Nearly 1,000 Pastors being trained in Zambia

Dec. 6, 2009

We cannot thank God and you enough for your prayers and gifts that make this vital and effective ministry work! In September we continued training over 70 HUB leaders to strategically plant churches in Zambia and to train the new pastors so as to make disciples of their own people.

We drove over 1500 miles and distributed more than 1500 Bemba Bibles to our leaders and the churches they have planted. Denson has since delivered another 1000 Bibles. Over 5000 more Bibles are coming soon. We were also able to give 12 new bicycles to pastors in rural areas that will help them be more effective in their ministries of training other pastors and helping to mentor them in their duties.

BIBLE TRAINING MATERIAL FOR HUB PASTORS

Through the efforts of Hope Builders International over 350 sets of Bible Training manuals were delivered to our Hub Leaders in Zambia. That means that 350 NEW pastors are now being equipped in a three-year Bible program. Over 600 pastors are in different levels of the program. The Hub Leaders are the mentor/trainers.

This is a very cost effective and efficient way to train men who cannot afford to go to Bible school, even if there were schools available for the number of men needing to be trained, which there are not. The reports coming in tell of their excitement and praise to God for this material. Thank you for partnering with us.

Report from Chinsali

At the Musenga Conference, HIM Zambia gathered all the HUB leaders in the country for a leadership conference. We were all surprised to see that the number of HUBS present was 77! As we began to investigate this growth it became obvious that God was doing a special work in the Northern Province.

A case in point is the Chinsali Hub. Pastor/Hub leader James Bwalya planted 10 strategic churches and began mentoring the new leaders. These new leaders took the mandate of church planting seriously and each planted 10 more churches!

When we arrived the next week at Chinsali to distribute Bibles the number of believers gathered at the main church was astounding! We wept with joy and praise.

This awesome work is just another indicator that God is moving in extraordinary ways to save people and establish His Church for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is through the local church and church planting that God is making disciples.

Evangelism without church planting will not make disciples of Jesus Christ.

This work of God represents 110 new churches in one year in one area of Zambia! Many hundreds of souls have been brought to Christ!

Now we are responsible to disciple them. By God’s grace and provision all 110 new pastors were put into the three-year pastoral training and given new bibles in their own language (Bemba). The new congregations also received some Bibles.

Praise the Lord with us for this tremendous growth! Our District Leader Edward Musonda and Pastor Bwalya will be very busy as they diligently disciple the new hub leaders and oversee their training of the new pastors in the 100 new churches. Pray for them!