Lusaka LeTTeu

from

Parliament Building, Lusaka, Zambia

Charles and Mary Frances Bell,

ZAMBIA

CHRISTIAN

MISSION

Summer, I970 GEP2

P. O. Box 1201

P. 0. Box 2733

Lusaka, Zambia, Africa

Cincinnati, Ohio 45201

Hils picture Is of those who attend

the Matero
Christian
Church In

Lusaka,

All the adults are baptized

members

and live In the local area.

Many of them were won by the witness

ing of the early converts whose
faith and witness

area.

The

old

Is

known

In the

stable grouping has

given way to a mobile population,

thus there Is much coming and going.
Many Christians have moved to new
areas and are witnessing there. Some

of the men not present in

ture

were

this pic

working In the city area

but they attend faithfully when they

are able.

These are the present leaders of the

congregation.

with

Because

they

deal

the Word of God, there Is much

respect for

the elders and deacons.

The preaching Is

now

being done by

the deacons and two elders.

Some of

It is exceptionally good. The four

men In the front have formed a quar
tet and have been Invited to sing
for a radio program.
The preaching Is done In Chlnyanja;
however, when I preach It Is still
In English as
I
do not feel my
'Nyanja Is good enough for a very

long sermont

I
am seeking a NEW PIACE to begin
another group. With the help of
these
established Christians, the
task will be easier.

These are most of the adults.

The
work In the city Is hard and It will
become more difficult because there
are so many things
to distract the

people.

It

is

often

easy

to get

people to "say" they want to do what

is good, but It Isn't

easy

to

get

them to commit themselves to Christ

and to live the Christian life. When

they realize that accepting Christ

means leaving the world, they prefer
to go their own way.

have

tried

particularly hard to

ground these people In a good knowl

edge of the Bible. We have held
many study sessions and have found

them to be desirous of learning God's

Word.

The

sign

calls

it "Africa's

Most

Modern Brewery", but it should read,

^^ ^

"Zambia's

Most

Modern

Problem."

Drinkwhether homemade,brewerymade,
or ImportedIs

sought

after

both

early and late, weekdays and weekend,

"by young and old.

ill

confess
but are

Many have come to

Christ, to

believe in Him,
It

really enslaved by drink.

causes fights, killings, road deaths,

r^ii

immorality, and broken homes.

Work-

Ing with the people and seeing the

results of drinking cause one to
realize why it
is
considered the
country's No. 1 problem.
One of the most dangerous conditions
existing in the world today is that

of the people's greater expectations

contentment

in

the

repetitious

without hope of fulfillment.

The
population of yesteryear went on in
traditional waythen something happenedl

Education, wider contact with advanced nations, and various other Influences
brought the conclusion that "things can be better for us, too." That time
never seems to come soon enough. Frustration and anger are always close to

the surface, ready to spill over if that surface is scratched. This is the
plight of many people of the world. Over-crowded conditions, low wages, a
higher cost of living, seeming advancements on every hand which never seem
to reach the people's livesthese factors, in addition to the single factor
of rising expectations, create an explosive situation. It need not be ex

plosive, however, if it is channeled. In Zambia, the government, schools,

colleges, and training centers are all trying to channel the situation in
productive ways.
are trying to add another dlmenslon--expeotatlon of the
Life to Come. Here, the promise is so great that expectations soar highl
Once again the promise of better things comes after the commitment of self

to Christ.

"I urge you therefore, brethren, by

sent

bodies

your

tEe mercies of God, to pre

a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is

your spiritual service of worship."

(Romans 12:1, 2)

MARY FRANCES WHITES

We

have

been quite busy the past few months

and new areas of witness

have

opened.

last

term I
did only a few chalk drawings but al
ready this term I have done many, and am

scheduled for more.

did

drawing for a

pre-Easter TV program (shown all over Zambia)

and have heard many favorable comments about
it.
It was a new experience for me.
We are
looking forward to doing more in the area of
radio-TV programs.

couple

group

of

of

weeks

ago we were hosts for a

20

young

European

people with a

BRAAIVLEIS (cookout). They climbed a small

mountain near our house, then came back for
the cookout. Afterwards, we sat around the
fire

and

sang

hymns

as a

young German man

played the guitar, followed by devotions by

Charles.
They were all then quite ready to
come in for coffee, "biscuits" and fellowshipu
They were from a large variety of countries
and the many accents were Interesting.
,

..

