Tumekutana

"We have come together"

A conference of African women empowering each other as Christian leaders

September 9–13, 2007
Nairobi, Kenya

Tumekutana is a Swahili word meaning “We have come together.” In September 2007, women from PC(USA) partner churches across Africa will come together to discuss fundamental questions concerning challenges that they face. They will share their stories together. They will pray and worship together. They will encourage one another and find ways to meet their common challenges as Christian women in Africa. 

Some 60 African women will "come together" for networking, discussion, and planning from 18 countries and more than 30 PC(USA) partners. This conference will be the first of its kind for these partners. 

The challenges they face

Sub-Saharan Africa women face challenges similar to those of women throughout the continent. They ask such questions as these:

• “How can we feed our children?”
• “How will we send our children to school?” 
• "When we hear there is no medicine for AIDS, does God hear?” 
• “What will happen to my children when I die?” 
• “How can we take care of all these orphans?” 
• “Can a Christian woman question her husband when he beats her?” 

You can be involved:

• Pray for the conference and for individual women. Sign up for an e-mail prayer group.
• Learn about the individual countries, partners and the life and challenges women face in those countries.  
• Reflect and meditate on the Scripture that these women have also chosen to reflect on at the conference  (Isaiah 58:1–12).
• Encourage these women by writing letters to them as they plan, and then go to and return from the conference. Email your letter or send a letter to:

  Tumekutana
  First Presbyterian Church
  1427 Chicago Avenue
  Evanston, IL 60201

• Contribute financially to the conference by sponsoring a woman or part of her overall costs.

       $30   room and board for one night
     $180   room and board for the week
     $200   visa and passport
  $1,000   transportation
  $1,500   a full scholarship

  Give online

  or by check - make payable to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and designate on the memo line: ECO E052036. Mail to:

  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
  Individual Remittance Processing
  P.O. Box 643700
  Pittsburgh, PA  15264-3700

• Volunteer to be a resource person in your church to receive emails about the women and countries you are interested. Set up a prayer group for these women in your church. Sign up to volunteer.
• Go as a representative from your local church to Nairobi as part of a prayer team that will meet and pray for the women throughout the conference. You'll be part of opening and closing ceremonies and some of the site visitations, but the focus will be on prayer for the women. Email for more information.

For more information contact:

Doug Welch
PC(USA) Africa area coordinator
(888) 728-7228 x5353
email

Caryl Weinberg
Director of Mission
First Presbyterian Church, Evanston, Ill.,
Former PC(USA) mission worker in Africa
(847) 864-1472 x264
email

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