More 1st Year Student Reports

Francis & Slyvia Mutale

Francis & Sylvia are from Kapampa CMML Church near Kasama in the Northern Province. They have three children and have been active in church life, Francis as an elder and teacher and Sylvia in women’s ministry. The training at SBS has really fuelled their desire towards evangelism and orphans ministry areas. Sylvia speaks of being no longer the same through the training that has encouraged much spiritual growth and Francis sees how his capacity to teach the word with clarity has been greatly enhanced. They have a joint vision to make disciples in village areas, but to also help struggling villagers with practical needs through the good works that God has called us to. They ask that you pray for them in this work.

Joseph & Christina Chola

Joseph & Christina have six children and come from Serenje Open Christian Brethren. They have seen the training further equip them to be more effective in evangelism and women’s ministry, with a desire to work with people and truly understand that they know Christ. They also a desire for youth ministry. They ask for prayer that they will be encouraged to go and work for the Lord, making use of all that they have been trained in.

Given Mwansa

Given attends Joram Open Christian Brethren in the Serenje District. She is married and has 9 children and her husband is an evangelist. She works with the women folk of her church and leads bible studies with them. The training has built here up and she is especially encouraged about more work in discipleship. She asks for prayer that she would continue growing in Christ and that she would know more of God’s Word.

Patrick & Sharon Chanda

Patrick supports his family by running a small grocery business at the local market (closed while at Bible School! They have three children and their youngest is 3 months old, having been born at the Bible School! Patrick is a teacher and they both have a passion for compassion ministry to orphans and widows. They both report how much they have increased in the knowledge of the Word of God and want to put more effort into the work of the local church. Sharon speaks of how little she knew and how she looks forward to putting into practice the training that she has had. They attend Sernje Open Christian Brethren.

Samusenty & Florence Musonda

Samusenty & Florence come from Chitundwwa CMML Church, near the Touta bridge. Samusenty is a farmer and they have nine children. He serves as an elder in the church as well as doing youth ministry. Florence is a deaconess and also a choir member and she has appreciated growing in her knowledge of the Word of God that she wants now to share with other women. Samusenty is pleased to be further equipped in church planting, and is passionate about taking the gospel to where there are no churches, especially is parts of DR Congo. Please pray for the provision to be able to carry out this important work.

Meet a Couple of 1st Year Students

Wellington Mwansa

Wellington is 65 years old and lives in the Kawambwa area, approximately 250kms north of Samfya. He is one of two elders from Chitondo CMML Church which was planted in 2007 and now has 45 members. Wellington does a significant amount of teaching in the church and loves to evangelise his community. He is trusting that the training he is undertaking will help him in discipleship so that people will grow in the Lord and he also wants to see Evangelistic efforts increase in the church. He is a subsistence farmer and reports that there are only four bibles among his congregation.

Mary Chitambla

Mary is a mother of seven children, but was unfortunately divorced by her husband who has since become a polygamist (a very common problem in Zambia). She supports herself through farming, but loves to devote her time to the work of the church in women’s ministry, youth and door to door evangelism. She has found that she is needed to help in the counsel of many women who are going through the same issues that she has faced in life and has appreciated the training that she is getting that is equipping her to better fulfill her roles in church life. She is part of Musongo CMML church which is in the Lwela district, south of Mansa.

Please keep praying for the 22 1^st year students and  2^nd year students who are being equipped through the Bible School ministry, as well as the 5 English speaking students currently doing block courses.

This weekend our visit has changed from Chishi Island to Kantete CMML church, approximately 65 kms south of Samfya. Please pray that the teaching will further equip leaders from the surrounding churches and encourage them to apply the Word of God to the cultural challenges that they face.

Visiting Two Graduates

We were able to take a day out to visit two graduates the other day. Charles Chola lives 97 kms south of Samfya on the edge of the swap lands. Charles is a very dedicated Christian worker who runs a skills training programme in sewing, carpentry and bricklaying, endeavouring to educate people from his area. This is done in conjunction with caring for 52 orphans who live in the homes of carers.

