GLOBAL PARTNERS

How your gifts to Lott Carey make God’s love real in Zimbabwe

Lott Carey was there for you when a poor Zimbabwean named Dudzirai Chimeri felt called by God to train “shepherds” for Christian ministry.

Although the limited financial resources of his parents had allowed them to send him only through the seventh grade, Dudrizai Chimeri had worked on his own to complete a secondary education. Following that, he had enrolled at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Gweru, Zimbabwe, earning a diploma in theology.

For seven years thereafter, Rev. Chimeri served as a pastor or associate pastor for various Baptist churches in Zimbabwe. All during that time, however, he kept feeling a desire to broaden his knowledge — and strengthen his understanding.

In 1994, he returned to the seminary. He showed such promise in earning his bachelor’s degree in theology that the seminary faculty invited him to consider preparing to join them at some point in the future. They felt he could make a vital contribution to God’s redemptive work in Africa by helping others deepen their biblical understanding.

However, he knew that to do so, he would have to pursue an advanced degree. There was no way that he could afford that. Nor did the seminary have any money to finance his efforts.

That’s when Lott Carey stepped in for you, helping to create a “staff development fund” at this insightful African educational institution.

One of the first recipients of the fund was Dudzirai Chimeri. Using those funds, he earned a distinguished master’s in biblical studies from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. After returning to teach at the seminary in Zimbabwe, he then went on to earn a doctorate in biblical interpretation from the same university.

Thanks to the financial support that you were able to provide through Lott Carey, Dr. Chimeri now teaches at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Zimbabwe — and serves as its academic dean.

Through Lott Carey’s partner, the Baptist Theological Seminary of Zimbabwe, you have provided scholarship assistance to many other promising African students as well. The recipients of your assistance now serve as pastors and pastoral counselors in key locations throughout southern Africa.

Under the skilled leadership of the school’s principal, Dr. Henry Mugabe, the seminary currently enrolls over a hundred students from close to a dozen different denominations, almost evenly divided between men and women.

The seminary strives to provide a Christ-centered, biblically based, multifaceted, and contextually relevant theological education, seeking a balance between the acquisition of knowledge (“tough winds”), the development of appropriate skills (“trained hard”), and growth in spiritual maturity (“tender hearts”).

Through Lott Carey, you provide a high-quality theological education for men and women who are committed to making God’s love real in Zimbabwe — and in many other parts of southern Africa.