MOUNT FUMBWE ORTHODOX COMMUNITY / NYAGASAMBU – EAST RWANDA

Titus Twungubumwe 

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MOUNT FUMBWE ORTHODOX COMMUNITY / NYAGASAMBU – EAST RWANDA

With the blessing of His Grace Innocentios BYAKATONDA, the Bishop of the Orthodox Diocese of Burundi and Rwanda, and as the Reader representative of the Orthodox Community of Mount Fumbwe / Nyagasambu, allow me to present to you some general information about the Orthodox Community of Mount Fumbwe / Nyagasambu, East Rwanda.

Mount Fumbwe Orthodox Community / NYAGASAMBU locality includes 3 Sectors of RWAMAGANA District, Eastern Province of Rwanda. These Sectors are: FUMBWE, MUSHA, and GAHENGERI. The place is named after the famous market situated on the bottom of MOUNT FUMBWE, at about 45 Kilometres from Kigali downtown, nearby the Mc Adam road Kigali –Rwamagana – Kayonza – Ngoma – Rusumo - Tanzania. There is a Health Center, a Primary and a Secondary School before you reach the market in question. Nyagasambu is a mountainous region, with many beautiful hills, large valleys and good plateaux.

In this place, We have interested about 100 adult people and 150 young people who wish to embrace the Orthodox faith and make up an Orthodox Community for to benefit from the Church catechetical, liturgical and pastoral activity. By the visit of Reader Timotheos (Titus) TWUNGUBUMWE of the Greek Orthodox Mission of Mount Kigali, on 10th and 11th January 2016 to people of the area, and by his many missionary visits along the following 2 years, these people showed to him a warm welcome in the region, and presented to him their serious wish to be incorporated in the orthodoxy. On Epiphany 2018, more 20 catechumens of the area, after serious catechism, have received the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Christmation and Eucharist.

On Saturday 10th March 2018, the organized Orthodox Community of Mount Fumbwe / Nyagasambu decided to invite the priests and other apostolic workers and faitfhful from all over the country in order to attend together to the first Divine Liturgy in Nyagasambu. Unfortunately, the Divine service could not be celebrated as wished that day following the sudden serious regulations of the Government of Rwanda for all churches in Rwanda, from the same March 2018, not to make the gathering for Divine Worship in the place where would not be constructed decent Church buildings.

There is the reason an ordinary gathering and fellowship has been organized that day instead of Liturgical Service, and from then on, the faithful of Mount Fumbwe Orthodox Community / Nyagasambu are obliged to move, on Sundays especially, to the nearest Orthodox Parishes: either Saint Catherine / Gishari or Twelve Apostles / Rwamagana Town, making more half an hour on bus and another half an hour walking. We shall notice that the Orthodox Community of Mount Fumbwe / Nyagasambu meets, for ordinary meetings, in a rented house, having not yet any land purchased or private house where to meet.

As the financial means to build the parish would be available, We suggest that the Orthodox Parish of Mount FUMBWE / Nyagasambu be established on the Pateau of Kirehe Village, Cell of NYAKAGUNGA, Sector of FUMBWE, District of RWAMAGANA, just 1 kilometer past Nyagasambu Health Center, face to Mount FUMBWE after which the Orthodox Parish of NYAGASAMBU would be named. Reader Timotheos (Titus) TWUNGUBUMWE has been serving as a visiting missionary for pastoral, catechetical and liturgical needs of the starting orthodox mission for the 2 years.

It is our wish also that the community regularly benefits from the teachings by orthodox missionaries available. The pastoral visit of His Grace, the Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Burundi and Rwanda to the local Orthodox Community would be also much a blessing.

Please continue to keep the Orthodox Community of Mount Fumbwe / Nyagasambu in your regular prayers. May God bless you.

Report by:
Reader Timotheos (Titus) TWUNGUBUMWE
Orthodox Church in Rwanda
On 25th September 2018

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