The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) is committed to the preservation of the environment over and above its main calling of spreading the word of God, remarked Mr Brighton Killewa the ELCT Secretary General on Friday at the inauguration of the 800thbiogas plant at Makumira near Arusha last week.

Mr. Kilewa was inviting the Presiding Bishop ELCT, Dr Alex Malasusa, to inaugurate the biogas digester plant near Tumaini University Makumira (TUMa) main campus as well as launch an exhibition that show cases the work and life of the Church in spreading a holistic Gospel in Tanzania.

The biogas plant was built to assist a staff of Tumaini Makumira, Mr. Joshua Mwanga, who lives nearby Makumira as part of the celebration to mark the 50 years of the apex body for Lutheran churches in Tanzania.

The exhibition was part of the events marking the climax of the 50th Jubilee of ELCT since it became a single Lutheran Church created in the then Tanganyika when seven churches joined together their activities.

The ELCT Presiding Bishop said he was impressed by the family's readiness to be part of the Church intervention dubbed Sustainable Livelihood and Environment Protection (SLEP).

He said by constructing 800 biogas plants in different areas of Tanzania, the Church wants to add more joy to the lives of the families receiving the assistance.

He added that biogas will ease the hardship of looking for firewood, free the family from fuel and lighting bills as well as healing the environment. "If everyone plays his or her part in protecting the environment, the natural resources on earth will be spared of destruction", he said.

ELCT, the second largest Christian denomination in Tanzania, marked its Golden Jubilee last Sunday during which thousands of invited guests attended the celebrations. The former prime minister Frederick Sumaye was the chief guest.

The climax of the jubilee was held at Tumaini University Makumira (TUMa), one of a string of universities belonging to the church, located at Usa River near Arusha..

The college was established on the premises of what used to be known as the Makumira Theological College that was established in the 1960s.

Some of the guests came from outside the country and included representatives of the mission societies and churches from Europe, America and different parts of Africa. Local delegates had among them officials from the ELCT Dioceses, government leaders, representatives of other churches and choirs.

Seven Lutheran Churches that existed in Tanzania in the early independence days united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanganyika on 19 June 1963. In 1964 the name of the country became Tanzania.

Lutheran Missionaries started evangelism activities almost 150 years ago and it was only in 1963 when the churches decided to unite and became dioceses/ synods of one Church.

As days went by, the church decided to have dioceses instead of synods and by May 26 2013 ELCT had 22 dioceses when two new dioceses were formed.

The new ones are South East Diocese formerly Mtwara- Lindi Mission Area created on 26 May 2013 and the South East of Lake Victoria Diocese formerly Shinyanga-Simiyu Mission Area created on 5 May 2013.