UPDATE: Five of the ZIP participants arrived safely in Harare after leaving Pittsburgh on June 28.
Three clergy and three lay people have been selected to participate in the fifth annual Zimbabwe Immersion Program (ZIP) this summer.
ZIP was developed to enable individuals from Western PA United Methodist churches to spend significant time in Zimbabwe to learn church growth, discipleship, and leadership dynamics. ZIP participants live with host families and most will be in Zimbabwe from about June 28 to August 4, 2016.
The 2016 ZIP participants include:
A life -long member of the United Methodist Church, she has been very active since she retired as an educator in 2008. She is a church council chairperson, a lay speaker and has held numerous church offices. Very committed to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Saundra was an educator for 38 years at the secondary and college levels. She is a speaker and published author. She is fascinated with culture and has a PHD in International MultiCultural Studies. She hopes to experience the culture in Zimbabwe first hand, observer worship practices and learn how Christ has transformed His church there.
A full-time student at the Bidwell Training Center learning to become a Pharmacy Technician, she also is a part time student at the Community College of Allegheny County earning pre-requisites for Pharmacy school. Her sister Victoria Konopasek was a participant in the first Zimbabwe Immersion Program in 2012. Alexandra expects to learn flexibility, better communication and relationship skills, patience, relaxation, happiness, leadership dynamics and last but not least discipleship.
Three others will participate in a Mini-Immersion experience.
Because the Greater Blairsville Parish has launched a new congregation, Connect Church, Dinger and Hixon will visit a new church start in the Marange District of Zimbabwe, which partners with the Indiana District here. Rev. Kelley Schanely, pastor of Mt. Zion UMC in DuBois, also in the Indiana District stayed in the Marange District as part of the ZIP program in 2014. She visited the new church start there and helped to select the name Mount Zion UMC.
"Brett and Bob will have an opportunity to visit the district and church and witness life, church and culture in Zimbabwe," said Sandra Matoushaya, Zimbabwe Partnership Coordinator. "They will have an opportunity to bridge the gap between the two districts and help build disciples of Jesus Christ."