Jubilee Centre

JC November – December 2009 Newsletter

Jubilee Centre December 26th, 2009

Serving the Church with God Given Vision

Brighton Siyanyiza serves as the Pastor of Apostolic Faith and Acts Church. Previously he only saw the spiritual needs of the people of George Complex. But since he came into the network Pastor Brighton has come to see other needs as well: HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation, roads, education, poverty, orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), and Child headed homes (CHH) are needs that are a concern to God, too. He now sees the church role in the community as preaching and demonstrating the gospel.

“The last four months has been revolutionary for me,” said Pastor Brighton, “First I attended the three days workshop organised by Jubilee Centre through its partners Willow Creek Church (WCC), on the doctrine of the local church.” He was one of the 184 church leaders drawn from Ndola, Chibuluma and Lusaka who attended the workshop. This helped him appreciate the importance of having a God given vision, how to write it clearly and how to implement the vision with faithfulness and fruitfulness. Previously, I used to say “my vision for the church.” This has changed, “now I say God’s vision for the church.” Pastor Brighton says that the workshop assisted him to come up with a ministry team without experiencing any insecurity that he used to have before attending the training. “Before this workshop, I was the chief apostle, the bishop, the senior pastor and the prophet. Now I am building a ministry team and I am encouraging members to be open about their gifts that we become a church where all people participate.” He said.

In November Pastor Brighton attended the Global Leadership Summit in Lusaka with the support of Ridgepoint Community Church. At the Summit he was provoked to look at things that make him discontent. Pastor Brighton saw many things that made him restless in his community and realised that he had to do something. He went back to his community and shared his burden with 27 churches in the network. The network identified needs that urgently required attention of the government. The network wrote the needs and presented them to the pastors’ fellowship in George Complex. The pastors have accepted that they engage the government to help them address the issues of drainage system, water reticulation and roads maintenance.

“I have lived and led a church in this community for a long time and I did not know the disgrace of George Complex ruins,” says Pastor Brighton. Since March 2007, God has furnished me with the vision to build a church that has a concern for the people of George. Through the Jubilee Centre leadership trainings; I have been helped on how to communicate this vision not only to my church, but also to other pastors and to community leaders. Most excitingly my church has experienced membership growth to 250 from the previous 170 in the past 4 months. To God be the glory.

Photo: Pastor Siyanyiza Brighton of Apostolic Faith and Acts Church displays his hardware shop products through the grant he got.

In the meantime; Pastor Brighton is also one of the twenty pastors in Chibuluma, Mapalo, George and Chifubu who received a pastoral family grant to help them start or grow their tent-making business. “I used to spend a lot of time praying for my needs. Nowadays, I am spending quality time praying for the church needs because my daily needs are being met through the business I am doing”, said Pastor Brighton reflectively.

Pastors and Youth Leaders Receive Psychosocial Counseling Training at Kara

Four pastors and four youth leaders from the network churches in the four communities (Mapalo, Chifubu, Chibuluma and George) were sponsored to attend psychosocial counseling training at Kara in the capital, Lusaka. They have since completed and are putting into practice what they learnt. All the eight have been stationed at various clinics and hospitals within their communities. Pastor Joyce Chanda said that as a local church they were not aware of the depth of psychological and emotional impact on those infected by HIV and AIDS and their family members. But working voluntarily at Arthur Davison Hospital and after counseling over 50 people in a month, her spiritual eyes have been opened up. She recaps with these words, “People living with HIV and AIDS are desperate and desperate people do reckless things.” She said that as Christian trained counselors, we are to give hope in Christ as we care and help both infected and affected clients to acknowledge their situation, confess their sin and invite them to begin a new life in Christ. Just in the month of November, three of us have counseled 200 people infected with HIV and AIDS and have also led 30 of them to the Lord.”

Photo: Pastor Joyce with posing for a photo

Pastor Pepuzani testified that the hospital administration has seen an increase in the number of people seeking counsel since we had been attached to the hospital. “This is a testimony that there is need for the church to provide leadership in the fight against HIV and AIDS. I just want to say thank you to Jubilee Centre on how it is helping me and other leaders in 94 churches in the network on how to create a whole-life disciple-making culture in our local churches”, concluded Pastor Pepuzani.

