Christopher Mwashinga

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Christopher R. Mwashinga, Jr (born 9 January 1965) is a Tanzanian author and poet from Mbeya, Tanzania who lives in the United States. He has published three books of Christian poetry and ten more of theology and religious history. His poetry has been published in reputable anthologies in the United States,^[1] and other countries including Kenya,^[2] Singapore,^[3] and Tanzania.^[4] He writes in English and Kiswahili.

Early life

Christopher Richard Mwashinga was born to Richard Male Mwashinga and Christine Mwashinga in the Igawilo ward of Mbeya, Tanzania. He spent his first 20 years in West Kilimanjaro^[5] about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from his home village in the southern highlands of Tanzania.^[6] He is the third of the eleven children born to his parents.

Education

For his primary school, Mwashinga attended Ngare-Nairobi Primary School in West Kilimanjaro before he moved south to attend Igawilo Secondary School in Mbeya (O-Levels), and Songea Boys High School in Songea (A-Levels)–all in Tanzania.^[7] He was trained in theology at the Tanzania Adventist College (now the University of Arusha) in Tanzania and the University of Eastern Africa, Baratonin Kenya.^[8] He then moved for graduate studies to the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University,^[9] located at Berrien Springs, Michigan, US. At the seminary, Mwashinga earned two Masters Degrees: a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religion (Systematic Theology).^[10] He is currently working on a Ph.D in Systematic Theology in the same institution.^{[11] [12]}

Personal life

Mwashinga is married to Ruth Michael Mwashinga and together they have two children: Christopher Richard Mwashinga II and Anna Nakijwa Mwashinga.^{[13] [14]} Mwashinga enjoys traveling to new cultures as he preaches and writes his Christian poetry and non-fiction.^[15][16]

Youth and student ministry

For many years, Mwashinga, an ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, served the youth and public university students in East Africa.^[17][18] Before going to the US for further studies he worked as a chaplain in charge of Public Campus Ministries in the South-West Tanzania Field (now Southern Highlands Conference) headquartered in Mbeya. He also served as director of several church departments in the Eastern Tanzania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, including: Public Campus Ministries,^[19] Youth, Education, Children’s Ministries, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, and as coordinator of the Satellite Evangelism Program for the same conference.^[20][21] During his tenure, Mwashinga utilized many of the major university auditoriums in Tanzania including: Nkrumah Hall (University of Dar es Salaam), New Assembly Hall (Mzumbe University) and Multi-purpose Hall (Sokoine University of Agriculture), among others.^{[22] [23]} He also spoke to university communities in a number of Kenyan universities including the University of Nairobi, Moi University, and the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.^[24][25] His was a familiar voice in many of these centers of learning. He also spoke internationally as he visited universities around the world.^[26][27] For the past twenty years, Mwashinga has travelled widely representing the Seventh-day Adventist Church in international conferences or preaching assignments. Between 2000 and 2012 alone, he crossed the Atlantic 13 times. His ministry and study tours took him to Brazil, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Rwanda, Uganda, Thailand, Kenya, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, the Czech Republic, and Zambia among others. During those international trips, he presented on a variety of subjects and wrote hundreds of letters and emails. He also wrote hundreds of poems both English and Kiswahili, and always kept a diary.^[28]

Poetry and non-fiction

Mwashinga began to write and recite poetry at a fairly young age. He was about 13 when his first piece was published in Kilimanjaro Leo a weekly Kiswahili Newspaper in his native country of Tanzania. Since then he has published two collections of English poems Beeches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (2009)^[29] and Windows of Love (2012).^[30] He has also published a collection of Kiswahili poems entitled: Sauti Toka Ughaibuni (Voice From the Diaspora).^[31] He has also published ten other books both scholarly and popular, especially in the area of theology and religion.^[32] The most notable works in the area of non-fiction are perhaps his books on Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa and The Works of Christopher Mwashinga, in 5vols.^{[33] [34]}

Membership in professional organizations

• Adventist Theological Society ^[35]
• American Academy of Religion ^[36]
• Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters
• American Academy of Poets

Publications

• Beaches of Golden Sand: Inspirational Poems (2009) ISBN 978-0-615-30674-2
• Windows of Love (2012) ISBN 978-0-9832322-30
• The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. I, Letters (2014) ISBN 978-0-9832322-8-5
• The Works of Christopher Mwashinga Vol. II, Sermons, Addresses, and Poems (2014) ISBN 978-0-9832322-9-2
• Insights From Bible Lands: Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and Greece (2014) ISBN 978-0-9832322-7-8
• Utume na Ukristo Katika Afrika Mashariki (2013) ISBN 978-9987-9460-1-3
• Mission Theology and a History of Christian Missions in East Africa (2013) ISBN 978-0-9832322-5-4
• Barua na Mashairi (2013) ISBN 978-0-9832322-6-1
• Enduring the Cross:Messages of Salvation of Hope (2012) ISBN 978-0-9832322-0-9
• Rays of Hope: Living to Make a Difference (2011) ISBN 9780983232216
• Waadventista Wasabato na Utunzaji wa Sabato: Historia Fupi (2014) ISBN 978-9987-9460-5-1
• Sauti Toka Ughaibuni (2014) ISBN 978-9987-9460-3-7

References

See also

• History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Seventh-day Adventist Church