Ministry Update: Reformation Bible Church (Malawi) (August 2025)

Dear friend,

It has been some time since you last heard from us, and we are grateful to share how the Lord has been at work in both ministry and family life. Here are a few highlights from recent months.

In May, Reformation Bible Church joyfully marked a decade of God’s faithfulness. We were honored to welcome our sending pastor, Joshua Mack, along with one of his elders and a deacon. Josh taught on the nature of the Church, and his messages had a deep impact. One woman even testified that she was finally compelled to commit to church membership after hearing his teaching.

Pastor Josh, his team, the GCO team, and our family

Also in May, we hosted our very first men’s retreat with about 40 men in attendance. Friends from Grace Church of Orange (California) not only came to celebrate our anniversary but also led the sessions and generously covered most of the budget. It was a rich time of fellowship, teaching, and encouragement in God’s Word. Lord willing, this will become an annual tradition.

Some of the men at the retreat

Vacation Bible School

• Brian Biedebach (Grace Community Church, California)
• Steph Museler & Chris Mnguni (South Africa)
• Mala & Rachel Chindongo (Malawi)

The July conference speakers and organisers

The conference proved to be a rich time of learning and fellowship, particularly for the younger generation in our congregations.

The July conference attendees

By God’s grace, a new chapter has begun at RBC—we have launched our first-ever youth group, meeting every Friday afternoon. Until now, our church family has consisted mostly of young adults with only a handful of children. But as some of those children have grown older, the need for a dedicated ministry has become clear.

I am currently leading the group but look forward to entrusting it to one of our interns in the near future. Though it has added significantly to my weekly schedule, it has been a joy to invest in this vital work.

After three years of study with the Masters Seminary in California, by the grace and kindness of God I graduated in May with a Doctor of Ministry in Expository preaching degree. My topic was a critical analysis of the prosperity gospel through the lens of the Beatitudes. I did a biblical theology study on the Beatitudes (True blessedness) and used that to do a critical analysis of the “blessedness” the prosperity preachers are offering. I am so grateful for the support my wife and children gave me as well as the kindness of our Church family. I am looking forward to rest. I pray that the results of this study will be a benefit to our Church and the larger Church community especially in our area where the health and wealth prosperity “gospel” is rampant.

Was a privilege to have my daughter Fransisca at the graduation and my friend who is currently wrapping his studies at The Master’s Seminary and will soon be joining the work here. Exciting times these!

• rest and rejuvenation after a decade of continuous ministry;
• thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness over the past ten years; and
• prayer and planning for the next decade of ministry.

By God’s grace, our family is doing well, and the children are growing fast. It is a joy to see them grow and take interest in spiritual matters. After an especially busy season, we feel the need for physical rest. Vanessa continues to experience fatigue following her surgery and will soon be traveling to South Africa for her annual medical review. We also hope to use this time for rest and for visiting family.

We are so thankful to each of you who gave toward our need for a vehicle. Your generosity made it possible for us to purchase a vehicle that serves us well for now, even though we were not able to raise the full amount required for the ideal off-road option we had hoped for.

While this vehicle may not be the most suited for the challenging roads we often travel, we are grateful to the Lord for providing through you. We trust Him to continue meeting our needs in His perfect way and timing.