Following God’s detour

Mission co-worker teaches future pastors in Africa

July 23, 2017

One day, while taking a break from studying in the Duke Divinity School library, I got into a conversation that would change the course of my family’s life. As I talked with a stranger, I learned he was the only person in the world with a PhD in New Testament (my field also) who could speak the language of the country where he was training Christians for ministry. This really struck me.

He asked what I hoped to do upon finishing my PhD at Duke. I told him I wanted to advance the gospel and that I’d love to do that through teaching the Bible and working with young people whom God was calling. He replied, “If you really want to teach the Bible and prepare people for Christian ministry, then you should think about doing it outside the United States.”

Dustin, Sherri, Clayton and Christopher Ellington during their early days in Egypt in 2005. (Photo provided)

That evening I went home and told my wife, Sherri, what had happened, and that I wondered if the Holy Spirit had spoken to me. She was immediately positive; Sherri had wondered about a call to mission service long before we married, but had come to terms with the reality that marrying me might mean a “normal” life in America.

I had already served as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), so we called Presbyterian World Mission to express interest in applying for mission service, even though I still had years left at Duke. This gave us ample time to consider a possibility put before us — to move our family to Egypt. I could teach future pastors. As a family, we could build bridges of trust for the sake of the gospel and for peace between Muslims and Christians.

We moved to Egypt in 2005 and deeply loved our life and work in that country. We thought we would stay many years. However, it all ended abruptly in 2009 for reasons out of our control. That’s a long story, but suffice it to say that our hearts were broken. And our life course changed again!

Justo Mwale University faculty members Dr. Lukas Soko, Dr. Edwin Zulu, Dr. Wynand Retief and Dr. Dustin Ellington enjoying fellowship with one another. (Photo by Johanneke Kroesbergen)

We still believed we were called to serve the gospel overseas. We entered a time of discernment, and PC(USA) World Mission suggested new possibilities. It turns out that around the time Sherri and I left Egypt, Justo Mwale University (JMU) in Zambia had asked World Mission for a New Testament professor. As we learned of the intense need for trained pastors in Zambia and surrounding countries due to recent massive church growth, it seemed like a call — to go where the need for what we could offer was greatest.

I’ve taught at JMU since 2010. Zambia is a place where enormous need meets what we have to offer. Many JMU students, upon graduating, become solo pastors of congregations from 1,000 to over 10,000 members. The churches are vibrant, but many tend to miss the influence of Jesus Christ on the Christian life, and they see God and the gospel as a means to material success. So it is a setting that is ripe for teaching people how to understand the Bible for themselves and thus to lay hold of the true good news of Jesus Christ.

We may have come to Zambia through a detour, but we feel it’s truly been the hand of God guiding our path. Each part of our journey has been marked by God’s faithfulness, and we are thankful to be part of God’s mission and the gospel’s progress.

Dustin Ellington, PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker, Zambia

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The Rev. Dr. Dustin Ellington teaches New Testament at Justo Mwale University, which trains pastors to lead congregations in southern Africa. Sherri Ellington is site coordinator for the PC(USA)’s Young Adult Volunteer program in Zambia.

Today’s Focus:  Dustin Ellington, PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker, Zambia

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Mission Co-Workers

Dustin Ellington, Zambia
Sherri Ellington, Zambia

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Sandy Johnson, PMA                                                                                     
Debra Jones, PMA

Let us pray:

Open our eyes, God, to the world around us, the liberating power of the gospel and your abundant expressions of reconciling love. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, July 23, 2017, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading Genesis 28:10-19a
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Second Reading Romans 8:12-25
Gospel Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43