Bega Kwa Bega’s 2025 Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 a.m.-12 noon at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview! Please plan to attend, reconnect with friends, welcome guests, and learn how you can continue to walk together with our friends in Christ in the Iringa Diocese.
- Welcome Guests – Frank Mkocha, BKB scholarship clerk, has arrived in Minnesota and will share stories of scholarship students and educational projects you have supported. Pastor Joyce Ngandango, a student at Luther Seminary and former director of Huruma Centre, will preach at our closing worship service. Pastor Teo Mkwama and Pastor Imani Kimbavala, guests of Christ Lutheran, Marine on St. Croix, will help lead closing worship.
- Reconnect – come early, stay late, and enjoy the wonderful hospitality our friends at Incarnation Lutheran offer.
- Affiliate Partners – nine organizations will be present to share their news and updates at display tables and with presentations during the first hour of the morning. Find affiliate contact information here.
Our theme for the day is “Let the Children Come.” Learn how Bega Kwa Bega supports the needs of children during our breakout sessions:
- Let The Children Speak – Members of the Scholarship and Education Working Group will share stories from secondary and post-secondary students who have received scholarships. Come see the way you are changing lives in the Iringa Diocese.
- Roots of Resilience: Nurturing Educational Hope in a Climate Crisis – Laura Wangsness Willemsen (Gloria Dei, St. Paul) will present her recent research on how climate change is reshaping secondary education in Tanzania. Sharing how students, teachers, and families are adapting in the face of an ongoing crisis, she will invite conversations envisioning how our partnerships might nurture climate hope and creative action.
- From Toddlers to Teens: BKB Trips with Families and Youth – Pastor Ruthie Mhanga (Gustavus Adolphus, St. Paul) explores the unique joys and challenges of traveling on BKB trips with young people. Whether you’re bringing your own children or accompanying youth without parents, this session offers practical guidance, essential safety considerations, and space for honest conversation and questions.
BKB Director Kirsten Levorson and Iringa Committee Chair Caryn Josephson will share what’s new during their “State of the Companionship” presentation. The morning will close with our Festival Worship. Do you want to help lead the singing? The Kwaya will meet in the music room during breakout sessions to warm up and rehearse.
All are welcome!
Kirsten Levorson
Director of Bega Kwa Bega
Online registration will close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. In-person registrations will be accepted at Incarnation beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8.
