Njube (Visited 24/11/19)

My last visit to Njube was back in 2011, when I had the joy of preaching at a united service hosted by the Njube congregation. It was therefore exciting to be going back.

When we got to Njube, they were towards the end of a Bible Study session, which then led into the service. The service itself started about 11.15, and lasted, somewhat surprisingly, just an hour.  However, it had the enthusiasm and ‘life’ that I remember from my previous visit, probably eight years ago. The service was led by Revd Moyo, the Interim Moderator.

They now have a screen installed which was used to project notices, including a welcome to Revd. Lydia Neshangwe, Presbytery Clerk, and myself, despite the fact that they only knew we were coming this morning, some of the hymns and the readings. This last was good because the projected version of the readings was in English, though they were actually read in Ndebele. Near the beginning Lydia was asked to bring greetings and I followed. I was able to express my appreciation of the welcome and of the obvious unity which we share in Christ. I was glad to bring greetings from the Synod and especially from the church at Maldon, with whom they are twinned. It was a particular joy to be able to bring a monetary gift from Maldon as one of their members had asked me to bring a generous donation. It translated to US$625, which I had put in an envelope. I had agreed with Lydia to present this at the service, and in front of everyone, but not to mention to the amount.

I presented the envelope to the session clerk, who opened the envelope and had the congregation count the money as he pulled out each note and handed it on to someone else. So, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 - and 20 and 5. This was met with great enthusiasm, applause and ‘whooping’. They asked me to pass on their warm thanks and express their appreciation of the twinning relationship.

The rest of the service included the children singing a number of songs, several in English, and reciting memory verses, which was also in English. The choir sang, alongside the mix of hymns, prayers and a powerful sermon, on the theme of thankfulness. Revd. Moyo used both languages, but enough English for me to have a good understanding of what was being said. As usual, we all brought our offerings forward at the appropriate time and at the end, Revd. Moyo and I, and then Lydia went first to the door and everyone followed shaking hands with everyone else, so each person joining the line until we were all in a great circle, in the Zimbabwean/African style and with the choir leading enthusiastic singing as it all proceeded. We then exchanged further greetings and departed. It was good to have been there.

Mbereshi (29 Nov - 2 Dec)

Mbereshi is a long way from Lusaka, almost six hundred miles. It would be quicker and shorter to cut through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but that would mean leaving the country and re-entering, which was not feasible.

Driver Moses and I left Lusaka at 6.40 am, arriving in Mbereshi at 7.10 pm, with very little stopping en route. When we arrived we were greeted by Alison, torch in hand, as the power was out, part of Zambia’s programme of ‘load shedding’, and leading to considerable interest in solar power and its possibilities. The United Church of Zambia (UCZ) is currently trying to broker a deal that would bring solar farms to a number of communities around the country where they have schools. Alison does not have running water in her house at all. Despite that I had a ‘bucket shower’ with hot water almost immediately.

Alison is the headteacher of Mabel Shaw Girls’ Secondary School. She is a mission partner from the United Reformed Church who has served in Zambia since 1997. Before that she served in the Solomon Isles, and then in Tuvalu, from 1985 to 1987. A trained teacher, her work has always been in schools, but she has been a well respected and experienced headteacher within UCZ schools for a considerable period now.

When I last visited Zambia, and Alison, in December 2017, she was headteacher at the UCZ school at Mwenzo, near to the town of Nakonde, which is situated on the border with Tanzania. Alison had expected to remain at Mwenzo until retirement but, just as she was leaving Zambia to come to the UK on furlough leave was informed that the church wanted her to relocate to Mbereshi as those responsible for such things felt that the school there needed some new leadership and that Alison was the right person to provide this. Initially she was concerned about this request, and so it was good to see that she has settled in so well and feels that she is definitely in the right place.

In the end, despite returning to Zambia in early February, she did not move to Mbereshi until late April. Initially, she had to overcome a range of difficulties but, with good support, especially from her deputy and the local minister, she has settled in well and got on well with addressing the school’s problems, including exam cheating, pregnancies and the catering. I discovered that the girls are often given ‘just cabbage’ to eat. It is supposed to be enhanced by cooking oil and relish, this latter possibly being bits of chicken or fish, though one of the ways the cooks can enhance their income is to fail to add these elements. Of course, key among the problems with which the school struggles are the problems with electricity and water supplies, especially the latter. A large community of girls (around 500 girls, all boarders) really needs significant supplies of water. Water is therefore a major problem and has to be managed carefully. She would like to have a borehole on site.  Load shedding is obviously another problem, and she is very interested in a scheme for solar farms which is being worked on in combination with somebody from the UK.  Mabel Shaw is earmarked as one of the possible sites.

