Triumphant Bible Church

Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia, and is also its largest city by far. Simply read any article or travel guide and you will find that Zambia's capital city is in fact one of the most urbanized and developed cities in the whole of Subsaharan Africa -- there are nice hotels, shopping malls, and government buildings readily accessible to all. Lusaka is well equipped to draw many tourists and potential investors from rural Zambia and from the rest of the world.

You need only walk a few blocks past the main downtown streets, however, in order to find the beginning of what are called "compounds" -- entire neighborhoods and suburbs where the poorest of the poor strive every day to survive on whatever meager living they can. Triumphant Bible Church is located in Kanyama Compound, which is one of the biggest compounds surrounding Lusaka. It stretches nearly the entire length of the city from North to South, and its name means "little rock" or "small stone." This name is fitting, because throughout much of Kanyama you can find deep holes that have been carved out of the rocky ground by the swirling waters of the rainy season. The people here simply live their lives around these fields of canyons; drawing water from them, burning their garbage in them, or, in the case of the poorest of the poor, sleeping in them for shelter from the elements.

Joseph makes the journey across town twice weekly to pastor Triumphant Bible Church, which is a pentecostal church. Each Sunday Joseph and about 30 church members rent a school classroom for their service, which takes place overlooking an expansive field of mineature eroded canyons. There is also a time of intercessary prayer and Bible study before the actual service begins. During the week, the church meets in the homes of its members for a time of encouragement, of accountability, and of personal evangelism. Joseph and his church have a heart for Kanyama, and are always looking for ways to serve those around them with hearts of joy. Please be praying for unity and boldness in the leaders of Triumphant Bible Church, and for joy and obedience in church members!

Here's a quick video of Joseph introducing his church... again, if you're receiving this post via email you will need to click here to check it out. God bless!

Meet Joseph Zulu

"Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?" 1 Peter 3:13

If there is one thing that you need to know about Joseph Zulu, it is the fact that he is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Not only in his preaching, but also in his everyday conversation, Joseph exudes a contagious zeal for the word of God and a love for the unreached which challenge as well as inspire. Even in the midst of discouragement and difficulty it is easy to see that Joseph is truly zealous for what is good -- for a life of obedience, for the unreached, and for the unity of his church.

Joseph, his wife Doras, and their two year old son Joseph Jr. currently live in Garden Compound, which is a very poor suburb located to the Northeast of downtown Lusaka. Joseph takes a bus into the city five days each week to teach Religious Education and Geography at a private high school. Public schools in Zambia usually require that their teachers obtain a university degree before teaching, but to teach at a private school only a basic teacher's training is needed, which Joseph was able to complete at a young seminary in nearby Kanyama compound. He has been thankful for the past few years to have a job where he can regularly speak the about the gospel to his students in an educational setting.

Joseph became a Christian on November 17, 1991, at the age of 21. There is a reason he remembers the exact date: that morning one of his good school friends told him that he needed to be "born again." Having been raised as a Catholic with his older brother Peter, he didn't quite know what that meant, but he thought about it for much of the day until he received a letter from Peter in the afternoon. The only thing that Peter said in his letter to Joseph was that he needed to be born again! "I don't know how God planned for it," he says. "It was a miracle." That night he went to a Bible study at his school where the topic was, again, the new birth. Joseph became a believer that evening, surrendering his life to Christ.

Ministry has been a hard road since then, but Joseph feels compelled by the Lord to shepherd a flock of believers. In 1998 he became a pastor, but discouragement and trial have twice caused him to want to quit. Each time, however, his call to ministry has been confirmed, and today Joseph is the preaching pastor at Triumphant Bible Church in Kanyama. Joseph is a zealous preacher with a heart for God's truth, and he preaches passionately about the need to share the gospel with those in Kanyama who have yet to accept Christ.

Thank you for supporting Joseph as he has opportunity to learn God's word more deeply through his ABI classes. You can be praying that Joseph would have continued wisdom and strength as he works a full time job, pastors a church, and takes classes from ABI three times each week. Please also be praying for Joseph's family, that God would continue to provide encouragement for them as they travel across town to attend church every Sunday.

Here is a brief introduction from Joseph himself: if you are reading this post via email you may need to click here to see the video. Thanks!