The Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM) is one of zm’s five partners. It performs a vital function for both church and gospel in Malawi and northern Mozambique. These countries have minimal access to scripture, which means that there is often a lack of detailed Biblical knowledge. In this environment churches and Christians can fall prey to false teaching from the prosperity gospel, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses and African Traditional Religion to name just a few. At EBCoM men and women are prepared for gospel-preaching, disciple-making ministry in the church.
Principal Gift Mphongolo teaching at the height of the COVID pandemic
Students study on a range of different courses. The full-time certificate course is taught in either Chichewa or English over two years. The diploma course is taught in English for those who obtained good results at secondary school. It lasts three years if taken full time or four years if the extension course is chosen. A part-time degree programme is also available for potential future church leaders. EBCoM is run collaboratively by five different indigenous church denominations and three international missions. They share the same desire to see men and women properly equipped to serve Jesus Christ in ministry. zm is supporting 87 students at EBCoM this year. This includes two visually impaired students. You can hear more about one of these students Kenason Samba Chuma, in this video interview with our Field Director Simon Chikwana.
YouTube video
If you play this, Google may set cookies (privacy policy). We’ll set a cookie to log your consent for this and future YouTube videos.
Please pray that God would anoint and inspire Kenason and all the other students as they study and are prepared for ministry in the church. Please read the leaflet below or get in touch with us if you want to know how you can support a student like Kenason.
Tropical Storm Ana hit Malawi and northern Mozambique at the end of January. It brought over 300mm of rain in 24 hours and caused widespread destruction, particularly to crops, homes and churches. At least 46 people died in Malawi and 38 in Mozambique. This storm came hard on the heels of a very poor start to this year’s growing season – the rainfall in the period between October 2021 and January 2022 has been amongst the lowest recorded since 1970.
Storm Ana caused widespread destruction in January 2022
Following Storm Ana we made preparations to distribute relief to over 1,000 households from our partner churches in Malawi and northern Mozambique. This involved providing 25kg maize flour, plastic sheeting, water bucket, plates, soap, beans, soya pieces, salt and seed for replanting to every household. However, the plan was delayed by the impact of Storm Dumako – although less severe than Storm Ana, it affected areas that were already reeling from the destruction caused by Storm Ana.
When Storm Dumako was over and the roads had been repaired again, the team from our office in Blantyre travelled with the Chair of ZEC Pastor Chimwemwe Kanjirawaya down to the Lower Shire at the end of February to distribute relief. They visited Chikwawa, Bereu, Ngabu, Bangula and Nsanje ZEC. They still have some more families to reach in the area, but the roads were still impassable.
Chair of ZEC Pastor Chimwemwe Kanjirawaya addresses the recipients of relief in the Lower ShireRelief distribution at Bangula ZECRelief distribution at Nchalo ZEC
We have been shocked to hear that a further weather system called Tropical Storm Gombe between 11th and 13th March has brought more flooding to the area. This time Nsanje ZEC itself and the adjacent pastor’s house has been inundated. Other homes will not have been so well built and are likely to have been destroyed again. Thankfully the church was constructed very solidly, but the mess is awful.
Storm Gombe hits Nsanje ZEC
Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who remain steadfast in the face of these seemingly unrelenting waves of devastating tropical storms. We are very thankful to all our supporters who have given so generously to help the mission’s relief effort. If anyone else would like to contribute please feel free to make a donation using our website.
Tropical Storm Ana developed in the Indian Ocean on 22nd January and then tore through Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi before petering out over Zimbabwe. It brought high winds, heavy rains and significant damage in its path and has affected several hundred thousand people. In Mozambique the storm has claimed over 25 lives, destroyed over 2,400 school classrooms and flooded over 70,000 hectares of land. You can read an update from OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) dated 1st February here. The worst affected areas in Mozambique in Zambezia and Tete provinces, where most of ZEC Mozambique’s churches are located.
The situation in Malawi has been equally severe. Some weather stations in the south of the country recorded over 300mm rainfall within 24 hours. At least 33 people have died and 20 people are still missing. More than 110,000 people have been displaced. The districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje have been hardest-hit, according to satellite imagery analysed by UNOSAT.
