The shaping of morals at christian schools in boarding life
Barnabas Chiboboka FZICA, FFA, FAIA, MBA
Chartered Accountant
The shaping of morals at christian schools in boarding?life
(Extracts from Chulu: The High School & Tertiary Memoirs)
Upon arrival on the grounds of Kafue Secondary school, Chulu conceptualised the religious atmosphere that permeated into all the school curricula. The founders of the school, the Methodist made entry into the school primarily to spread the gospel of the lord Jesus Christ. Later, this mammoth task to evangelise through skills training and education fell into the hands of the United Church of Zambia to this day. Education and skills training became the method or strategy to achieve their goals. Many years down the history of the school, the religious ethics and beliefs prevailed and continued to affect the learners as they received their education.
Every week began with Sunday chapel services at 16.00hrs. all learners had to be ready and attend. The weekend passes that allowed the boys’ temporary exit lapsed at 16.00hrs on Sunday. The boys dressed in deep sky blue shirts and light grey trousers matched and settled on the wooden benches of the chapel. Able to accommodate about 500 people, the chapel stretched from north as its entrance and south and everyone faced the south while seated.
An aisle stretched from the northern entrance and separating wooden benches on the right and left as one continued walking on the aisle towards the altar. The middle of the building had two side exit entrances that made a T-junction in the middle of the building. At the end of the aisle led to the pulpit area shaped in an oval shape. The pulpit area has a wooden pulpit in the middle, and side chairs where preachers and ushers/stewards took their positions. A side corner for the choir stood in one of the four sitting positions.
Chulu soon rhymed into the traditions of the religious life. Sunday services started by singing hymns and various songs from the hymn books and Africa praise hymn books. They developed these hymn books from African schools from local compositions and outside Africa’s popular songs. The choir led the songs. The choir also sung a lot of local songs using drums as the principal instrument. Led by a choirmaster who stood in front of the choir, several hymns, and songs issued from many lips and echoed to the surrounding communities.??
It was in this chapel that Chulu learnt several hymns and other local and common songs. The choir, in a habit of entertaining worshippers, sung several strange songs mostly in Swahili, a common language spoken in east Africa.
(Gray), 1987
The signing of such hymns echoed in the chapel as the boys sung their lungs out to praise their maker and Lord. The singing pierced through the walls and escaped the confines of the chapel, and voices caught the ears of communities miles away. Other popular hymns included “When I survey the wondrous cross,”; “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound”, “This world is not my Home”; and many hymns and songs that sunk deep into Chulu’s soul.
Chapel stewards took charge of the deliberations of the service to usher, collect offerings and ensure smooth deliberations of the proceedings. Distinguished by a red ribbon worn and wrapped on the shoulder to the opposite side of the hip, the stewards performed their duties. Like bible priests who offered daily sacrifices on behalf of the people, they attended to the duties of the chapel routines. The chief among the stewards was Monje Shimukowa, bearing the title Chief Chapel Steward for two years. A dear brother with whom Chulu bonded as believers in the Lord and a member of the scripture union group of the school.
Twenty minutes of singing gave way to the principal activity of the service, the preaching of God’s word. The preaching of God’s word lasted under forty minutes. A group of lay preachers who were also learners of the school secured a preacher for every service. The elected preacher on a Sunday included outside preachers from evangelical congregations such as UCZ, and other evangelicals such as Baptist. In the absence of a visiting preacher, the Chapel Minister took charge. The school had a missionary Chapel minister to oversee the religious strategic goals of the mission school.
Some notable popular preachers included mostly UCZ Pastors invited from various congregations. However, several evangelical lay preachers also had opportunities to open the scriptures and preach. Notable among these were a few names, such as Christopher Ngoma, Happy Ngoma, and Dr Grace Singogo. The trio featured in weekend outings with Scripture Union meetings, and Sunday service preachers. Grave Singogo and Chris Ngoma preached scary messages. Chris had a habit of descending from the elevated pulpit area to the lower grounds. Leaving the pulpit area, he descended into the aisle and strolled as he gave out his message. His eyes as protruding as a ball, and his face as twisted as a lion ready to unleash its fury on its prey, the man preached. He scared His listeners to death as he spoke his lungs out. Equally, Dr Grave Singogo once preached a scary message on death and the need to be ready when it strikes. “Death wires, whether small or big,” He once spoke and brought everyone under a holy scare.
Chapel life, sharped the religious life of Chulu and many other learners. Initially, a routine of every Sunday afternoon, but later spread to Monday mornings, and Thursday mornings devotions in the chapel. These routines later shaped the spiritual life of Chulu after He made the Lord in grade ten at seventeen. A school Chaplin conducted the routine services at the chapel, whose duties hovered around the spiritual and moral life of the school and its leaners.
Tuesdays after breakfast, leaners trooped into various single files from various dormitories. Prayers had to come first before lessons, so the learners walked in sombreness to meet their God. It was time for their early morning prayer time and devotions. This time, not in the chapel, but in classrooms. Every class developed a schedule of duties to pray, give a short devotion, and pray again to close the devotion. This gave an opportunity for all learners to take part in sharing from God’s word and offer public prayers.
Fridays were unique. The learners conducted the prayers per house. After breakfast, two learners, one praying and the other giving a short bible reading and devotion, conducted prayers. All learners converged in one common place whilst standing. The house captain or indeed the house teacher later gave the announcements, which included a reading of points that various prefects scored during the week. The notable points that were read included negative points that reduced the good work done in the week. Negative one was lighter and negative eight earned culprits a suspension, expulsion, or heavy punishment such as uprooting trees.
