July and August 2024
MAT (Ministry Apprentice Training) is a growing MTS movement in Zimbabwe. We love to share their stories and how God is at work throughout the MTS movement globally!
Apprentice conference 2024
From 31st July to 3rd August in Marondera, a city in the North-East of Zimbabwe, apprentices gathered for a three-day conference! The apprentices were from training centres all across Zimbabwe.
The conference aims to gather all current apprentices for a time of training, fellowship, spiritual edification, and rest under God’s Word. This year the theme was Gospel Fluency.
The speaker preached on 2 Corinthians 3, highlighting that God is the one who chooses us and gives us the competence to work for his kingdom and that a competent leader has evidence of a life-transforming ministry and transformed life. The conference also included time for reflection and practical learning through workshops.
Tawanda Kamba, a second-year apprentice says, “The bonfire discussions allowed us to share ministry experiences and provided a sense of support. The workshops also challenged me to think about financial support and maintaining gospel faithfulness in full-time ministry.”
Training of Trainers
Session 1 of the 4th Cohort of MAT’s ‘Training of Trainers’ was held in August from the 27th to the 30th. Six women in ministry attended!
They were trained in how to identify faithful, available, teachable and able-to-teach people whom they can mentor and train in ministry. Discussions from 2 Timothy and the book ‘The Trellis and the Vine’ challenged attendees on what ministry workers should focus on, that is the people work – the vine!
Attendee Mrs Siyengi, a pastor at a local church, said, “I would like to thank God for the training, which highlights the biblical ministry of apprenticeship, its importance in equipping God’s people for service, and the importance of apprenticeship before theological training. I also learned to create a vision and mission statement, focusing on the church, nurturing believers, and the importance of training in the church’s core business.”
Training centres
Apprentice training days have been happening in all training centres across Zimbabwe. Trainers have been meeting with apprentices one-on-one for mentorship, Bible reading, and ministry planning days.
Apprentices in Harare (Zimbabwe’s capital) have been going through the book of Titus, ‘The Trellis and the Vine’, and other prescribed reading from their trainers. These have been a great help to shape apprentices’ character, convictions and train them in ministry competencies as they take part in ministry.
Apprentice Anu Mudimba is one of these apprentices benefiting from this training! He is currently leading a Bible study group at Hillside Teachers College looking at the book of Mark and is involved in kids ministry at his church. This training has helped him improve his competencies in delivering lessons in various ministry contexts.
Prayer points
- Lord, we pray for second-year apprentices who have started their college applications, please help them to be processed in time for college to start in January 2025.
- We pray for the upcoming final ‘Training of Trainers’ Cohort 3 – Session 6 and the following graduation of this group.
- Father, we ask that you would bless the upcoming Recruiting Conference in November this year. Please work mightily by your Holy Spirit to bring many, many godly men and women who might be future ministry apprentices.
- Please provide 20 churches to give $5000 for the next 5 years to support the work of MAT Zimbabwe.
- We thank you, God for all MAT ministry partners across the world, making it possible for MAT Zimbabwe to support trainers in multiplying gospel workers through ministry apprenticeships.