                     Bricks being made for a classroom at the village training centre

Charles has been one of my distance learning students and thinks very strategically about church life and missions. He is a bible teacher and a church planter but not a fly by nighter! Church planting is not complete with a quick evangelistic visit to a centre, but rather as Charles observes is the fruit of repeated visits teaching and encouraging new believers. He is shortly to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo for further follow up of church planting work that he has been active in.

     The Vision document for the training centre to raise this village areas standard of living

Please pray for Charles and his ministry – he has to maintain his own gardens to feed his family and is so busy with his working in the community that it is amazing he fits everything in that he does. It is a privilege to know men like Charles and input into their lives.

                                       Charles with James and Roger outside the church building

On the return home we stopped to see Stephen Lwando. Stephen is another hard working graduate of SBS. He is active in a number of churches in his centre and will also accompany Charles on the visit to DR Congo. Stephen’s church has recently built a new building but they are still short of cement to finish the floor and seats for the people. There are around 200 people in the church.

Stephen and the team testing out the low seats or should I say planks and bricks!!

Stephen is an active Bible teacher, as well as running seminars on marriage and general leadership issues. He lives in a very rural area but just off a main road, so access to his place is easy.

 Stephen and Esther and part of the family - the bag was peanuts given to us!!

Well James and Roger have left this morning (Roger returns here on Friday). James worked with administrator Joseph Mutale and had this to report: “I was very pleased to see the controls in place in the accounting system at Samfya Bible School. I wish to commend Joseph on his stewardship. He is a young man who has been gifted by God with a gift of administration. If Joseph continues to maintain his current high standard of work then this will be a blessing to the school.”

James learning to draw water at the well 

Samfya District Regional Conference

Over the last five days this regional conference has been in full swing and I have been privileged to teach these precious brothers and sisters. The stick count of people today (take a stick and throw it in the pile) was 4095!! All these believers from many churches gather and sleep out under the stars in very rough conditions! The choirs from the churches sing and the preachers have delivered a series of messages on Firm Foundations.

                                          heading to the lake for baptims

This has offered a good opportunity to promote the ministry of the Bible School as Principal Levy Kasoma and I have represented the work that SBS is doing. Today I was able to conclude the teaching of the conference with an exhortation on growing in Christlikeness from Colossians 3:1-4. It was wonderful to see the number of people listening so intently, many taking notes – please pray that the Holy Spirit would work through the Word to bring even greater commitment to His name.

               Baptisms underway - the people took all vantage points from trees to anthills and in the water!

It was a real blessing to witness the baptism of 95 people at the bordering lake. Praise God for the openness to the gospel that is evident in this land. My fellow NZers, James and Roger depart tomorrow, but Roger will be back by Friday. Also Wathabu Simfukwe, the former board chairman who has just finished further theological studies will arrive this week for discussions about the Bible School Ministry. Please keep praying for me this week as I teach the Distance students through the Doctrine of the Church.

                               Part of the 4000 strong crowd soaking in the teaching and choir singing

Firm Foundations Conference

Whenever you come to Zambia, you need to expect that plans will change. This weekends village visit has morphed into teaching at a regional conference where thousands of people have gathered for 5 days of teaching and choirs and encouragement. The theme of the conference is "Firm Foundatons" and I was able to go and take an afternoon session on Thursday, teaching from Acts 2:42-47. Please pray that the further opportunities here over this weekend will build into the lives of the many churches represented and that further students for the Bible School will be identified.

                                            a small section of the crowd

                                          one of the choirs in full song

Innocent Lubumbe Mwansa

Please meet Innocent Lubumbe Mwansa who is a school teacher placed at Chafye Primary School which is in the Bangweulu swamp lands. Innocent is 29 years old, has a young family and is passionate about the gospel and the local church. He is on term break at the moment and is studying at Samfya Bible School in the new Distance Learning programme, so I have the privilege of teaching him during my two weeks in class.