For me, it was particularly interesting to visit Mbereshi as it was originally a mission station of the London Missionary Society, founded by the society in 1900. As well as the school and the church, there is a hospital and, in times past, it was quite an extensive community, with paved roads and street lighting, neither of which survive, apart from the occasional indication of what was once a paved road.

The school is a complex of single storey buildings on a large site. It includes classrooms, dormitories and ancillary buildings. The school is better equipped than was the case at Mwenzo. For instance, there are three science labs, against one, and better equipment. There is a covered area (thatched) somewhere around the centre which tends to get used as a sort of staff room. The library has very few books, and so is currently being used to store Alison’s excess possessions, ready for when she can occupy the head’s house, which is still not available to her. I also saw the kitchens where there are big boiling pots, and the outside kitchen, complete with fire, for when the power is down. 

There is a small cultivated area and they are looking to develop the area under cultivation in order to augment food supplies. The school also currently has some pigs. There is a sports field, a large assembly hall, and a tuck shop.

Alison said that she has an excellent deputy, and some good teachers, though others a bit less so. She does feel that some members of staff will need to be changed, notably on the cooking side. She wants to do various things to improve the school. She has already tightened up significantly on discipline and improved the security over exams, where there was a lot of cheating. Apparently, a lot of girls were upset because teachers were not allowed to invigilate their own subjects in the exams. She has created a strong room to protect exam papers. Because the possibility of cheating was removed, she expects results to be poor, and to go down, this year, but that is a necessary step in improving the school. 

On Sunday we got to the school just before 7.30 am. The girls were gathering in the main hall for morning worship, and the service stared soon after that. The girls themselves led the service, with the various roles allocated. There was a praise group which sang, but no communal singing, prayers - at different points led by different girls, all very “professional”, the readings, which I had chosen, notices, offering, though only a few brought offering forward, and I “preached”.  I also presided at Communion, with about 20/25 girls receiving, those who were confirmed members of UCZ.  At the end the chaplain gave a very nice word of thanks.

The service was shorter than usual, and less singing, probably because Grade 12s would be key, and have gone.

But that let us get to the church in good time.

The service is scheduled for 9, but usually starts at 9.30, which is what happened. We were there in very good time, so had a look at some graves of missionaries which are adjacent to the church. The church is of very traditional construction, built of bricks and with a tiled roof, and, a hundred years old, is beginning to feel its age and may need replacement or extensive repair before too long. Frederic, the minister, has 22 churches, though this is the main one. The service was preceded by Sunday School, happening outside when we arrived. The service itself had lots of praise with different people/groups leading at different points. The offering had everyone coming forward, but directed by a steward. There were readings, notices, prayers.  The language was a mix of Bemba and English - and I preached, Frederic translating as I did so.  The service was just short of two hours.

After worship, Alison, Frederic and I went to one of his other churches. It’s a growing church in a very large village, still under construction. It was interesting because we drove through part of the village to reach the church with traditional thatched dwellings and very rough roads. The church was by a shopping street. The main church has walls and benches but, currently, just canvas covers to give some roof protection.  There is also a small hall. It was good to meet the elders briefly. Lay leadership is key when you are caring for 22 churches!

Vimridge (visited 23 & 25/11/19)

Something over two years ago, the Presbytery realised that they had a large chunk of land on the outskirts of Bulawayo, in an area known as Vimridge, that was lying largely unused. A small portion of it had been squatted but, for the most part, it was simply running wild. The decision was taken to develop a significant agricultural project, the plan being to use it to generate income in order to support ministerial stipends which are often not paid by congregations that are really struggling in the current economic situation. The decision was taken not to evict those who had constructed homes on the land, but to encourage them to become partners in the venture. In fact, those in that situation have been gradually moving away, and the whole piece of land has now been fenced off in order to provide security and to discourage others from doing the same. It is has meant that they are able to employ a security company, which would not be a possibility if the land were not fenced. However, the security bill is high. Some wire was stolen a few weeks ago, though some was recovered, and the wire was cut in one place last night, though nothing taken. The security firm were repairing that. They are thinking of painting the wire as that makes it less attractive to thieves.

