Chik-Fil-A Winshape Leadership Workshop

As the wind began to blow in the first of the clouds of this year’s rainy season across central Zimbabwe, the Holy Spirit also began to blow in a Spirit of renewal of hearts and vision among the leadership of the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe.



The Chik-Fil-A Winshape Team made up of Jeff Rouse, Clarence Taylor, and Russ Sarratt shared the basic principles of leadership.



They used games and activities to help get their main points across.



At first some of the folks were a bit perplexed by the games, but it didn’t take them long to get tied up in knots and then work their way out of those knots using teamwork.



After each game, lively discussions were held and it was exciting to see the understanding of the convention leaders. It was also thrilling to hear them voice what they had learned and the things they want to apply as leaders in their personal lives, their local ministries, and in the Convention as a whole.



Dr. Stan May from Mid-America Seminary challenged the leaders to work on a new, more culturally appropriate, yet biblical model for doing the work of the Baptist Convention. He also challenged each pastor to work to mentor and develop leaders within their churches for future generations.

Pastor Bobby Welch, representing the SBC in the U.S. came to bring greetings and words of encouragement to the Zimbabwe Baptist Convention leaders. He challenged them to keep evangelism as the number one priority in each church and association. He said only then could evangelism truly be a Convention wide priority.

Please pray that the pastors will seek to develop other leaders within their churches.

Pray also that churches within associations will be willing to work together to reach the lost.

Pray that church members will be challenged to tithe, and that churches will better support financially the work of the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe so that it may become self-sufficient, no longer depending on outside funds.

Dr. Stan May visits Zimbabwe

Recently Dr. Stan May from Mid-America Seminary came for a visit in Zimbabwe. We asked him to write a blog about his time here:

“What a joy to return to Zimbabwe! We had lived here from 1989-95 and worked among the AmaNdebele people. I was privileged to return several times, but I had not returned for several years. I came at the invitation of the IMB to consult with the Seminary as they seek to move forward to train pastors and church leaders. During my time I preached at the Seminary and presented them with a computer and some new commentaries for their library.



I also preached at the Theological College of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and spent a day there renewing acquaintances.



Two highlights of my time were preaching with my friend and former student Mehluli Dube in Kwekwe (he started this church with 4 families 16 months ago and now has 22 families worshiping) and preaching to a church started by Gregg Fort among the AmaNdebele in Mberengwa.



It was a joy to preach again in iSiNdebele. We also gave out exercise books to the students after I had the honor of sharing my testimony in iSiNdebele to them.”



Of course it would not seem like a trip to Africa without spending some time in the bush and viewing an African sunset!



Submitted by Dr. Stan May

Grand Slam

For those who love baseball there is nothing more exciting than watching your favorite team hit a Grand Slam.
This July 31st until August 10th a Partnering Team from Conyers, Georgia came to Zimbabwe as part of the Great Sanyati Makeover Project. The equivalent of a grand slam was accomplished as they worked with IMB missionaries, local volunteers, and even the WMU from a nearby Baptist Church. The Great Sanyati Makeover Project seeks, over the next five years, to upgrade the hospital facilities that have not been maintained or replaced with newer equipment for more than 25 years. Partly as a result of the devastating financial crisis experienced in Zimbabwe for a number of years. In partnership with Baptist Global Response, The Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe and other Baptist entities, not only will the hospital facilities be upgraded, but local churches strengthened and encouraged.



The Partnering Team included Jan and Jeff Ross, Dennis McClendon, Ryan Sifford, Marilyn Perkins and Janice Fordham. They were joined by Barry and Marleen Robinson. Meeting the team in Sanyati, and having pre-planned the coming week’s hospital makeover schedule, was Don Smith. Waiting to work with us on the hospital were three or four local volunteers. Amai Dhliwayo , Amai Alice, and the hospital Chaplain were on board as ministry translators. Later in the week, the WMU ladies from Lozane Baptist Church came and joined us as we worked on the hospital.



The first hit, filling first base, was the Hospital Makeover renovation itself. Having been hammered by over 10 years of historic economic chaos, the facilities of the hospital are tattered and worn. The roof leaks and the termites have decimated the wood in the buildings, in some places all the way to the roof peaks. The first order of business is to replace the entire roof and begin the process of installing the new solar array that will give light to the hallways, delivery room, and surgery.
With a will to work, and the experience of construction and engineering under the belts of several of the team members, the old roof was torn away and termite devastated headers and rafters were replaced. With amazing speed and determined toil the new roofing sheets began to be hoisted into place.
By the end of the week the amount of roof replaced more than doubled what had already been done. The entire administrative building, pharmacy, two corridors and a breezeway were now dried in.



The second solid hit, advancing a man to second and keeping first base full, was the Medical portion of this team’s abilities. Some months ago a new sonogram machine had been donated to the hospital. Jan Ross, a sonographer from Conyers, used each day to do numerous sonograms on expectant ladies. In between she sharpened Dr. Mark Byler’s skills on that particular machine. It was a week of joy and as well sadness as the ladies saw even before giving birth, God’s wonders living inside them. Later in the week, one of the ladies who was very sick had a sonogram. At that time she had a living child. A few days later the child was stillborn. In the end she too died. Whether the news of the sonogram was joyful, or the ending saddening, each time was an opportunity to share how Christ could have meaning in their lives.



Filling the bases is the Ministry portion of the team’s time together. Each day was filled with numerous types of ministry. Every morning (except on the two holiday days) part of the team attended and brought devotions to the chapel. Daily they visited patients who had been admitted to the hospital to share words of encouragement and pray with them.
The hospital contains two villages called “Matumbas” (meaning “Shelters” and for these women it is like a “ home away from home”.) where expectant ladies wait for a month or two for their delivery. Four of the days the ladies of the team went to the Matumbas and storied several bible stories and used Creation to Christ to share the plan of salvation with them. On several days the ladies also moved from hut to hut sharing the message of Salvation using Creation to Christ. There were life changing decisions made during these times.
On Saturday, while part of the team continued work on the roof, the ladies and Barry went to Gambiza Baptist Church. Jan Ross led a session on biblical leadership, after which Barry and Marleen led a session on husband/wife relationships from Ephesians Chapter 5.
Sunday the entire group again attended Gambiza Church. Jeff Ross taught the adult Sunday School Class using the storying method. The story of the Prodigal Son was the story used. The ladies were asked to teach the children’s class. After Sunday School, Barry brought the morning message.
On Monday and Tuesday several of the men accompanied the ladies to minister to children. A Little Helpers (our equivalent of Mission Friends) Club had been arranged at a local church, and a similar ministry opportunity at the Community
Center.



Driving in the loaded bases resulting in the Grand Slam was the outcome of the week of ministry. Throughout the week numerous hospital patients were encouraged and had the love of Christ shared with them in word and deed. After the days in the Matumbas, and the Sunday Services there were 22 who had given their lives to Christ.
With the highly successful Makeover work, the positive medical and the life changing Ministry, the week was truly a Grand Slam!

MK Returns Home for the Summer

One of the blessings of being employed by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention is that after a missionary kid returns to the U.S. to begin his adult life (most attend university, but not all) the IMB pays for them to have one return trip “home”. This summer (winter in Zimbabwe), Jason Fort has been home with his parents Gregg and Donna Fort.

“It has been great to be able to relate to Jason as a young adult,” says Donna Fort. “What a privilege to hear first hand how God has been at work in his life and to see the maturity he has attained in various aspects of his life. Communicating with a college man through e-mail is not always informative! But living with someone day in and day out you are able to catch up and hear about experiences that were never mentioned in an e-mail or on facebook.”



One of the things Jason has really enjoyed while at home has been working with Gregg to fix up an old land rover. Not only has he had fun doing it, but he is also learning skills that will come in handy when working with any vehicle.

