Biographical Sketch of Derek Harris

In 2009 , a year before, before Lusaka Baptist Church celebrated 50 years of existence, I wrote some biographical sketches of Lusaka Baptist Church pastors. In the following articles and others to follow, I have rewritten these biographical sketches arising from new information I have collected. Eventually a booklet will be published on all the biographical sketches. May God use these articles to praise him for what he has done in the past through the men that have served at Lusaka Baptist Church and encourage those who seek to serve God as pastors and in various spheres of ministry. 

Introduction

Derek Harris (photo on the left) was the first pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church in Lusaka from 1959 to 1961. He played a pioneering role in establishing the church and was passionate in evangelistic work. Under his ministry, the Sunday School and Baptist Women’s Association were formed and grew. Derek was born on 6th April 1927 in London in England. He was the fourth child of a family of eight children. The eldest and youngest were girls with the rest boys. Derek was educated and worked in London. Derek married Barbara Irene Monro on 8th January 1949 at a Brethren Assembly in the UK, where both had been converted and were actively engaged in the Lord’s work. They emigrated to Ndola in Zambia in 1951 where they got involved in Youth Work. To-date some testify of how this Youth work was a blessing to them spiritually.

Conversion

Harris was converted during his teen years through the Youth Ministry of the Brethren Assembly in the area where he lived in London. He had a very good scriptural foundation in teaching received from the elders at the church. One special memory that Barbara Harris narrates is when she, Derek and a friend had been to an open air Meeting in the West End of London. As they made their way home, Derek expressed the desire to be the one to bring the last soul to Christ before his return! What an amazing desire that he had!

In 1945, when Harris was 18 years old, just before the end of World War 2, he received his Call-up papers to serve in the Royal Navy. During those years he became involved in a “Force Witness Team”. Later on being discharged from the Forces, he investigated the possibility of joining the London City Mission, but this did not materialise. He always showed a keen desire to win souls for Christ.

Call to Ministry

Before considering how Harris was called to the Ministry, it is worth noting how he came to then Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia. Harris came to Northern Rhodesia, at that time, on the persuasion of his friends in the Brethren Assembly who had emigrated to Northern Rhodesia. Derek and Barbara left England in February 1951 and arrived in Ndola in March 1951. Harris came to oversee the construction of the homes of the friends mentioned above. When this task was completed, he was asked to undertake further construction works elsewhere. Later he found employment in a wholesale business in Ndola.

In 1958, a visiting President of the South African Baptist Union, Dr. Charles Stern came to the Ndola church 1958 as a speaker. At the time Harris, who was doing very well in the wholesale business, discussed with Dr. Stern the possibility of entering the Baptist Ministry. He was advised to consider studying through distance studies. Harris applied to the South African Baptist Union to be enrolled as a student to do their correspondence course. In 1958, Ndola Baptist Church called Rev. Derek Harris to become the associate minister of the Ndola Baptist Church with the view to care for the Lusaka Baptist Fellowship (which later became Lusaka Baptist Church).

Pastorate of Lusaka Baptist Church

The call of Derek Harris to the pastorate of Lusaka Baptist Church happened in this way. Harris was sent on business to Mazabuka for a couple of weeks, and whilst there, attended the Bible Study held in the home of Mr and Mrs Charles Kidwell. He was called to oversee the building of the original Lusaka Baptist Church building. Later, he was called to be the first pastor of Lusaka Baptist Church on 1 January 1959. It was the first pastorate for Derek Harris. Claude and Charles Kidwell (brothers) were pioneers in establishing the Church and were key in calling Harris to Lusaka Baptist Church. Though the congregation was small initially, it grew in strength and numbers having a membership of 31 by the end of November 1959. This led to the need for the construction of a church building.

Lusaka Baptist Church was constituted as a church on 2 July 1960 with 42 founding members. Before the formation of the church, 40 of these 42 transferred their membership from the mother church, Ndola Baptist Church and two from Central Baptist Church in Harare. The church building was opened for worship on 23 October 1961. It is reported that Derek’s ministry at Lusaka Baptist Church was an exciting time as the work grew with a number of baptisms.

The photo below shows Derek Harris (seated) with Charles Kidwell standing in glasses.

From a beginning of 15 people who met in a classroom, the number grew to a membership of 50 (meeting in their own church) when Harris left the pastorate in May 1961 to take up a pastorate at Stirling Baptist Church, East London in South Africa. The Sunday School work grew with 35 children. Sunday services had an average attendance of 35 adult people and 12 young people. The women formed a Baptist Women’s Association (BWA). The monthly meetings were active and well attended. It also needs to be mentioned that from the beginning, Lusaka Baptist Church used the radio as a medium to preach the gospel. Under the leadership of Derek Harris, Lusaka Baptist Church was one of the most promising of the Baptist Union of Central Africa (BUCA) churches.