Meet Pastor Mumbi

"The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." 1 Timothy 5:17

Pastor Bonaventure Mumbi is one of the older men in the ABI program. Like many in Zambia, he was raised with a Roman Catholic upbringing until coming to evangelical faith in later life. Pastor Mumbi always has a smile and is always laughing and encouraging his brothers in Christ. Though he may not speak much, he is known to do so at just the right times with tailor-made wisdom for difficult situations.

Pastor Mumbi lives where his ministry is -- he lives in Kanyama for with his seven children, many of whom are now married. Like many Zambians, Pastor Mumbi and his family have experienced great loss: when his wife passed away several years ago he was left to raise all seven children by himself with very scarce sources of income. God has demonstrated His faithfullness again and again over the years, however, so that all of Pastor Mumbi's children are still following the Lord and serving Him in various ways today, having been comforted by God in the midst of loss. And God has honored Pastor Mumbi's faithful love for his family with a new marriage, just last year.

Please be praying for pastor Mumbi as he leads a growing church in one of the biggest and most impoverished compounds in Lusaka, even as he travels across town three times each week to attend classes at ABI. Thank you for you your generosity towards Pastor Mumbi and his family: the support that you give enables them to purchase enough n'shima (the staple food here in Zambia) to make up for the time that he sacrifices in order to learn how to be a better pastor and shepard of his flock. Also, you can pray that the marriage conference that Action recently held, and which Pastor Mumbi attended, would sink deeply into his life and into the lives of the other pastors who attended it.

Below is a video of Pastor Mumbi introducing himself; if you are receiving this update via email you may need to click here to see the video. God bless!