Julianne helping with

the dishes. She is very

earnest about the Job,

as you can see.

Todd and Julianne are

fine and healthy.

latest status symbol is his

toothless grini He is doing

alright in school.

It isn't

challenging as he would

like, and being a "Gabhart"

like his mother, he enjoys a challenge!
Julianne is

looking forward to her Jrd birthday June A.

she is a big girl now!

She thinks

I apologize to my many friends

to whom I owe letters. Keep writing as I can't tell

you how I look forward to receiving letters from
"home". We pour over the letters and church papers

and keep them for weeks.

AND SUPPORT!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS

fll

ZAMBI

CHRISTIAN
ISSION

Dear Friend of Zambia Missions:

This is the second time

the Zambia Christian Church -

Church of Christ missionaries have presented an overall

picture of their mission work.

Although each missionary-

reports to his own sponsoring churches, we thought you would

enjoy a complete view of the evangelistic work in Zambia.
That is the purpose of the 1970 ANNUAL.

In Zambia our purpose, plainly stated, is to establish

churches after the New Testament pattern, to educate and

train a qualified leadership.

This little magazine will help

to show you how we are accomplishing this task.

Thank you for your keen interest in missions in Zambia.

Happy reading.

Yours for Christ in Zambia,

Missionaries of the Zambia
Christian Mission

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annual Committee

I!-,.

Outside Back Cover

Building A Place to Worship by Dean Davis ....Pages 10 and 11

Christian Literature by Bill Brant

Directory of Missionaries
Furlough by Don Mechem

Pages 2 and 3

Outside Back Cover

Pages 4 and 5

History of Zambia by Sandy Sinclair

I Was Blind . . . Now I Can See by Vernon Oakley
Missionaries on Furlough in 1970

Page 14
Page 1
Page 5

Mission Family Picture Album

Page 16

New Mission Field Survey by Leroy Randall

Page 15

Strong Churches, Trained Leaders

by Charles Delaney

Village Church by Leroy Randall

Pages 12 and 13

Page 11

Youth in Zambia by Charles Bell

Pages 6 and 7

Zambia Missions in Pictures

Pages 8 and 9

^ weu ^iittcC . . . '7t<m ^

Seef
t<y

^CCttd

Missionary work in a blind village

in Zambia

By Yemen Oakley

tri

In February 1969 our family began a

work among the blind people. It has been
such an inspiration to see them grow and
enjoy God's manifold blessings.
The blind village is made up of about

thirty five families and no church what

soever in the village.

Some were seeking

spiritual light but had to walk two or three

Blind Christians Read the Braille Bible

The late afternoon was wearing toward

evening, and sitting along the way, con
spicuous among the moving crowds, was a
blind beggar. Jesus was looking compas
sionately on the blind beggar and his love
and mercy radiated toward the one in need.

Jesus proved on this occasion and many

others that he was the light of the world,
the light sent to lighten the darkness.

No, Jesus did not pass physically through

the Masaiti Blind Village near Luanshya,
Zambia, but spiritually the blind in that
place can now see. Physically they are the
same but the Gospel of Christ has rescued
many from a deeper spiritual blindness and
let a

more glorious light shine into their

souls.

Church Group
in the Blind Village

miles for a church service. God has blessed

His work among the blind and church

attendance will average around fifty each

Lord's Day. The people are now meeting
in their own building which was finished
just before the rains in November 1969. We
have conducted leadership training classes
among the men and some show great po
tential as future church leaders.

We have

placed the Braille New Testament in the

hands of the villagers. A ladies work has

started and around twenty ladles attend

each week. We do pray for an indigenous
work among the Zambion blind people.
I remember the words of the blind man in

John 9:25; "One thing I know, that, where

as I was blind, now I see." One of the vil
lagers said, "Before you came I was walk
ing in darkness, now 1 am walking in the
light." The blind hove received spiritual
sight because of the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Communication

A Means of Communication

Communication
By William M. Brant

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the missionaries'

endeavor is the task itself "TO COMMUNICATE." If
we are to do the work of teaching all nations, and

teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Christ

has commanded us, which was included in The Great
Commission, we must be able to communicate.

