During December, Dave walked 110 miles – the equivalent distance as from Nasareth in north Wales to Bethlehem in south Wales. This was to raise funds for a variety of children’s projects in Uganda that have links to APF. Please sponsor Dave through JustGiving here:
Bishop James received the call on Sunday evening as he travelled back from meetings in Dodoma. The voice on the phone spoke quickly, trying to explain what had happened before his limited mobile ‘airtime’ ran out.
The Eucharist service had just finished and the congregation of St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Sengenya in rural Masasi Diocese had returned home. Some of the church leadership remained inside to chat and share a meal together.
In this part of Africa, whirlwinds created by hot air spinning upwards in a vortex are not uncommon, especially towards the end of dry season as the temperature rises. This one, however, was extraordinarily powerful and seemed to come out of nowhere.
The wind whipped through the narrow church windows, mere slits in the mud-brick walls, and ripped the sheet metal roof away from its wooden rafters.
Everyone threw themselves on the ground as the entire church roof lifted and fell, twisting metal, splintering wood and ripping nails crashing down all around. Their quick action meant most emerged from the chaos with only minor injuries. One person would need hospital treatment.
Bishop James visited Sengenya as soon as possible. ‘It is part of the pastoral ministry of a bishop to offer comfort and pray with those in need’ he explained. Arriving at Sengenya, a small crowd had already gathered. Details of what had happened were shared and prayers were said. The bishop was shown around the ruined church building.
Despite everything, Revd Esau, a young deacon who was in the church eating lunch with the others when the whirlwind hit, is grateful. What if it had happened during the Eucharist rather than after most had gone home? What if the damaged electric wiring for the church lighting had electrified the collapsed metal roof? It was a miracle no one was killed. ‘God is good all the time’, he said.
Bishop James agrees that the old mud church building cannot be repaired. Next to it stands the roofless bare concrete block walls of its half-built replacement. ‘They will need much prayer to find the capacity to finish the new church structure before the rain arrives in November or December’, he said.
There is no doubt that the whirlwind that devastated St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Sengenya is a huge blow to the community. Amidst the wreckage, however, a spirit of resilience and gratitude stands out. They believe that divine intervention prevented any fatalities and give thanks.
As the community now faces the daunting task of completing the replacement place of worship before the rains, they do so with a renewed sense of purpose and a belief that, with God’s help, they will emerge from this with more faith, hope and love than before.
New Life Christian Church is an indigenous African church network with approximately 150 congregations spread across central and southern Malawi and northern Mozambique. Meeting with regional overseers in Blantyre was crucial to reaffirm APF’s commitment to the partnership and explore the network’s priorities with the new church leadership.
Most NLCC pastors have had no formal training, making in-service training a crucial priority. Pastor Souza from Mozambique highlighted the need for Chichewa language Bibles, bicycles, and income-generating projects to support his ministry.
Visiting Bishop Lloyd’s grave required a long journey down a very rough washed-out road deep into rural Chikwawa District. Before visiting the grave, we had to obtain permission from the village headman. In this region of Africa, village cemeteries are traditionally situated within or near sacred groves of trees.
We met some of Lloyd’s extended family in the village, which was bustling with activity as people returned from their fields in the Shire River flood plain. They had been working since before dawn, digging the land in anticipation of the rains which they expected to arrive very soon.
A crucial part of the trip was meeting the new team who will lead the Growing Greener agriculture project (pictured right, with Bishop Lloyd’s widow). APF and Operation Agri have supported this wonderful initiative since Lloyd established it following the 2016 drought. With overwhelming demand for training in composting and many other essential sustainable agriculture techniques, plans were made to resume the programme in participating villages next year.
It is five years since we launched the eVitabu individual user sponsorship programme. The number of eVitabu users in Africa is now well over 2,000 and continues to grow almost daily but the number being sponsored is just 70. eVitabu will always be free to install for church leaders in Africa but there are significant costs to APF to keep the app available and make important improvements.
If you do not already, I am appealing to supporters to consider sponsoring an eVitabu user. You can do so by going to africanpastors.org/evitabu and signing up to sponsor a pastor using eVitabu.
If you are already a sponsor, from 1st February 2025, we will increase sponsorship from £5 to £7.50 per month. I hope this will not be off-putting. It remains less than the price of a paperback book to place an entire library in the hands of a dedicated but under-resourced pastor in Africa.
Thank you!
Andrew Richardson
Treasurer
Happy New Year!
Welcome to Impetus. January 2025 marks my 10th anniversary as CEO of APF. During that time there have been many encouragements, a few setbacks, a pandemic, and the major innovation for APF being a digital tool – the eVitabu app.
