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Zion Evangelical Ministries Of Africa
Mission Statement:
Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa has formed a missionary partnership with TEAM and SIM to increase the work of the ministry among the amaZioni.
Belief Statement:
We believe that the Bible, consisting of Old and New Testaments only, is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit, is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe that the one God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Adam, created in the image of God, was tempted by Satan and sinned. In Adam's choosing to sin, all mankind is now guilty, both by imputation and choice, and is entirely affected by sin and needs to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit for salvation.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God, was born of a virgin, died vicariously, shed His blood as man's substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily and ascended to heaven, where He is presently exalted at the Father's right hand.
We believe that salvation consists of the remission of sin, the imputation of Christ's righteousness and the gift of eternal life by faith alone, apart from works.
We believe that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, and that it will be visible and personal.
We believe that the saved will be raised to everlasting life and blessedness in heaven, and that the unsaved will be raised to everlasting and conscious punishment in hell.
History:
ZEMA is a new name with a new emphasis in the work of an old mission. In the very early 1900's, Edgar Mahon, a Salvation Army leader, left the Salvation Army to work as an independent missionary. In the very beginning, Mahon had contact with a missionary from the Christian Catholic Church (CCC) of Zion, Illinois by the name of Daniel Bryant. Bryant asked Mahon to oversee his work when he was recalled to Zion. Some of Bryant's people came under Mahon's work but most went their own way and became the amaZioni of today. Over the years, the work of the Mahon Mission developed about 150 Churches which operated independently, one of which was the Mahon Evangelical Church. In the 1990's, the missionaries were no longer needed in the Mahon Evangelical Church so it was decided to put emphasis on reaching the amaZioni, who had been neglected over the years. The first efforts were started in 1984 when a conference of amaZioni leaders was called at the Mahon mission station Etembeni, in the Orange Free State of South Africa. The work of ZEMA developed towards its present day structure as Etembeni was given over to the Mahon Church and the work of the missionaries changed to Bible teaching, reaching out from two new campuses. Sunbury in Natal was acquired first then Sondela in Transkei. Today the CCC in Zion is the Christ Community Church. They and numerous other churches now support ZEMA as their arm to reach the amaZioni.
This word means the "people of Zion" in the Zulu language. From the work of early literature distribution from Zion, Illinois, and the work of Daniel Bryant between 1903-1908, has come a group of over 15 million people throughout southern Africa who still trace their roots to the Zion teaching of Bryant. The Zion teaching emphasized salvation, healing and holy living. But as the people grew, many congregations syncretized their Zulu beliefs with Biblical teachings and often ended up far from the truth. Thus the need to reach them today. Over the years, many people and missions have seen their need and tried to reach out to them, usually trying to win them out of their Zion churches and into some other group. The amaZioni have been very closed to this kind of contact. Also, they have picked up some practices, such as their wearing of robes, that have made them seem somewhat odd to people in general. ZEMA has two unique keys to reach these people. First ZEMA is historically from the Zion city churches and second they are trying to teach and win them within the amaZioni setting rather than trying to pull them out of these churches. Just as we have seen the churches in Zion, Illinois grow to a sound biblical base, so too we are seeing many amaZioni leaders come to Christ and lead their congregations in a truly Biblical path. Today's amaZioni seem hungry for contact and teaching and the few ZEMA missionaries cannot keep up with the requests for teaching.
Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa has formed a missionary partnership with TEAM and SIM to increase the work of the ministry among the amaZioni.
Belief Statement:
We believe that the Bible, consisting of Old and New Testaments only, is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit, is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe that the one God exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Adam, created in the image of God, was tempted by Satan and sinned. In Adam's choosing to sin, all mankind is now guilty, both by imputation and choice, and is entirely affected by sin and needs to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit for salvation.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God, was born of a virgin, died vicariously, shed His blood as man's substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily and ascended to heaven, where He is presently exalted at the Father's right hand.
We believe that salvation consists of the remission of sin, the imputation of Christ's righteousness and the gift of eternal life by faith alone, apart from works.
We believe that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, and that it will be visible and personal.
We believe that the saved will be raised to everlasting life and blessedness in heaven, and that the unsaved will be raised to everlasting and conscious punishment in hell.
History:
ZEMA is a new name with a new emphasis in the work of an old mission. In the very early 1900's, Edgar Mahon, a Salvation Army leader, left the Salvation Army to work as an independent missionary. In the very beginning, Mahon had contact with a missionary from the Christian Catholic Church (CCC) of Zion, Illinois by the name of Daniel Bryant. Bryant asked Mahon to oversee his work when he was recalled to Zion. Some of Bryant's people came under Mahon's work but most went their own way and became the amaZioni of today. Over the years, the work of the Mahon Mission developed about 150 Churches which operated independently, one of which was the Mahon Evangelical Church. In the 1990's, the missionaries were no longer needed in the Mahon Evangelical Church so it was decided to put emphasis on reaching the amaZioni, who had been neglected over the years. The first efforts were started in 1984 when a conference of amaZioni leaders was called at the Mahon mission station Etembeni, in the Orange Free State of South Africa. The work of ZEMA developed towards its present day structure as Etembeni was given over to the Mahon Church and the work of the missionaries changed to Bible teaching, reaching out from two new campuses. Sunbury in Natal was acquired first then Sondela in Transkei. Today the CCC in Zion is the Christ Community Church. They and numerous other churches now support ZEMA as their arm to reach the amaZioni.
This word means the "people of Zion" in the Zulu language. From the work of early literature distribution from Zion, Illinois, and the work of Daniel Bryant between 1903-1908, has come a group of over 15 million people throughout southern Africa who still trace their roots to the Zion teaching of Bryant. The Zion teaching emphasized salvation, healing and holy living. But as the people grew, many congregations syncretized their Zulu beliefs with Biblical teachings and often ended up far from the truth. Thus the need to reach them today. Over the years, many people and missions have seen their need and tried to reach out to them, usually trying to win them out of their Zion churches and into some other group. The amaZioni have been very closed to this kind of contact. Also, they have picked up some practices, such as their wearing of robes, that have made them seem somewhat odd to people in general. ZEMA has two unique keys to reach these people. First ZEMA is historically from the Zion city churches and second they are trying to teach and win them within the amaZioni setting rather than trying to pull them out of these churches. Just as we have seen the churches in Zion, Illinois grow to a sound biblical base, so too we are seeing many amaZioni leaders come to Christ and lead their congregations in a truly Biblical path. Today's amaZioni seem hungry for contact and teaching and the few ZEMA missionaries cannot keep up with the requests for teaching.