With the rare exception, preaching is still the way

of communication which brings people to Christ. Here
at Zambia Christian Press, we are not trying to replace
the Gospel preacher with Christian literature. Our
aim is to provide materials which will help the mis
sionary, evangelist, minister, Bible school teacher and

Christian worker do his task in a more effective way.

The materials we produce vary depending on the
need. Some are designed to help the people come
to know Jesus, others help the Christian in living the
Christian life, and others are of a nature to teach
Bible knowledge. Along with Christian literature, we

also do general mission printing such as stationery,

Mission Printer
BILL BRANT

forms, certificates, newsletters and advertising leaflets.

Prepares Bible
School Lessons
for Distribution

Apart from the general mission print

ing, we are constantly aware of the
importance of communicating. This
task is much more difficult than most

people would suppose. Although a

knowledge of six main languages and
English makes it possible to converse
with nearly every Zambian, there ore
actually 73 tribes and 30 different
dialects.

The language is only one of the

hurdles which we must cross in suc
cessful communication. There is the
hurdle of customs which makes it dif
ficult to illustrate the literature. An
other hurdle which will be with us for
some time is the vast degrees of liter

acy, from the illiterate to the university

graduate.

Although there are others,

these are the predominate handicaps

which we are striving daily to over
come.

We thank God for this task and op

portunity to help increase His Kingdom.
We also thank God for you who have
helped to make it possible for our be

ing here. To help us further, please

pray for this ministry. Pray with us
that God will bless us with wisdom and
guidance in producing these materials

and that the Spirit will accompany

these materials as they ore received
A Family waits as "Amai" (Mother) pre
pares a meal.

by the Zambians.

Commumcafion

Communicafion

Communicafion

Communicafi
r>b

1.

Japheth Kalorabo translating into a Zambian

language.

2.

After final typing, Bill Brant lays out the copy.

Here he gets special advice from daughter
Leslie Ruth.

3.

Copy is then photographed and negative is

used in burning offset plates.

4.

The actual printing is just 1 of 7 steps in pro

ducing Christian literature.

5.

Hot from the press, materials are then folded,

assembled, packaged and dispatched to anxious
missionaries and Bible School teachers.

6.

Children are proud of their Bible School takehome papers.

7.

Mrs. Mildred Pace hands out tracts printed by

the Zambia Christian Press.

'pccdau^ . . .

By Don Mechem
mr-

What does a missionary do on furlough?

What all

is involved? We will attempt to answer these ques

tions and more in the next few paragraphs.
Plans for a furlough begin months previous to the
departure date. These plans will vary according to
the circumstances of each missionary. There is, how
ever, a basic pattern.

2. The trip home: The Zambia mission

ary may travel by sea or by air. The

DON MECHEM

choice is his.

1. Preparations for departure; This means

everything from making sure passport and
immigration papers are in order, to moun
tains of correspondence arranging speaking
dates and informing various publications
that the missionary is coming home. Ser
mons for Faith - Promise meetings must be
written, displays must be prepared, slide
picture programs must be organized, per
sonal effects must be packed for storage
or packed for shipment to the U.S., plus a
multitude of last minute details . . . most

important of which is

bringing the mis

sion work to a satisfactory close.

Drying fish for future consumption.

The reservations must be

made early and paid in advance. Inter

national travel, whether by sea or by air
is expensive and often exhausts mission
funds. Never-the-less, international travel is
always exciting.

3.

Home in the U.S.A.:

Setting foot on

American soil after a considerable absence

is a real thrill. Upon arrival in the U.S.,

the missionary must set about making a

home for a brief 12 month stay.

The chil

dren must be enrolled in school, the wife

must learn the secrets of using a different

oven, and the husband must see to a myriad

of details concerning an already full itiner
ary. Getting settled in is no easy task, but

the busy missionary, used to making adjust

ments, soon gets used to the strangely
familiar American way of life.
4.

