ROM Community Spotlight: Branly Madati

Branly Madati, from Tanzania, first attended the Renewing Our Minds (ROM) summer gathering in 2022. But last year, summer ROM 2025 in Tuk, Croatia, sparked a desire to take the lessons of ROM back to his ministry in Tanzania. Branly runs Purpose Discovery, a ministry that seeks to provide a safe environment for young people to discover and live out their God-given purpose.

One of the lessons of ROM that resonated most deeply for him that summer was Heather Staff’s admonition to “do life together.” Purpose Discovery tries to do just that with their mission houses throughout the country. Being able to perform music in his own language—teaching those songs to young people from around Europe—was a powerful example of the kind of community ROM builds.

When Branly returned to Tanzania last fall, he found the country in turmoil over alleged election manipulation and a broader youth movement over economic and structural concerns. The protests were met with unprecedented violence by the government and Branly knew the planned programs of Purpose Discovery were not what the youth needed in that moment. Drawing on the lessons of ROM last summer, the theme of which was 'Adapt or Resist,' Branly organized five weeks of healing and reconciliation—a series of online discussions with students aimed at encouraging hope in the future and utilizing lessons of leadership learned at ROM.

Of ROM he says he learned, “The more you grow in influence, the more you have to do things to remind you that we are all human.” ROM stresses a life of leadership by service in community. Asked what he would say to those considering attending, “When you put on glasses, you have a different view. ROM brings such a paradigm shift. If you want to do something beautiful in community, in love and reconciliation, go to ROM.”