ELC-Zambia was established in 1983 and officially registered on 25 March 1986. The Laity founded the ELC-Zambia Church. They led the Church from 1983 to 1992, the year when they held the first Church Assembly. In this Assembly Evangelist Robert Kalunjele Kaumba, now Bishop for LECA was elected Chairman and Mr. Abonike Nyingi Vice Chairman. Mr. Joseph Helemande was elected as General Secretary. The title for Church leader was later changed from chairman to Senior Pastor. During that time, the Church had already had opportunity to receive missionary pastors coming into the Church. The missionary pastors helped organize and further the ministry. Among the missionaries were: Pastors Yoseph Negassa from Ethiopia, Charles Msonera and Peter Mamugobole from ELCT-Tanzania, Dean Feston Phiri from Malawi, Pst. Paulus Heita from Namibia, Evangelist Lwate and the Late Bishop Manus Buthelezi from South Africa. Currently the Church is blessed with a missionary pastor from ELCA-America.

The Mission of the Church is to be visibly committed in serving God and humanity through the preaching and teaching of the word and sacraments and acts of love through Mission and Diakonia. The Church aims to enhance church growth, teaching Church growth skills and bringing the Gospel to all people; build capacity, train, and develop church members and Leaders to their full Leadership potential.

• To encourage spiritual growth and to build Christian character,
• To enhance a sense of community, ownership, and responsibility within the leadership of the church, and its membership,
• To prepare current and future leaders, to strengthen the ministry to realize a well-organized and administered church where resources are mobilized, utilized for continued growth, expansion, and sustainability of the church under a skilled & learned leadership.

To achieve these miles stones the Church will continue seeking and walking in companionship with various stake holders & companions especially Lutheran World Federation-LWF, Evangelical Lutheran church in America-ELCA & Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa-LUCSA

Companion relationships and support from the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA) and its impact on the ELC-Zambia church.

ELC-Zambia is proud of the role that LUCSA played in ELCZa Ministry. In addition, it also provides an overview of our work on development effectiveness and what has been achieved. LUCSA is a sub-regional expression of the Lutheran World Federation and has been working to support the Diaconal Mission of ELC-Zambia. The communion, over 20 years has been providing technical and financial support; working to support Malaria prevention and behavioral change, capacity building, training in HIV and AIDS and PLWHS, psychosocial support, Gender and Justice, Pastoral care, couples’ communication, health education, Conflict Prevention Management Resolution and Transformation, Youth Peer education, school feeding program for the under privileged including short term scholarship funding. The communion has played a major role in accompanying the Church in these ministries. It has also contributed to the strengthening of the Church organizational and development capacity with a view to enhance Church efficiency, and responsiveness to enable the Church carry out its mission work. With this support, the Church has been able to implement various programs and is most obliged to acknowledge the support and impact that has resulted from the technical and financial support from LUCSA.

Capacity building and building institutions became more and more important in the Church. As a result of LUCSA capacity building and skills training the following has been achieved:

• Leadership and church members increased knowledge and skills in implementing Church program.
• Church making in-roads in communities and establishing new mission stations and preaching points. –The church now has 5240 members showing an increase of 2240 members since 2008
• Clergy and Lay trained human resource trained by LUCSA in various program
• Upgrading its infrastructure (Church center) under competent Leadership

ELC-Zambia Leadership in the newly established Info hut Lab

ELC-Zambia info hut –Furniture and desktop computers

 

Establishment of the Info hut Lab

 LUCSA initiated the establishment of the Info hut project, whose aim is to build capacity for the young and older, equipping them with knowledge on computer skills and other IT related knowledge.  The project will not only provide knowledge and skills, but also generate income for the Church. Community members and members from different denominations will also come and learn.

 Program Results:

• Church workers and leaders provided leadership to establish and implement the Info hut lab,
• Improved stewardship -The Church through initial contributions from Kamwala Parishioners were able to Contribute (K85,000) to enable preliminary rehabilitation works for the Info hut Lab,
• Trained 12 Church Leaders, to understand and appreciate the project and how to run it,
• Purchase of 20 desktops, furniture, and other info hut tools,
• 20 students were recruited.

Malaria prevention

 WOMEN EMPOWERED PROGRAM

Women Empowered (WE) group project is a Diakonia initiative to promote social and economic empowerment of women, individuals, families and communities through savings groups. Through LUCSA capacity building programs the Church has so far trained 30 people who were initially trained on WE methodology. Out of the 30 trained, 5 were picked as community facilitators and 17 as leaders of the groups. As a result, 17 groups of 303 members were established in Lusaka, Central and North-Western Provinces. After the formation of the groups follow up were made to assess the group performance. The visitation gave positive results such as money mode in the groups was invested in agriculture and livestock, and as the result some groups started buying and selling maize grain. Some groups ventured in designing and selling uniforms and all groups continued to meet regularly and still benefit from this initiative.

Congreation & group-name	Male	Female	Total
1. Chavuma- Chambi	07	18	25
2. Chavuma  -central	04	16	20
3. Kalambo	05	15	20
4. Sanjongo	04	12	16
5. NyakulengaLuwi     (Mercy)	05	08	13
6.  Nyakulenga   Kukeng’a ( Love )	06	07	13
7. Kanyimbom  Lwasha mukwenu	03	13	16
9.  Kan Chikweti-luwi lwaNzambi	07	16	23
10. Katontu- Kuwanda	10	14	24
11. Zambezi   – Kukeng’a (love)	02	12	14
12. Manyinga  -Kwatongo	05	17	22
13. Manyinga- Chenji	08	15	23
14.  Mulimba	02	13	15
15. Kashima	05	17	22
16.  Kashima group 2	05	16	21
17.  Mulendema	02	14	16
	80	223	303

Empowered women engaged in food gardening

Conflict prevention management resolution and transformation

There has been a significant investment in training in CPMRT and LUCSA played a key role in funding and training Church members.  30 Church leaders were trained in conflict prevention resolution, management, and transformation. 4 church leaders were sent for a two-week training in CPMRT in Zimbabwe.  This training has assisted in dealing with and handling conflicts in the Church. Conflict sensitivity is being addressed both in congregations and communities and trained members to date still teach members in their respective congregations,

Pastors psychosocial support

The church has trained 12 Pastors and 4 lay leaders in psychosocial support.  The training was conducted by a Trainer of Trainers pastor who was initially trained by LUCSA.  The trained members are yet to be evaluated on how they are applying their knowledge and skill acquired from the training recently held.

HIV and AIDS and PLWHS

Pastoral care, 

The Church through LUCSA grant trained 12 pastors in Pastoral care at a workshop held at Salvation Army Headquarter premises in Lusaka.  The training was conducted by Rev Abrahams from South Africa and Rev. Songa from Malawi. The 12 trained pastors are applying their pastoral care in ministry and today have increased their knowledge skill and competence levels. The church through a LUCSA grant ran a school feeding program supporting 25 orphans and vulnerable children. (OVC s) who enrolled for early childhood education in the first year thereafter proceeded to grade one and grade two.  The program was supported for three years and at the close of three years all the 25 children enrolled in government schools. Today 15 out of the 25 children will be completing their grade 12 this year 2022.  Besides feeding the children, two teachers were also remunerated and trained at certificate and diploma level. In Gender mainstreaming and advocacy, the church has put in effort into gender mainstreaming, advocacy, and capacity building in 30 congregations of the 50 congregations and preaching points, this includes projects and program. However, the degree of engagement requires strengthening. This includes putting in place a gender equality policy. The desire is to move from only gender programming to also have gender indicators, a gender perspective in the communication and working methods.