Tanzania’s most influential ‘prophet,’ and modern-day Christendom preacher, has just inaugurated what is bound to be the largest church in Dar-es-salaam, located in the Kawe section of the city.
Boniface Mwamposa, popularly known as ‘Bulldozer,’ even invited the country’s head of state, Samia Suluhu Hassan to officially cut the ribbon in opening the facility.
On the other hand, the former president of Tanzania, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, together with the local government Minister as well as a number of other government dignitaries, was in attendance during the event in Dar-es-salaam.
Apostal Dunstan Maboya, who actually shaped Mwamposa when the latter was starting out as preacher in Arusha, was also present during the inauguration fete.
The ‘Arise and Shine,’ ministry, which is part of the Calvary Assemblies of God Ministry founded by Bishop Dunstan Haule Maboya in Arusha around 1992, is one of the charismatic and alternative Christian missions taking the country by storm with promises of healing and miracles.
Though based in Dar, the Mwamposa Arise and Shine mission is part of the Calvary network, but which happens to be an independent contemporary church with a massive following in Tanzania.
The newly inaugurated giant house of worship in Dar-es-salaam, has a reported capacity of seating more than 50,000 people comfortably and counting. It was built at the cost of 15 billion/- Tanzanian shillings, equivalent to USD 5.6 million.
The massive church tent is also equipped with state-of-the-art digital communication systems, live screens and air-conditioned tents all designed and fabricated in China.
The church now occupies an area which previously served as the meat processing factory then known as the Tanganyika Packers Limited.
However, the facility is still inadequate, because Mwamposa usually commands an audience of not less than 80,000 worshippers in normal days, a number which usually rises to more than 100,000, twice the capacity of his new giant tent.
But other than Dar-es-salaam, Boniface Mwamposa also moves from town to town, ministering to other regions on the Tanzanian mainland where his church has branches.
The ‘Arise and Shine’ ministry also own several radio stations across the nation, all relaying live broadcasts from the Sunday masses and other events that usually take place in the main church of Dar-es-salaam.
Nowadays many believers from the neighbouring countries of Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya and Malawi have been travelling to Dar-es-salaam to attend the ministerial fellowship services at Mwamposa camps in Tanzania.
Apostle Boniface Mwamposa is to Tanzania the way the late TB Joshua who led the Emmanuel Ministries of Lagos, was to Nigeria.
The development comes just a month after the Tanzanian Government shut down another large church, the Kanisa la Ufufuo na Uzima which belongs to Bishop Josephat Gwajima after the latter started questioning the enforced disappearance of people in the country.