Membership, Ministry and Music 🎶
Greetings from rainy and cool Lusaka!
We are currently supposed to be in the midst of Zambia’s rainy season but for weeks now it has been dry and hot with no rain. But God has answered the prayers of the people of Zambia after a rather long dry spell. On Sunday, Michael and I decided to go camping. Monday night, while we were out there in our tents, the floodgates of heaven opened and it has been rainy since then. We should have gone camping weeks ago! 🤣
On a more serious note, it has been heartbreaking to see the very sad-looking maize fields in and around Lusaka. We have been told that even if the rains come, it might already be too late to recover the damage on the crops. Many Zambians have lost most of their crops which predicts a very bad year ahead with much suffering and hunger. Please pray that the rains would continue and that the people of Zambia would be able to salvage some of their crops.
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14
Church Membership
On Sunday afternoon we finally concluded the membership classes for Christ Church Lusaka. These membership classes started about a year ago and we thank God that we have finally come to the end. During this short month of February we had two very significant classes on two consecutive Sundays after church. The classes were hosted at our house after a very delicious fellowship lunch prepared by our ladies. This past Sunday we had a record of over 40 people in our home for the meal and final membership class. There were people seated on the couches, chairs, pillows and ottomans everywhere. What a joyous sight!
With the membership classes concluded, all that is left for applicants to do is to fill out and submit their application forms and meet with pastor Paul Kayumba for an interview or chat. Once members are on file we can finally have elections for church council and official leadership in the church. This will be a significant step in the right direction for the growth of Christ Church Lusaka.
Children's Ministry
The children’s ministry has been growing and the ministry team is thriving. Two weeks ago our church had a bumper crop of children coming in. The group of children that came to church that day was so big that we had to have an additional assistant in the room to help the teacher instead of just one. The Mustard Seeds material that we are using is very good and easy to use. It has made the task of teaching that much easier and manageable for all of us
Our children’s ministry team still attend the GYD (Growing Young Disciples) online training every Monday and continue to learn and grow through what we are being taught. We are so grateful to God for providing the training to enable us to be used in this way.
Music Ministry
Michael has also recently started giving guitar lessons to two teenage boys and a young man in the church (Moses, Gift, and Njovu). These young men have a desire to learn guitar and will hopefully one day be able to help with leading the church worship. While the lessons are teaching them a skill, it also serves to build relationship with the young men. Michael sees this as an opportunity for discipleship and ministry to the youth. We pray that God will work through these lessons to draw these young men to himself.
“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.“
Psalm 100:2-3
One-to-One Ministry
One of the most rewarding ministries that we are involved with is our one-to-one meetings with people. These meetings could be discipleship or evangelistic meetings. Often they are weekly scheduled meetings while on occasion they are timeously arranged by God. One such a God-ordained encounter happened while Michael was out playing volleyball like he does on a weekly basis (whenever possible).
One evening not long after Michael’s ordination, a conversation started up between Michael and another volleyball player (we will call him ‘John’) after a game. John heard Michael relaying to a friend that he had recently been ordained. John asked about what ordination was and when he understood that Michael was a pastor he eagerly said, “I need to talk to you about something!”
Michael arranged to meet with him for coffee and they talked. John was angry with God. He felt that he had been doing so many things to please God but God wasn’t giving him success in his life and business. His expectation was that God was like a genie that will give him what he wants when he does a few good things almost as if it was a negotiation or exchange.
God's Grace Offered
Michael challenged those ideas and took the opportunity to share the gospel with John. The surprising thing was that John had never heard the gospel like this before despite having been to church. The idea that no amount of good works will be able to save him and that salvation is through the work of Christ on the cross alone seemed foreign to him. He was surprised to hear that God isn’t there to grant your wishes but rather to save you from your sin and bless us with eternal life with him. I don’t know if that’s what he wanted to hear but he was definitely given much food for thought.
Michael encouraged him to read his bible and pray and trust the Lord for the right things. John went away with much to think about and Michael will keep meeting with him trusting that the Lord will speak to his heart with the truth of God’s Word.
Thank you for being a part of the team 🙏🏼
Thank you for your prayers and financial partnership for the Gospel. We do not take it for granted and we are grateful that you give so that we can be here in Lusaka to serve where God has called us. May God continue to bless you!
Praise God For:
- the growth in the children’s ministry and ministry team
- the successful conclusion of the membership classes for Christ Church Lusaka
- the many one-to-one ministry opportunities that God gives us.
Pray For:
- ‘John’ to come to know the love of God
- Moses, Gift and Njovu who come for guitar lessons that they will come to know and love God as they learn to make music.
- The Children’s ministry team as they continue to learn and grow in teaching the children.
- The development of an apprenticeship program for Christ Church Lusaka to train and equip church workers.
We are missionaries serving with SIM-Zambia. We rely totally on donor support to keep us in the mission field.
Please would you prayerfully consider supporting us financially. You can direct your support to us through SIM or directly to our personal South African bank account. Find out how you can support us here: