Rooted in Jesus – a discipleship course for Africa
Alison MorganIn February 1999 I received a phone call from John Woolmer. He
was taking a SOMA team to Zambia; would I like to go? My heart cried
‘Yes!’, followed instantly by a stern reminder from
my head: ‘You can’t – you have three
children.’ It was true, I did, and our daughters were not yet
five years old. ‘Er – thank you; I’ll
pray about it’, I said; and duly did. The reply was
unexpected: ‘Who comes first, your children or me?’
‘Er – well, if you insist on putting it like that,
you, Lord’. ‘Do you think I can’t look
after them?’ ‘Er – no, Lord’.
So I went, against Foreign Office advice, to a place called Chibwika,
20 miles from the Angolan border. From there we travelled by road
through the Congo, then at civil war, to Chipili, an old mission
station perched high on a hill. On our last day we woke at dawn and
watched the sun rise above the wooded valley below. I timed it; it took
three minutes to creep above the horizon, shedding the blood-red colour
of Christ into the sky. ‘In the beginning was the
Word’, said God. ‘I have plans for these people,
the people of Africa. You will be part of my plans.’
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Rooted in Jesus is in use in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, DR Congo, and Uganda |
At the time, I had absolutely no idea what he meant; I just knew that
my mind and soul had been pummelled and stretched by what I’d
seen and heard, and that doors had opened somewhere deep inside me.
Nine years later, I find myself the editor of a discipleship course for
Africa called Rooted in Jesus, published by ReSource and offered to
Anglican dioceses in Africa through the ministry of SOMA. It all seemed
to happen by accident. ‘Can you write us a discipleship
course based on Matthew 28.18-20 and 2 Timothy 2.2?’ asked
Stanley Hotay, the diocesan missioner in our link diocese in Tanzania.
‘Can I pass this on to my friend Mark?’, asked my
former lecturer Adrian Chatfield, Mark being the bishop of Niassa in
Mozambique. ‘Do you have anything for teaching
discipleship?’ wrote the Zambians. Rooted in Jesus spread by
word of mouth from one diocese to another, at just the rate we could
manage to train and send teams to introduce it. It’s now in
use in 14 languages in 7 countries, and we are looking at invitations
from two more; we estimate that there are something of the order of
2,000 Rooted in Jesus groups in East Africa, with some 20,000 members.
Why is Rooted in Jesus needed?
Approximately 40% of the current population of Africa is said to be
Christian, and numbers are increasing all the time. But many Christians
have little or no education, and most have no access to a Bible. They
are often taught by lay evangelists or catechists with little
theological training. The result is that while enthusiasm is great,
understanding is limited. In many areas witchdoctors remain the primary
providers of healthcare and conflict management, and oppressive social
and religious practices are still followed. Corruption, tribal conflict
and genocide dominate the lives of millions. In many places the Church
is the only functional institution; and yet it is starved of both the
material and spiritual resources it needs if it is to fulfil its
calling. Existing western materials fail to address the particular
needs and challenges of the African context, and as yet there are few
locally developed ones. It’s hard, in these circumstances, to
find out how to be a disciple of Jesus.
Our response to Stanley’s request was Rooted in Jesus, a two
year course on faith and discipleship, taught interactively by a leader
to a small group of between 5 and 30 people. The leader needs to be
literate; no one else does. Time is spent in discussion, worship, and
prayer, and each lesson covers a different topic, summarised by a
memory verse. Topics range from the foundational –
‘Who is Jesus Christ?’ to the practical –
marriage, work, alcohol. Participants are introduced to the work of the
Holy Spirit, and many bear witness to powerful experiences of
forgiveness, healing and deliverance. Each group member is encouraged
to develop an active ministry to others both inside and outside the
group; and at the end of the course some become leaders of new groups
so that the number of effective disciples of Jesus is constantly and
exponentially increasing.
Does it work?
In each diocese, group coordinators are appointed to support the group
leaders. This is what Isaiah Chambala writes from Tanzania, after 2
years of working with some 100 groups:
Not only had the Bible been regarded as a superstitious book
dealt with by specialists in teasing supernatural powers, many
Christians have been ignorant of what the Bible says about what they
have rightly believed. Lack of confidence in the Bible has led them to
lose their opportunity to use their gifts. Spiritual gifts have not
been exercised due to the traditional notion that the only skilled
people in tapping the spirits and manoeuvering them are the church
leaders. People now say that the Bible has transformed their lives.
They confess that the word of God contains powers that give them
confidence in the Holy Spirit to share with others about their new
experience in the Lord. They have the courage to say verses from the
Bible to prove what they believe.
Last year we were privileged to return to Tanzania, where the first
groups have now completed the course. We met with the group leaders and
asked them what they had found. As they poured out stories of deepened
commitment and transformed lives I was overwhelmed by the changes in
them since they first began in this ministry. They stood taller, more
confident; they had stuck at the task, unpaid, through periods of
hardship and famine; and here they were with smiles of joy on their
faces. What advice did they have for new leaders in other countries, we
asked. Two things, they said. First, realise that this is a calling on
your life. Second, know that God is powerful and that the Holy Spirit
is with you. It was a humbling experience.
Simon writes:
Before to receive my life to Jesus I had one big problem, my
problem was anger. Every day I was quarrelling with others and my
wives, but since I started to learn the Word of God and to repent this
sin I feel free. Now I have peace and joy to all and my friends they
wonder as well and my wives trust that real Jesus has power and all of
them are in SOMA group.
Being disciples
For our part, being involved in this work of first being and then
making disciples has been an astonishing and faith-building exercise.
It’s not easy – two weeks in remote rural Africa
sounds fun, but it’s not exactly a holiday. Travel is
exhausting and sometimes dangerous, facilities limited, food not always
forthcoming, and the needs of the people infinite. Many of the
coordinators also travel long distances, often by bicycle, to visit
groups, taking precious time away from the need to grow food for their
families. Cornelius Chalwe, group coordinator in Luapula diocese,
Zambia, writes:
At Chibondo I only met the Priest and the Deacon. When I
arrived I
found the church leaders who came for Rooted in Christ had been sent
away, for they had not enough food to stay for the two days. And I was
late by a day because I had to come from Nchelenge, pass home and take
something to use (mosquito net). And I had to hire someone, a
watchtower member, to cycle me on both his bikes. I had to hire 2
bicycles, one to carry my bag and the man to carry me. The road was
long and tiresome and some place sandy.
And yet they write also of the faithfulness of God, and of
their
own spiritual growth. This is Isaiah again: From these and
many stories I am made rich in the Lord. And that's why to me this
coordination has been a way to serving the Lord that much I am myself
getting blessed and encouraged, and my spiritual life is being
challenged and made strong. I can say that through this I am balanced
between my theological education and my spiritual practical life.
Most Rooted in Jesus teams are now made up of people from both the UK
and from Africa. And as so often, we come home with the sense that we
are not the givers but the receivers. Sharing this journey of
discipleship with our brothers and sisters in Africa brings healing
from the preoccupations of Western materialist values, and fills us
with renewed determination to live authentic and obedient lives - lives
which will make a difference. If the people of rural Africa need our
help in their spiritual journey, so most certainly do we also need
theirs.
Jacob Lihhima, group coordinator in Tanzania, writes: I
cannot forget the testimony of one brother from a group in the parish
of Logoeti. His testimony is that he had bad habits, but now he really
thanks God. Before he started hearing the teachings of SOMA he left his
wife to be with another woman. He really tormented his wife and gave
her no money and abandoned his children so that they were no longer
able to go to school. But after learning about the word of God he cried
and decided to return to them and to take back his wife and to totally
leave the other woman behind. Now they live with great joy because
Jesus has turned their lives around and he reigns and is the shepherd
in their lives.
Rooted in Jesus was written by a team from Leicester made up of clergy,
teachers and people with experience of working in Africa, and edited by
Alison Morgan. For more information please visit www.rootedinjesus.net.
Alison
travelled to Zambia in 1999 with John Woolmer, Martin and Cesca
Cavender, and Laurie White. Since then she has led teams to dioceses in
Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia.