The work at Vimridge has advanced significantly over the last two years. As well as the fence, there is now a sign proclaiming it to be Presbyterian property. The amount of cultivation has also greatly increased. One of the popular crops is butternut squash as they find it easy to grow, and producing a good yield. There are several areas being cultivated for this, and one of the tasks for the workers is preparing the ground for planting.. They are also growing maize and gradually developing other crops. Inevitably, one of the main problems is the supply of water, though there is a borehole on site, and they attempt to harvest rainwater. However, they deliberately focus on crops that do not need a great deal of irrigation. However, they are learning as they go along and recently lost a crop of cabbages because of lack of water.

There are now three large canvas greenhouses, increased from just one that was there two years ago. One is currently growing English cucumbers, which are doing well, the second different varieties of pepper and the third has recently produced a large harvest of tomatoes, and is now waiting for a new crop, probably more peppers. Andrew, the farm manager, told me that they were shortly expecting a delivery of ten thousand plants. The enterprise is run by a farm manager, an assistant, and six helpers, but under the direction of Maria, who oversees the project for the Presbytery, and her team. It is still relatively early days, but really good progress is being made.

There is an area where those who live on site can cultivate their own crops - and, just a little way from the main farming area, the chicken project is about to get under way. They have almost completed the first chicken house, which includes space for storage and an office. and so the first batch of chickens (1000) should be introduced soon. The original plan had been to have the first batch ready for selling around Christmas, but it is now looking more like the end of January. It takes six weeks to get them ready for sale. The plan is to, eventually, have nine more chicken runs, so an ability to have 10,000 chickens at a time. The other nine will not require the storage and office section, so will be constructed more easily and cheaply. It will take a while to get there, as the land needs to be cleared and then concrete foundations poured before constructing the chicken houses.  It is important to clear the land as otherwise there is a risk of both snakes and mosquitoes attacking the chickens.  Bio security is important and they will have the chickens separately fenced from everything else.  The plan is to put a temporary fence round the first “house”, so that they can get started and then, initially, the plan would be to plough a lot of the profits back into the expansion. 

The assistant manager told me that they have no problem in selling the produce. They have a supermarket and others as customers, and the problem is more a matter of not being able to satisfy demand. Things are beginning to head towards a peak for Christmas but she does not see selling as an issue. Transport is a bit of a problem as they are a little out of Bulawayo and that can include getting workers to and from Vimbridge. 

Mutare (visited 21/11/19)

It was early breakfast, just after 6 am, today as we were going to Mutare, about 270 km from Harare, so leaving  about 7am. I was travelling with four of the folk from Presbytery and further along we met up with a second car, driven by Paul Neshangwe, which had the General Secretary and Chief Finance Officer of the Uniting Presbyterian Church, here from South Africa, a representative from the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Convenor of the Presbytery Church in Society Committee.

We all arrived in Mutare around 10.30 going to the African Regional Resource Centre, a relatively new Presbytery project which we were there to visit. We were met by Des Becker who, with his wife Sally, heads up the implementation of this new activity. It started as a result of Cyclone Idai and the damage that was caused in the Mutare area. This led to a realisation that there was the gap in the provision of resources to offer a rapid response to such events, which are far from unknown. 

A complex of buildings, a bit like a mini industrial estate, has been made available at a reasonable rent, though the long term hope is that they may be able to buy this set of buildings. We were taken on a tour of the extensive site. Initially it had been hoped to undertake this project in partnership with a few different denominations, but the others who were considering it dropped out leaving the Presbyterians to go it alone, though with plenty of goodwill from others.

The site is effectively divided into two. One half is where the Presbytery folk are developing their work. The other half is let out commercially to companies whose rental supports the project by generating income, though there is a deliberate attempt to encourage companies whose work is complementary to the philosophy of the project to take up the rental opportunities. So, there is one company making window frames, the local Coca Cola distribution centre, and a company who provide the infrastructure for boreholes is about to move in. On the other side of the complex there is some warehouse space where they hope to store non-perishable items that will then be available for rapid response in the event of a disaster, though they are not yet at the stage where they have managed to begin a collection. Another aspect of this initiative is providing space where people can develop skills which will enable them to attain skills and become self-sufficient.