                                                                 Innocent

The journey back to Chafye takes three days – the first day by whatever transport you can possibly get to the edge of the swamps. The next day is 9 hours paddling through the swamps and the third day is 6 hours paddling to the Island of Chafye. Not many school teachers are willing to be placed in such isolation, however Innocent has understood the leading of the Lord to this place.

There was no evangelical church on this Island, so with the encouragement of the Bible School staff, Innocent has planted a church which began in April- they now have 25 members. Chafye is a hard to reach place – would you please pray for this new church. The needs are great to see well equipped teachers to help the church grow and to see the Island evangelised. Chafye means “nothing” – it seems that there used to be no one living here but now there are many people with over 250 children in the school and Innocent is one of only three teachers in the school!

Samfya Bible School continues to train and equip church leaders for the rural Bemba speaking church – if you are interested in partnering with this work, please email me on pastor@fpbc.org.nz

Here are my five Distance Learning students who are good English speakers, so my teaching needs no translation. Pray that the lessons they are learning would have application back in their home churches.

Leadership Training At Musonda Falls

We left for Musonda Falls at midday day, but first traveled past Musonda to Mambalima o pick up a further 15 boxes of Bibles. A visit to Mambalima always has to stop at the conference site to view the great rock where pulpit stands underneath. We arrived back at Musonda Falls late afternoon and immediately went into a teaching session with the local church, encouraging them in prayer.

                                          Greeting one another after the service with song and handshake.

Saturday saw three general sessions for the whole church family, looking at the call of God's Word for us to love or we die (some of you will remember this series!). The later afternoon was spent with elders deacons and decaonesses talking through the issues of leadership and the need to support those who are teachers of God's Word (1 Cor 9:14). It was a most valuable session and the leaders responded to the call of God''s Word, recognizing that they were resting in church traditions and that indeed they had not been teaching well about the priority of giving in the church. What an amazing blessing to see leaders tender to the Scriptures, desiring to apply truth to their leadership in the church.

                                       Graduate Gershom with his family, receiving Bibles for the ministry

Gershom graduated from the bible school in 2004 and is a very capable teacher. These Bibles will be sold to the local congregation and the money raised will support the work of the ministry in this area. As in all parts of this nation, the needs are huge, but seeing people using their gifts in local church ministry is a huge blessing. Please pray that the church would be able to support their pastor and see the work of the Lord expand even further.

                                          James leading communion

Sunday service began at 9am with communion and then the elders requested that I teach from 1 Timothy 5: 17-25 and cover what it means to support a teaching elder and then look at how you should appoint elders and deal with sin issues. It was a wonderful morning that stretched through to the early afternoon. The choir was wonderful singing stirring songs of Bemba praise to God - you really need to come and see first hand!

Graduate George at Ndola

Well after what seemed a flight that went forever from Sydney to Joburg, James & I arrived in Ndola on Thursday to be meet by the Samfya Bible School Chairman, and a graduate of the school whose name is George. We tried to get Donald’s permit from Immigration in town, but it was still not complete after 15 months (it runs out in another 9 months!!). Oh well at least we didn’t pay any more money!!

George is a dedicated man. His passion is the gospel and seeing people in the local church growing to maturity in Christ. To support himself and his family, he travels away to farming areas and buys produce that he then sells in Ndola. This can take him away for weeks at a time, but he always takes Bibles to get to village churches and does teaching and preaching in local churches whenever possible. His own local church has not yet got the understanding that supporting church elders to preach and teach is necessary – please pray that they will see the biblical mandate to do so.

                                          James with George & Kelvin

George became a Christian after his first child died – his next child is called Blessing, reflecting how he and his wife knew God’s presence with them. Another of their children is Emmanuel, they certainly know God is with them!! Kelvin the SBS Chairman speaks highly of George’s teaching and pastoral care – I keep seeing graduates like George who are 100% committed to the cause of Christ, well equipped through the Bible Training of SBS – this is a worthy work.