Jason has also enjoyed having more time to spend studying God’s Word and reading inspirational books.

Shopping has turned out to be another fun activity for Jason as he has purchased a number of items he can’t get in the U.S. to take home with him! That’s a switch. Usually his parents are buying things in the U.S. to bring to Zimbabwe they can’t get!



The Forts have also done a little traveling to see and do some great things in Zimbabwe. A few days on the Zambezi River with our Zimbabwe team was a fun experience even though the river was at flood stage and the fishing was lousy, we still got to see a full lunar eclipse and that was a first for us all.



Jason had several other opportunities to catch up on some hunting and fishing experiences including one with his Dad and Uncle Gordon. Of course all that hunting meant we had a "butcher shop" on our back porch as the guys made biltong (beef jerky), steaks, roasts, and hamburger meat!



Donna and Jason visited team member Ramona Beam in Bulawayo and took her to see Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage which is an unusual place to visit. They take care of “orphaned” antelope, lions and other large cats, monkeys, and baboons and birds – mostly owls and eagles. They even had a few crocodiles! There is an “animal hospital” there as well where hurt or sick wild animals can be brought to heal and then are released back into the wild.

For Jason’s birthday the Forts traveled to Victoria Falls to celebrate. They went to the Boma to eat game meat and see traditional dancers. Jason also wanted to experience “high tea” on the verandah of the famous Victoria Falls Hotel.

Mberengwa Youth Camp August 2011

The Mberengwa Insiza Baptist Association was formed Easter Sunday of this year in the Mberengwa area of Zimbabwe, with eight churches making up the association. In June, another church was planted in the area. August 12-14, 2011 marked the first ever youth camp for the Mberengwa Insiza Baptist Association. There were 54 youth who attended the camp, held at Sharuo Primary School. The youth arrived all during the afternoon on Friday, some walking from as far away as 10-12 kilometers to attend the camp.



After an evening meal, and an initial welcome session and praise service, the youth found places to sleep in the classrooms at the school, girls in one classroom, boys in another. Early the next morning, some of the local ladies provided breakfast for the youth.



A goat had been slaughtered the day before as the youth were arriving, so for breakfast there was an ample supply of sadza, as well as a relish made from cooked cabbage, tomatoes, and onions, and, of course, the goat. Sadza is a staple in the Zimbabwean diet, consisting of mealie meal (similar to corn meal) cooked into a thick paste about the consistency of mashed potatoes. The camp sessions began after breakfast with Bible study times during the morning.



I(Ramona Beam)was privileged to be one of the speakers, and had the opportunity to share the True Love Waits abstinence program for youth with this group. Of those hearing TLW for the first time, 25 youth signed commitment cards to remain sexually pure until marriage. It was so heartening to watch as they came to me all during the afternoon, saying they wanted to sign the cards. Fifty youth had previously signed commitment cards, when TLW was presented during the Easter Conference earlier this year. Some of those youth were also in attendance at the youth camp. Please pray that all of these young people will be strong in the face of the many pressures that life brings here. There is so much temptation for youth to become sexually active, both from peer pressure, and sometimes even from older family members. Pray for protection from these things for these youth.



After lunch, also provided by the local ladies, the afternoon was a time for fun and games during the recreation time. The youth enjoyed games of soccer, netball, and others. For youth in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, times of carefree recreation such as this are rare, so they were enjoyed by all. Supper was served after a time of relaxation and personal time, then everyone gathered together for the evening service, which began around 7:00pm.



The service included an extended time of worship and praise, and oh, how these kids love to sing. And dance! To hear them singing praises to God at the top of their voices, and to see their energetic dancing as part of that praise, was just awesome. I must admit, I even gave it a try myself. They just kept singing; it just went on and on, and it seemed they never got tired. A message was brought by Pastor Willie Green, who is the youth coordinator for the association, and afterwards we went into an extended time of prayer, followed by more worship. Before we knew it, it was almost 11:00pm, and they were still singing!