They are looking at partnership in various ways. For example, there is the facility for a fuel station at the front, and the plan is to open this as a source of income generation. There is space for workshops and space for offices.  As well as Des and Sally, there are a number of other local people involved who were present, notably the minister of St Columba’s, Mutare, Everisto Musedza, a friend of mine who translated in the course I taught at Kuwadzana back in 2011.

We then gathered in a meeting which gave us further insights into what is happening.  It is now firmly adopted as a Presbytery project and the officers of the denomination, present from South Africa, were clearly impressed and supportive, encouraging them to write it up in suitable ways and to apply for funding. They are looking at a variety of income generating projects, like the fuel outlet plan. They are very keen to develop the rapid response facility, but do need funding and other support to do so. There is also a lot of work to be done to develop the skills training section, including a question. Being raised by some, as to whether some of that should be located in the communities where the people they seek to help live, rather than on the centre’s site.

However, the biggest need at the moment is for further resourcing. For example, we saw a room where they would like to develop an Internet cafe and in which they are already running classes. At the moment they only have seven laptops available for students, which limits classes to fourteen, if two share a computer. 

Good contacts have been made, not least with the civic authorities.  They have provided poly water piping and solar lights to victims of Cyclone Idai, and would like to purchase more of both for further work. They would also like to engage in water supply issues and the provision of boreholes on their own account. They had hoped to partner with the company that is moving on to the site, but that company has declined that sort of partnership. 

It is an encouraging story, with lots of insight and initiative playing its part, but one that needs a lot of further development. 

Lovemore House (visited 20/11/19)

Every time I visit Lovemore House it is doing something different. The first time I visited it was home to a small group of boys, who would otherwise have been on the streets. I remember how they loved their football. Last time it had become the Presbytery office and a bit of a conference centre, but was somewhat under-used. Now it has become a training centre, though the Presbytery office is still on site.

The building, situated in the Cranbourne area of Harare, out towards the airport is a fair size and in reasonably sized grounds. It is thus a good resource for the Presbytery, who keep reviewing and adapting its use.

This has now become a venue for running short courses for evangelists so that they can gain skills which will help them to generate income, but also offering them something practical to pass on as they engage with communities where people are struggling to make a living.

At the moment they are running four courses, each running for three months. First of all, we visited the cutting and designing students, of whom there are five. They learn how to make simple garments and, like all the others, were enthusiastic about what they are doing. We saw examples of a basic dress, a basic blouse, a basic shirt, basic trousers, and a child’s dress.

Then we went on to look at how the catering course runs. Here there are nine students, the maximum possible for that course.  Again, they learn basic cooking, so cited examples of things they have done with eggs and potatoes, and also talked about cake-making and the likes of scones and donuts, which they had made and taken off to sell.

The third group were the welders, where there were just three. Their big problem is that the electric power is usually switched off during the day, part of Harare’s programme of managing the electricity supply by ‘load shedding’. The centre does have a generator, but it is not working at the moment. 

The fourth group, again of three, were those learning agriculture.  At the moment they are working towards producing a crop of tomatoes, and are preparing the ground for that.  Previously they had grown cabbages and there is a large area where peppers are being grown. All of the students, in all four spheres, would have liked a longer course, but felt that they had benefited from what they had been able to do.

The Presbytery are also considering how they can expand the range of courses.

The Lovemore House programme is now a helpful part of the Presbytery‘ strategy to find ways of being self-sustaining. It is hoped it will provide a small income to the Central (payroll) Fund, but it is also supporting the evangelists in finding ways of supporting themselves.

Contaminating Well

I am reading “Freedom is Coming” by Nick Baines for Advent, looking with him at some of the things that the prophet Isaiah says to this season.

I was particularly struck by a comment in the suggested reading for last Wednesday. The theme was ‘the longer view' and a phrase from Isaiah 40, verse 4: “every valley shall be lifted up.”

Baines talks about how influence spreads, suggesting that it can be other than we think and expect. He uses the notion of ‘contamination’, normally seen negatively, but asks: “Might it be possible that God is less concerned about being contaminated by pagan uncleanness than he is about contaminating the world with grace and mercy and sacrificial love?”

That’s a really good thought.

We can get caught up in concern about the effect of bad influences in all sorts of ways when, actually, our task is to be an influence for good. Is that not what Jesus meant when he calls us to be salt and light? It does not mean that we should ignore or be unconcerned about all the bad stuff, but there is little point in allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by what we can’t do.

