The Bega Kwa Bega/Iringa Committee search team has identified the next BKB Program Coordinator, who will begin work in Iringa in August.

Susan Seidel comes to us from South Carolina. Her administrative experience and communication skills will serve us well in the BKB office, where she will ensure our year-round representation with companions in the Iringa Diocese (DIRA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). Working with members of the diocese staff, she will support our core work in the areas of administration, relationship building, hospitality and project management.

“I was born and raised in a Lutheran home in Pennsylvania farm country. My paternal grandmother’s faith and love of God was a wonderful model for the entire family. I have three children and seven grandchildren. Spending 30 years in the engineering field exposed me to different environments, people and challenges. As my next chapter begins, I approach it with gratitude to the Lord for providing me with this opportunity in Tanzania. I look forward to sharing God’s love with others and expanding my own experiences with the inspiring people of Iringa and Saint Paul Area Synod.”

Members of the search/selection team included Iringa Committee Chair Caryn Josephson; Secretary Russ Hilliard; Rev. Chris Smith; Rev. Joy McDonald Coltvet; BKB Director Kirsten Levorson; and Rev. Kevin Jacobson, director for global personnel of the ELCA.

Susan will come to St. Paul in July for orientation with synod staff and members of the Iringa Committee. As the program coordinator position is a shared placement with ELCA Global Mission, Susan will participate in a weeklong orientation for new global personnel led by ELCA staff. Upon deployment to Tanzania, she will overlap with current coordinators Ryan and Astine Bose, who conclude their service at the end of August.

Welcome, Susan!

Asante,
Kirsten Levorson
BKB Director