wfn.org | Ascension Day enthronement in Namibia

[Theo Coggin]

Tel: +2711-487-0026
e-mail: coggin@sn.apc.org

The new bishop of the Diocese of Namibia of  the Church of the Province
of  Southern Africa, the Venerable Shihala Hamupembe,  will be
consecrated and enthroned at a service on Ascension Day (Thursday 21
May). Officiating will be the Archbishop of Cape Town and  Metropolitan
of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, the Most Revd
Njongonkulu Ndungane.  

The service will be held at 10am on May 21 in the main hall at the
University of Namibia, Windhoek.

Married with four children, Archdeacon Hamupembe was ordained as a
priest in 1979.   He has studied in Zambia where he was trained in youth
leadership and community development, and Scotland, where he received a
Diploma in Theology at the University of Glasgow in 1977.  He has a BTh
from the University of South Africa.

Archbishop Ndungane will consecrate the bishop-elect and will preside at
the Eucharist, assisted by bishops of  the Province and senior clergy of
the Namibian diocese.

The Right Revd Eric Pike, Bishop of the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, will
preach.  The Dean of the Province, the Bishop of Swaziland, the Rt Revd
Lawrence Zulu, will present the bishop-elect for consecration.

Other participants will include Bishop David Bonser from Namibia's
companion diocese, Manchester, England, and the Bishop of Kimberley and
Kuruman, the Right Revd I.B. Moseki.

The Bishop-elect was chosen during an elective assembly held in Odibo in
November.  Prior to his election, he was rector of St Mary's Church in
Odibo, served as director of development  for the diocese and was
responsible for its medical ministries.

'The university venue was chosen to allow as many people as possible to
attend this service for Bishop-elect Hamupembe,' said the Very Rev Roger
Key, vicar -general and Dean of St George’s Anglican Cathedral in
Windhoek. 'Because of the large crowd expected, a bigger venue than the
cathedral was sought.  We expect to create a 'cathedral of living
stones' from the people who attend.'

The consecration and enthronement will be preceded by all-night prayer
vigils in the  Cathedral in downtown Windhoek, Grace Church in Khomasdal
and St Michael's Church in Katutura.

A courtesy visit will be paid by Archbishop Ndungane to the President of
Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma, on Friday morning at 10h00. This is part of the
Archbishop’s ongoing programme of visiting heads of states in Southern
Africa and premiers of provinces in South Africa. A news briefing is
scheduled to follow.