Worship Workshop

“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Eph. 3:20

The above verse from Ephesians describes how I believe God answered your prayers about the music workshop held last weekend at Central Baptist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe. Any time we are led to do something for Him, Satan always tries to get in the way. Sure enough, his attack was to the sound system amplifier on Thursday evening before the workshop was to begin on Friday evening. Friday morning the amplifier was taken in to be repaired and by Friday afternoon it was in place ready to go. God is so good!

The workshop was led by our nephew, Bo Coburn, and his wife, Hailey. Bo is a minister of music at Trinity Baptist Church in St. Charles, LA. The workshop was attended by music teams from about six churches including Central Baptist with about 70 participants. Bo taught us the Aspects of Worship that God has been teaching him as we met on Friday evening and the first part of Saturday morning.



Then he and Hailey took turns leading in practical sessions, too, such as Aspects of Planning a Service; Aspects of a Good Rehearsal and Aspects of an Effective Music Team Leader. One of the most beneficial and fun sessions was when Bo worked with the men and Hailey worked with the women on basic vocal techniques and warm-ups. They also allowed plenty of time for questions and God led them to give excellent answers.



At noon the workshop concluded for the other churches. After a light lunch our praise and worship team had the opportunity to rehearse for Sunday morning service and the praise service on Sunday night. This was one of the highlights of the workshop for our team. They had practiced very hard on the songs Bo asked them to learn ahead of time and he and Hailey were able to teach them a lot about how to rehearse effectively and make songs come alive. The culmination of the workshop was the praise service on Sunday night.



At first folks dribbled in, but the sanctuary was eventually packed out. It was a powerful time of worship and God was glorified in that service. It was wonderful to hear the improvements in our music team and to worship God together in singing, scripture reading and a short devotional. Our church enjoyed the service so much that they have expressed a desire to have another evening like that soon! To God alone be the glory!!

Please pray that those who attended will put to use what they learned and especially that they will realize that our worship is to be a lifestyle, not just singing a few songs on Sunday mornings.

On Monday we took Bo and Hailey to a couple of game parks and stayed overnight at one called Antelope Park. God delighted us with His creation! As we drove through Lake Chivero Game Park we saw ostriches, different antelope, zebras, and two rhinos! At Antelope Park, Bo and Hailey walked with lions, petted lion cubs and got to be a part of elephant training. They loved the interaction with the animals!

This workshop went so well, we are hoping Bo and Hailey can come again in the future to lead another worship workshop in another city in Zimbabwe.

Submitted by
Marleen and Barry Robinson
Zimbabwe Evangelism Team Members

Zimbabwe Volunteer Testimonies

Recently, a volunteer team from Lifepoint Baptist Church in Senatobia, Mississippi returned to Zimbabwe. This church has been sending out teams annually to Zimbabwe for more than 10 years. Team leader Jay Adkins always does an excellent job of preparing his team members to witness, to lead people to a personal faith in Christ, and to help the new Christians understand how to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This group, under the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit has helped start at least 6 churches in Zimbabwe.



Just before the team left Zimbabwe we had a chance to sit down and talk with a few of them about their experience here in Zimbabwe. Jay told us, “Every time I get ready to come to Zimbabwe, I just don’t think it can get better – But it does! This time was very special because the last night we were at Mberengwa the people we came to minister to prepared a special meal to thank us for coming.”

Jeff Underwood, who came for the fourth time to Zimbabwe told us, “Each time the ministry opportunities are greater and greater. Ministry is really different here too. It is amazing that 6-7 foreigners can just show up in a village and they are welcomed with amazing hospitality. I’m not sure that if 6-7 strangers showed up at my house that I would be so open, so welcoming and so excited to see them.”
Jeff is a teacher in the U.S. and his passion for ministering to children extends to the kids in Zimbabwe. He had great fun playing with them and spending time getting to know some of the school children while at Mberengwa.



