Introduction

We’re a constantly changing group of people. Just posting a list of who we are is a guarantee that we’ll be out of date. There are people who are here, but have not yet arrived. Others who are here, but not here right now. There are those who are working with us, but who have never been here, and those who come and go regularly. So, we’re not going to try to be exact – but we will tell you about the team. Be assured, this team is NOT complete. It’s missing… you.

Actually, we’re missing several people. If you know of people who are feeling called by God to come to Africa long term, of for just a few months, or perhaps you know of people who are on our most wanted list – let them know about Pamoja and the opportunity to serve here!

Our Team

Sig & Joy Feser (here since 1988)

Sig & Joy are the reason there is a Pamoja Ministries. Their decision to quit their jobs and move to Africa in 1988 was a big step, but one that God has blessed over the years. Over the years they have poured themselves into the ministry, and today they continue to be critical members of the Pamoja team.

Sig, who holds a PhD. in Theoretical Physics from the University of British Columbia, is the Executive Director of Pamoja Ministries, the Chairman of the Board for Pamoja Tanzania and Pamoja USA, and Pamoja’s main translator. He spends his time looking into the future, planning and directing the growth of the organization, and getting deeply involved in the technical and artistic aspects of each Pamoja project. He’s a conversationalist and a teacher, and it’s rare to find someone who has been around Sig for long without having a deep conversation about something.

Joy was a music teacher before moving to Africa. Her BA in Music from the University of Saskatchewan cannot be said to have been “perfect preparation” for the vast amount of logistics, finance, hr, and administration work she has done over the years, but experience is a great teacher. Today Joy serves as the Global Literature Partnerships Manager for Pamoja Tanzania. Her primary focus is the continued distribution of The Shepherd’s Staff and Acts Magazine to thousands of leaders across Central and East Africa each year.

Nadine Feser (here since who-knows-when)

The daughter of Sig & Joy, Nadine grew up in East Africa. When she graduated from high school, she moved back to Canada to attend the University of Waterloo, but continued to come back regularly to Tanzania as a volunteer. In 2009, she transitioned from a perma-temp role into a full-time role. Nadine sings, paints, writes, and acts. She loves butterflies and the color red. She is the Artistic Director at Pamoja Ministries. She wrote the commentary for the En-kata, A Time for Singing photobook and directed Nipe Jibu, a project that consumed her (and many others) from 2007-2010. After miraculously surviving a fall while climbing in a gorge, she is now back in Canada, recovering. We look forward to having her back at Pamoja as soon as her health allows.

Jeremy & Christine Feser (here since 2007)

Jeremy & Christine were quite happy living in Palmerston, Ontario, in their big old farmhouse. Jeremy was working in high tech with BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion, and Christine was working in HR at a local plant, when God called them to leave that and move to Tanzania to help oversee the growth of Pamoja Ministries.

Jeremy is a generalist, interested in everything from photography to finance. He graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BSc. in Science & Business and worked in high tech, mostly in operations roles. Today he is the Director of Operations for Pamoja, the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board for Pamoja Tanzania, and the Secretary of the Board for Pamoja USA. His job, as he likes to say, is to build foundations under the ministry, positioning it to handle the rapid growth. Jeremy plays the saxophone, and likes nothing more than speaking to people about life, mission, and God.

Christine studied languages in university, and holds a BA from the University of Waterloo. She is a theatre buff, and has been a part of the production team for many theatrical productions. She’s an avid reader and an amazing cook. Her primary role at Pamoja is “mother”. Chasing her small children around is a full-time job. In her spare time, she is the Finance Manager, Government Relations Coordinator, and Hospitality Manager. She’d be happy to give those jobs to you if only you would come join us.

Elisabeth Helfen (since 2009)

Lis was already a missionary in Tanzania when she first heard of Pamoja Ministries. She got involved with the Nipe Jibu movie project as a volunteer and could regularly be seen on and off set, running around, organizing, and serving in any way she could. When her term at her mission ended, she felt God calling her to join Pamoja to help promote and distribute Nipe Jibu. She is now the Marketing Manager for Pamoja Ministries. Lis is studying towards a BA in Missions even as she builds a distribution network for Pamoja’s products throughout East Africa. Because of her tireless efforts, the music of the Sowers Group and the En-kata Choir is ministering to people throughout Tanzania and beyond, Nipe Jibu was featured in the Zanzibar International Film Festival and the Amakula Kampala International Film Festival, the Sowers Group were invited to Sauti za Busara, the premiere music festival in the region, and Pamoja’s products are getting into the hands of more and more people.

Jacob & Kimberly Mills (since 2009)

Jacob and Kim both grew up in Africa as missionary kids (Jacob in Kenya and Kim in Madagascar). They met and married in the USA, living first in St Louis, and then in Zachary, Louisiana.

Jacob is the kind of person you can count on to get the job done, no matter what the job. Over the years, he has developed expertise in many different arenas, from onion cutting (at which he is a champion) to cake decorating (and redecorating), from process development (he’s an incorrigable optimizer) to preaching. Jacob is the Director of Leadership Training at Pamoja Ministries.

Kim is a walking backup of IMDB. She can name virtually any fact about any movie. Maybe it’s a random fact, but at Pamoja its a potentially useful one as we engage with media. Kim is one of the main drivers at Pamoja, making trips into town several times each week. Kim handles much of the procurement and government office work for Pamoja, and she is the Bookkeeper for Pamoja.

Justina Kelly (serial short-term)

Justina came to Pamoja by accident and chance (if you believe that’s possible), came back deliberately, and continues to actively promote Pamoja now that she’s back working full-time in Edmonton, Alberta as a nurse. On her first trip to Pamoja, Justina was supposed to be volunteering in Kenya, but after the election violence began, she got off the plane in England, and started calling around. She helped us out tremendously with scheduling and organizing during the creation of Nipe Jibu, our musical. Then in 2010, she came back for another trip. This time she was out in Maasailand with us helping to record the second album from The En-kata Choir – Hope of the Maasai. Now back in Canada, Justina is continuing to be a part of what Pamoja does by handling our film festival submissions.

Amanda Iman

Amanda is proof that it’s very very dangerous to agree to come to Africa short-term. She came for just over 3 months in the summer of 2010, and now she’s coming back. She’s finishing her commitment to the Mizzou BSU now and intending to come back to Pamoja in 2011 for a longer time. A spectacular graphic designer, Amanda was applauded the moment she arrived. Her talent and skill can be seen on many new projects from Pamoja Ministries. She designed the Kahawa Media logo (as well as the Kahawa Records, Press, and Productions logos), she did the packaging design for the new album from The En-kata Choir, entitled Hope of the Maasai, designed the packaging for Yoeli: Kushinda Hofu, Pamoja’s animated film for kids. She worked on the packaging for Nipe Jibu, and created animated backgrounds for the L’Amour music video. Amanda is very very good at what she does, and we’re delighted to have her on board.

Shelley Patterson

Shelley came to Pamoja at the same time as Amanda, worked on the magazine project, and like Amanda, she felt God calling her to return to Pamoja, which she hopes to do in March 2011. Shelley is a photographer, organizer, and a people person. She’s coming back to Pamoja to help with any and everything that’s going on, from media projects to inventory control.