Central/Southern Africa Update

In November 2009, Scott Marques sent a letter to all the churches in his apostolic sphere in Central and Southern Africa. It gives very encouraging news of progress made in 2009.

Dear Friends,

It is almost six weeks since Terry Virgo was with us in Zimbabwe and the month of September was brought to a very exciting conclusion. I think that month has to go down as one of the most exciting and fulfilling months I can remember! It was such a joy to come back from Mozambique, with all the thrill of what is unfolding there, into the same (or more!) dynamism, zeal and commitment displayed in the churches in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and other nations.

I felt that PJ and Ash Smyth brought significant encouragement and galvanising to us in MegaVision, especially as PJ preached from Joshua 13-24 into the realm of ‘Second Phase Leadership’ and into our context of multiplication. Mbonisi Malaba and Goodwill Shana both brought massive elements of strengthening and encouragement. I am delighted to hear that Terry has asked Dr Shana to speak at the Together on a Mission Conference 2010! It is really awesome to see the quality of preaching and teaching that is coming through in the MegaVision context and I have heard many wonderful testimonies from people in diverse churches who all say how strengthened they were by that time together.

The leaders Time with Terry was equally superb and also brought in the huge element of our interaction with the wider body of Christ in Harare and Zimbabwe. Amongst many highlights for me, was the 80-odd church leaders that gathered at Royal Harare Golf course for breakfast and to hear Terry and Shana speak. Terry spoke on Calling, Charisma and Character. It was extremely well received. This meeting has resulted in some serious plans to call something similar in March 2010, where we are hoping to gather over 1,500 church leaders together in Harare, in working-liaison with Shana and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe. We hope to have Terry here for that, and plan to link it in with Foundations for Farming with a clear call to the church to fulfill God’s purposes in our nation in very exciting ways. We are translating A People Prepared and God’s Lavish Grace into Shona and Ndebele in preparation for this time with leaders. I am beginning to imagine thousands of leaders taking communion together, from across all denominations, as we devote ourselves to Jesus, to one another and to a plan for the poor being fed by the church in 2010/11. Changing the heart of Africa to change the face of Africa. Through this real restoration in the church, the nation can feed itself and export maize in 2011! I begin to imagine the doors that would open up for the gospel in Africa, and remember Simon Pettit’s exhortation to see millions swept into the Kingdom as we remember the poor.

As things have taken shape since our September times together, I have been deeply excited to see the fruitfulness that is coming through the multiplication of leaders and spheres of responsibility that God has led us into. Mbonisi Malaba is leading a team serving churches in the Matebeleland area, but also touching Zambia close to Victoria Falls, Beira in Mozambique as well as other places in Zimbabwe such as Marondera. There is great synergy between many amazingly gifted men and women in this area and I am really hoping to see some awesome growth in Kezi as Stephen Manhanga leads into new frontiers there and as Taps Chizana leads into new frontiers in Mguza!

Peter Cunningham is championing Operation Trumpet Call, which is the backbone to the call for the Church to turn wholeheartedly to Christ, to one another and to the poor, which seems to be welling up from Matabeleland and spilling over into Zimbabwe as a whole – and who knows how far beyond into Africa. It is exciting to see the working dynamic of Brian Oldreive and Peter together – as well as Brian’s leadership involvement with loads of other champions in Foundations for Farming. The UK office headed by Adrian Willard is where Josie Milligan is now based and they are producing superb materials, communication channels, financing mechanisms etc etc.

Alan Norton dovetails with all of these guys and also leads an awesome team including Tongai Mahobele, Makaza Makovere and Zulu Dube who are serving churches in Kaitano, Dotito, Bindura, Chiweshe, Doma, Ruwa and other areas - to see elders coming through with strength of character and capacity. It has been particularly exciting to see how Alan’s team has helped city churches to get into relationship and two-way ministry with rural churches. What a joy to see real love and sharing across all boundaries!

I have been overjoyed to see the strength of River of Life Eastlea with Andrew Ellis at the helm there, and to this church growing in relationship with their own community, churches in Harare and Zim and now also churches in Malawi and Tanzania. It is very significant to see the growing relationship with Rikki Dekker and Greystone Park Fellowship, who have been a tremendous blessing to us this year in so many ways. They are increasingly part of our family of churches and I am hoping for some quality time there before the end of the year.

I am also hoping to join up with the team that Andrew has called together for the Explore the Promise ‘09 Conference in Lilongwe early next month. It will be wonderful to be with Booker Banda and the Malawi brothers and with Jonathan Kyando and the Tanzanian brothers again and to continue to explore what God has for us all there.

I believe that Sibs Sibanda’s move to Johannesburg is a very exciting and significant move for him, for Zim and for Africa! I am excited to see him fly in his gifting as he joins PJ in that urban context, and uses his strengths for the cities and the rural areas far beyond his base there. As Sibs goes to Johannesburg, he will continue to care for the Mount Pleasant church plants in Harare. As he visits and gives input to these churches he will be involving many friendships and relationships on the ground, to build strength and support.

Underpinning so much of this activity is the tireless and tenacious work that William Spohr and his administrative team, including Mark Seldon and others, give to us all. I am so grateful to these precious people who have so magnificently stewarded the Newfrontiers special offering for crisis relief and long-term alleviation, for stewarding gifts and finances that flow in many directions among the churches and diverse initiatives and also for their commitment to communication through many ways including the monthly prayer letter.

There have been substantial advances in the development of training materials for leadership and church strengthening. Both the Foundations for Family and the Foundations for Health seem to come from the same stable as Foundations for Farming! These have been developed by exceptional teams of men and women, with some reference to Brian whose prophetic gifting has been so valuable. I believe these resources have continental potential for extending the Kingdom of God into areas that have been ravaged by the enemy for years. We continue to work on other aspects including education, governance, chronological Bible-storying for radical preaching and others, all of which hold huge promise for 2010.

Our new experiences in Mozambique, and particularly our endeavors in Rapale, Nampula, continue to be a source of stretching and great joy for all involved! We are making friendships, learning languages, growing chickens, selling chickens and eggs every day, teaching children, some are having children, handling heat and humidity, but above all exploring ways that God has for us in church strengthening and planting, with a passion to see the revival life of God flood communities and cities in this nation and up through Africa. It is awesome to be together on mission!

There is so much more I could say, but as we draw towards the end of the year, I just wanted to say praise God for ALL he has done with us! This life, strength and growth is beyond what one would imagine and I am more convinced than ever that God is going to show his greatest strength and glory through these jars of clay that HE powerfully puts together to make the glorious bride of Christ!

I pray that your December and January are restful and re-creative and that we will have an even more wonderful 2010 together.

We are planning to travel back to Harare as a family on the 5th December and I hope to be in town for a couple of weeks leading up to my sister’s wedding in Victoria Falls, which should be great fun. I look forward to catching up with many in those weeks.

Danny and Ruth Tanser, Doc and Joyce Mutangara, Andrew and Claire Cunningham and many others from Nampula send love to you too.

With loads of love,

Scott

Central/Southern Africa Update

In November 2009, Scott Marques sent a letter to all the churches in his apostolic sphere in Central and Southern Africa. It gives very encouraging news of progress made in 2009.

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