Wednesday 7.00 was assembly time. Learners assembled at the assembly square. School draughtsmen sandwiched the assembly plans between the administration block on the eastern side of the assembly and the first layer of the classrooms. The southern part of the assembly stood the major library of the school and the laboratories on the southern. The middle of the square stood placed, the podium elevated and decorated with flowers around it. A small passage had no flowers to allow the speakers to pass to the announcement point, as well as to exit the podium. Here stood important figures of the school, such as the headteacher, deputy head, or the senior teacher. They made very important pronouncements about the school and its administration and its relations with the outside stakeholders.
The only day that was free of school devotions was Saturday. However, important activities such as the scripture union meetings took place on this day. After dinner, scripture union members trooped in their groups towards the chapel. Like priests going to offer evening sacrifices, the SU members solemnly walked in meditations with one hand holding the Holy book-the bible.
“Let’s talk about Jesus,
The King of kings is He,
The Lord of Lord’s supreme.
Through all eternity,
The great I AM, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door;
Let’s talk about Jesus, More and more,” voices sung, sending holy melodies into the dark sky.
The voices blended in unison, praising their maker as late comers swiftly walked to join their choir. The living songs provided most of the songs sung at all SU meeting.
“We are gathered here today
By the mercy of the Lord
We are gathered here today,
By the mercy of the Lord.
We shall study in His word,
By the mercy of the Lord.
Let us worship Hin in song,|
By the mercy of the Lord.”
The song above was another of the most popular songs sung during the Scripture Union meetings. Other popular Hymns included Amazing grace how sweet the sound by John Newton, give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning and many other popular hymns and songs. The meeting started with songs and hymns, and ended with a preacher or an SU leader reading the scriptures and giving explanations. Bible studies also took place at other meetings. Member sat in small groups, led by a group leader to study the scriptures. Other meetings were special sharing services. Several presenters stood in front of the gathered people to sing a special song, give a testimony and do a poem or a play.
Mr and Mrs Ethorns dedicated their lives to the spiritual welfare of the learners, especially to dedicated Christian boys. Mr Winter, another teacher, and Christian, dedicated himself to the smooth running of the Scripture union and its leadership. Chosen from among the learners, the leaders emanated from standing Christians among the learners. Led by the chairperson, the committee composed of a team that organised meetings, led during the proceedings of meetings, and provided spiritual leadership to its members. Chulu made choice friends from among members and leaders, among whom Johnson Malipenga, the head boy, and chairperson of SU. He was succeeded by Gabriel Mushinge Head boy and chairperson of the SU group. Others included Christian Kasumo, Gabriel Konayuma, Vincent Kaviswilwe, Mateo Phiri, Victor Nsama, Oliver Singogo, Mbulo, Victor Chinyama, and Monje Shimukowa. There were many other believers who took centre stage in advocating for godly living at the secondary school. He also had a reunion with his cousin Tenson Nyangu.
“Many learners start very well, but when they graduate and taste the working world, they forsake God and get swallowed up in the world’s love,” Mrs Ethorns warned. She kept drumming the message to warn students of the danger of forsaking God and running after the world. She had observed with pain how many forsake God when they graduated from School.
As per custom of the union, every academic year end, had a graduation and farewell speech to outgoing grade twelve school leaver. This was a special meeting tailored as a send-off meeting to school leavers. SU leaders invited past school leavers to come and testify how they had fared after leaving secondary school. Good testimonies came from standing Christians, such as Agness and Kayemba, who encouraged the boys to remain faithful in a fast changing and materialistic world. Reading from Psalms 23 and Palms 27, the ladies spoke of the faithfulness of God and the charge of remaining faithful to the Lord.
Weekend scripture union camps enabled members to have temporary retreats outside the school area. These included schools around the Turn park area and the Kasaka camp site provided facilities for weekend outings. A brief break from studies enabled members to enrich their spiritual health as they took part in bible studies, sketches, bible quizzes, singing and preaching. Singing a song with Kaviswilwe at the evening campsite, Chulu began practicing public speaking and coached by teacher Mbozi. Chulu used such opportunities to learn how to give testimonies at the evening campfire. Mr Mbozi had a special place for Chulu’s early Christian development later in His life.
The camp site live continued outside school life during school holidays, where all scripture union members freely assembled to enjoy a week of fellowship with God and with one another. Lusaka west camp site and Jim ford campsite in Kabwe hosted most of the campsites in Lusaka and central provinces. Chulu never missed the holiday camping and the fun of meeting other believers from other parts of the country.
With the zeal of a newfound life in Christ, Chulu, Victor, and Nsama shared the gospel around the school surroundings with people on the streets and those selling merchandise. They obeyed command to preach the gospel to everyone, as commanded in Matthew 28:19-20. Led by Nsama, the trio approached a witch doctor’s both. For some moment, everything went well as the strange man responded positively to the conversation until Nsama read the scripture:
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is their second death” (Revelations 21:8).
Chulu and his two friends stood speechless as the man reacted to the living word readout to him. As though the man had received a ground-breaking insult, he stood up and vomited a milliard curse from the pit of hell. He continued gushing out his curses as the frightened boys had taken no time to retreat and disappear from the witch doctors’ booth. Whether imaginary or real, the boys went scratching their itching bodies as they called off their street evangelism and headed to the school campus.
The word of God is indeed sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces through the inner man (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God also brings about conviction of sin, of the righteousness of God and of His coming judgement (John 16:8).
The Lord in his divine workings took Chulu to this mission school to gain academic excellence. He also shaped the spiritual faculties for the betterment and a telling influence on the spiritual development of his soul.
(Barnabas Chiboboka)