Category: 2018

September 2018.

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1: 13)

One of zm’s key partners in Malawi is the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi, otherwise known as EBCoM. It is run by a group of international mission agencies together with a number of indigenous evangelical church denominations.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, zm helped 65 men and women to study at EBCoM, so that they could be equipped to serve Jesus in ministry in Malawi, Mozambique and beyond. 21 of these graduated last month and are now in the process of being called and getting prepared to serve in churches. Please pray for them as they are chosen and called by God for this ministry.

Please pray that they would be like the prophet Isaiah saying:
“Here am I. Send me! ”

The Government of Malawi National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) introduced compulsory registration for all colleges and universities. It is also seeking accreditation from the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA). This has resulted in a long list of recommended improvements to the college. Thanks to support from a wide range of EBCoM’s partners, EBCoM has been working through a list of enhancements to its facilities and its curriculum. The changes have included an upgraded office block, and extended library, improved toilets and various teaching improvements such as white boards in the lecture rooms. Amidst all the changes and developments, we praise God that the work of EBCoM has been continuing.

As part of these developments, EBCoM is looking for some new theological books for its library – in particular modern academic books and also editions written by African authors. These books vary in cost from £7 upwards, with the average cost being about £15 – £20.

If you would like to help the college to update its library please get in touch with Mike Beresford at [email protected] or via 01904 674748.

Pastors from evangelical churches across Malawi can testify to the enduring legacy of EBCoM in their personal spiritual lives, as well as in the churches that they are serving today. We thank God for EBCoM!

Please remember the college in prayer, particularly as the new term starts in September.

July 2018.

Dave Brown, zm’s Development Manager, reports on the recent UK visit of Church Leaders from the River of Life Evangelical Church in Malawi

On 23rd May leaders of the River of Life Evangelical Church (RoLEC), one of zm’s church partners in Malawi, arrived in UK for a three week tour of Great Britain followed by five days with….. Church in Belfast.

Ps Mvula Mvula, Ps Justice Chiphwanya and Ps Gift Mtintha came at the invitation of zm because we believe that partnership is two way and that the church in the UK has much to learn from the church in Malawi.

Ps Mvula Mvula heads up the River of Life Evangelical Church, supported by a team of key leaders.

One of Mvula’s comments was, “Yes in Malawi we are poor, but we don’t want to see poverty as a challenge that stops us growing spiritually. We need to grow disciples in the context of nominalism, poverty and the prosperity gospel’

Ps Justice Chiphwanya , trained as a pastor at the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM) and now leads a church at RoLEC headquarters in Blantyre. He also lectures part-time at EBCoM.

During the visit Justice told us, “Before we became pastors we were told we would be poor but there is great joy is seeing people grow as disciples”.

Ps Gift Mtintha is in charge of the church at Nsanje, on the southern border of Malawi. He is a teacher at the local primary school and has oversight of the RoLEC Fellowship of Youth in Malawi, some 10,000 young people.

Having experienced a multicultural welcome at Canning Town Evangelical Church, they moved on to visit churches in Southampton, Bournemouth and Bridport, heading briefly to East Anglia before boarding the train for Motherwell. During the next few days they met some of zm’s Scottish supporters, and then came south to Cumbria and on to Chester, before travelling to York for zm staff meetings.

Wherever they went they shared the gospel, reported on what God is doing through RoLEC and their vision for the church.

Comments from the Malawian Pastors ~

‘We were welcomed in a way we never expected, we felt part of the family wherever we stayed. We worshipped in a variety of different church contexts and came to understand something of the UK culture and how to communicate in it.’

‘We came to understand the church in UK better and to realise that it also has needs and challenges. We will pray for it in a different way.’

‘The visit helped us to understand that through zm , we are partners with part of the church in UK and, though separated by distance, we share a common goal (destiny) and unity in Christ.

Their observations on life in the UK ….

