many of you are familiar with Peter; others are not. Allow me to introduce him to you by quoting excerpts of his letter of introduction to us:

My initial call to ministry, as well as my vocational interest in global mission, was formed through the Bega Kwa Bega program and the companion relationship between my home congregation in Apple Valley and its partner in Tungamalenga,Tanzania. In 2004, while serving as Director of Youth Ministry at Shepherd of the Valley, I led a group of youth and young adults to visit their peers in Tungamalenga. After two weeks of living together and sharing stories of our hopes and fears, loves and losses, and the God who abides with us through it all, we gathered together in closing worship.There, along the communion rail, I observed men and women, Americans and Tanzanians, Maasai and Hehe all kneeling shoulder to shoulder, breaking bread and sharing wine. In that scene I witnessed a picture of what the church could be, of what the church should be, of what the church is--a diverse multitude made one in Christ. In that moment I felt a stirring in my heart and began to discern a call to go and do likewise--to build connections across cultures and continents and to be part of knitting together the worldwide body of Christ.

Following that call has taken me around the world and back again. I began my theological studies at Luther Seminary in January of 2005 before transferring to Yale Divinity School in the fall of 2006.The move to a major research university allowed me to pair coursework in Biblical Studies, Preaching, and Pastoral Care with a Certificate in African Studies and additional scholarship in International Development, Anthropology, African Religions and Kiswahili. A subsequent Master of Sacred Theology allowed for concentrated research in the field of World Christianity and, more specifically, the intersection of Globalization, Human Migration, and Christian Mission in an increasingly interconnected and mobile world.

Ordained at the Saint Paul Area Synod Assembly in May of 2011, I began my current position with ELCA Global Mission earlier that year. As Country Coordinator for our Young Adults in Global Mission program, I am tasked with providing programmatic direction and administration to all aspects of this international service-learning program, offering pastoral care and personal support, and tending to the complex web of relationships between companion churches, partner organizations, and individuals that make the success of this program possible.This is a position that not only builds upon my previous experience of directing and administering a congregational program for 1100 youth and their families in Apple Valley, it is also one that continually bears witness to the vision and call that I experienced in Tungamalenga nearly a decade ago....

I'm excited by the prospect of that same call expanding to include the vital network of congregations and thousands of interpersonal relationships that mark this companion synod program. I'm energized by the prospect of returning to Saint Paul and Iringa in order to share the knowledge, skills, connections, experiences, and cross-cultural competencies that I've acquired in the intervening years in order to strengthen this partnership and take part in shaping our life together. As a creative collaborator, my holy imagination is sparked by the challenges before us and the opportunity to work with faithful leaders and communities in both contexts to discern a common way forward....

In order to allow Peter to attend to the details of completing his work in Malaysia, he will not be starting with us until January 15. We anticipate that he will provide a video greeting at the Bega Kwa Bega Festival on November 9, at Christ the King, New Brighton, and he will be installed at our synod assembly on May 16, where he was ordained in 2011. In addition, he will begin work with the Iringa Committee by Skype and find other ways to engage with the partnership both here in St. Paul and in Iringa while he completes his work in Malaysia through the end of the year. While the dates have not yet been determined, we anticipate that Peter will be in Iringa during February and March.

The Iringa Committee commences its work Oct. 15

At its September meeting, the synod council appointed the following individuals to the Iringa Committee: 

Chair: The Rev. Gary Langness

Augustana, West St. Paul

At-Large Representative: Linka Holey

Abiding Savior, Mounds View

At-Large Representative: Patty Anderson

Incarnation, Shoreview

At-Large Representative:  The Rev. Tom Hansen

Prince of Peace, Roseville

At-Large Representative: The Rev.Peter Hanson

Hosanna, Forest Lake

Cluster Representative: Betty Wolf

St. Mark's, North St. Paul

Cluster Representative: Kirsten Levorson

Shepherd of the Valley, Apple Valley

Cluster Representative: Dan McIntyre

Lutheran Church of Peace, Maplewood

Cluster Representative: The Rev. Lamont Koerner

Our Savior's, Stillwater

Cluster Representative: Karen Sawyer Smith

St. Stephen's, White Bear Lake

Cluster Representative: Trish Blomquist

Christ the King, New Brighton

The Director of Bega Kwa Bega and the bishop or bishop's designee also serve as voting members of the committee.  

Advisors

The Rev. Tom Nielson, Cluster Leader

Bo and Juli Skillman, Cluster Leaders

Ken and Birdie Olson, Cluster Leaders

The Rev. Don and Eunice Fultz, Cluster Leaders

Greg Triplett, Financial Administrator

In making its appointments, the synod council sought to achieve a balance of congregational representation, experience traveling in Iringa, and areas of particular expertise. The committee begins its work on Oct. 15, and its first task will be to discuss the charge to the Iringa Committee, adopted by the synod council. This charge provides the initial instructions for addressing some immediate administrative and financial work that is part of the re-structuring and transition work. Some work has already been initiated.

I thank you all for your patience and partnership in the last 18 months as we have sought to position Bega Kwa Bega for a strong future. I have been moved by your commitment, sustained by your offers of support and prayers, and heartened by your sense of mission to our partners in Iringa. As we anticipate the transition in the Office of the Bishop, I am confident that the future of this partnership will continue to unfold with purpose, vitality, and possibility.

Grace and peace,

Peter Rogness

Bishop