Mahatshula Baptist Church

The weekend of November 26-27, 2011 was a very special time in the life of Mahatshula Baptist Church. The celebration began on Saturday, the 26th, with a baptism service during which five young people were baptized. The ages of the candidates ranged from 11 up to 24.
When I arrived at the church before the service, a makeshift baptismal pool had been set up beside the church shelter, consisting of a circle of chicken wire with a large tarpaulin draped over it. Church members were still carrying water to fill the pool, so there was a bit of a delay until they had enough water to immerse the candidates. Then, things moved very quickly, since a small hole was discovered in the tarp, and all the baptisms had to be done before the water leaked out.



One of those being baptized was the oldest daughter of the pastor of the church. At the age of almost 12 years, P. made the commitment to follow Christ in baptism after her confession of faith earlier this year. How wonderful for Pastor to be able to baptize his own daughter, and as well as his nephew during this service.



Another young man, T., (pictured above) was baptized at the age of 22. Even though he was born into a Christian family, he found it difficult to find Christ. Submitting to peer pressure, he occasionally drank, watched ungodly videos, and fell into other temptations that he knew were wrong. When he became a Christian four years ago he says his biggest challenges were, “growing in his relationship with God, changing his mindset, forgiving those who have wronged him, and letting go of some of the stuff he knows God wants him to get rid of.” Pray for T. and other Christian young adults in Zimbabwe as they seek to overcome peer pressure and grow daily in their walk with God.

One other young man, and a teenage girl rounded out the candidates for baptism that day. The Sunday morning service the next day was a time of thanksgiving and celebration for the entire church. We heard reports from the various ministries of the church, from the ladies’ Bible study group to the youth, worshiped with songs and prayers of thanksgiving, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and hearing a message from the Word from a guest preacher.

After the service, the ladies of the church laid out a feast to end all feasts to bring to a climax our weekend of celebration. Wonderful food and fellowship was enjoyed by all. And oh, so much food! Out of their meager stores, these ladies went all out to share with the church the very best of what they had.

Please pray for Mahatshula Baptist Church as they reach out to the community around them. Pray especially for these new believers who were baptized during this weekend of thanksgiving and celebration. Pray that they will be a light shining in the darkness in their community, and that they will share boldly the Savior that they have accepted as Lord of their lives.