So far 19 church and youth leaders have been trained at Kara through the sponsorship of Jubilee Centre and Willow Creek Church partnership. The training has opened more opportunities to express in a visible way the presence of the kingdom in the communities in which the network churches are found. Amina Phiri a youth leader at New Hope after finishing the psychosocial training wrote a letter of thanks to Jubilee Centre. “I am grateful for the training I got at Kara Counseling. I am volunteering at Pamodzi clinic to help my fellow youth to live a pure life.”

The Youth have a Mission

The youth from the 27 churches in George complex have teamed up and volunteered to start a business in which they are making sausages and rearing chickens. Their goal is to replicate the project in each of the partner churches and to deserving youth for further studies. “Our mission is to provide a set of core values for the youth that will guide their business dealings”, stated Edgar Chanda - the Youth Chairperson for the network youth ministry.

In Mapalo 78 youth from 15 churches took social responsibility by cleaning the drainage systems in the community for the purpose of reducing water born diseases and life threatening flooding. “Many houses are washed away and we face a lot of incidents of malaria because of lack of proper drainage system in our community”, said Jonathan - the youth coordinator for the church network. Many people passing by couldn’t believe that the youth were doing this for no pay whatsoever. One man told Jonathan, “There is no way I can do this kind of hard work for free.” Jonathan responded, “Neither, can I. But because of Jesus’ love for me, the children and families who will get affected if I do not do anything about it, I am compelled to do something about it”

Above Photo: Youths in Mapalo cleaning the drainages in the community

The Future is Bright for Elizabeth Phiri

The future is bright for Elizabeth Phiri who is one of 130 children being sponsored with $25 per month. A few years ago she had no hope of completing high school because of lack of resources to meet her educational needs. When help came three years ago; Elizabeth knew that it was the God of wonders and miracles who had done that. Elizabeth who is a key youth member at Apostolic Church of Pentecostal completed grade 12 this month. Her goal is to become a nurse. In addition to the monthly $25 she receives, she is doing part time jobs to raise funds in anticipation. Elizabeth told Martha Temfwe reflectively, “I am very grateful for the support that has helped me finish my high school education. With such an input, am empowered for life”.

Photo: Loveness Sakala at her home

Loveness Sakala who is another beneficiary also a got the highest marks at grade nine exams at her school. “With the help I receive I am no longer struggling for fees, food, shoes and uniforms. I find it a lot easier to pursue my education,” she said. Her grandmother who is her guardian as she is an orphan is often testifying to the goodness of God. Grace the pastor to Loveness stated that Loveness is a dedicated Christian who is engaged in all the activities in youth ministry.

Feed The Children

Eight churches have teamed up together to feed children who are on TB and HIV and AIDS treatment and those who are malnourished. Currently over 250 children are fed Monday to Friday in Chifubu and 50 are fed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in Kawama. Most of the children that are orphans and vulnerable are identified and recommended by the local clinics when they go for treatment. Guardians to the children bring them to the two feeding centres (Chifubu and Kawama). Because of high poverty levels some Guardians share meals with the children. As children gain weight, they are weaned from the feeding program and other children. Guardians have been receiving training in child care and how to prepare balanced diet for children. Challenges for guardians continue to be economic sustainability on how to provide for their extended children.

Insert Photo: Children eating at feeding program in Kawama

The women who cook for the children all come from different churches. They all volunteer at different days of the week. They have been taught on the hygiene, nutrition and have been given a week food rotation program that every volunteer follows.

A bole-hole has also been sunk at New Hope Christian Centre where the children are fed. This is because there has been a shortage of water in Chifubu for the past twenty years. At Kawama the church has been helped to connect to the water company so that it can provide adequate domestic water for the program

Samfya Pastors Receive Training

Pastor Lawrence Temfwe and Mr. John Sakala were the featured speakers at a two days workshop held at Assemblies of God. Twenty pastors attended the workshop where they were challenged to the ministry of restoring people back to God spiritually, relationally and socially. At the end of the workshop the pastors requested pastor Temfwe not to forget them in the training program for church leaders that Jubilee Centre (JC) conducts.

Photo: Mr. Sakala Jubilee Centre’s Board Member and Finance Committee Chairman facilitating in Samfya

JC Prayer Requests:

· Praise God for partnership between Habitat for Humanity and JC that Centre that will result in building houses for Child Headed Homes.

· Praise God for the partnership with Living Water Mission that will enable us put Domestic Water Treatment System in six locations.

· Pray for the peace of Zambia as we go through the ‘credit crunch’

· Pray for deepened faith for Jubilee Centre (JC) staff as the world goes through economic recession.

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