The Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) has embarked on an evangelistic program dubbed "Impact SID". This mega evangelism project started in 2023 with Botswana Union Conference and Southern Africa Union Conference and it will stretch to 2029. The road map for "Impact SID" is as follows: Botswana Union Conference and Southern Africa Union Conference 2023, Southern Zambia Union Conference and Northern Zambia Union Conference 2024, Indian Ocean Islands (IOUC) 2025, Mozambique 2026, North Eastern Angola Union, South Western Angola Union, Sao Tome & Principe 2027, Zimbabwe East Union Conference, Zimbabwe Central Union Conference & Zimbabwe West Union Conference 2028 and Malawi Union Conference in 2029.
The year 2023 saw the SID leaders and its unions descending to Francistown and Gaborone in Botswana where more than 300 people were baptized. From Botswana, the leaders from SID, union leaders and pastors descended in Cape Town the capital of South Africa and its surrounding unions in Namibia and Lesotho. All in all, over 250 new souls were baptized.
As part of its strategic plan of "I Will Go" this year, the focus is on Zambia, where more than 900 evangelism sites have been established to cover the two Zambia Unions, namely Southern Zambia Union Conference and Northern Zambia Union Conference with all its conferences and churches.
Dr. Harrington Simui Akombwa, the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division president, calls this a game changer in evangelism, as thousands of new souls are expected to be baptized during this mega evangelism project. “As SID, we are passionate about the mission of the church, and this Impact program is going to impact thousands of people. We liken this as Zunde, a term borrowed from Zimbabwe, which simply means collaborating or working together. Last year, we were in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa as a team, and this year we are focusing on Zambia. Next year we are going east to the Indian Ocean Islands, IOUC. By the time we reach 2030 and God willing, we would have covered a large surface area in our territory, and this is Total Member Involvement (TMI) and every member is doing as our strategic plan says, 'I Will Go!'"
Dr Passmore Mulambo, the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division Personal Ministry and Ministerial Secretary, says “the harvest is truly great, but the reapers are few. So, by joining forces with all our unions, SID is very strategic and intentional about its evangelism mission.” The two union presidents in Zambia are elated about this mega evangelism project and are ready to receive the more than 500 evangelists and lay-preachers. Running under the theme "Jesus Saves," this evangelism program is billed as one of the mother-of all battles. Dr Vanny Munyumbwe, the union president for the Southern Zambia Union Conference believes that Zambia will never be the same again after this massive evangelism program. He says, “As believers let us make the best of our environment while the time is with us.”
Dr. Tommy Namitondo, the Northern Zambia Union Conference president, says, “Zambia is ready to welcome all the preachers and their presence is going to boost the membership in Zambia, which so far has over 1.2 million baptized members in total”. So far church members and the laity are raring to go as all roads will be leading to Zambia from the 12th to the 25th of May, 2024. As a result, division leaders praise God for what is happening in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division.
The original article was published on the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division website, Adventist Echo.
