August 2009

Dear supporting churches and fellow believers,

The students are about to return for the third and last term of this year; last week the mission was crowded with pastors for the annual conference. Harvest has been a busy time at the farm with many learning and teaching opportunities. Teachers are coming to the mission for training while the schools are on break... It is time to update you on all that goes on at the mission post.

Trust and Management Team

In April the Trustees gathered for the Annual meeting. For the first time, the Trust met with representatives from the churches that send students to the College. Delegates and graduates expressed much appreciation for the training with which Covenant College has aided the churches from 2001. Ideas were shared how the teaching can connect even more closely to the local church situation.

The Trust reviewed reports from the three ministries (College, Farm, Schools), checked the books, and approved the budgets and plans for the next year. Together we also acknowledged the blessing to have many faithful supporters from different churches and countries. Some donate necessary supplies, others help to fund new buildings, and many contribute towards the daily operation of the ministries. Instructors are sent to the College free of cost from Zambia and South Africa. All this helps in the realization of our calling, and the Trust and team appreciate it very much! It was the first Trust meeting for pastor Lovemore Banda, a local College graduate, and pastor Greg McDonald who represented the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).

Over the last year, we have held regular Management Team meetings to coordinate the ministries at the mission. This is to make sure that we know from each other what we do, to encourage each in his or her own work, and to discuss items that pertain to the mission as a whole. This helps us to operate as three ministries, each with its own ministry leader(s), funding and account, each directly answerable to the Trust, yet united and working together at one mission station.

College

We are thankful to report that the construction of the new class rooms has progressed well. Last year October, the builder started with the first part (class room 1, office, and storeroom), so that from February we were able to teach there. Last week, July 27, the second part was completed far enough to house the Pastors’ Conference.

Both class rooms will be used for teaching; we teach some courses separately to the Certificate and Diploma students. The large hall will also be used for the combined sessions at the pastors’ wives meetings, for conferences, and large meetings such as the graduation. We received sufficient funds from a family in the Netherlands to complete the building.

As lecturers, we enjoy teaching in these class rooms – most of all because the students are so eager to learn. We may report that there is a very good attitude among them and that the Word of God is received with attention. Often spontaneous words of appreciation are expressed for all the learning, sharpening, and encouragement for the ministry that we share.

In the end of June, our family (Molenaar) had to return to the Netherlands. Mirjam got malaria which is dangerous for the unborn child that we expect; this also required regular medical monitoring and delivery in a hospital. Since we had already planned to travel to the Netherlands to give birth, we followed the advice to leave earlier. Since our arrival Mirjam is checked regularly and thankfully everything seems to be well. The Lord has answered the prayers of many! Mirjam is still quite weak and needs to watch herself carefully; she is due September 6.

At the College, the full responsibility fell on Rev. Zwemstra to finish the second term and prepare the third. He has been very busy with the regular teaching, as well as teaching at the annual Pastors’ Conference. Together we are thankful for God’s provision of two full-time lecturers so that the work continues unhindered when one falls out. For the third term (Aug 11 – Oct 2) help is arranged to teach all the courses; the Reformed Baptist Kabwata church sends a lecturer and two pastors from the Reformed Churches of South Africa will also assist. These forms of support are greatly appreciated!

Farm Ministry – Phil Bailey

CC Farm continues to develop both in its Livestock units and the ‘Farming God’s Way’ teaching. The new piggery is nearly finished, it has four pens, one for tata (father) and two furrowing pens for the mai (mothers) and one for the weaned piglets. The market for pork is good and we’ve been slaughtering one pig a month from the last litter. Each one bringing around 80 kilos of good meat which is both enjoyed by the students and readily bought by the men coming to work on the farm. The men will not work for maize, that’s the women’s job to bring home, but they will work for meat! It must be a ‘man thing’!

