Zambia WMU Trains Women in the Local Church to Make Disciples
Zambia is a landlocked country located in southern Africa. It shares its border with eight countries — Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Zambia is known as one of the few politically stable countries on the continent, since it has managed to avoid war, and over the past decade, it has experienced major economic growth through its production of copper. However, through the COVID-19 crisis and fluctuating costs of copper, growth has slowed.
The more than 19 million people who call Zambia home are warm, kind, and some of the most hospitable people you will ever meet in the world.
Music also plays a vital role in the life of Zambians. It’s not uncommon to hear people singing and clapping as they walk down the street.
Zambia WMU Disciples Members and Meets Needs
Zambia WMU began in the 1960s. It held the inaugural General Conference in 1968. At that time, it only reached a small part of Zambia.
In 2019, Lucy Muteneka was elected president, and she was reelected in 2022. Lucy shared how the impact of missions began to grow in her. “I visited Liberia and heard Joy Bolton share on missions,” she said. “This has made an impact [on] Zambia WMU. We still want to go to the unreached to share the good news!”
The ministry of WMU has expanded greatly. Joy Bolton, volunteer international WMU coordinator, said, “[Lucy] works so hard to involve the women. [She] is leading efforts to visit every association and to train the women.”
Lucy joyfully reported, “Zambia WMU is doing very well! We are training women at the local church to reach out in the community. Many people are being transformed! There are over 5,000 people who have been discipled, and God is still doing great things in WMU.”
Lucy added, “Our WMU is almost in all ten [Zambian] provinces. [Our vision for Zambia WMU is] a vibrant church … going to reach out in the community holistically.” This holistic vision includes meeting physical needs through projects such as planting gardens to provide food for people and building a resource center to meet other needs in communities across Zambia.
Zambia is known as a largely Christian nation, with 75 percent of Zambians claiming Protestant religious affiliations. However, so many people still need to hear about the saving power of Jesus Christ.
Lucy said, “[Zambia] WMU shares the gospel by going out in different associations to teach on discipleship. We also go into remote areas to make sure the message is heard by everyone.”
Zambia WMU works hard to include children and young women in the training, discipleship, and missions work done throughout the country. It’s critical for Zambia WMU to continue building disciples within the church so individuals can grow in their faith and become leaders who help strengthen the gospel influence.
Lucy and her team in Zambia also plan an annual conference. Believers associated with WMU come from all over Zambia to attend. This conference encourages participants in their faith, helps them develop their knowledge of the Bible and theology, and shows them how to share the gospel and make disciples.
Lucy explained, “Our WMU conference [had] almost 1,000 who attended … from all over Zambia from all ten provinces. This is usually a four-day conference. This is when we share what is happening in the associations.”
She said many of the women walking down the streets together after the annual conference sang a song that says, “We are soldiers of Christ. We will continue working for God!”
How to Join in Prayer
One of the most important ways you can support Zambia WMU is through prayer.
- Zambia WMU has acquired ten acres of land. Pray over the decisions that will be made as to how to purposefully use this land. Current goals for the land include building a resource center and a large hall to train people for discipleship and missions work, creating space to teach skills like tailoring, designing, and farming, and developing another borehole that would gather water to be used specifically for gardening.
- Pray for the more than 400 young women who attended a training in Lusaka led by Zambia WMU.
- Pray for the 25 recently baptized new believers.
- Pray for the nearly 1,000 women who attended the annual conference.
- Pray for the more than 200 women who attended lessons on discipleship in the Manyika Association.
- Pray for Lucy and her team as they lead Zambia WMU in training, discipling, and ministering throughout the country.
Lyndsay John has traveled all over the world, including several countries in Africa, to share the gospel and help make disciples. She loves getting to write about other gospel workers and the work God is doing through them.
