Rivers Baptist Church - Christ alone - and Him crucified

From Boston, Mary and the Children, your fellow servants of the most High God Jesus Christ

To you dear friends and prayer partners, God’s chosen people who live as sojourners in this world of which we are not part of, but to Him who chose us, let us give thanks to Him, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have always been looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to share with you, not only our joy of serving our master in 2005, but also in rejuvenating your continued prayer support for us as a family and the ministry that God has graciously ordained us to be involved in within the body of Christ in the Northern Baptist Association of Zambia for the coming years 2006 and beyond.

In the last quarter of 2006 we witnessed the bidding of farewell to 2005 and welcoming 2006, another year full of challenges waiting for us by God’s grace. But before we update you on what has happened in the Last quarter, it is imperative to reflect on the past year.

Last year has been exciting, challenging, time consuming and Spirit filling for me, my family and ministry. But whatever has happened, glory is ordained to God. Not only did God initiate and use the period under review to His Glory, but also to the extension of His Kingdom. This is also true that your partnership in prayer and support has been very encouraging and positive in our ministry. We have been very encouraged by your support and prayers and without your support, it could not have been possible for us to witness the Lord’s working in our lives and ministry.

Apologies...

I sincerely send my apologies not only on my behalf, but also on my family and ministry colleagues to you for not being in contact regularly. This has been due to my heavy schedule, as this letter will reveal in due course. Please it has not been deliberate at all, simply a matter of compacted ministry opportunities during the year. We value and appreciate your love and support so much that appropriate words cannot be found and we humbly ask you to accept of our apologies.

ACTS MINISTRIES ZAMBIA.

This Christian NGO has finally been registered with government and will be dealing in various issues of Training; Project Management, Crafts and Trades Studies. Socially we will also be involved with the orphans and widows ministry through the Atuulicafwe Community Project. As you are aware the issues of HIV/ AIDS has left a catastrophe in terms of orphans and widows here in Zambia. This is a partnership program with Peter and Desleigh Wright who have a great heart to reach to the Orphans and Widows. Atuulicafwe is a Lenje word simply meaning ‘Let us help ourselves’. Acts Ministries- Zambia, through the Atuulicafwe
Community Project has organized 10 Community Based Projects for Orphans and Widows. Our desire is not to institutionalize the widows and orphans, but to empower them within their own communities with Income-Generating projects so as to raise their own support system to enhance sustainable development in communities. After empowering them they will graduate from the program and allow them to continue on their own. Hence the word Atuulicafwe

We progressively believe that God is calling us to help local Christian communities in their responsibility to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27 says; Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows) and this should be part of our ministry to help our communities.

We will get in touch with the President of Acts ministries India in Bangalore Dr. Rev. Ken Gnannakan, for further guidance and partnership. I am deeply touched and influenced by my experience at Acts Ministry in India and have committed myself to the core this of ministry in my life and ministry. Some areas have been adopted by MBLTC. Other areas within the Vision of Acts Ministries India which have been adopted in the Curriculum of MBLTC and includes the training to produce Bi-Vocational Pastors for the rural and semi-Urban churches. This is because rural churches are extremely poor and cannot adequately support local pastors.

We will include courses such as Carpentry, Agriculture, Tailoring and design in the next academic year. These life skill courses will help our graduates to set up small tent-making businesses and supplement their income so that they are able to send their children to school. We will be writing to Dr. Gnannakan to see how best we can get their partnership in this regard. Please your prayers have directly benefited MBLTC.

MBLTC GRADUATION 2006

8 Students and their wives are supposed to graduate this year 2006. We have been having logistical problems to set the date we hope and pray that this will be sorted out soon and the sooner it is sorted out the Better. We are had set for May but things seem unlikely to happen in this month, until further notice the date is unknown. This is going to be a wonderful time of fellowship. We are planning to invite the Vice President or the First Lady as The Guest of Honour for 2006 graduation Ceremony. We are thankful to God for our students and for their two-year input in their studies under difficulty, but unavoidable circumstances. Thank you so much all of you who have shared with us your time and resources to make our time at MBLTC a real success story

Donation of Bicycles and Seed / Fertilizer FUNDS for pastors in Malambanyama Area by Rivers Baptist Church Australia.