“Everything depends on money. Your context seems to have everything – where is the place of God? In Malawi we have nothing – God please help me. What do people do when they realise that money is not the answer? It must be very easy for people to lose hope in the UK.”

…and in Malawi

Ps Justice Chiphwanya said, ‘Before we became pastors we understood we would be poor….. but there is great joy is seeing people grow as disciples’

Ps Mvula Mvula, ‘Yes we are poor, but we don’t want to see poverty as a challenge that stops us growing spiritually’

‘In Malawi we need to grow disciples in the context of nominalism, poverty and the prosperity gospel’

Dave Brown writes, ‘Gaius in 3 John 5 is commended for his faithfulness in supporting the brothers in their mission, even though he does not know them personally. There are many zm supporters like Gaius and visits like these bring to life the people and situations they have been praying for over many years. We need friends like Gaius to continue to be open to receiving and learning from visitors like these.’

Zambesi Mission (zm) works in partnership with local churches and Christian organisations in Malawi that share our primary objective – to preach the gospel and extend and strengthen the church of Jesus Christ.

River of Life Evangelical Church
Malawi

Numbering 50 churches, they have just 8 trained key leaders and grass roots training of church members is ongoing. RoLEC believe that effective communication of the gospel comes through faithful preaching of the Word, combined with Mercy Ministries, such as

• caring for orphans and vulnerable children, pastors and widows

• education

• conservation

Vision /Priorities

• One new church in one new district of Malawi each year

• Church leaders, who love the Lord, equipped to teach others

• Every pastor trained in a ‘tentmaking skill’ so he can support himself

• All members to be literate and to know their Bibles

• A school with teacher:pupil ratio down to 1:40

A RoLEC church is not officially called a church until… it has 50+ members. Up to that point with 16 – 50 it is a preaching point

And with up to 15 members a cell group.

June 2018.

This following comes from the report by Mrs Millie Jumbe on the recent Chiyanjano (Women’s Fellowship) visit to Zambezi Evangelical Churches in the Northern Region. Millie Jumbe is the Chair of the Chiyanjano in Malawi. The aim of the visit was to see how the women’s ministry in the Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC) is progressing in northern Malawi. Together with Mrs Jumbe, the visiting team were Mrs Kaumphawi, Mrs Mikundi and Mrs. Phiri. They were accompanied by Pastor Simon Chikwana of zambesi mission and Pastor Gerald Malinda, the Deputy Chair of ZEC. The distance from Blantyre to the furthest point visited (Chitipa) is 950 kilometers (594 miles).

During the visit, the Chiyanjano leaders trained local ZEC women’s group leaders in:

• The objectives of the Chiyanjano ministry

• Living healthy spiritual lives

• Information about Mlozo (the Chiyanjano Guide Book)

• Reports of how the Chiyanjano Ministry is faring

• Family versus Chiyanjano Ministry

• Roles and responsibilities of Christian women

• Fund mobilization and Income Generating Activities (IGA)

They visited churches in Mzimba, Mzuzu, Rumphi, Karonga, Chitipa, Dwangwa, Nkhata Bay and Nkhotokhota.

The key issues and main highlights of the visit were:

• Rumphi ZEC: unfortunately the pastor’s wife (Mrs Kasambala) was bed ridden as she was recovering from a stroke. There was only one woman available so we agreed with the pastor that we should proceed to a nearby church known as Bolero ZEC. This was 40 kilometers away and we found 22 women waiting for us. The women were very eager to learn and practice what they had learnt.

• At Chitipa ZEC we found a very hardworking pastor (Enock Mang’anya) with a membership of six families.

• At Dwangwa ZEC (located by a large sugar cane plantation and processing plant), we found a group of 20 women eagerly waiting for us. The leadership here seemed to really understand the objective of women’s ministry. The training outcome was very positive as they asked a lot of questions, showing that they were motivated and wanted to learn and know more.