“God’s people are invited – dared, even – to look beyond ‘now’ to a time when what looks unlikely might actually happen, when every valley shall be lifted up and the desert will become fertile and fruitful.”

Come And See (John 15:35-39)

(Reflection given at the Synod Office, Lusaka, United Church of Zambia, 3/12/19)

John 1, verse 39 - Jesus “said to them, “Come and see.” They came with him and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.” Come and see. What a tremendous invitation when the invitation is from or about Jesus. The same invitation is issued just a few verses later.  Philip has started following Jesus. He finds his friend Nathanael who expresses great doubt about whether Jesus is worth it. Verse 46 of John 1, Nathanael asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip’s response, in that same verse - “Come and see.”

It is what effectively the shepherds said to each other once the angels had announced to them the wonderful news of the birth of Jesus. “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place.” Let us go and see.

In John 4 we have the record of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman beside the well, the woman whom he asked for a drink. But how does that story end up? It is quite a surprising ending in a way. This woman, because of her lifestyle and her reputation, was virtually an outcast in the village. That was why she had gone to the well at a time when nobody would normally be there. But now, after meeting Jesus, she rushes off to speak with those same villagers, and she says to them, come and see. “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done.”

Come and see. This is what we need to do; and this is what we need to invite others to do. Come and see what Jesus has done. 

When the two disciples of John the Baptist found Jesus and were wondering about him, what was the question they asked? Well, it is there in verse 38. They asked him, “Where are you staying?” I find that fascinating - because it is not the question that I would have expected. I would have expected them to ask something like, what do you stand for? What’s your message? What are you looking for from followers? How might you help us? But they don’t say any of that. Instead, they ask: where do you live? Where are you staying? And we might wonder what that has got to do with anything? But actually it has got everything to do with what we need to discover.

One of my favourite writers is the Dutch Roman Catholic priest, Henri Nouwen, who writes on spirituality. Commenting on this passage from John 1, Nouwen says of Jesus here: “He doesn’t say, “Come into my world.” He doesn’t say, “Come, I will change you.” He doesn’t say, “Become my disciples,” “Listen to me,” “Do what I tell you,” “Take up your cross.” No. He says, “Come and see. Look around. Get to know me.” That is the invitation.”

That is so important. It is so easy for us to rush round doing and encouraging all sorts of good things, and they are good things. They are valuable and they contribute a lot - and there are times when that is just what we need to do. But it is too easy for us to neglect that critical thing of just being with Jesus. Come and see. Come and be with me.

The story that leaps to mind is, of course, that of Mary and Martha, when Jesus visited their home. I don’t think one was right and one was wrong. Martha was rushing round doing all sorts of valuable stuff - and the church needs loads of Marthas, those who will take on hundreds and hundreds of different tasks. But I am sure that a critical point in that story is the need for us to discover what Mary had discovered, that sometimes what we need is just to be with Jesus.

Of course, Jesus calls us to follow. Of course, Jesus calls us to do stuff. But that’s not where it starts. Jesus’ first call is, come and be with me. Come to my place, if we might put it that way.

Nouwen again: “This image of God inviting us to his home is used throughout scripture.  The Lord is my house. The Lord is my hiding place. ... The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my tent. The Lord is my temple. The Lord is my dwelling place. The Lord is my home. The Lord is the place where I want to dwell all the days of my life.”

Jesus wants us to be part of his family; and we manage that by spending time with him. 

So, how do we respond when Jesus invites us to come and see?

Well, I believe that the first important thing is to listen. We should listen to others who point us to Jesus, and we should listen for what God is saying to us. Nathanael may have raised questions, but he found Jesus because he listened to Philip. God often speaks through others.

Then, secondly, we should ask. Where are you staying? It is really important that we should know who Jesus is if we want to follow him. We get to know someone by asking them questions. In a sense it is different, but in another sense it is absolutely the same. Let me put it like this: if you could ask one thing of Jesus, what would it be?

And the third thing is that we need to dwell. The two disciples with whom we started spent the rest of the day with Jesus. It is easy to say that we are too busy to do that. But, in actual fact, it is more likely that we are too busy not to need to find that time. Another word for ‘dwell’ might be ‘abide’; and, as Jesus says in John 15:9 - “abide in my love.”