Greetings from Luanshya!
Last Thursday two of the young men from chapel came to see me. They were specifically burdened about visiting in the homes of people who had come to visit in our services. They said, "Brother Coleman, we just don't know how to do it. Is there some training you can give us?" I gave each of them a copy of "The Purpose Driven Life" and set up an appointment to meet with them several times a week to discuss how to lead people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their first "session" was today and they soaked up the information. One of the young men said, "You mean we can really do this?" I assured him that not only could he lead someone to Christ but also it was the duty of every believer to faithfully share the gospel with the whole world (Mark 16:15). Please pray for these two young men and that others will follow their example.
Claude and Petronella are continuing with the pre-marital counseling. Last Saturday they had the first rehearsal in the chapel. There is just something about an African wedding that lifts your spirits. A few months ago Sherry and I had the privilege of attending my nephews wedding. It was a nice, calm service. At an African wedding the attendants do not simply walk down the aisle. They dance! It takes nearly 10 minutes for them to get into the church and a full 20 for them to exit. The attendees get into the spirit of things and the whole church will be joining in the celebration with their undulating cries and praises to the Lord. Please pray for Claude and Pet as they prepare for their lives together.
This coming Sunday, the children in the Sunday School will be completing their latest series of lessons with the "Memory Verse Competition". The little ones are very serious about this and work at saying all 13 verses word perfect. Our prayer is that it will be more than just words from their lips but a message hidden deep in their hearts and keep them from sin.
Last Sunday I was in a rural church in Kambilombilo. I spoke on the subject that "We Can Know That We Have Eternal Life" from the book of 1 John 5. After I finished the message one man immediately stood up and announced that he had accepted Christ "on the spot". It was refreshing to see that kind of enthusiasm. Obviously God had the fruit ready to be harvested. Please pray for t his rural church. They have a number of new believers preparing for baptism. That is also an exciting event in the life of a community. Kambilombilo is a refugee resettlement area near us where many former Congolese residents now live.
John Bwalya and his wife, Sarah, came all the way in from Masaiti District to be the Lord's messenger at the chapel on Sunday. John spoke on liberty and independence, as Monday was Zambia's 41st birthday. He spoke about the difference between physical independence and spiritual independence. He referred to scriptures ranging from Genesis 46 through the book of Exodus. This was a reminder that the children of Israel, though initially invited to live in Egypt, were eventually enslaved. One of the highlights of the message was Jacob's admonition to his sons that their home was not where they currently lived, but was elsewhere. As believers, we have the same admonition to accept the liberty offered through Jesus Christ and look forward to our heavenly home as we sojourn here on earth.
God has been good. We thank you for your faithfulness in prayer.
In His Service,
Patrick & Sherry
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This is a regular (almost) update of the multi-faceted ministry of Patrick and Sherry Coleman who serve the Lord in Zambia, Africa.
About Us
Patrick was born and raised in the Los Angeles area of California. He moved to Lubumbashi, Zaire, (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1985. In 1991 he was evacuated from Lubumbashi because of civil unrest. Patrick based his family in Luanshya, Zambia.
Sherry was born and raised in a Jewish home in New Jersey. She came to know the Lord as her Messiah and personal Saviour when she was 17. She came to Zambia in 1990 to administrate a correspondence Bible school. She also taught in area schools and in churches.
They met and were married on August 1, 1997.
Today both Patrick and Sherry Coleman serve the Lord together in Zambia. Their ministry responsibilities have grown. They own and operate the Lighthouse Children's Home with six AIDS orphans, they have opened their personal library to the public in Luanshya through the Christian Resource Centre, Sherry still has a correspondence Bible school and Patrick still works with local church leaders as well as serving in leadership at Fellowship Chapel in Luanshya.
Note from the Web Guy
Greetings from the Web presence of the Coleman Ministry. Please check the archives for any posts you may have missed.
This is the Colemans' oldest son, who is responsible for this website. My father refers to himself as "Technologically Reclined". Despite my best efforts to make posting to this site as easy and quick as possible, he insists on using the worst method available and occasionally forgetting to notify me for more than a year.As a result, sometimes posts get added in the background. They do not hit the front page, which only shows the latest update I have received, reformatted, and republished. As of this writing, I have a dozen posts to put up and back-date, and more coming in. I estimate that I will finish this effort by late July. Maybe not this year, but it will be a July.
So please, peruse the archives.