Travel in the U.S.:

This consists of

Zambia Christian

thousands of miles of travel, visiting and re

Missionaries on

porting to the churches and individuals who

Furlough in 1970

have so faithfully supported the mission

work during the past term. Other events will

fit into the schedule. Youth camps, conven

tions. church retreats, missionary rallies,
Bible Colleges, Faith - Promise meetings and
others. During these travels the missionary
will visit relatives, renew old friendships,

BRANT, William

Departing Zambia January 1970

Contact by writing:
Mr. and Mrs. Don Sherer
5358 Marsailles-Galion Road East
Marion, Ohio 43302

and meet many new Christian brothers and

sisters. He will travel anywhere from
10,000 to 25,000 miles in a short 12 months.

Whether traveling the exhausting miles, or

staying home praying, the faithful wife and

children of the missionary will be behind

him 100%. And by the time the year of

furlough is complete all will be ready to
return to the mission field.

5.

Preparing to leave America:

DAVIS, Dean

Departing Zambia August 1970

Contact by writing:
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Patterson

The de

R.R. 1

tails of packing, shipping, getting immigra

King, North Carolina

tion and immunization papers in order, con

firming travel plans take much time. All of

this must be done while drawing the speak

ing itinerary to a close.

6. The trip back to Zambia:

Having re

viewed his calling as a missionary, and

MECHEM, Don

Returning to Zambia June 1970

Contact by writing:

having counted the cost, the anxious mis

sionary bids goodbye to family and friends

Mr. Don Mechem

1104 N.W. 5th St.

and returns to the fields white unto harvest.

7.

Back to work in Zambia:

Foribault, Minnesota 55021

Of course

there will be anxious missionaries awaiting

the returning family at the airport. How
ever, the greatest thing that awaits the mis
sionary is the tremendous need. The need
for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
missionary, as quickly as he gets his family

RANDALL, Leroy
Departing Zambia April 1970
Contact by writing:
Mrs. Leonard Hopfe

settled in, must return to the streets of the

P. O. Box 134

city, the villages of the bush, the people of

the land with the good news that Jesus

Austin, Minnesota 55912

Christ, the Son of God has died for their sin.

TANGANYIKA
M A L AW I

A F R ICA

Ki twe

Christian

Mission Centers

Nd^o

in Zambia
Q)Mumbwo
Borots e land

Kapyonga'-""'''*'

ngston

RHODES

I A

mmm
IN

ZAMBIA

WHAT ARE THEY REALLY LIKE?

is plenty of evidence of this in each new

WHAT ARE THEY?

The youth of today occupy the news

media, the thoughts of most adults and on
occasion the administration building of the

local college. They are vocal and some

times vociferous. They are impatient. They
are idealistic {but according to a wide va

riety of idealisms).

By Charles Bell

They comprise almost

housing area being built, and in every

shanty town arising even faster outside the
city limits. Less obvious is the centrifugal
force coming from the cities. It throws out
new cultural patterns new way of dress,
new foods, modern rock music, all "brought
home" by magazines, radio, TV and per

half the population in most countries. Those

sonal contact.

who ore in the news usually represent a

small segment of youthdom, but they reflect
the obvious changes in the majority. Are
they good or bad? Right or wrong?

YOUTH IN THE MAINSTREAM

OF CHANGE

The youth are in the mainstream of this

change. They are often reminded that the

IN ZAMBIA, WHAT ARE YOUTH

nation

REALLY LIKE?

work to build the new nation.

In 1970 we find that over 80% of the popu

lation are still rural dwellers. Their ways

ore still very traditional, until they enter
high school. After this age they enter the
atmosphere which will change and prepare
them for work in the urban areas, or study
in colleges. Now they ore in a new world
of change.

The

new

phase

is

rapid

needs

their education,

skills

and

Many of

them are conscious of this call and take it

seriously. To many hope of a high standard

of living and more money is a strong mo
tivating force. The young men and women
are experiencing the rocket thrust from the
traditional to the modern society. It's a
rough ride from one world to another. There

is confusion, inexperience of many new

factors. The generation gap is real. Mod-

continuous

change, and it is the hallmark of Africa

in the 7G's.

To the casual eye or to the

newcomer the rural

areas

still

look like

kl

traditional Africa, and the cities are mere

islands of modernity in the traditional sea.

But there ore forces changing the youth of
Zambia. Schools ore the most obvious;
better communication by road and rail;
radio, literature and religion. Jobs in the
cities and commercial farming bring the host

of changes along with the money they earn.