The Shire River flows through Chikwawa and Nsanje Districts
The storm caused damage to homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure (including schools, health centres and churches). This has made it very difficult for our Field Director Simon Chikwana to travel to the worst affected area. Malawi’s hydroelectric power plants were also damaged, which has caused major power disruption after the storm. So far we know the following:
One of Chikwawa ZEC’s prayer houses called Bereu ZEC has been completely destroyed.
Two of Nsanje ZEC’s prayer houses have been badly affected. At Nyamula ZEC over 25 homes have completely collapsed and at Nyankhwale ZEC 22 households have lost their homes, crops or other property.
YouTube video
If you play this, Google may set cookies (privacy policy). We’ll set a cookie to log your consent for this and future YouTube videos.
This video shows the complete destruction of Bereu ZEC Prayer House
We have had various messages from our partners:
Pastor Mvula Mvula of the River of Life Evangelical Church wrote: “The storm rendered roads to be impassable and many peoples’ houses are destroyed. Most of our members have been affected. This disaster will be felt for a long time because peoples’ gardens have been washed away making most households in need of both relief and rehabilitation plans. This is a national disaster and would you please pray for Malawi. Pray that the church to bring hope to those in need and especially at this point of need”.
Pastor Steven Jose who is churchplanter at Moatize in north west Mozambique said: “Storm Ana has done a lot of damage here in Tete. Many homes have been destroyed and property has been washed away. Some Christians have been affected by this tragedy, especially those in our church in Tete city. Even the Rovubué Bridge that connects Moatize and Tete has been torn apart. But we thank the Lord that here in Moatize there are very few Christians who have been affected by the collapse of their homes. Help us to pray for Christians who have lost their possessions. Thank you”.
Mr Jefrery Lolonha a ZEC Member from Vila Ulongue told us: “Four days ago we had big rain and big wind, more houses have been destroyed, bridges, and some people have passed away including the D/C of Tete District”.
At this stage we know that we will need to help our brothers and sisters in Christ in Malawi and northern Mozambique. We will share more about our detailed response as and when our team in Blantyre have assessed the full situation and liaised with our partners ZEC and River of Life Evangelical Church. If you would like to make a donation to help the mission’s relief effort you can make a donation via our website or if you would prefer to make a donation by cheque or bank transfer please contact us on [email protected] for further details.
zm’s Projects Officer Rose Chirwa organsing relief distribution at Mwazule ZEC in 2019 following Cyclone Idai
In the meantime, as requested by our partners in Malawi and Mozambique, please can you pray. Please pray that those who have lost loved ones, homes, possessions or their crops would be comforted. Please pray that God would provide hope and sustenance to those in need through His body, the church.
We were also very concerned about Tropical Cyclone Batsirai that developed in the Indian Ocean. That caused further destruction in Madagascar between 5th and 6th February, but now appears to be abating and moving away from the African mainland. Thank you for your prayers – we are thankful to God that this storm should not now cause further devastation.
What would you say if your pastor told you that he had never received any theological training? But this is the reality for many pastors in Malawi. For the few that have been trained at a Bible College such as the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM), their training may have been many years ago. 80% of Malawians live in rural areas, meaning that the majority of Malawi’s churches are located in remote places. The majority of pastors who serve there can be equally isolated. There are almost no opportunities for online learning and few, if any, Bible conferences.
The original concept of zm’s bookset conferences was to take EBCoM’s Bible College teaching to the many church leaders who were unable to come to the college. At the end of the conference each participant receives a set of theological books in English and Chichewa to support their ministry. For most it is a once in a lifetime event.
Connex Ijalasi addressing those attending at Mzuzu
Two bookset conferences were held this summer. The first was held at Mzuzu in July and the second at Nkhotakota in August. COVID-19 regulations were observed, which meant that numbers had to be strictly limited. Overall there were 176 participants from at least 10 different denominations.
The Bookset Conferences at Mzuzu and Nkhotakota
Theme: ‘Let Us Work While it is Day Time’
Topics: Disciple making, The Leader and his Vision, Pitfalls of the Christian Leader, Preach the Word, Team Work, Understanding Islam, Walking with God, Biblical Principles of Marriage and Transformational Leadership.