• The church at Nkhotakhota is run by the very active young Pastor Kamulira, who is really eager to witness to the Muslim community which is the majority religious group in that area. The pastor reported that they were 115 Sunday school children, with many from Muslim families.

• Overall, the visit highlighted a number of issues that ZEC needs to address:

• Most women do not have Chiyanjano uniforms like their counterparts in the central or southern region churches.

• The women require nurturing and harnessing.

• Most churches do not have adequate membership to support their pastor and the church activities.

• The distances between churches are very great. This is one of the reasons why churches do not grow despite an increase in membership numbers in the north.

• The women’s leaders suggested the following next steps:

• Pastors’ welfare should be given priority: adequate financial help is needed in order to motivate pastors’ physical and spiritual needs.

• The ZEC Synod leaders should positively seek to show their commitment and support to these churches in the north e.g. frequent visits and material help.

• Church buildings should be constructed to give the church families reliable places of worship. This at the moment is missing in many places.

• Apparently, in northern Malawi many churches give handouts to church members. So, sadly, this system motivates people away from faithful churches like ZEC.

In summary, God was with us. He provided travelling mercies and we had a safe journey back home and wherever we went members welcomed us very well. The fellowship was wonderful at the end of each training session by the pastor and women’s ministry as well .

We thank all the churches for their hospitality, zambesi mission for their support for the trip and ZEC Synod office for according us to visit the north churches ”.

April 2018.

Thus far has the Lord helped us.
1 Samuel 7: 12

zm’s Review of 2017 is now available and will soon be making its way to our supporters’ homes and churches.

The review provides an excellent summary of zm’s aims, ethos, partnerships and involvement throughout last year. The Zambezi Evangelical Church’s 125th anniversary celebration was one of the highlights of 2017. At the celebration we were reminded of God’s protection and provision over the years since the mission was founded in 1892. Speaking from Psalm 124, ZEC Chairman Joe Tsokalida reminded the assembly that “if the Lord had not been on our side”, then things might have been very different.

zm’s founder Joseph Booth faced innumerable challenges from the outset. Two of his sons are buried in the mission graveyard at ‘Old Mitsidi’, now in the grounds of the Presidential Sanjika Palace. One account from 1894 says that “Booth’s responsibilities soon extended to health care, as of the seventeen new missionaries he had to nurse six who were deathly ill with malaria”. The mission also faced indifference bordering on hostility from the established missions at the time who saw Booth as an interloper. His unconventional methods and outspoken nature were also his own undoing – in 1897 zm removed him from his post. Despite all the challenges, the church that was founded by the Zambesi Industrial Mission still exists over 125 years later. That church is now called the Zambezi Evangelical Church – it embodies the concept of “Africa for the African”. In 2018, ZEC is a self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating church with 630 congregations in Malawi and over 220,000 people regularly joining in services. Another speaker at 125 th celebration spoke from 1 Samuel 7, regarded the event as an ‘Ebenezer stone’ that testified to the Lord’s faithfulness, saying; “Thus far has the Lord helped us” (1 Samuel 7: 12).

These are important things for the mission to ponder upon. During the initial months of 2017 zm faced a challenging financial period. We prayed and wrote to our supporters in March 2017, drawing their attention to the situation. During our prayers, we were encouraged by the words of Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus”. The response was most uplifting and the mission’s financial stability was restored by the middle 2017. However, after five successive months of low income, zm again faces financial uncertainty on a similar scale to March 2017. In this instance, we do not feel that it is appropriate to write to all our supporters again to share the mission’s circumstances. Notwithstanding this, we have taken the decision to share the position via our Update quarterly magazine and through our website. We feel that it is important that our supporters are made aware of the circumstances.

zm is supported by over 460 churches and 2,200 individuals worldwide. Our supporters engage with the mission in a variety of different ways. zm is also a ‘faith mission’, relying on God to speak to supporters to encourage them to give sacrificially (or not as the case may be) – rather than asking our supporters directly to give money to the mission. This approach seems to be less prevalent today, even amongst Christian missions. All these factors mean that it is extremely difficult for zambesi mission to predict future income. Nonetheless, the recent return to financial difficulties, so soon after recovering from the issues faced in early 2017, has indicated to us that a long term restructuring of the mission, particularly in the UK, is likely to be necessary. In the meantime we have taken steps to minimise our expenditure as far as reasonably practicable, at least for the foreseeable future.

