Vitality and Joy!

A Letter from Melissa Johnson, serving in Zambia

Fall 2021

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Dear friends,

The sun was bright, and the sky was clear and blue without a cloud. A large crowd of people gathered under the mango trees. Soon, beautiful voices would fill the air surrounding Boma prayer house in Lundazi with loud, excited and joyous songs.

Several times a year, the three prayer houses that make up the David McConaghey Congregation (the Boma, Kanale and Dunda prayer houses) meet with as many as 1,000 people in attendance. The morning worship begins with singing and dancing by numerous choirs from each prayer house. Following the choirs, there are announcements from each prayer house, scripture readings and enthusiastic preaching. After the sermon, there is more singing and dancing during the offering. There is much pride and competition between the sections (small groups) and the prayer houses to see which one has contributed the most. The entire worship service can last two to three hours. Yes, you read that correctly; I said hours!

There is a lot of talk now within PC(USA) about the Matthew 25 initiative and one of the goals is about being vital congregations. We’ve got a long way to go to be as vital as the congregations I am blessed to be a part of in Lundazi. Church is not just held on Sundays. There are prayer gatherings in the mornings. The women gather on Tuesdays to visit the sick and homebound and again on Fridays for Bible study. The sections take turns providing food for the pastor and help clean and maintain the church building inside and out. Many of these things may sound familiar to you and your church, but the enthusiasm of the church members and their dedication to giving back feels different to me. The part that strikes me the most is their generosity – the giving to help others even when they don’t have enough themselves. And the joy! Oh, the joy! I have never attended a worship service here in the U.S. that has a fraction of the joy and hope I experienced in Zambia.

Because of the shortage of pastors, the synod leadership of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Synod of Zambia (CCAP Zambia) created the Chasefu Theological College (CTC) in 2007. In 2010, the first class of 16 pastors graduated. Since then, over 60 pastors have been educated and graduated to serve in their communities in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe. When CTC began, they had no infrastructure and borrowed classroom and library space from the Chasefu secondary school. Now the CTC infrastructure consists of a newly completed classroom building that contains four classrooms, offices and a library, two houses (one for the principal and one for the lecturers that is still under construction), a student hostel, and a new hostel kitchen.

Recently the CTC received a Thank Offering grant to construct a women’s student hostel that is currently under construction. Despite these improvements, there are still many challenges facing the CTC and its students. These include a lack of electricity or solar power, running water, latrines, internet access, transportation, salaries for the lecturers and scholarships for the students. Despite these challenges, they still have faith that God is leading them and will provide for their needs. Many of the students have told me how studying at Chasefu has opened their eyes to the Word and teachings of God, and how serving God in the rural areas of Zambia can be both a challenge and a blessing. CTC is located in the rural district of Chasefu, and I was surprised to learn that many of the students have never encountered rural village life. Despite the challenges rural life brings, they are thankful for the holistic ministry and education that CCAP Zambia and CTC provide as they study theology, sustainable agriculture, village savings & loan (VSL), and Community Health Evangelism (CHE). They recognize that they will be better prepared to serve their congregations and provide for their families by being afforded a holistic education.

While the Matthew 25 initiative is new to us here in the U.S., it is not new to the CCAP Zambia. It has been a part of their ministry since the creation of their denomination. The vitality of their congregations has led to the need for more churches and more pastors. The establishment of the CTC has led to the education of pastors in holistic ministry that can lead to a reduction in poverty in their communities through sustainable agricultural practices, learning to save and invest in their communities through VSL, and helping empower and build healthier, self-sufficient communities through CHE.

The students and lecturers at Chasefu Theological College have asked me to thank each and every one of you who have walked alongside CCAP Zambia in the creation and improvement of the CTC. Your partnership is bringing change, hope and joy through the holistic ministry of CCAP Zambia. I am thankful and hopeful that you will continue to be a blessing to each other which will, in turn, bring us all more vitality and joy.

Melissa

Please read the following letter from Sara P. Lisherness, the interim director of World Mission:

Dear partners in God’s mission,

I don’t know about you, but daily my heart grows heavier. News about the pandemic, wars, wildfires, gun violence, racism, earthquakes and hurricanes cloud my vision. It’s hard to see hope; our world is in a fog. Yet we trust that God’s light and love transcend the brokenness of this time.

God is at work transforming the world, and you, through your prayers, partnership and encouragement, are helping us share this good news. Thank you for your faithful and gracious support of our mission personnel.

How can we see through the fog? What will the church be after the pandemic? Could it be that God is doing “a new thing” and is inviting us to perceive it? Through all the uncertainty we know that God’s steadfast love and care for all creation will prevail and that God’s Spirit is at work in each of us.

We all have an integral part to play in fulfilling God’s mission. As we seek to grow together in faithfulness there are three important steps I invite you to take in supporting our shared commitments to God’s mission:
Give – Consider making a year-end financial contribution for the sending and support of our mission personnel. Your support helps mission personnel accompany global partners as together they share the light of God’s love and justice around the world. Invite your session to include support for mission personnel in its annual budget planning.
Act – Visit The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study to delve deeper into the work God is doing through the PC(USA) and its partners in ministry around the globe: pcusa.org/missionyearbook.
Pray – Include our mission personnel, our global partners, and our common commitments to share God’s grace, love, mercy and justice in your daily prayers.

Thank you for your faithfulness to God’s mission through the Presbyterian Church. It is my prayer that you will continue to support this work with your prayers, partnership, and financial gifts in the coming year. We hope you will join us and our partners in shining a beacon of hope throughout the world.

In the light of hope,

Sara P. Lisherness, Interim Director
World Mission
Presbyterian Mission Agency
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

To give please visit https://bit.ly/PCUSAmission

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16