Warm greetings to you all brothers and sisters!! We give honor and glory to God who has given us the opportunity to work in His Kingdom.
We continue to thank our God that the current students are clocking a year studying at BVBI-Zambia. The crop of students that we have, have not only impressed us in their academics but they have also overwhelmed their local congregations with their improved work in preaching. As mentioned earlier, they have proved this to us in their daily performance in the courses that they are taking. They are taking four regular courses and one short course this quarter. These courses are as follows:
Personal Evangelism 2, this course emphases the importance of Church planting. And it is being taught by Cephas Mwamba who is also teaching Worship of the New Testament. In this course the emphasis is placed on the principles, doctrine and practice of the New Testament Church. The remaining regular courses of this quarter which are textual studies are being taught by Fred Kanangu. These are 1st & 2nd Peter, Jude, and then 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
The short course on the Book Galatians or on Leadership will be taught by Brother Kennedy Mukuka. The suggested emphasis on the course on Galatians will be placed on the relation to Hebrews. And Leadership course will furnish the students with leadership styles that God would want His servants to have.
Apart from their class performance, students are busy doing personal evangelism. This is also to fulfill their partial requirements of their course on Personal Evangelism 2. They are translating what they are learning from the class to the real world. We are very glad as a school for these men and indeed the programs and we are happy to report that through these programs Mathew Chisupa, Misheck Chileshe and Twiness Chanda have been baptized and restored back three souls. We as the Institute for this month have concentrated much on three districts here on the copper-belt, namely Luanshya, Kitwe and Mpongwe. On the other development brother Cephas and Kennedy were in Lusaka and taught the gospel and Royd Kabonga a police officer gladly submitted to Christ in Baptism
The school was also invited by Wusakile church in Kitwe to participate in their city wide gospel meeting that started on Friday, 24th May and ended on Sunday, 26th May 2019. The team of the Gospel chariot for World Bible School from Malawi en-route to DRC was also part of this Gospel meeting. Brother Cephas Mwamba was one of the regular speakers invited to speak during these meetings. He with the BVBI-Zambia students braved the coldness to participate in all the proceedings of these meetings. Though no Baptism but only restorations recorded we had a good experience.
The school has continued being recognized by the congregations in the Copper Belt Province of Zambia and beyond. This is evidenced by many invites that the school receives from these congregations. Copper Belt churches of Christ hold an annual Gospel conference between June and August. And for the time the school has been in existence it has been invited to participate in teaching during these conferences. Brother Cephas Mwamba will be one of the Keynote speakers during this year’s conference which will be held in Ndola. He will be speaking on “Sin”. This meeting starts on the 29th June 2019 and ends on 1st July 2019. We continue soliciting for your prayers that all the meetings succeed and that through these meetings many will come to the full knowledge of God.
BVBI-Zambia has continued to work with our former students and through Stephen Ngosa we have baptized 7 souls in this month. We witnessed the conversion of these seven souls from two families, Grant Chisenga, Chrisford Chisenga, Chrispine Chisenga, Peter Chisenga and Memory Kaulai, Thandiwe Kaulai, Kingslee Musonda. Stephen is preaching at Baluba Church of Christ, here in Luanshya District.
Joseph Musonda is still in Mansa, Luapula Province of Zambia where he is doing a very commendable job. He is currently worshiping and working with Mansa Central Church of Christ. He has so far converted one soul and restored back to the Lord three souls. He also reports that the Central Church, Mansa had two gospel meetings in the space of two weeks. One was held at Chipili at which a new congregation has been stablished and another at Mano at which the Institute has been invited to help in evangelism. Albert Phiri is actively working with a congregation in Myengelwa, Mpongwe District. He also reports that he has continued conducting Bible studies and door to door personal evangelism with some brothers at Myengelwa, though this place is 65 Kilometers south of Luanshya the Institute is constantly in touch with Albert to encourage him with his effort to preach. We had thirteen (13) baptism and six (9) restorations and one New congregation planted.
Please continue to pray for the overall work that we are involved in here in Zambia. Pray for the Word of God to continuously have an impact on our lives and also the lives of those we are teaching.
Our hearts are truly thankful to Woodland Oaks Church of Christ for financial support and all the encouragement in this good work. We will likewise pray that God will bless the works that you are all involved in as well.
For the sake of Christ,
Cephas and Fred