Please pray for the mission leadership, zm’s trustees and Executive Committee as we discern the Lord’s will and determine what practical steps need to be taken to play our part in securing the long-term future of zambesi mission .

March 2018

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing
(Colossians 1:6)

It is always a great encouragement to us to provide reports about brothers and sisters in Christ from Malawi who are serving Christ in other parts of the world. In this month’s website article we bring a report from Pastor Robert Yanduya, who is studying on a two year Master’s degree in Evangelical Theology in the Netherlands. Robert was the Academic Dean at the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM) and is also the pastor of Kabula Zambezi Evangelical Church in Blantyre Malawi.

Studying at Tyndale Theological Seminary

I thank God for the opportunity he has given me to study his Word at the Tyndale Theological Seminary in the Netherlands. This has been a great opportunity for personal spiritual growth and maturation. I joined Tyndale in June 2017 and since then I have greatly benefitted from my studies. Tyndale exists as a witness of Christ in an environment where the Gospel is being denied. The Netherlands is one of the most liberal countries in Europe but with a very rich Christian heritage. One of the most rewarding things for me has been the understanding of different cultures. People from 19 different countries of Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa are represented at Tyndale. Studying in a culturally diverse place like Tyndale comes with plenty of positive challenges. In the words of Bishop Adeshina, “learn how to deal with people; every kind of person you would need to deal with in the future is already here at Tyndale for your learning.” I love the environment, the people, the differences and all the learning opportunities in all these. It is a wonderful privilege to learn how to work in a multicultural and a multiracial context. This experience will be of great help when I return to teach and pastor at the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi and Kabula Zambezi Evangelical Church respectively. I trust that God will use my time here to learn how to effectively communicate the Gospel.

As a person who grew up in my own culture and traditions, studying at Tyndale is helping me learn other perspectives and cultures. I am also learning more about different customs, foods, and social lives and this is another way through which God is enriching my understanding and better equipping me for effectively ministry in Malawi. Tyndale is really helping me to know cultures in a different way.

Community Duties and Community Life

Every student at Tyndale has some community duties to do every week. One of the most important things that I am learning from these duties is that education does not just take place in the classroom; it also occurs in the dormitories, in my relationships with people from different places and cultures, in chapel services, and also in our community duties which are carefully blended into the training program. It is an amazing experience studying and worshipping God while washing dishes, cleaning the toilets, emptying the garbage bins etc… Tyndale is a learning community where the Professors, their wives and children, the Administrative team and their families model a life characterised by humility and willingness to serve. They do what many might not be willing to do and that is what serving others is all about (John 13:12-17).

How will EBCoM and Zambezi Evangelical Church benefit from my studies?

One of the big deficiencies we have had at EBCoM is the lack of language teachers. Tyndale is known for its emphasis on Biblical languages. On top of the other courses I am taking, I am also studying Hebrew and Greek with an intention of becoming a language teacher at EBCoM. I also feel compelled to continue teaching the biblical subjects when I return to EBCoM. Since EBCoM intends to launch a degree programme soon, my hope is that my experience will be useful in the development of the curriculum.

As a church minister in the Zambezi Evangelical Church, I am praying that I should still be given opportunity to continue pastoring so that my knowledge will also be applied in a local church setting.

What are some of the challenges?