There are

two

forces

which

direct

the

changes for the Zambian young people. The

centripetal force of the cities which draws
so many of them into the new life. There

Ringing the church bell, calling the villagers

to worship.

ern ways emphasize individualism, private

initiative, private property, and private in
come. Traditional society emphasizes the
community and common ownership. Each
system has its merits, but in confrontations

been changed in the process. After a bap

tismal service they are particularly joyous.
To them a Christian victory is the greatest

there is friction.

All their experiences are not joyful. They

live under crowded conditions. Their ability
to read English and to study on their own
has produced some fine preachers, who for
a year kept a young congregation meeting
faithfully. New ones were brought to Christ.

It was a heavy load for young men but

they performed well. (On one occasion they
withstood on older man who attempted to
lead while engaged in immorality). Today
these young men ore highly respected by
their community.

In Zambia the young city people like cars,

mod clothes and noisy nightclubs . . . very
human. The Matero Church youth like wit
nessing, studying the scriptures and preach
ing . . . very Christian.

Sr-

-0

The old and the nev/^.

Zcmbian young people lead in vernacular

Bible School classes at the Livingstone Chris
tian Church.

The human and the

spiritual. The youth in Zambia and around

the world are the big key to the change.
May God guide the youth of Zambia to a
truly great future.

The present generation of young people

in Zambia must handle the traffic of time,
as the merging streams of cultures meet at

the intersection of change. A heavy burden

for such a young generation.

WHAT ARE CHRISTIAN YOUTH

REALLY LIKE?

Where does a better way begin?

We

believe it begins at the New Birth.

The

youth we have worked with, the Christians,

what are they really like? Young people
like to joke, argue, socialize. The youth
of Matero church (in Lusaka) do these things.
One of their major topics is Christ and the
church. They want to see progress. This
has been their major topic for over a year
and a half now. They can be heard dis

I'*--

cussing and arguing points related to the

church and preaching. Many lives have
* 45V'

Two Zambian young people.

1.

ZAMBIA
MISSION

IN

PICTURES

2.

Church leaders prepare their own food

at a leadership training conference.
Charles Delaney prays with a new con
vert.

3.

Dean Davis receives a gift from a village

lady. Tradition holds that visitors are
to be given gifts.

4.

The last day at a church leaders' clinic.

7.

Everybody qets in the picture.

5.

A ladies group studies the Bible.

8.

Evangelist David Sibanda baptizes a

young mother.
A Bible School class at the Livingstone
Christian Church.

6.

Ronald Sapp helps in the construction of

a shelter for worship.

9.

A church leader assists missionary Bill

Brant in counting the offering.

AFRICA

HI

i
i
lit

Scccidutf

'Piace ta

We know that man may worship God at

any time in any place.

From the begin-

ing men have had designated places where

they met and worshipped God. The places

hove varied from the simplest to the most
elaborate. It is the desire of man to have
a place set aside where he can meet with

God's people to worship and pay respect to

the creator and sustainer of life.

Zambians are no different. They need

a place to gather for "fellowship, the break
ing of bread and prayers." 'The meeting
places in Zambia can be placed into three
groups as follows:

Libala Church members begin a temporary

shelter for worship.

The new Lubuto Church of Christ.

Dean

Davis began this congregation in 1968.

1.

CHURCHES IN THE BUSH.

The build

ings here are very simple structures built

from poles, mud and grass. The benches
are logs and the pulpit a post. The bap
tistry is the nearest stream, or a large hole

dug near a well.

Occasionally a church

in the bush will mold and bum bricks to

construct a more permanent structure. In

the bush there are no building codes or
regulations so the buildings are built ac

.> P/R

cording to the initiative and ability of the

Christians.

2.

CHURCHES IN PERMANENT SETTLE

MENTS. Since permanent settlements are

outside city limits there are no specifica
tions. Since it is a permanent housing area

the buildings must be of quality building

materials and hove some aesthetic quality.
Furnishings may be very simple or more

When no building is avail

able, Christians just worship
under the sky.
This is the
Libala Church of Christ at wor

ship.

The completed shelter. Ronald Sapp is the

missionary in this area.

kl

By Dean Davis

elaborate according to the initiative and

ability of the Christians.
3.

CITY

CHURCHES.

