The Shirati Mennonite Church, located about 30 miles (50 km) north of Musoma, East Africa, along the Kenya-Tanzania boundary, is in the area of the Luo tribe. It is the oldest congregation of the Mennonite mission in East Africa. Mission work was begun at Shirati on 26 May 1934 by John H. Mosemann and Elam W. Stauffer. The church was begun on 15 September 1935 when the first baptism and communion services were held. Fifteen persons were baptized and six others received into fellowship, a total of 21. The membership in 1956 was 511. John Mosemann had first pastoral oversight of the church until his furlough in 1939. Succeeding pastors (to 1956) were J. Eby Leaman, Clinton Ferster, Noah Mack, Merle Eshleman, Elam W. Stauffer, and James Shank. In 1956 the ministers were J. Lester Eshleman, Robert G. Keener, and Zedekea Marwa Kisare, with Simeon W. Hurst as bishop.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 515. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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