Studying away from home is not just fun. It also comes with some challenges. Being away from my family for one full year has been my greatest challenge. The most difficult question I always receive from my children is “when are you coming back Dad?” My two daughters, Shalom and Shamira, didn’t understand what I meant when I said that I will be away for two years. I thank God for the support from the zambesi mission so that I can go back home in June this year. Though my time in Malawi will be spent on practical ministry exposure and research, the good thing is that I will be with my family and church and that is wonderful.

The weather is also another thing. Coming from the sunny Malawian weather to the Dutch weather where I have gone for months now without having enough of the sun has been another challenge! I must also confess that missing Nsima (our staple food in Malawi) for this long is enough tribulation for a typical Malawian like me.

 

 

How can you pray for me?
I will very much appreciate your prayers in a number of areas.

• Please pray that God will guide me in my studies. There is a lot of work that has to be done.

• I would also appreciate your prayers for my family in Malawi: my wife Ellen, my children Joseph, Amos, Shalom and Shamira. Pray that God will provide their needs.

• You can also help in praying for the church I have been pastoring, Kabula Zambezi Evangelical Church. Pray for the leaders and my Associate Pastor Esau Meke who has taken leadership of the church throughout my absence.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8-9a)

February 2018.

It seems a long time ago since we were posting on our blog in the autumn of 2014 about selling our family home in Suffolk so that we could get going to Malawi (see Let Go and Let’s Go ). Now we have finished a full 3 years as zambesi mission’s church development partners with the church in Malawi, and we are back in the UK, and for the moment have set up home again in Suffolk. It’s been quite a shock going from the hot rainy season of Malawi, with the usual 14 hours of daylight, to the icy grip and short 7-hours of daylight of winter, especially during our two trips to Perthshire in Scotland over the last couple of months. But it has proven a timely return for us, to support some family members at a difficult time, to meet one member for the very first time, and to celebrate Christmas 2017 surrounded by our family.

Our final 2 months in Malawi were very busy, hence – for those who follow our blog – why there have been so few blog posts. The last few months in Malawi we were busy trying as best we could to leave things properly handed over to our local partners, as well as make final visits to places and friends we have grown to love. We are thankful to God for the way he enabled us to partner with so many people and help develop new works in a country of so much need …

… for the Preach the Word course which is already making an impact on many of the grassroots preachers who have received the training

… for the children’s songbook Ananu Ziimbani which is now in shops all over the country and has kicked off regular events for Sunday School choirs to gather to sing and learn Biblical children’s songs

… for the greater sense of direction in Zambezi Evangelical Church, with well-defined programmes, and a desire for change and progress

… for smoother running and more widely spread Sunday School teacher training being done by Children for Christ Ministry

… for a group of young people bound together by music to form Echoes of Grace and beginning to set out on their evangelistic ministry to the villages of Malawi.

We will certainly always remember the visits to remote little congregations deep in the bush, far from tarred roads, who showed us great hospitality despite their circumstances. And our “home church” for 3 years, Limbe ZEC, who prepared a special farewell for us on our last Sunday morning before we headed to the airport that day.

We have worked with some wonderful people in the zm Malawi office – from our field director, Simon, and the office staff Rose and Mercy, to the guards and our housemaid Dorothy – everyone has looked out for us and cared for us. Also, our “azungu” friends at our midweek Bible study have been more helpful to us than they will ever realize, through their fellowship and hospitality.

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Now, in the new year of 2018, we finally feel we are ‘finding our feet’ again as we start to get out and share about Malawi during our UK deputation programme. However, even as we pull photos together and try to express our ideas and feelings, we are only now perhaps fully realising what we have left behind, and fully appreciating all God has done through our time in Malawi to teach us and reshape us.

Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

So, friends, we thank you for following us in our journey so far. However, our journey of faith – like yours – continues as we step out anew with God. So please continue to keep us in your prayers, read our newsletters, and follow our blogs on www.steppingoutwithgod.com over this period of transition, as we visit churches and as Myles discerns his next step.