Rev Neil M Ross
Zimbabwe. The fact that our comparatively-small denomination is able to continue the work of the gospel in Zimbabwe is due in large measure to the generosity, year by year, of our Dutch supporters in the Mbuma Zending Committee, who, with us, prayerfully desire that this work will flourish. This year they allocated somewhat in excess of £1.3 million.
The new form of Mission governance, with each institution having its own Board of Governors, was informally assessed during a conference of the members of Boards in February. They heard these short presentations: “How the Boards Have Supported the Gospel Work” by Rev A B MacLean, “Form 6 at John Tallach High School” by Mr B Ncube, “Rural Health Clinics at Mbuma” by Dr A Snoek, and “The Thembisio Home Child Development System” by Mr B Maphala and Mr H Mackenzie. They then discussed the lessons to be learned from the first year’s operation of the Boards.
At Mbuma, a Government-backed “Community Assessment” of the Mission Hospital medical services resulted in a grading of 99%. In recent months, six Dutch medical students have visited the Hospital in pairs to do research on medical issues in the area. It is expected that the Hospital will benefit from these projects as it did from previous ones.
At Thembisio Home, the Board has appointed a Supervisor of the house mothers in the person of Miss Nonceba Mzamo, a daughter of the late Rev P Mzamo. Rev S Khumalo reported that he was very pleased with the progress of the tutorials on the Ndebele Shorter Catechism and associated Bible readings, which are conducted with the house mothers after the Sabbath services. The Board commended the Headmaster of Thembisio Primary School, Mr V Sibanda, on the school having achieved a pass rate of 89% in the 2015 Grade 7 Examinations.
John Tallach Secondary School at Ingwenya Mission, which has a roll of 602 (306 girls and 296 boys), of whom 562 are boarders, has now been officially granted the status of High School with effect from January 1. For the previous year, the Cambridge examinations results are: 100% pass rate for A-level pupils and 93% pass rate for O-level pupils.
Of course, the spiritual welfare of the people on our Mission is the primary objective in the work there. Rev A B Maclean reminded the Ingwenya Board of Governors that gospel work is a repetitive exercise of sowing and that it is necessary to have a united prayerful desire for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this “day of small things”.
Kenya. Since our Church withdrew from working in Sengera, the core of what had been our congregation there still meets for worship every Sabbath. The group is to continue under the name of Omorembe Presbyterian Church, and is to be registered with the Government under a new constitution not dissimilar to that under which our Church was formerly registered. Rev K M Watkins and his wife are still involved in the translation of the metrical Psalms into Ekegusii and hope to finish it in about two years.
Israel. Rev John Goldby visited Israel in the middle of February. His principal task was to liaise with the translation team involved in the ongoing revision of the Delitzsch Hebrew New Testament – he being the co-ordinator between the Trinitarian Bible Society and the team. The translators are progressing steadily and have recently completed the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians.
However, most of Mr Goldby’s time there was taken up with the preparation of The Westminster Confession of Faith in Hebrew for publication. It is not yet printed because it requires further close editing.
Mr Goldby mentioned that, because some of the translators have connections with the Messianic community, some in that community are now better informed about the Reformed doctrines of our Church and its adherence to the Received Text of the New Testament. He also said that, at one service on the Lord’s day in the YMCA in Jerusalem, he had nine people present, including some visitors from abroad. He also had opportunities on other days to engage in useful dialogue with some of the Orthodox Jews whom he met.
In conclusion we say: those who labour in our gospel work in Africa and Israel – and elsewhere – have the divine assurance that their “labour is not in vain in the Lord”. But they still need our support, by prayer and giving, for so has the Lord of the harvest appointed.