Rev T Mwedzi clarified to Synod members at the public meeting covering the Mission reports that, although the rains had been better last year, they had been geographically sporadic, meaning that some areas had little
rain overall. He confirmed that food shortages were likely to continue through the coming year.
Mbuma Zending Deputies. The first Deputies from the Mbuma Zending Committee in the Netherlands since 2016 attended the Synod Mission evening of the Synod in May. They were able to spend some time with Synod members. The deputies were Rev A van Voorden, Chairman of the Mbuma Zending Committee; Mr J van den Ende, member of the Mbuma Zending Committee; and Mr Leendert Boon, translator. Rev D A Ross introduced the deputies to Synod.
Mr van Voorden addressed the Synod, highlighting elements of our mission work over the last 100 years. He spoke of the Lord’s goodness to the Mission over that time. He assured the Synod of the Committee’s continued support for the work in Zimbabwe. He particularly emphasised the ongoing work of the gospel. He confirmed the Committee’s hope to continue support into the future. He concluded by quoting the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace”. The Moderator of Synod then thanked the deputies for their continued prayers, financial support and voluntary work for the Mission.
The Opening of the New Maternity Ward at Mbuma. A new maternity ward was commissioned at the Mbuma Hospital on 3 June 2025. The opening ceremony began with worship conducted by Rev T Mwedzi; his address was based on Jeremiah 8:2. Mr Mwedzi emphasised the early missionaries’ dual focus on physical and spiritual well-being, highlighting the ultimate separation of body and soul at death. He poignantly contrasted the new maternity ward, the church and the mortuary, prompting reflection on life’s true priorities.
Dr Snoek then gave a historical overview, explaining the critical need for the ward. Before the 1960s, many deliveries in the local area occurred at home, often with tragic consequences. The establishment of hospitals, including the Mbuma Hospital’s first wing in 1962, significantly improved maternity care. Mbuma’s ability to perform elective operations and provide essential medicines has attracted patients from across provinces. Recognising the growing need, the Jewish and Foreign Mission Committee approved building a new ward in 2022. The necessary funds were quickly raised in the Netherlands, and construction began in 2023. The new spacious maternity ward compares favourably to other hospitals in the same district. The Mbuma Mission Hospital remains exceptionally busy, meeting a vital need in the community.
Dr N Chivhuru, representing the Ministry of Health, then expressed his
gratitude to the Mission. Rev S Khumalo ended proceedings with a heartfelt expression of appreciation for the improvements at the Mbuma Mission, his home area, and closed the meeting with prayer. Mr Barth and his wife were present, representing the Mbuma Zending Committee in the Netherlands.
(Rev) J B Jardine
Book Reviews1
The Christian Race, and Other Sermons, by J C Ryle, published by the Banner of Truth Trust, hardback, 320 pages, £17.00.
John Charles Ryle (11816-1900) “took orders” in the Church of England in 1841 and was made Bishop of Liverpool in 1880. When he was close to retirement, his friends urged him to publish a volume of his sermons as a memorial of his 60 years in the ministry. Ryle agreed to do so and asked his colleague T J Madden, Archdeacon of Warrington, to undertake the task; this book, first published in 1900, is the result.
The current publication by the Banner of Truth appears to be only the second time it has been re-issued. It is good to see that all the Scripture quotations have been retained in the Authorised Version. The book is clearly printed and is well bound.
In the preface Madden writes, “The selection I have made for publication sets forth the great doctrines of our faith – sin, redemption, regeneration and sanctification. I have also added sermons which call attention to the practical side of Christianity, and which especially emphasise the duties of the Christian life. The closing sermons proclaim the coming of our Lord; the reward of His saints, and the rest of heaven.”
One might say that “The Christian Race” (sermon 12 out of 24) is the theme of the collection. The first sermon is on Jeremiah 17:9,10, “The heart is deceitful above all things . . .”, followed by three sermons on regeneration from John 3:3, “Except a man be born again . . .”, proceeding through various aspects of the Christian life to the final sermon on 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered . . .”. Ryle never fails to exhort the unregenerate to flee to Christ as the only way of salvation, emphasising that there is nothing in us that can earn any merit or righteousness in God’s sight; it is all in Christ.
Throughout the sermons, Ryle encourages the people of God to be forever cleaving to the Lord Jesus: “Press forward . . . I beseech you, toward the mark for the prize of your high calling. Show forth the praises of Him
1These books may be obtained from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom.
that hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Let nothing tempt you to cast aside your confidence, which hath great hope of reward. Be not weary in well doing, for in due time you shall reap, if you faint not.”
In the sermon, “The Christian Race”, he tells God’s children: “We are to run, depending on Him for salvation, renouncing all trust in our own poor frail exertions, and counting our own performances no better than filthy rags, and resting wholly and entirely, simply and completely, upon that perfect righteousness which He worked out for us upon the cross”.
Again, in the sermon on “The Unchanging Christ”, he says, “Away with the idea of a sinless perfection on earth! We are bound to aim at it, we are sworn to strive after it; that man is no true Christian who sits down lazily and thinks to be saved without striking a blow, or does not wish to be holy as God is holy and perfect as God is perfect; but still we are confident the dearest children of God do never lay claim to any personal sinlessness and perfection; their hearts’ confession is, Lord, we are exceedingly unprofitable servants, in many things we offend daily, and their hearts’ prayer, Jesus, Master, bear with our sins and pardon our iniquities.”
