Zambian Brethren in Christ
Church
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The Brethren in Christ have been in Zambia
since 1906. The denomination originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
USA in 1778 and considers itself aligned with three theological
traditions: Anabaptist, Wesleyan and
Pietistic. The church was long considered part of the “plain church”
tradition because its members wore simple clothing, but it has since moved
away from those associations. |
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A traditional plainly-adorned BIC church building Although the church began in the United
States, the earliest members were originally from Germany and Switzerland, so
many of their customs reflect the so-called “Pennsylvania Dutch” of Lancaster
County. Not surprisingly, the early BIC missionaries to Africa brought many
of their cultural practices with them and introduced them to their African
converts. The current Tonga BIC hymnal is one clear example; it contains
American hymns and gospel songs from long ago and very few songs of Zambian origin.
Like other churches, the BIC imported both their faith and their culture.
Nevertheless, BIC missionaries to Africa accomplished many good things and
their work survives to the present. The first BIC came to Africa in 1898 and
began working in the Matopo Hills outside Bulawayo,
Zimbabwe. In 1906, two female American missionaries, Frances Davidson and Adda Engle, decided to begin a new work north of the
Zambezi River. They left Matopo Mission Station and
set out with two young African men, Nhlanlambi Moyo and Gomo Sibanda, eventually settling at Macha where they
established Macha Mission Station. At Macha, they established a church, a
school and a clinic. These three emphases – faith, education and health –
continued to be an important recipe for BIC missions throughout the twentieth
century. The first school was established at Macha Mission in 1908 and
included 18 boys.
1908 photo of Macha School Boys (includes Moyo
and Sibanda) Macha Mission expanded over time to include
a thriving church, a respected hospital, two secondary schools (Macha Girls
School and Frances Davidson Secondary School), two primary schools, a nursing
school, and a research center. Today’s Macha Research Trust is an
internationally-recognized center for research into malaria and related areas
of biological inquiry. Myron Taylor joined Frances Davidson and Adda Engle at Macha in 1907, and he married Adda in 1909. By 1912, Myron and Adda
were beginning to look for other places to begin a new mission station. They
settled on Sikalongo and began the work there in
1916. As a result of circumstances, they had to delay their work at Sikalongo for several years, but in 1921 they moved
permanently to Sikalongo and established a church,
a school and a small clinic. Taylor was known as an excellent marksman and
admired for his ability to kill lions.
Photo of Taylor with a lion killed at Sikalongo For many years, Sikalongo
Boys School was widely known and respected throughout Zambia’s Southern Province
as an institution which produced quality students. Elijah Mudenda,
one of Zambia’s early government officials graduated from the school, as did
Daniel Munkombwe, a well-known politician and
longtime civil servant. Currently, the mission station includes a church, a
primary school, a clinic, a co-educational secondary school, and a pastoral
training school. In 1954, the Brethren in Christ purchased Nahumba Farm, which is located at the outskirts of Choma. They established a church, a primary school, and
eventually a secondary school (Choma Secondary
School). Currently, the Zambian denominational headquarters are also located
there. In 2016, the church began the process of establishing a university
named Zambian Christian University with its administrative offices located on
Nahumba Mission Station. Although young, ZACU’s
long range plan is to expand its programs and facilities to include campuses
at Macha and Sikalongo, and learning centers in
urban locations such as Lusaka and Livingstone. Key Dates and People: o
1906 – Frances Davidson, Adda
Engle, David Moyo and Gomo
Sibanda established Macha Mission Station. o
1908 – The first BIC school established at Macha Mission
Station o
1916 – Myron and Adda Engle
Taylor established Sikalongo Mission Station with
help from Peter Munsaka. o
1921 – The first school and church established at Sikalongo o
1954 – The BIC purchased Nahumba
Farm and established Nahumba Mission Station o
1956 – Peter Munsaka and Sampson
Mudenda became the first Zambian overseers of the
Brethren in Christ Church in Zambia. o
1963 – Choma Secondary School
was established. o
1964 – The Zambian BIC was established separate from the
church in Zimbabwe. o
1978 – The North American BIC turned all operations over
to the national church. Bishop Silungwe became the
first Zambian bishop o
Sources and Resources: o
Sider, E. Morris. My
Story, My Song. Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press, 1978. _____________. “Frances Davidson.” From Nine Portraits. Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press, 1978. o
Thomas, Dwight W. “A Biographical Sketch of David (Ndhlalambi) Moyo: Early African
Mission Worker in the Brethren in Christ Church in Zambia.” Brethren in Christ History and Life, 33,
no.3 (2010): 594-656. o
Wittlinger, Carlton
O. Quest for Piety and Obedience.
Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press, 1978. o
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brethren_in_Christ_Church o
https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mbungano_Yabunyina_Muli_Kristo,_Zambia o
https://bicus.org/missionaries/john-and-esther-spurrier/ o
https://www.machamissionhospital.org/ o
https://malaria.jhsph.edu/malaria-institute-at-macha-miam/ |
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