One of the stumbling blocks for people to take up the FGW way of growing maize is the high cost of fertilizer. We have been seeking many ways to overcome this problem. Through trials during the past rain season we have found that by using various methods of composting we can eliminate the use of base dressing fertilizer. We are composting things like ground nut shells and shelled maize cobs which are normally just burnt. Then the harvesting of manure from the animals is used to help breakdown maize stalks, leaves, crop residues etc into compost. All of which will later be placed in the holes where we plant the maize. This planting season our total of 4 hectares of maize will be grown without the use of compound D as a base dressing which will halve  the input of ‘chemical’ fertilizer. We have to show it’s possible!

Christian Education Ministry – Marjanne Hendriksen

At this moment our schools are busy with writing tests; the second term is almost over. During both terms of this year, each school has had several visits. We, Solomon, Dorica, and I, observe lessons and discuss them with the teachers. We speak about what they have learnt at our conferences and how they use this in their schools. School visits can be very surprising; twice I didn’t find the school, but a ruin… One school doesn’t exist anymore; the other is using a church building. The teacher had been replaced by a new one. The third teacher in two years… Sometimes you feel a bit desperate about what is going on in some schools.

But the Lord also gives us special experiences that encourage us: teachers involving the community to build a school, teachers helping each other in preparing a lesson plan, teachers that open and close their days with prayer, teachers that want to learn about the Bible, teachers telling a Bible story every school day…

Next term we hope to concentrate on observing Bible lessons. But first we will have two conference days in August, Lord willing. We pray that He blesses the teachers and through them also the children!!

“Adopt a Student”

Covenant College offers pastoral training to church leaders in Eastern Province Zambia. We do this free of charge to the students (apart from a nominal registration and uniform fee), so that all who are called by God and recognized by the churches to preach the Gospel can participate and benefit from this training. The salaries of the full time lecturers are paid by their sending churches; new buildings are funded from specific donations – yet, we remain each year with a considerable budget for the running or operational expenses.

Today, we don’t want to bother you with huge amounts however. Neither do we like to enlarge on the expenses. We want to bring this all down to the very heart of what we need: believers who support a pastor so he can be trained for the ministry of the Word. Therefore we launch our new program – Adopt a Student!

The real costs per student, in rounded figures, are as below. We have an average of 20 students.

• 3,000,000 Kwacha
• £400
• US$600
• €450
• SA Rand 5000

Our students are dedicated pastors who make sacrifices to enrol in the College. Their income is reduced as they have to cut back the amount of cash crops they can produce or piece work they can do, and they spend many weeks away from their families. They receive their training as once in a life opportunity to increase their knowledge of the Bible, to come to a clear understanding of Bible doctrine and its application to real daily life, and to develop their skills to lead the people of God and to bring in the lost. We are convinced that support for these men is an important investment in the kingdom of God!

Please consider to ‘Adopt a Student’ – together with some other families or as a church and commit to their support both financially and spiritually. You can contact Rev. Zwemstra or myself about this (addresses below).

Prayer and Thanksgiving

• Please pray for Heinrich and Jacomien Zwemstra, Phil Bailey, Marjanne Hendriksen to persevere in their responsibilities.
• Pray for visiting lecturers and students during the third term of this year; safe travelling and blessed learning.
• Pray for the spiritual growth and development of the pastors, and that the teaching bears fruit in their personal lives, families, churches, and villages.
• Thank the Lord with us that He continues to provide the ministries all that is needed.
• Remember in prayer Mirjam as she anticipates delivery; pray for energy and protection.
• We continually pray for all those living and working at the mission, that we may be healthy, live together in a good spirit, and that we display a life of godliness.
• Please thank the Lord for His provision of a good harvest, and pray for the promotion of farming that is consistent with a biblical worldview and Christian stewardship.
• Pray for the Christian Community Schools, for commitment in the teachers, for the many orphaned children that attend, and that Christian education may bear fruit. 

We appreciate your support and thank God that so many are united in their love for Covenant College!

In His service,

Cees Molenaar, Principal