We praise God for seeing us through yet another semester. Our fears and anxieties in our inadequacies at the beginning of the semester turned into testimonies of
God’s faithfulness by the end. We are so grateful for all the prayers and
support that carried us through our program. It was not business as usual for UCSF for this last academic
year. Over and above running our semester program, we had work on structures
and systems within our organization to contend with, and this work will carry on
through to the end of the year as there still remains much to do. This made
this last semester a bit more intense and its end came with a much needed break
for our staff team.
Bible Studies And Talks
We had three bible study groups going over the semester. For
our mid-week bible studies on Wednesdays we were going through a work book on
fundamentals of the Christian faith and we had two venues for it, one on campus
and one at a students’ residence at a suburb near the university. The campus study did not
do so well. Attendance was irregular as there is hardly an ideal time for a bible study during the day
while classes are running. However, we continue to persist for the difference that this study can make as campus provides the
best catchment area for students. The second group at the residence did well
and at its best attracted over twelve students. And we hope it will continue to
grow to form other groups at the residence. For our main bible study at our Vital Connections meeting on
Friday evenings we continued with our study of the gospel of John. This study raised much discussion with members seeking to understand more and also over areas of application. This study had the greatest attendance as it is also UCSF's main meeting which includes talks and other events.
Our talk for the semester was on love and marriage over at a dinner we held on the Friday after Valentine's Day. We had over thirty students in attendance and our married couples on staff, Thulani and Chantelle Ndlovu (hosts), Gift and Tendai Gana and Godwin and Vimbai Chiparaushe, and a couple from our alumni Gerald and Muki, who are soon to wed, took stage to share their testimonies about how God built their relationships and biblical principles that continue to sustain them even through difficult phases in their marriages. Their testimonies were challenging and inspiring and in the end this event also added to our membership from some of the students who had come just for the dinner.
Community Outreach
As a way of reaching out to our community, we have made a
commitment to get involved with the Isaiahs’ babies home. This is a non-profit
organization taking care of abandoned babies. The patrons of the home work very
hard to keep the children well provided for and we thought we would support
their work by giving our time to play with the kids and to give them as much
individual attention as we can at the limited times that we can make ourselves
available. We have so far had the privilege to take the kids out to Hillside
dams for recreation, and we spent a couple of weekends at their home playing
with them and helping out with the bit of work that came at the time.
For a lot of the outreach we hope to do in our future
programs, we realize that the disadvantaged members of our community do not
only need material support, but also social and emotional support. It is our
hope that we will continue to encourage students to give more of themselves in
this area and hopefully it will be the foundation of the many other things that
they could also do in support of the disadvantaged in their communities.
Camp
Our semester camp was at Willow Park under the theme, “Crossroads”
which addressed the various choices, good and bad, that people are faced with as
they go through life and the various pressures and influences that surround
these choices. It turned out to be such a relevant topic that sparked good
debate and brought about challenging practical implications of how believers
ought to turn away from old ways and faithfully stick to the path heavenward as
exemplified by Christ despite the strong opposition He suffered. The staff team
did a great job in their preparations for the teaching and camp devotions.
It was such a joy having our new members joining us for this
weekend of ministry and fun. Camps have always presented a great opportunity
for relationship building and this one was no exception. Nothing beats a hectic
game of soccer or chair ball after a good dose of the word. Godwin Chiparaushe
did a splendid job with camp games and activities. Bonfire on Saturday evening
maintained its place as the major highlight of the camp with group
presentations, hot discussions and games. The sun always seems to rise a little
too early on such great moments.
The camp came together though a great team effort. While the
staff team was in charge of the food, spiritual and physical, the first years
provided the camp master and group leaders, and our final years led us so well
through their music in worship. It turned out to be a great camp which
generated a lasting impact on relationships back at campus and transformed the
atmosphere at bible studies to that of closer friendship and more openness in
discussions.
Leavers' Braai
Dinners, dances and braais at UCSF are often marked by new
students to our ministry, some of whom eventually become members. It was such a
great ministry opportunity for us at the leavers’ braai to have had as many new
students as were UCSF members in attendance. The occasion was graced by over
forty students. One could hardly make a distinction between members and
visitors as they all blended in so well. The Nakah family kindly hosted the
event at their home while Victor Nakah was the guest speaker. The talk he gave was tailored for the
leavers, but it also carried so much relevance to even those who were
remaining. It was one of those talks that left the listeners dumbfounded with
no questions but much food for thought that demanded a reevaluation of their
lives with regards to their goals and the motivation behind them.
Saying good bye to our leavers left us with a bitter sweet
taste. So sweet remembering the great moments we shared with each of them and
their great contributions to our ministry, and yet so bitter to think we will
no longer enjoy their fellowship and spiritual gifts for the difference they
made in our lives. We do bid them farewell and look forward to a continued
relationship with them as part of our alumni.
First Semester
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