Josh Webb is on his first trip to Zimbabwe. He shared with us that when he was saved a year ago God gave him a global view of Christianity. “God put on my heart to be involved in missions. Even though I don’t know exactly what that will mean for my life, this trip has really confirmed God’s calling in my life. I have a heart to serve God and would appreciate your prayers for an open door for the future.” Josh mentioned that one of the highlights of the trip was working alongside Willie Green. (Willie is pictured here with Team Leader Jay Adkins.)



On his second mission trip to Zimbabwe, Jordan Jones, a quiet young man says that both trips have helped him open up to people. On the first trip he was not talkative at all, but felt convicted of his fear of sharing the gospel with people. This time he was able to share the gospel to a number of people. “God has really convicted me,” says Jordan, about what I do with the time God gives me. I have to ask myself if I am I just giving some and not all to God.” Jordan said sharing the gospel with school children was one of the highlights of his trip. “The kids I’ve met here expressed so much joy in having us here. I learned that about 50% of the kids are orphans. While sharing the gospel with them, they were really listening to what Jesus wants to do for them. It really bothers me that so many children have no one to show them the right way.”



John Loftiss a recent high school graduate commented that while here he realized that
“living in U.S. I don’t have to live out my faith. Everything is given to me. Life comes easy. But here in Zimbabwe I’m learning to trust God more.” At Mberengwa John developed a friendship with a young man named Clement . John tells that, “Clement’s father died last year and he was struggling with that. During the hut to hut ministry I got to meet him and his family and witness to them. He promised to come to the showing of the Jesus film that night. He wanted to know more. At the end of the film he promised to come to the discipleship time the next day. He came hungry to know more. Vance and I sat with him after the discipleship class and shared some more Bible stories with him. We talked about the story of Job, how he lost everything, but still refused to curse God. We tried to help him understand that life doesn’t always make sense but God is using our circumstances for our benefit. It was so exciting when he accepted Christ.”

This was Stephanie Ward’s third opportunity to come to Zimbabwe. She says she was amazed that this rural area seemed more affluent in comparison to the other rural areas we’ve been too in the past. Stephanie shared, “We went to one hut on the second day and shared the gospel with the family then they walked with us as we left. One of the girls spoke English and she asked me if I would give her something. I told her I didn’t bring you a thing – I just want to give you Jesus. She walked with me to her grand-parents hut as well she listened again as we shared the gospel with them. I pray that this girl will one day receive Christ.”



Ruby Coston came for the first time on this trip to Zimbabwe. She told us, “God has really showed me on this trip how ungrateful I am. I saw schools where there weren’t enough desks or books to go around. I saw the great percentage of orphans in these schools. It made me realize how I should be grateful that God has given me a family and stable home. It broke my heart. I always want to buy the next new thing. These kids have nothing. It has really opened my eyes.”

When asked what she will do differently as a result of this realization she said, “I want to act out my gratitude at home and in my community. I hope it will change the way I think about spending money on things.”

Paul McGeehee told us this is his fourth trip to Zimbabwe. He says, “God keeps bringing me here. The ministry opportunities here are incredible. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been able to help plant a churches each time I have been here. It is great to have so many opportunities to share the gospel. As much as we have been blessed it grieved my heart when people claimed to know Jesus, but from listening to their testimonies it was obvious they knew about Christ but had no relationship to him. During this trip we have planted the true seed of God’s Word and we have seen a little bit of fruit. We trust and pray that He will provide the increase in His time and in His way.

Jennifer Adkins, wife of team leader Jay shared her excitement of being able to share the gospel at one hut and having four of the six adults there pray to receive Christ. She tells, “One of the young women we witnessed to, Lucy, was very embarrassed to have visitors in her home when she was dressed in her work clothes and was all dirty from working. She did not feel this was an acceptable way to receive us as honored guests. One evening Lucy walked all the way from her village to where we were camped. She had washed and dressed in her best clothes to come spend time with us and hear more about Jesus.”