Zambia Hunt

Hello everyone, my name is Sunday Phiri. I want to briefly share with you how my internship last year at Kitwe Church has grown, matured, and challenged me.

A Word of Thanks to Kitwe Church

First, I want to thank you, Kitwe Church, for granting me the opportunity to serve as an intern last year. It was a year of growth and learning for me. I say again—thank you all.

1) A Deeper Personal Walk With the Lord

The internship last year challenged my personal walk with the Lord, in that the meetings I had with the elders and the books I was assigned to read during the internship really stressed character and godliness.

It was a time of being reminded that ministry is not about the theology and doctrine you know—it is not about what you know. But ministry is about godliness: Do you love the Lord? Is God your first love?

These thoughts provoked and pushed me to begin to seek more and more of my God in my life. It was a time when I kind of stopped seeking ministry and began to seek more of God and to know Him in my life, by spending much of my time in His Word and prayer.

What I learned is that I must be a man of character and a man who loves my God, not a man who loves ministry, but a man who loves my God first.

2) Learning That People Are Our Mission

Secondly, I was challenged to realize that, in ministry, people are our mission. In other words, I should love the church, I should love the saints, and I should love the lost.

From these thoughts, I began to ask myself how I could love my church, the saints, and the lost. These thoughts drove me to my knees, to begin praying for my church—for the maturity and growth of the saints, and for the salvation of the lost.

A burden to be involved and interested in the lives of people, and the church grew in me. What I saw was love for the church, love for the saints, and love for the lost—because I cannot say I want to be in ministry while I don’t love the church, the saints, and the lost.

Basically, my love for the church, the saints, and the lost grew during my internship.

3) Growth Through Teaching, Preaching, and Feedback

Thirdly, I had opportunities to teach and preach, as well as to sit in on elder meetings during my internship.

When you are given the opportunity to teach or preach, one of the elders will give you feedback on where you did well, where you did not, and where you need to grow. It was a time of learning and growth through receiving feedback from the elders.

I also sat in the elder meetings to observe and learn how things are done—but not just to observe. I was also told to participate and give my input in the discussions.

This was also a time God used to teach me humility by willingly receiving feedback, including some positive criticism, on what I taught and preached. I learned humility.

A Final Encouragement as We Begin This Year

Lastly, I just want to encourage you: as we begin this year, don’t listen to yourselves, my brothers and sisters, but preach Christ and the gospel to yourselves.

If you listen to yourself too much, you will be discouraged, upset, angry, disappointed, and distressed. But when you preach Christ and the gospel to yourself, your life will overflow with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday Phiri
2021 CABU Alumnus