African Christian College alumnus Collence Chikuni (2003) sent the following update earlier this month along with some words of encouragement from reading the recent stories from our first year students. Collence graduated ten years ago and is still ministering in the area of Livingstone in Zambia with his family.
We love to share the stories and updates from our alumni as a further testament to how God is using them for great works throughout Africa. Enjoy this news from Collence…
This is basically a newsletter to let you know what the almighty God is doing in Zambia.
Ngwenya Church
I’m happy to inform you that the Church is doing fine. We have an average attendance of 160 on Sunday services. For the last few months, we had 8 new converts who were baptized in Christ Jesus.
We had other members who were restored back to Jesus.
We also have evening prayers every day at the Church building from 19 to 20:00hrs. This is where we pray for various issues affecting the Church, the community and the world at large.
Nagome Conference
We have a very successful conference in Nyawa rural about 150 km from Livingstone town. The conference was held from 14-18 August 2013. The attendance was 724 from 18 different rural congregations.
Baptisms: we had 17 new converts who were baptized and 44 were restored back to Christ after they had backslidden.
We had a number of counselling sessions where various issues affecting people were dealt with of which the major one was marital problems. We thank God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to deal such problems.
Indeed it was a productive conference.
Prison Ministry
The prison ministry is doing fine. We conduct the Church services every Sunday from 11:30 -13:00hrs. The average attendance is 30 inmates. We also conduct Bible studies on Thursdays at 14:30 – 15:30hrs.
I’m happy to inform you that by the power of God, the new door has finally opened. We have applied to the prison authorities to allow us to conduct a public preaching to all the prisoners. The permission was granted. We were given the chance to preach on every second week of every month. We started on the second week of August and I was tasked to preach on second week of this month. The topic was “Freedom and its Consequences” based from Genesis 2:15-18, Genesis 3:1-19.
I would like to thank God for his active word and all your prayers making all this to happen.
Hospital Visitations
This programme is aimed to give sick people hope in Jesus Christ. Few sick people have hope but the duty of Christians is to uplift the hope of the hopeless and assure them that despite their condition, God loves. What they need from us is our availability by their bed side.
O God, if I see someone having trouble, help me to stop instead of walking by. Help me to feel his troubles as if it were my own.
Tell me what to say or do to make it right and to feel love for him in his trouble, when he most needs love.
Conclusion
May I take this opportunity to thank you for reading this newsletter. There are challenges we are facing in this world both physically and spiritually. It is always wonderful to know that whatever happens, we have our mediator Jesus who has invited us in order to lift our burden Matthew 11:28-30.
The prisoners are lacking Bibles and hymn books for they like singing.
Thanks to all who are praying for God’s work to continue and all the contributions you are putting to support God’s ministries. May you please continue to offer your prayers and the support for your work is not going unnoticed by God.
We are arranging to start evening services to accommodate those who work on Sunday morning. Please remember this in your prayers.
Family News
My family is doing fine. The boys are reporting back to school tomorrow after a month’s rest.
We will be having our 13th anniversary today 09.09.13. We always thank God who have brought us together this far. Thank you also for the support you have given to my family. Thank God for knowing you all.
May God richly bless you and all your dear families and friends.
In Christ,
Evangelist Collence Chikuni
Southreach Ministry; Livingstone, Zambia