It was a wonderful occasion during early this year to receive funds for Bicycles and Seeds / fertilizer from Rivers Baptist Church in Australia donated for use by Pastors in their ministry. May 17 is going to be a wonderful time as the Pastors receive their Bicycles and gifts. This gift has come at the right time considering that the Church has laid us all on voluntary basis because it is not able to pay for the full time Brethren, join me to give glory to God for this wonderful gift from our father in heaven through Rivers Baptist Church

2004-2005 Teaching Staff at MBLTC and other Centres

Tribute goes to all the lecturers who participated during the past years Revds. Bwacha, Kalima, Pastors. Shamutete, Kabamba, Mwailenge, Kalugushi and Mutenta and Mrss Mwebela, Kalugushi and Mutenta and Shamutete for wives program. (Zambia)

Dr. Rev. Roger Kemp, Rev. Keith Gallagher, Gwendy Ridden (Australia). Revds. Dereck Stone, Dr. Charles Dickson, and Rev. Norman & Gabi Schaeffer & the team, which included Alan, Lelly, Glen and his wife Collen. Stuart Cranner, Victor, Owen, and Mike Cratter, Ron Naude, Trevor & Marilyn Earys with their Son Trent Dr. Kevin Roy (South Africa) to you all, we say thank you for your partnership. Looking forward to your next coming in 2006 --2007.

Leadership Development and Projects: A new Vision, A New Heart, A Renewed Call)

It is 11 years since I came in Central Province and through these years, the Lord has enabled me to serve him through various capacities. Having planted a church at Chibombo and pastored it for two years, the Northern Baptist Association of Zambia appointed me as Regional Superintendent for both Central and Lusaka Provinces. During these years as Regional Superintendent, I have experience great joy in the way God has used me, although under difficulty situations. But your prayers and support have strengthened us to be able to have experienced this joy in ministry.

It was during the first 2 years of ministry that Lord used me to initiate a leadership training and development programme at Malambanyama (MBLTC), a vision received during my internship in the same Area. This programme has now been fully accepted by the Association and the Baptist Union of Zambia. As an Association, we now have three other Centres operating apart from the MBLTC in Central Province. Glory be to God.

It is in this vein that the Association through Its Executive and the Management felt that I should be appointed as the Superintendent for Leadership Development and Projects. What this entails is that I will be responsible for all training and development of leadership programmes for our Association. This will include the Development of Projects of sustainable Income Generating initiatives for the Association.

May I take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers and support during all these years that the MBLTC Vision has been maturing and contributing to the leadership development in our Association. I humbly submit my self and request for your prayers for me as I take up this new position on the 1st of April 2006. Kindly pray for family, my ministry and myself that God will help us function according to His will. Your prayer Support will be most welcome. Once more thank you so much for support.

Training of Pastors in HIV/AIDS Counselling Skills

I have always desired to hold this seminar for our Pastors, as AIDS devastates Southern Africa and Zambia in particular and people die by the Millions, we cannot afford to stay aloof as a church. We need your support. Many Pastors being in touch with their communities most of the time have felt overwhelmed with this pandemic as they lack the skills to help such people. Many of the affected and infected feel that the messages coming from pulpits are bent on condemning the victims and therefore are not free to come forward, but with a skill to counsel it may change the situation. There is need to help our Pastors with their Spouses with counselling skills. It is our desire to equip our pastors with such skills and that has become very cardinal in our ministries. This will be helpful not only to our infected, but also to all of us who are affected in one way or the other. Get in touch if you feel you can help.

Staff Changes in Central Province

Pastor Kunda of Kafululu goes to Serenje. Pastor Nkomanga of Lutuba-Chipepo comes to Kafululu and Mutenta goes to Ndola. While Shamutete comes to take over from Mutenta at Malambanyama. These transfers are with immediate effect and hope it gives a new leaf of life.

TEACHERS NEEDED FOR 2006-2007 BLOCK COURSES IN ALL THE CENTRES.
(Malambanyama, Katenbula, Kafulafuta, Solwezi Road and Mukushi).

Homiletics / English
Doctrine of Church/ English
Doctrine of God/ English
Doctrine of Creation, man and sin
Doctrine of Christ’s Person & Work
Doctrine of Second Coming
Bible Knowledge OT (Content)
Bible Knowledge NT (Content)
Paul & Missions
Introduction to Missions
Principles of Church Administration-
-and many other Biblical and theological Courses.

BLOCK COURSES FOR 2006 WILL BE RELEASED LATER
The Block Courses for 2006 will be worked out later due to the changes of my role in the NBAZ, therefore there is need to work out a comprehensive outline to cover all the Centres under my responsibility

Tribute to Howick Baptist Church.
We pay tribute to Howick Baptist church for sponsoring a new classroom that has been constructed with kind donation of R.15, 000 Rev. Dereck Stone saw our need for such a facility. Students and the churches around us contributed in terms of labour. Join me in giving glory to God for this wonderful gift. We pray that God will bless Howick Baptist Church for their generous gift and that their gift is received with much appreciation and gratitude. Kindly partner with us as the Lord leads you

Please, pray for:

• Good health for my family and all of us here including the entire NBAZ family.

• The leadership of NBAZ for wisdom and direction
• Financial needs of the NBAZ general fund and the Block courses.
• It has become necessary to pray for a suitable vehicle for ministry now.