Zambia, Africa
Key Partnership Information:
Partnership Ref.: ZAM13
Partner: OM Zambia
Commenced: 10/10/2004
Funding Status: Fully Funded
Partnership Type: Training / Education, Evangelism / Church Planting
Funding Size: $8,000 - $14,999
Annual Budget: US$ 13,200
Current Partnership Impact:
30 families are being assisted
30 church planters are being supported
Other Partnership Information:
No partnership video available yet
No funding currently required for partnership
OM Zambia is a missions training centre that is equipping potential missionaries and the churches that send them. It is particularly aimed at mobilising the African church for the task of missions. It is based at a strategic location and produces good quality graduates. Many of them have gone to very difficult places and are being supported from the funds we provide.
OM Zambia do the following training:
a) One-to-two-week short courses that include leadership, world perspectives, children's ministry, community health etc.
b) Two-month discipleship course
c) Three-month youth missions course
d) Teaching a skills-based English training course. (Many non-English speaking countries such as the DRC would like to access specialized missions training. As a result, they offer the English course, after which people can move over into the missions training.)
e) One-to-two-year missions training programmes
f) One-and-a-half-year missionary teachers training programme
g) Skills training (Designed to empower orphan children)
They are based about 5 km outside of Kabwe.
Countries they work in include Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Turkey, India, Tanzania, Chad, Malawi, Lake Tanganyika and bordering countries.
History Of Partnership
In 2001 some BHW team members were in Zambia and met the leaders of Pro Christo. They were about to shift to Kabwe and set up a training base. Over the next couple of years, we observed their progress and learnt more about them. We liked what we saw and in 2004 we started supporting their work.
Over the years the support has increased and diversified to include:
• Support of missionaries graduating from OM Zambia
• Subsidise the training at the centre in Kabwe
• Nakoli school (ZAM25)
• Pro Christo IM flats
• Pro Christo Maplehurst College
In 2009 Pro Christo and OM (Operation Mobilisation) partnered together to create OM Zambia. OM and Pro Christo have the same vision and have been able to establish a great partnership. With this partnership they are able to send their missionaries further and the connection with OM has meant they have broadened their infrastructure.
OM Zambia is an organisation that trains mainly African people to become missionaries in other parts of Africa and the world. About 50 students are trained each year and many of them go out into ministry and missions. Many of them are working in extremely difficult circumstances and very rural places. Their issues are compounded by the small amount of support from Zambian churches, though this is slowly increasing.
Beneficiaries
There are two types of beneficiaries, the missionaries out in the field and those who are studying at the training centre in Kabwe.
What We Like About The Partnership
There are a number of things:
- The clear vision of the organisation
- The high calibre of the staff and those who are produced by the organisation
- The unique, African perspective the leadership are able to bring to the training outcomes
- The holistic view of what Christian ministry looks like
- The accountability of the staff and the people out in the field
Relationship To Other Partnerships
Bright Hope World and Pro Christo/OM have a special relationship in Zambia. At the end of 2006, in the course of conversation it became evident that Pro Christo was struggling with space to grow and their rented facilities were not adequate. Discussions began and towards the middle of 2007 it was agreed that BHW would donate some land at Maplehurst Farm (ZAM21) for the development of a new training facility. The facility has now been completed, with a large hall, offices, training rooms and staff accommodation.
Leadership Team
Melvin and Veronica Chiombe
Position: OM Africa Associate Leader
Current involvement: Melvin serves in charge of the entire Africa area.
Passion: His passion is to see every tribe, language and tongue worship and glorify God.
Background: Melvin has studied theology, social work, management, discipleship and missions in the UK, Jamaica and Zambia. He has been in ministry for a long time, doing church planting and pastoral work in remote parts of Zambia.
Family: Veronica is an agriculturalist by profession but has also done management studies as well as psycho-social counselling. They have six children of whom two are adopted, Bertha, Marien, Bwalya, Natasha, Joshua and their youngest son Blessed. Melvin and his family have been with Pro Christo since its inception.
Dan and Ruth Bullock
Position: Director OM Zambia
Current involvement: Dan serves as Director of the organisation. He is involved with the co-ordination, administration, discipling, training and equipping of missionaries for pioneer work both inside and outside of Zambia.
Background: Dan and Ruth are from the UK and have been serving in Zambia since 2010. They have four children and one vulnerable dependant. Dan has background in building and church leadership from the UK and was a big part of completing the building of the new college.
Operation Mobilisation is a bible based ‘faith’ movement committed to world evangelism.
OM wants to challenge and train Christians to live and get engaged in cross cultural evangelism.
Christians are challenged to live a life of faith, love and prayer as set forth in scripture.
OM wants to express the compassion of Christ through material relief (in times of disaster) as well as in social involvement to the poor and needy.
OM wants to strengthen and help churches especially among the least reached.
BHW is not the only source of income for OM, and we would like to increase our level of financial support into the future.
Two student stories
Vuyo Maweni is from South Africa and is studying Missions at Pro Christo. She has a vision to return to South Africa to mobilise black African churches for missions and share what God is doing throughout the world. She heard about Pro Christo in South Africa and became a member. She is the only black African member in South Africa. For many years Vuyo prayed to be led to a place where she could serve God. She was hungry to serve but felt that first she needed equipping. It was very challenging since she was not a part of any church house group and struggled to find a church.
Vuyo sees that she has an important role to play informing and transforming church workers through discipleship and sending them to Pro Christo Zambia. She says that all may not be called to international missions, but all are called to be disciples. She feels that she understands what it is like to be a missionary and lack support financially and support from a church. She came to Pro Christo without a church behind her and feels very vulnerable but sees how God is teaching her what she needs to know through this experience so that she can positively help to wake up and mobilise churches.
The most significant thing that Vuyo has learnt this year is how to know God better. Since starting her course, she feels closer to Him. Being out of her comfort zone has helped her to see and hear God better. She also looks at Pro Christo as a place to network and build relationships which will strengthen missions across Africa.
“Being a black African woman is very difficult in this day and age especially when you are involved in churches. Many challenges come and there is much opposition,” she says. She is convinced that if it is from God then she will never fail, and her vision will come to pass.
Michael Mwale is a day scholar and the first member of his Bible Gospel Outreach Church Association to attend Pro Christo. He is a missions student who wants to go wherever God calls him outside of Zambia. He also has a passion to mobilise others from churches to reach out to their communities.
Michael has a wife (named) ‘Mwadala’ and five children, three boys and two girls the second and third of whom are twins. Before he came to Pro Christo he worked as a cashier at a Hotel in Lusaka and then a take-away manager in Kafue. He resigned to go to Bible College in Lusaka. When he had completed his course, he was sent to Kabwe to plant a church at ‘Landless Corner,’ about an hour north of Lusaka.
Since planting the church, he has felt a call to missions and has always had a passion for evangelism. A friend told him about Pro Christo and so he applied. Michael feels very blessed as when he applied to Pro Christo he did not have any money to pay. The day before school started Michael heard God say, ‘be still and know that I am God’. He went to Pro Christo to tell them his situation. When he got home someone he knew called and donated money for his fees. This course so far has been a journey of learning to depend on God and have faith in God.
Whilst he is studying Michael still pastors his Kabwe church. During the week his wife helps look after the ministry and he works full time in the weekend. Michael has been involved in marketplace ministry and has completed a course in psychology. It is a challenge for him to go to school as he is the oldest male in his family. This means he has a lot of added responsibility. He worries about taking care of them but says that so far- God has.
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