Facilitators: Connex Ijalasi, Simon Chikwana, Rose Chirwa and Gift Mphongolo
A great deal of input in a very short space of time! The number of participants and their responses indicate how much these conferences are valued. One pastor declared as the conference at Nkhotakota was progressing: “This is our Bible College”
Rev Lawrence Mbuna receives his bookset from zm’s Field Director Simon Chikwana at Nkhotakhota
Please will you pray:
For the pastors and church leaders, as they put into practice what they have learnt at the conferences
That their churches would be encouraged and built up as a result.
That God would call more men and women to study full-time at EBCoM as a result of these conferences
That others would be inspired to support and equip pastors in rural areas.
zm’s Mission Director Mike Beresford and Executive Committee member Fiona Welsh update us on the latest news from Malawi and northern Mozambique. In the video we describe the current COVID situation and explain the mission’s vision and five ministry focus areas. We also provide more information about recent leadership training initiatives, our Bible distribution programme and the Tender Shoots self-sufficiency projects at Chifunga and Nthorowa ZEC.
YouTube video
If you play this, Google may set cookies (privacy policy). We’ll set a cookie to log your consent for this and future YouTube videos.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3: 26-28)
zm’s work extends across churches and Christians in two different continents, separated by thousands of miles. In many ways Christians in Malawi or Mozambique are very different from those in the UK. And yet, as this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians shows, we are all one in Christ Jesus. This is an important facet of zm’s ministry. We want our relationship with our partners in Malawi and Mozambique to be an inter-dependent partnership. Rather than us just helping our partners in a one-way direction, we believe that we need to receive from them as well. As different parts of the Body of Christ, we are mutually dependent on each other, equally important and all necessary for the Body to function as God intends.
In life you come across people who brighten up your day as they radiate the love of Christ. In this article we pay tribute to two sisters in Christ who recently died and went to be with Christ – one Malawian and one British.
Alice Khota
Alice Khota studied at Likhubula Bible Institute, now the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM). After graduating she joined ZEC’s ministry team. Alongside zm’s mission worker Ruth Folayan, she was instrumental in establishing Girls’ Brigade in ZEC and also in several other denominations across Malawi. Sadly, zm lost touch with Alice in recent years, after she left ZEC. She died in April.
Abraham and Ruth Folayan described Alice Khota warmly: “she was an admirable ambassador of ZEC and of Malawi. She lived faithfully with great perseverance as a widow for all the years we knew her, working hard to look after her children and her mother while diligently serving God and his people. She was a great family friend and we will miss her very much. We send our heartfelt condolences to her mother and family. May God comfort them and grant them the grace to bear this painful loss of a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, friend and Christian worker. We know that her labour in the Lord is not in vain”.
Alice Khota chats with zm’s former mission worker Ruth Folayan
Almost all zm’s supporters in East Anglia will know Colin Cresswell, who was zm’s Director for many years. Very sadly Colin’s wife Chris died in March. Chris often accompanied Colin on visits to churches, not just in East Anglia, but up and down the country. Chris was an unfailing support and encouragement to Colin. As Chris was laid to rest in Isleham, Colin and Chris’s good friend and former pastor Don Gee paid tribute to Chris: “her role as a Health Visitor brought Chris into many homes in Soham, Ely and the surrounding area over many years. She retired many times, but kept being called back to fill the gap. She faithfully fulfilled her professional duties, but with a smile and compassion that went far beyond the call of duty. She had a very calming presence, but the overriding impression that people had of Chris was that she was someone who cared. Chris used to sing “Love is the Flag” to her grandchildren:
“Love is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart,
For the King is in residence here.
So let it fly in the sky let the whole world know,
For the King is in residence here”.
Don Gee concluded: “the King was resident in the heart of Chris – and she now lives with the King in His residence”.
Colin and Chris Cresswell
We give thanks to God for the lives of Alice Khota and Chris Cresswell, sisters in Christ who have fallen asleep in Him. We pray that the Lord would pour out His comfort, compassion and peace upon their families as they continue to grieve.
