FIELDS AND FIELDS OF SEEDS AND WEEDS by Mark Hugo

The unform of the part of the Zionist church that commonly attend the Zion Bible Schools in KZ

Today in Southern Africa we have close to 60, mostly rural, Zion Evangelical Bible Schools, ministering the truth to almost 2000 faithful students, who are already existing leaders or have been identified as future leaders by their churches.  This ministry has been built on many dedicated missionary hours and thousands of  kilometers of driving these past thirty years.  The need for knowing and understanding the whole truth of God’s Word has truly been a work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these mostly syncretistic, and very spiritual people.  Today we struggle to catch up with God’s Spirit,  as the need and request for more schools in Southern Africa, is far beyond the resources of the missionaries and church workers. 

How did we come to discover such an open door?  A brief history follows:  In 1896 a newly established church calling itself the Christian Catholic Church, or CCC (where ‘Catholic’ simply meant ‘universal’) established itself in Chicago and from there spread the gospel message to different countries around the world including South Africa by means of a pamphlet called ‘Leaves of Healing’. Later the CCC established itself in a new location in Illinois USA, naming its town Zion, with its Bible based Gospel teaching becoming known as “the teaching of Zion”.  Churches were established in South Africa as a result of the teachings published in the ‘Leaves of Healing’ and in 1904 a missionary was sent to strengthen this fledging movement, but did not stay very long.  What was birthed was nothing short of miraculous.  The seeds of truth went out and took root almost immediately,  but the weeds of false teaching, syncretism and secession came up almost as quickly, resulting in fields filled with both seeds and weeds. So prolific was the spread that today we estimate well over 10 million claim to be ‘amaZioni’ (the people of Zion), here in Southern Africa.  Unfortunately the predominant religion practiced today by the amaZioni, is a varying mixture of African traditional religion and a love for the Old Testament law and practices.

In the 1960’s some South African missionaries, who had begun working amongst the amaZioni, visited the CCC in Zion, Illinois, informing them that something important was happening in Southern Africa, due to the missionary efforts all those years ago.  What a surprise must have awaited them, to discover that such a mighty spiritual movement was founded by their home church. The request was made, by the amaZioni, for the mother church to return back to Africa and help teach them the truth of God’s word. Somehow some of the amaZioni realized they had strayed far from the truth, and the desire placed in their hearts, by the Holy Spirit, was and still is, nothing short of miraculous.   Early in the 1980’s missionaries were sent from Zion Illinois, to represent the CCC and work full-time amongst the amaZioni. Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa, ZEMA, was born and continues to grow.

Not all 10 million amaZioni are desiring the truth right now,  but significantly more and more are finding out about this teaching,  resulting in the request for new schools always significantly  outweighing the resources ZEMA can provide.  The door has been opened by God into this mighty harvest field, ripe with seeds and weeds, and the amaZioni have allowed us to bring the Truth right inside the movement.  The movement is not apostate, and so unlike ‘traditional missions’ we do not call the amaZioni to ‘LEAVE ZION”, but encourage them that once they have come to a saving relationship in Christ, they ‘STAY IN ZION’ becoming God’s light where there is yet darkness.

The teachers of the Zion Bible Schools in KZN

 Presently we have requests to go into neighboring countries,  of Swaziland, Mocambique, Malawi, Botswana, Lesotho, and  Zimbabwe.  Our resources are limited, and another move of the Holy Spirit is required in the hearts of the local churches of Southern Africa, and abroad, to help meet this overwhelming request for teachers to teach the Truth.  The door still stands open,  and the dawn of God’s light is shining on this once dark content.  If this stirs in your heart,  follow us on the ZEMA website or personally through our  partner organisations of SIM, TEAM and DMG. 

Sincerely Mark Hugo (SIM)

and blessed fellow harvester

ZEMA.ORG, SIM.CO.ZA, TEAM.ORG

Mark and Barbara Hugo, JJ and Takara

We have been fully seconded to ZEMA for the past 7 year and have had our eyes opened to this wonderful harvest field right here in our own country.  We are still learning to cross the right bridges into the lives of these spiritual people, bringing the truth to their understanding of God.  We are presently arranging to relocate to Cape Town for two major reasons.  Firstly we continue to overcome the effects of Cancer detected and aggressively dealt with in Barbara three years ago, and the offer by friends and family to assist us if we lived closer, has been accepted.   Secondly, ZEMA have given us their blessing, and support, to relocate to the Western Cape as their full time missionaries to attend to the growing needs and requests that are arising from the amaZioni of this region.  Follow us personally on: Facebook: Hugo's Highlights or www.hugoshighlights.blogspot.com