As an organisation, APF has embraced ministry in the digital age in terms of delivery of training and resources in Africa, but also as a tool for communications with donors and supporters in the UK. Whether we like it or not, for the majority of our readers digital media has become an ‘embedded, embodied, and everyday’ fact of life.
With this in mind APF is changing the way we communicate with supporters. Impetus has become a streamlined eight-page journal, and much more regular email and social media updates will be posted online.
This will increase the frequency with which we share up-to-date stories, encouragements and prayer needs, but also reduce the amount of printed material and mailing costs to the charity. We are confident this is the trajectory of travel for charity communication and will result in strengthened relationships with supporters.
To receive more regular digital updates by email instead of a printed copy of Impetus, click here and complete the online sign-up form.
I hope you continue to find Impetus informative and encouraging, and we remain grateful for all your support in prayer, giving or any other way.
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
African Pastors Fellowship has equipped many pastors and leaders in Zambia providing them with solar lights that have helped so much during this time of long power cuts, and training in the villages with eVitabu and making organic fertiliser. Let us pray together:
Over the summer, nine groups took to the fairways to enjoy a round of golf to support pastors in Africa. Players paid a small entrance fee and then donated the value of their score.
There were informal groups of friends and several church teams, all playing at various courses at different times during July and August. Players were aged from 11 to 84, and the individual winner was our youngest participant: Caleb Twyman, who scored 41 points playing at Princes Golf Club, Sandwich.
The overall team competition was won by Mr Zen and the Foxy Bunch, comprising James Keyte, James Putnam, Josh Stedman and Andrew Swindley (pictured) playing at Tudor Park Golf Club, Maidstone. They collectively scored 133 points. As they played, they were stalked by a fox who soon became their team mascot.
Thank you so much to everyone who took part! So far, this year’s golf competition has raised over £900 for APF.
Since government regulations on faith communities were first introduced in 2018, APF have been reporting on the impact of the rules and standards intended to ensure congregations worship in safe buildings and are led by properly qualified and well-trained faith leaders. Across Rwanda, churches worked hard to comply with the regulations and stay open for worship.
Further regulations brought in this August, however, have meant nearly 10,000 mostly smaller churches and mosques across the country have been forced to close, leaving many congregations without a place of worship.
This is particularly devastating for rural communities who have already made significant investments to comply with previous regulations. Furthermore, restrictions on religious meetings in private homes further limits the ability of believers to gather and practice their faith.
The August crackdown has meant that APF partner Église Évangélique de la Bonne Volonté au Rwanda (EEBVR) has now shut all its church buildings. Building regulations requiring churches to install lightning conductors, soundproofing, air conditioning, water storage and disabled toilets and be sited on at least half an acre of land are beyond the means of a small independent network like EEBVR.
APF recently sponsored the EEBVR’s legal representative Victor Imanaturikumwe’s theology degree. This helped the network comply with the 2018 regulations. However, the latest enforcements mean EEBVR churches are closed again.
Rev Emmanuel Gatera from Word of Life Church in Rusizi District on the Rwanda-DRC border has also been affected. APF sent funding so Emmanuel could help church leaders from across the region download, install and register on eVitabu, APF’s pastor training and resource hub app. The closure of the church building the training was scheduled to happen in, however, means the training is postponed.
Although the regulations have disproportionately impacted smaller, less well-resourced indigenous networks like EEBVR and Word of Life Church, large international denominations are also struggling to comply.
In Kigeme Diocese, for example, just twenty-three out of 239 Anglican churches remain open. Bishop Assiel Musabyimana held a retreat day for diocesan clergy to encourage them to continue in prayer and with regular pastoral visits while their church buildings remain shut. He worries for congregations unable to gather and is concerned that the end of the traditional Sunday offering makes raising funds to comply with the regulations even harder.
Anglican Archbishop Laurent Mbanda nevertheless takes some positives from the situation. He told Religion News Service, “I think what was introduced — not today but five years ago — is good for the Church. The government gave us five years to comply and kept giving us reminders. That ended last year in September. I think this was enough time to comply. We need to look at this from a positive side.”
One positive story from Rwanda is that the Rwandan Governance Board (RGB), the government department responsible for introducing the faith community rules and standards, recently announced a collaboration with Re-Forma. Re-Forma is a South African based organisation specialising in training African church leaders.
The agreement means that Re-Forma training certification now counts as evidence that a pastor had suitable theology training. APF are in discussions with Re-Forma about using eVitabu as a platform for sharing their training material with African pastors.
