Reflections from the Zambezi

As told by Dayle Medgett, son to Basil Medgett, second pastor of Ndola Baptist Church The church was started as a free church (non-denominational). I believe the first pastor was Maurice Darroll (1952 to 1954). At least he was the pastor before my dad, Basil Medgett (1954 to 1960?). Darroll was the one that transitioned the church from non-denominational to Baptist and he also built the first building which he describes as 20’ x 50’ with two ante-rooms and a stage. At the end of December 1953 he says the attendance had an average of 40 - 50 people. He received a call to Durban where he went in May 1954. I don’t know what happened to him after that. Basil Medgett had been an associate pastor at Salisbury Baptist Church (now Central Baptist Church) working in Umtali (now Mutare) and he married my mother in May 1954 and moved that month to start work in Ndola. He pastored there until moving to start the Bible College at Fiwale Hill and be the director of the Lambaland Mission in about 1...

By Charles Kidwell During 1955 my wife, Nora, and my daughter, Eleanor, moved from Port Elizabeth in South Africa to Lusaka, Zambia, (at the time known as Northern Rhodesia), as I had taken up an accounting position with the Motor Firm, Duly & Company Ltd, the then Ford Dealers in Zambia. Lusaka was at that time described as a "one horse town" but soon was to flourish into a pleasant Capital City. We soon linked up with the Methodist Church and I taught in the Sunday School, as there was no Baptist Church in Lusaka at the time. Duly & Co. gave us a warm welcome and housed us in a flat owned by the firm. After a few months I decided to advertise in the newspaper to locate any other Baptists who may be living in Lusaka. A Mrs Bain, originally from England, responded and also a lady from Durban who was teaching in the same Methodist Sunday School as I was. During this time my wife and I adopted a little girl, Zoe, making us a family of four. It was during 19...