From the Superintendent's DESK

John Musgrave and I have just completed a visit to Lusaka, Zambia, where we enjoyed five days of special meetings. We arrived there on Wednesday, April 10, and were joined at the airport by Onias Gumbo and Isaac Adigun, the District Superintendents of Southern and Eastern Africa (SEAR) and Western and Central Africa (WECA) respectively. Our team of four was greeted by the Zambia Board of Directors and several regional leaders, including Zambia Country Leader Boniface Banda and his wife, Esther, with their seven-month-old baby, Benjamin.  

The next morning, we went to the Zambia headquarters location in Lusaka for a minister and worker conference. Upon arriving at the John Howard compound, we were greeted by a long line of saints representing the ministry and workers. Sunday school children with radiant smiles sang a welcome song and then several beautifully dressed young girls stepped forward with an official greeting and a bouquet of flowers for each one on our team.

Inside the tabernacle, Brother Boniface welcomed the ministers and workers as well as introduced our team. Then an opening prayer was offered. The theme for the meeting was “Unity,” with a message taken from 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” It was noted that unity requires effort on the part of individuals. Being unified in name only is not true unity, as is seen in the “The United States,” “The United Nations,” and “The United Kingdom.” The message closed with this exhortation from 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Another meeting followed, specifically for the Zambia Board of Directors. Again, unity was stressed, noting that the board must be unified for the work to be unified. Emphasis was placed on the necessity of living a life above reproach, consistent with Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus.

On Friday morning, we gathered in the tabernacle for a Bible teaching. The prelude began with an organ medley, including “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” Then John Chiyuni played a trombone solo of “Take My Life and Let It Be.” A welcome followed, and then the choir sang “I Can Hear My Savior Calling.”

Before the message, Priscilla Kaifa sang in English and in Bemba “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say Come unto Me and Rest.” The subject of the teaching was “The Call of God” and the opening text was Isaiah 6:1-8, which was read in Chewa. The meeting closed with a good altar service.

On Saturday, the teaching began with an organ prelude of “Prevailing Prayer,” followed by the orchestra playing “A New Name Written Down in Glory” and the choir song “A Great Day Is Coming.” Our team provided the testimonies. Among these, Brother Onias told how he had a stroke as a college student and was paralyzed. He thought he would die, but in the hospital, he was given a Light of Hope publication and read it. The next morning as he lay waiting to be transported, he prayed, and the Lord saved and healed him! He immediately went to the church address noted on the publication, which was in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. There, he was encouraged to receive his deeper experiences, which he did.   

Brother Isaac gave the teaching on “The Great Tribulation.” He used Isaiah 26:20-21, Jeremiah 30:7, and Matthew 24:21 to introduce the subject as an event that will far exceed anything that has ever happened on earth. He covered what it is, when it will take place, how it will progress, and what to do to escape it. The main focus was on being ready for the Rapture of the Church. A good altar service followed.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a music concert highlighting different age groups. To begin, Sunday school children in the elementary grades sang five songs in various languages. Among these were an exuberant “God’s Love Is Like a Circle” in English and “Shangiliya,” or “Happy,” in Swahili. The Junior Department then provided complex orchestrations of “Masiti” and “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory,” as well as a lively choir number, “Chatter with the Angels,” and “Our God is an Awesome God.”

The young adult choir and then a Gospel worker’s group sang in English and several other languages. The songs included beautiful renditions of “Turn Your Radio On” and “Hosannah Kujulu,” or “Praise in Heaven.” The senior choir also contributed; among other songs was “We’ll Soon Be Done.” To close the concert, a grand combined choir sang “I Remember When the Sun Says Goodbye.” It was a wonderful time of praise and worship.  

The Sunday morning devotional service was attended by over 1200 and began with an organ prelude of “Blessed Hour of Prayer,” followed by a flute duet of “As the Deer.” Then the choir sang “Let Us Praise God.” The Scripture reading was taken from 2 Kings 6:1-7 and was read by Francis Chipoya.

The message was taken from 2 Kings 6:5 and brought out that Elisha encountered several problems during his ministry, but God provided a solution for each. Among the examples given, oil was multiplied to pay a widow’s debts, poisoned stew was made edible, bad water was made good, and a sunken ax head was made to float. The point was made that mankind’s greatest problem is sin, and God has provided the solution, which is the shed Blood of Jesus. There was a good response at the altar call and an earnest time of prayer followed.

We had a blessed time with the saints in Zambia during our short stay. As we left, several gathered outside the tabernacle waving and singing “God Be with You ‘til We Meet Again.”