Building

codes,

regulations and specifications present the

city congregation with high building costs.

are necessary according to building spe

cifications.
Because missionaries in Zambia are striv

Because of these high costs it is virtually

ing to

impossible for the Zambians to provide their

policy is one ot non-subsidy. There is, how

ever, a degree of help needed when it comes
to

establish indigenous churches the

building churches

in the

cities.

The

policy is that the missionary does not do

anything that the congregation can do itself.

Therefore the amount of help given is deter-

A church building in a permanent settle

ment. Vernon Oakley began this work in a
blind village near Luanshya. The building
is now complete.

own building.

Dedication day at a new church in Don

Mechera's area. Notice the temporary plastic

It is here where the mis

sionary can help tremendously. Most mis

sionaries who have congregations in the
cities have directed the church construc

tion, thereby saving the high expense of a

contractor. He also assists with the pur
chase of building supplies.

The design of the building is optional and

will vary according to needs and available

roof.

mined by the type of building needed and

the ability of the congregation to help them
selves. Once completed, the maintenance
of the building is the responsibility of the
congregation.

The tiltiraate goal is the same in the bush

as in the city ... to hcn.'-e a place dedicated

funds. Because of its location, a baptistry

and functional, but attractive furnishings

where born again Christians can meet and

are necessary. Hestroom and toilet facilities

His dear Son.

A Village Church
By LEROY RANDALL

A Sfory in Pictures . . .
Poles for Walls . . .

Po es for Rafters . . .

Grass for a Roof . . .

praise God who has redeemed them through

STRONG CHURCHES -

TRAINED LEADERS -

STRONG CHURCHES -

f,BR{ACM'.NG fnt W0D,.

Charles Delaney teaches a "How To" Class

at an area Church Leadership Conference.
"The things that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same commit
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to

teach others also."

2 Timothy 2:2

Well trcrined leadership within each local

congregation is essential if a strong indigen
ous church is to be established. For too

many years the missionary has been behind

the wheel doing the driving and making

most of the decisions while the indigenous
leaders just go along for the ride.

After discussing ways to make a baptistry,

Leroy Randall teaches church leaders how to
Baptize.

is to put the responsibility of congregational

leadership into the hands of the nationals
as quickly as possible.

This picture is rapidly changing in free

Africa. The nationals are now choosing
their own governments and throwing off the
chains of colonialism and the feeling of
racial inferiority. Because of this change,

The indigenous leaders may not do every

thing in the same manner as the missionary,
but that is not always bad. Given enough

the missionaries of the Zambia Mission have

changed their approach to mission work.

do as good if not better than the missionary.

time and sufficient training a Zambian can

The present theory in practice in Zambia

The greatest tribute to a missionary is

given when he leaves the congregation on
its own, and the people, under the direction

of trained local leaders, continue to preach,

baptize and teach.

Strong churches mean trained leaders.

Trained leaders mean strong churches.

Much of the time of the Zambian missionary

is spent in leadership training.

This takes

the form of conferences, clinics and classes

on various subjects. A lot of time is spent
in personal counseling of African leaders.
Church leaders on the Copperbelt listen to

a lesson about the Lord's Supper.

Training conferences, clinics and classes ore

planned throughout the yea r. Subjects

TRAINED LEADERS -

STRONG CHURCHES -

TRAINED LEADERS
By Charles Delaney

Church leaders line up out

side their temporary sleeping
quarters. At large conferences
host villages build temporary
sleeping houses for those who
come great distances.

tp f
ii t i

Please pray for the missionary and the

local leaders. Please pray that the Holy
Spirit will guide the work of leadership train
ju-

ing in Zambia.

Missionary Don Mechem and church leaders

at Chilundi village.

tcmght include "how to" classes on preach

ing, praying and conducting a worship
service. Classes on Stewardship, Bible
knowledge and others are also given.

Church leader puts his good training to use

on a

new convert.

2,u6c&
By Sandy Sinclair

Diverse forces hove been molding and

influencing life in Zambia for over 70 years.

These include tribal influences, the coming
of the white man, and the new independent
African nationalism of the last few years.
V \

1
A can full of termites Delicious, so the
Africans say.

X V'

goals of the present government is to play

down tribal differences. Zambia's national
motto: "One Zambia One Nation" re

Ronald Sopp goes to his knees to greet

a

flects this hope.

respected village headman.

