A special service to celebrate thirty years of diocesan links with Mara, Tanzania takes place at Christ the King, Battyeford, this coming Sunday, October 21.
And this photo shows the official opening day at the first project supported by the link - Issenye Secondary School, established in 1990.
Pictured between Bishop Gershom Nyaronga (first Bishop of Mara) and Bill Jones (CTK parishioner and first headteacher of Issenye) is Julius Nyerere, guest of honour and the first President of Tanzania.
"We had a great day, with some 3,000 guests from the local community and far beyond. We fed them all," recalled Bill.
New diocesan link officer for Tanzania, Revd Maggie McLean said all are welcome to the 3pm service, which will mark the successful friendships and projects created over so many years.
Those include ongoing initiatives such as Water for Life and a safe house for young women escaping FGM and persecution.
The Anglican Church in the Mara region is continuing to grow very fast:
In 1985 there were 12 parishes and by 2010 there were 143 parishes and it divided into 3 dioceses - Mara, Rorya and Tarime.
Tanzania is about four times the size of the UK with a population of about 45 million.
Mara
Mara Diocese has around 75 parishes; many with more than one church - in 4 archdeaconries - Musoma, Bunda, Serengeti and Lake (Ziwa). The cathedral is in the regional capital Musoma and can seat 2000. Bunda Bible College, Issenye Secondary School and Buhemba Rural Agricultural Centre are all in Mara Diocese. 44 parishes in Mara are linked with parishes in Yorkshire.
Bishop: George Okoth.
Rorya
Rorya Diocese is bordered by Lake Victoria to the west and Tarime to the east. It is a fertile region which usually enjoys quite good rain. It is populated by the Luo tribe renowned for their generous hospitality to visitors. It currently has over 40 parishes - some with more than one church. 13 parishes in Rorya are linked with parishes in Yorkshire.
Bishop: John Adiema. The cathedral is in Kowak and is still being built. The bishop is the Rt Revd John Adiema.
Tarime
Tarime borders with Kenya to the north and is mostly a very fertile region with good rain. It is one of the centres of banana production in Tanzania. It is populated by a number of tribes including the Kuria who retain many of their traditional customs.Tarime has 29 parishes and the cathedral in Tarime town is also a thriving parish church. 12 parishes in Tarime are linked with parishes in Yorkshire.
Bishop: Dr Mwita Akiri.
The Diocese has a farmer's training centre at Mogabiri which provides education and training in self-help projects for subsistence farmers.