by The Barnabas Fund is, as ever, keeping a careful and caring eye on the situation of believers all over the world. COVID-19 has disproportionately affected poor and persecuted Christians. The following is a summary of recent news published by the Barnabas Fund.
Zambia, 31st March 2020
A pastor brings this report from an unnamed shanty township in the capital, Lusaka. I quote it in full, as it is brief:
“This serves as an update to you on the hardships that church ministers are presently experiencing due to floods, toxic-chemical spray and corona virus lockdown particularly in the shanty township of [name withheld] in Lusaka Zambia.
“In December 2019, I got a transfer to serve as Pastor in one of the shanty compounds of Lusaka called [name withheld]. This is one of the largest and high densely populated townships in Zambia. Upon our arrival as family, we got a challenge of flooding in the township that swept some houses and our house (the manse) situated at the church premises was submerged in water for three weeks. This affected the attendance of Christians and their economic status since many of our Christians depend of their daily sales of small merchandise in the streets and markets of Lusaka. Amid the flood in the compound, there came a fierce problem of “gassing” which is a spray of poisonous chemicals into people’s homes mainly at night with a view of killing them! Before the finish of these two problems, we have the issue of corona virus on which the government has strongly advised her citizens to stay at home, maintain social distance, and washing of hands regularly, as a way to try to prevent the pandemic which has so far infected not less than 22 people in the country. . .
“As of yesterday, the council of churches in Zambia has written to us to suspend physical church meetings until further notice.
“To the effect of these concurrent problems of flooding, spray of deadly chemicals in homes and the preventive measures of COVID 19, church pastors have for the past three months struggled to get food and water due no offerings from church members. Borders that bring through economic fortunes to Zambia have been closed. Kitchens in the manses are with little or without food completely. The Government and our synod have limited resource for these huge emergency situations. Join us in prayer and action for immediate solutions.”