More than 90% of Zambia's people are

living in what can best be described as tra

TRIBAL INFLUENCES

ditional African living.

Zambia's present boundaries were drown

on the map of Africa at the Berlin Confer
ence in 1885. The dignitaries attending that
far off convention did not consider the diver

yield strong allegiance to tribal leaders.

sity of tribes and languages that was present

Most of the people

Many tribal traditions are kept by the vil

lagers.

The government is even encourag

ing the people to maintain their old customs

and cultures.

in what was then called Northern Rhodesia.

There are 73 different tribes in Zambia rang

ing from large tribes of many thousands to

THE INFLUENCE OF THE WHITE MAN

smaller tribes of only a few thousand. Many

The Copper industry was the first to open

up present day Zambia. In the early 1900's

of Zambia's tribes used to war with each

other. Tribalism is still felt, but one of the

the v/hite man came to mine copper. He

..w

The village supermarket.

'T-.T ^

An elevaied chicken pen that keeps other

animals and snakes from the eggs.

pel. These men were the earliest preachers

of the Restoration movement. They were
preaching and baptizing in what is today
known as Kalomo district.
AFRICAN NATIONALISM
A village carpenter making \
a very acceptable folding chair.

During the late 1950s a new phenomena

began to occur.

employed thousands of Africans. By 1920

a large African population had become per
manently resident on the "copperbelt" and
their descendents became the first non-tradi

tional Africans whose life style became in

fluenced by the white man.

The railways and the copper mines ar

rived.

So

did

the

British.

The

British

brought their monetary system, their lan

guage and legal system, and their form of
government. V/ith them also came military
and police control over warring tribes.
With

the

British

also

came

education

which was mostly the result of Christian mis

sionaries.

About 1912 two Rhodesian Afri

cans came into Zambia to preach the Gos-

The rise of African nation

alism. A young man named Kenneth D.

Kaunda began to rally the African people
as he bicycled across the country seeking
political support. Some died in the struggle
for independence. Today the United Na
tional Independence Party led by Dr.
Kaunda is in power. Political independence
was granted October 24, 1964.

President

Kaunda has led the country since independ-

With the motto

"One

Zambia

One

Nation" this new independent country be

gins a big task of developing a modern
African society. A philosophy of Human
ism has been developed to bridge the gap
between the traditional tribal culture and

modern society.
The

missionaries'

task in

Zambia is to

place the Gospel in the hands of the people.

Then let the church of Jesus Christ under

the guidance of the Holy Spirit develop

to best suit the needs of the Zambian.

.1

Basketv/eaving . . . a
pastime.

village craft and

Travel by train . . . the cheapest way.

Itcw

'pteid
By Leroy Randall

one considering the country as a field for

his own missionary work.

The survey began on Wednesday, Sep

tember 11, with our arrival by air in Blcmtyre, Malawi's largest city. The next nine
days were filled with some of the most hectic

and interesting activity I have ever partici

pated in. While it is impossible to give any
LEROY RANDALL

detail here to the events that occurred dur

ing that time, the following should be suffi
cient for the purpose of this article: In our
efforts to learn about Malawi we travelled

In September, 1968, Brother Charles Bell

and I made a missionary survey of the
African country of Malawi, on Zambia's
eastern border. The survey trip was under

in excess of 800 miles within the country,

purchased and picked up (when it was free)
all the printed material we could carry, used
a considerable amount of film, and inter

taken for two main reasons; (1) We wished

viewed 8 men who were either missionaries

to ascertain the possibility of an American

or well acquainted with Malawian mission

situation and opportunity. Five of the inter
views were toped.

Church of Christ (Christian Church) mission

ary entering the country; (2) We wished
to gather information in Malawi that might
be useful in the conduct of our Zambian mis

Mr. Bell and I flew back to Zambia on

September 20.

sionary program.

The material we had gath

ered would take several months to evaluate

Almost as important as the actual survey

was the preparation for it before we left
Zambia.

This

involved

establishment

of

contact with men already in Malawi whom

we judged to be in position of influence or
possessors of information that might be use
ful to our cause. These men we would inter

view once we were in the country.

