Mhanga, Ezekieli Joseph
Ezekieli Joseph Mhanga is an international Global Mission Fellow with the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, engaged in a two-year term of service.
The Global Mission Fellows program takes young adults ages 20-30 out of their home environments and places them in new contexts for mission experience and service. The program has a strong emphasis on faith and justice. Global Mission Fellows become active parts of their new local communities. They connect the church in mission across cultural and geographical boundaries. They grow in personal and social holiness and become strong young leaders working to build just communities in a peaceful world.
Ezekieli is a lay member of Morogoro United Methodist Church, related to the Tanzania Annual Conference. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education.
“The love of God through his beloved son Jesus Christ has saved me and given me a step forward in my spiritual journey,” Ezekieli said. “Through the salvation of Christ, my level of faith in God has much increased and the desire to evangelize others, especially nonbelievers, has also increased as the Scriptures emphasize in Matthew 28:19.”
When Ezekieli joined the church in 2019, he experienced God’s call to lead people from various cultures to become disciples of Jesus Christ.
“In my local church,” he said, “we have a program of outreaching [with] Maasai people in Masaini District, focusing on preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing joy, giving them basic needs like clothes, and educating on reproductive health, especially for women.”
Ezekieli views Global Mission Fellows as a platform to expand God’s reign. He hopes to address social injustices and community problems that limit people’s abilities to reach their dreams and ambitions.
“God created and put us on earth to serve him through the gifts that he placed in us,” Ezekieli said. “I would like to use this opportunity of serving in Global Mission Fellows to share my strength, my mind, my abilities and my heart for God and the people whom God has given me the grace to serve for God’s glory.” He is eager to contribute to bringing social justice to the development of each individual and the whole society.
He believes that Global Mission Fellows will prepare him to give himself fully to his community and The United Methodist Church. “I will gain understanding of how to solve the challenges of people in society,” Ezekieli said. “This program will also expand the scope of my service as a young adult to people outside my country because I will have the opportunity to meet young people from different parts of the world.”
He looks forward to speaking to the many challenges of children, young people and society in general. “I will be able to build and strengthen the habit of volunteering,” Ezekieli continued. “I believe even the next generation will find something to learn from me, which will be useful in solving various problems with skill, intelligence and a spirit of volunteering.”
As a Global Mission Fellow, he hopes to share his skills, education and interests with the community to which he is assigned.
“In collaboration with my colleagues,” Ezekieli said, “I will be able to transform young people into followers of Christ through their faith and actions.” He also wants to help children and youth to access vital social services such as education.
“I will try to instill a sense of love among people of the host community where I will be assigned,” he added. “It is important to love one another without a reason, as God instructs us.” He said he would strive to help people without discrimination based on economic, political and gender differences.
“Through Global Mission Fellows, I will become a blessing and comfort in the lives of people suffering from social injustices and other problems,”Ezekieli said. “God has given me this rare opportunity to serve through all the gifts that God put in me.”