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Biographical Sketches of Lusaka Baptist Church Pastors (Part 1)

Gabriel S. Konayuma

8 min read                                                                                    

In 2009, I did biographical sketches of former pastors and current pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church. Lusaka Baptist Church started meetings in 1959 but was established as a church in 1961. More than 10 years later it has become necessary to review some of the things I wrote and write a more summarised version of the biographical sketches that I did. This is so that anyone who is not acquainted with the men that God has used as pastors at Lusaka Baptist Church can at least get to know something of them through a one sitting reading. Definitely, much more detailed biographies are required of these men. That is a work in progress that I hope to complete this year. May God encourage and warm your heart as you read these brief biographical sketches. 

Derek Harris was the first pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1959 to 1961. He played a pioneering role in establishing the church. He was passionate in evangelistic work. 
Derek was born in 1927 in England and was educated and worked in London. Derek was converted during his teens through the Youth Ministry of the Brethren Assembly. He was called to be the first pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church on 1st January 1959. Though the congregation was small initially, it grew in strength and numbers leading to the construction of a church building. Lusaka Baptist was constituted as a church on 2nd July 1961. Derek’s ministry at Lusaka Baptist Church was an exciting time as the work grew with a number of baptisms with the Sunday School Ministry also growing. From a beginning of 15 people meeting in a classroom, the number grew to 50 (meeting in their own building) when Derek left the pastorate in May 1961. 

Basil Medgett was the second pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1961 to 1967. He was instrumental in establishing Baptist Churches in Luanshya, Ndola and Lusaka and also in establishing Fiwale Hill Bible College. 
Basil was born in 1924 in England and went to be with the Lord in 1983 in Canada. He was born in a Christian home where the example of Christian parents meant a lot to him. His father, Cyril, was a lay preacher of the Church of England. Basil learnt of the of the gospel from his parents. He became a Christian at the age of fifteen during a series of special services held in his home town. Basil got married to Katie Kroeker in 1954 in Zimbabwe. Basil became pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church in 1961. At the time he was being called, the church was struggling financially with the income being less than the budget, yet Basil still accepted the call! Such was his commitment to the cause of Christ and the gospel! Basil left Zambia for Canada in 1967. 

Graham Ingram was the third pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1969 to 1976. He played a leading role in seeing the church change from primarily serving the expatriate white community to an indigenous church with a major outreach to students. Graham was born in England in 1936 and was called home to glory in 2017 in South Africa. He became a Christian in 1955 when he was 18 doing compulsory military service. Graham was educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Retford, Nottinghamshire; the City of Sheffield Teacher Training College and Spurgeon's College in London. Before becoming pastor at Lusaka Baptist Church, Graham pastored South Lee Baptist Church in London. Other churches where he ministered were: Wynberg Baptist Church, Vineyard Fellowship and Grace Fellowship in Cape Town. Graham become pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church in January 1969. His preaching was characterized by such unction that it was said that some would be glued to their seats after the sermon due to conviction of sin. 

Michael Eaton was the fourth pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1976 to 1977. He was a gifted expository preacher/teacher and prolific writer of many Christian books. 
Michael was born in 1941 and went to be with the Lord in 2017 in South Africa a few days after a preaching engagement. He came from a very ordinary family in London. He became a Christian (late 1950s) when he was a teenager through a youth group in an Evangelical Anglican Church. The Billy Graham campaigns in London may also have played some part in his salvation.. He entered the ministry after doing theological studies at Tyndale House Cambridge as an assistant minister at an Anglican church in Surrey, England. In 1967, he resigned from the Anglican ministry on theological grounds and joined an Evangelical Free Church in London. Michael got married to Jenny in 1968 in the UK. Their marriage was blessed with four children. In March 1969 he moved to Zambia where he and his wife joined Lusaka Baptist Church and later became a deacon and an elder. He taught an adult bible class, and preached frequently on Sundays. He studied for a year at UNZA doing a teaching diploma. He began teaching English at Libala Secondary School in 1970 and remained there until 1976. In 1976 he became the pastor of LBC when Graham Ingram moved to Cape Town.

John Symons was the fifth pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church from 1978 to 1979. His role was more of encouragement, direction setting and building unity. John was born in 1943 in Plymouth in England. He was brought up in Bristol, England of a Christian background that was mostly Brethren. He became a Christian at Southampton University in England where he was studying Geography. He later did a teaching certificate at Bristol University. He taught Geography and other subjects in a comprehensive school in Bristol. John married Gwyneth in 1975. This marriage was blessed with four children all who were born in Zambia. John was convinced of the need to serve as a missionary overseas while teaching Geography in Bristol. The sense of being called went as far back as his conversion and also encouragement from his parents. He trained at Dorothea Mission Bible School in Pretoria, South Africa as a self-sponsored student. John was asked to become pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church in 1978 after the church had been without a pastor for a year. He has also served a pastor at Kitwe Chapel, Portswood Church in the UK and Mkushi Christian Community in Zambia. During his time at Lusaka Baptist Church, he conducted baptisms of 62 members! 

Joe Simfukwe was the sixth pastor of Lusaka Baptist church from 1979 to 1990. He was the first Zambian pastor of the church and also one of the longest serving pastors. Joe was a gifted expository preacher. 
Joe was born in 1950 in Jombo Village in the then Northern Province, where he did his primary and secondary schooling. He later went to do his secondary school education in Scotland. He studied at Glasgow University in Scotland from 1969-1973. He became a Christian in 1970 at university. He studied theology at Spurgeon’s College in London from 1976-1979 and further theological studies in Australia from 1990-1993. Joe married Alice Kombe in 1975 at Lusaka Baptist Church a marriage that was blessed with five children. The elders at Lusaka Baptist Church guided him into considering the pastoral ministry. Before his call to be pastor in 1979, Joe worked as an Agricultural Research Officer for the Government in the mid 1970s. He played a leading role in establishing Baptist churches in Zambian urban towns in what was termed as “Urban Outreach”. He also officiated and preached at a number of weddings and wrote many booklets including writing pastoral letters in the monthly church newsletter. 

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