Another important part of the preparation

was the development of the interview out
line we would use with the men. Through

the outline we wished to answer such ques

tions as the Malawian government's attitude
toward new missions and missionaries, the

potential responsiveness of the country's

people to the gospel, the extent of Christian
infiltration into the country already done,
and the location of likely fields of endeavor.
Out of such information we hoped to de
velop a "mission opportunity profile" for
Malawi, and to be in a position to help any

and organize. The final report would fill 41

single spaced typewritten foolscap-size
pages. With the report, we were able to
send back to the States an informative slide

program, the taped interviews, public rela

tions materials, maps, visa forms, etc.
all highly useful to a man hoping to go to
Malawi as a missionary.
We were deeply gratified by the results
of the Malawi survey, and struck by the
potential of the survey principle as a tool
for opening new mission fields. As a matter
of fact, a man now planning to go to Malawi
as the first missionary of our churches to
that country has already been able to use
the material provided.
Future surveys, more extensive than the
work done in Malawi, are now being

planned.

God willing, you may be hearing

about them soon.

(^Anc^iceut

'pa^HiCcf "Pietttne

PACE
Mrs. Mildred

, t:?

BRANT
Bill

OAKLEY
Vonnie

lackie

Cynthia
Vernon
Kathryn

Leslie

Cheri
Douglas
DAVIS

Judy
Cindy

Dean
Jimmy

BEU

Charles

Todd

Julianne
Mary Frances

KITWEO

NDOLAO

DELANEY

Betty

Charles

Robin

Shanda

LUSAKA

LIVINGSTONE
RANDALL

Gayle
Max II

Leroy
Shannon

SINCLAIR
Charlotte

SAP?
David

Amy

Sandy

Mike

Ronald

Jenny

Richard

Michelle

Wayne
Michael

MECHEM

Donald

Shelly

Linda

Tim

DIRECTORY OF MISSIONARIES
FIELD ADDRESS

FORWARDING AGENT

BELL, CHARLES I.

Mrs. Mary Frances, Todd and Julianne

P. O. Box 2733

Lusaka, Zambia

LORNA GABHART
P. O. Box 1201
Cincinnati, Ohio 45201

BRANT, WILLIAM
Mrs. Jackie, Vonnie and Leslie
P. O. Box 2280
Kitwe, Zambia

MR. and MRS. DON SHERER

DAVIS. L. DEAN

MR. and MRS. JACK PATTERSON

5358 Marsailles - Gallon Road East

Marion, Ohio 43302

Mrs. Judy, Jim and Cindy

R.R.

P. O. Box 873

King, North Carolina 27021

Ndola, Zambia

DELANEY, CHARLES
Mrs. Betty, Shanda and Robin

MR. and MRS. JERRY POLLARD

902 E. Rodney Dr.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701

P. O. Box 2191

Ndola, Zambia
MECHEM, E. E. (DON)

E. E. MECHEM
1104 N.W. 5th St.

Mrs. Linda, Shelly and Tim

P. O. Box 1805

Lusaka,

Faribault, Minnesota 55021

Zambia

MR. and MRS. CHARLES D. WALTS

OAKLEY, VERNON L.

Mrs. Kathryn, Cheri, Cynthia and Doua

P. O. Box 145

P. O. Box 2591

Georgetown, Indiana 47122

Kitwe, Zambia
PACE, MRS. MILDRED
P. O. Box 2280
Kitwe, Zambia

MR. and MRS. RICHARD KEATTS

RANDALL, LEROY
Mrs. Gayle, Shannon and Max II
P. O. Box 2184
Lusaka, Zambia

MRS. LEONARD HOPFE

SAPP, RONALD D.

DR. and MRS. GEORGE ATKINSON

409 W. Memorial Drive

Muncie, Indiana 47302

P. O. Box 134

Austin, Minnesota 55912

Mrs. Amy, David, Jenny and Mike

P. O. Box 128

P. O. Box 328

Norton, Kansas 67654

Livingstone, Zambia
SINCLAIR, A. G.
Mrs. Charlotte, Michael, Richard,
Wayne and Michelle
P. O. Box 160
Livingstone, Zambia

MISS VIRGINIA BEDDOW

iWj 30i97Q

P. O. Box 9543

Lansing, Michigan 48909

7970 ANNUAL Commiffee , ,

RONALD D. SAPP, Chairman-Editor
CHARLES DELANEY
BILL BRANT