In “What think ye of Christ”, on Matthew 22:42, he says, “Plain practical duties are very well, but they cannot put away sin, or give men new hearts, or save souls: all that is Christ’s office; Christ is the mainspring and subject of all Scripture; Christ, we read, is the Bishop of souls, the Author and Finisher of faith, the Bread of life, the Captain of salvation, the Cornerstone, the Door, the Mediator, the Prince of life, the Prince of peace, the Rock, the Shepherd, the Sun of righteousness, the Light of the world; and surely, then, I may fairly tell you that to think rightly of Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of religion”.
In the sermons on Enoch walking with God and Daniel’s faithfulness, we are exhorted to follow their example and are given spiritual and practical helps to do so.
Sermon 15, “The Second Advent” (on the Ten Virgins), generally follows the usual interpretation of the parable, but it is clear that Ryle held the Premillennialist view, that the Saviour would come to rule the earth for a literal messianic 1000 years of peace.
The final sermon, “Ready to Be Offered”, ends, “Hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The nearest walker with God will generally be kept in the greatest peace. The believer who follows the Lord most fully will ordinarily enjoy the most assured hope.”
The sermons are relatively short, easy to follow and in the usual crisp straightforward language well known to those acquainted with the writings of J C Ryle. The book is heartily recommended.
F R Daubney
Redeeming Love Has Been My Theme, The Life of William Ward, by Samuel E Masters, published by Ettrick Press, vol 2 in their Evangelical Lives series, paperback, 215 pages, £5.95.
William Ward was born in Derby, and became an apprentice printer, a trade that was to become useful to him in later life. He was to follow the famous William Carey, who sailed to India in 1793 as the first missionary of the Baptist Missionary Society. Employed as a shoemaker in early life, he was to do excellent work as a translator of the Scriptures into various Indian languages. By the time of his death, Carey had translated at least parts of the Bible into nearly 40 languages.
Ward applied to the Baptist Missionary Society in 1798 and the following year he sailed with others to Serampore, a Danish colony near Calcutta. Significantly, Ward brought with him a printing press and not only English type but also Greek and Hebrew. The missionaries could not settle in India because of the settled opposition, at that time, of the East India Company to missionary activity.
Ward’s main responsibility was to run the print shop, where Scriptures were produced and in which about 30 workers were employed. Among other duties, Ward had to compare the proofs of Scriptures in local languages with the English version. Besides the type he took with him to India, he acquired sets of type for various other languages, not only for India, but also for some non-Indian languages, including Arabic.
After the New Testament had been translated into Bengali, Ward left a copy in the village of Ram Krishnapur in 1801. The author states, “A man named Krishna Das read it and began sharing it with his neighbours until the entire village was transformed. Three years later, deeply moved by the profound changes in their lives, the villagers of Ram Krishnapur sent a delegation to Serampore to express their gratitude to the publishers. S P Carey states that the representatives included ‘Jaganath Das, who had long since smashed his idols, Sebak Ram, former ringleader of lewd songs, and fisherman Gobhardan’. They wholeheartedly embraced Christianity.”
Ward died in 1823, of cholera. He had experienced the joy of seeing conversions, but also sadness because of various difficulties. This book is only the second biography of Ward to be published; it is well written and should encourage us to pray for the spread of the gospel everywhere – not least in India, which is largely closed to missionary activity from abroad.
Pain of a Particular Kind, The Loss of A Child, by Peter Barnes, published by the Banner of Truth Trust, paperback, 83 pages, £14.50.
The author is a retired minister in Australia who has experienced the sadness
described in his book – though it was the loss of a granddaughter. She was just 5 when she died as a result of a brain tumour.
The author writes in his introduction of his hope “that God would use this book to minister to and bless any of His people who have suffered the agony of losing a child”. He draws teaching from various parts of Scripture, including the Book of Job, who of course experienced the particular pain of losing all his children.
What about the salvation of children who die in infancy? C H Spurgeon is quoted to the effect that their souls all go to paradise at death, but the Westminster divines are cautious, stating no more than that “elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who worketh when, and where, and how He pleaseth” (Confession of Faith 10:3). And we may believe that the infant children of godly people, who have been prayed for, are among these elect infants (see Ps 103:17). Samuel Rutherford lost all but one of his children. The author writes, “He would say to grieving Christian parents: ‘She is not lost to you who is found to Christ’. Our children are given by God to us; they are not our own. Death is to be viewed in these terms: ‘Your lease of him is expired’. The child is not gone away, but gone before, and ‘your cup is sugared with mercy’.”
In a final chapter, “God’s Final Word”, the author gives some helpful pieces of advice: (1) The Christian must not be ashamed to feel grief and sorrow. (2) Reality must be faced. (3) The Lord calls us to commit ourselves to Him. (4) The Christian needs to keep his eyes upon Christ as the risen King of the new heaven and new earth.
This is a helpful book, but we wish the author had confined himself to the Authorised Version of the Bible.