Speaking after winning his fourth term, Rwandan President Paul Kagame insists that the law must prevent “mushrooming churches” that “squeeze even the last penny from poor Rwandans.” He also hinted about taxing churches on their income to combat fraud and corruption.
Rwanda’s constitution protects religious freedom, including the right to choose or change one’s religion. Discrimination based on religion is punishable by law.
Bishop Lloyd Chizenga, born on 13th March 1960, led a remarkable life characterised by unwavering love for God and service to His people. His journey in Christianity deepened when he was born again in 1982 and joined Pentecostal Assemblies of God. His humility and servant character soon meant he was chosen to serve as an assistant pastor.
After training in theology as a pastor in Malawi and Zambia, Lloyd left Assemblies of God and founded New Life Christian Church in 1993 in Blantyre. The young church network grew and branches were soon planted across Malawi and Mozambique. Through New Life Christian Church, Bishop Lloyd trained many leaders and pastors of different churches.
Guided and inspired by the compassion of our Lord Jesus, Bishop Lloyd championed various humanitarian initiatives including building orphanages, supporting women with small-scale business loans, sinking boreholes in different villages and providing bibles to many local churches.
In recent years, his passion for helping the most vulnerable led him to train farmers from rural communities across Malawi in sustainable agriculture with support from APF and Operation Agri . The good reputation he had established through his leadership of New Life Christian Church in the villages meant that community headmen and women welcomed him, and the farmers listened, learnt and implemented the simple but effective farming techniques he taught. This project has now touched thousands of lives.
His care for vulnerable children, the elderly and those struggling through adversity made him a friend and a brother for all whom he reached out to. The boundless empathy, gentle spirit, and infectious humour he manifested made him a beloved figure in the community and a guiding light to his family.
Above all things, the bishop’s greatest joy was his family. To Johanna, Bridget and myself he was an amazing dad and a constant source of love, wisdom and encouragement. He delighted in our accomplishments, comforted us in times of need and inspired us to pursue our passions always in doing good to humanity. His legacy as a father is characterised by his patience, kindness and devotion.
To our mother Jackie, he was a rock, partner and soulmate. Together, they shared a deep love built on mutual respect, trust, and laughter. He cherished her, supported her dreams, and celebrated her triumphs.
Lloyd’s impact extends far beyond his ministry and family. His selfless example inspired countless individuals to embrace their faith, serve others and strive for compassion. The memory of his life will continue to uplift and motivate future generations to make a difference in the world as God’s instrument of love and kindness. Through his remarkable life, Bishop Lloyd showed us that faith, family and service are intertwined. He is deeply missed but his love, legacy, and lessons will endure forever.
Welcome to Impetus.
At the time of writing, I have just arrived in Uganda to prepare for a major conference being hosted by APF at the campus of Pastors’ Discipleship Network in Kampala. The conference will gather around 35 representatives from our key African training partners from across eastern and southern Africa, together with APF personnel from the UK and Kenya.
By the time you are reading this, I will probably be back in the UK and Geoff will have travelled on to Tanzania. We anticipate the conference will have been an important inspirational and strategic opportunity to review APF operations in Africa, especially eVitabu uptake and impact, and explore some future possibilities: hearing the voices of our African brothers and sisters.
The conference is set against the backdrop of the lead articles in this edition: a new round of church closures in Rwanda, and the need to respond and help in appropriate ways; and the sudden loss of our dear friend and long-standing partner, Bishop Lloyd Chizenga in Malawi. No sooner will I return to the UK and, after 40 days of mourning has passed, there is the need to plan an urgent but unexpected visit to Malawi in the autumn. This will be to stand with Lloyd’s family in their loss, and meet with those who will succeed Lloyd as overseers of the 200+ congregations comprising the New Life Christian Church network.
One of my favourite memories of Lloyd was on an early visit I made to Malawi. Driving on the road south from Blantyre to the Shire Valley with Malawi to my right and Mozambique to my left, we paused so I could sample mbewa (boiled salted mice or rats on a stick). I rarely refuse food but, on this occasion, I made my excuses, which Lloyd found hilarious. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
It is always a great privilege to be able to offer personal, pastoral and political support to our African partners but it does mean substantial additional cost, much of which could not have been anticipated. If you are able to make a gift to help meet some of these needs, or were planning to make a gift later in the year but could do so now, that would be a huge help as we prayerfully seek to respond to these, and so many other, needs.
As always, with our thanks and gratitude,
Revd Dave Stedman
CEO
