March 2025 AIU Newsletter
Equipping Africa’s next generation of spiritual leaders
STUdent research conference!
Five AIU students prepared presentations to hone their skills and encourage others.
As AIU’s academic standards continue to rise, we try to promote opportunities for our students to challenge themselves and grow. Our annual student research conference is one of these opportunities. This year’s conference, which took place on March 15, was well-attended by both staff and students who gathered to hear AIU students present their research.
“The research conference was an overwhelming success. The event showcased exceptional research work from participating students, and their presentations were met with enthusiasm and interest from the audience. One of the most significant outcomes of the conference was its impact on the students. The conference provided a platform for students to share their research, receive feedback, and learn from their peers.”
Five students gave presentations during the research conference, which was organized by AIU’s research department. Each participant had chosen a research topic ahead of time to study thoroughly and present for those attending the conference. As added motivation, students were recognized with different awards for the quality and presentation of their research. It was a joy to see the number of participants increase from previous years!
“I heard new descriptions of how others think about salvation which I did not know about, and for that reason I was challenged to consider ways I can reach out to the lost when sharing my faith with them.”
While the research conference serves an academic purpose in the life of AIU, it also helps both participants and audience members to know and worship God more deeply. Robert Mwanza, a junior at AIU, noted that hearing from his classmates challenged and encouraged him in his faith.
Please join us in praying for more students, both presenters and listeners, would be impacted by the research conferences at AIU.
NEW Staff At CHIFUNDO!
Five new staff members allow Chifundo Clinic to serve more in the community.
Our hearts are filled with joy and thanksgiving for what the Lord continues to do through the Chifundo Clinic. Of the health facilities in AIU’s district, Chifundo is ranked near the top of the list. In its years of operation, the clinic’s reputation has led to an increasing number of people seeking medical care. On average, Chifundo Clinic now serves anywhere from 50 to 75 patients in a day, all because of your support!
Because of the increasing volume of patients, Chifundo Clinic has also had a growing need for more staff members. We are excited to announce that the Zambian government has helped to provide five more staff members at the clinic, including a registered nurse, a midwife, and a lab technician. This increase in clinic staff will allow Chifundo to offer critical medical services both to the campus community and others from surrounding villages.
Please continue to pray for God’s provision for Chifundo Clinic and the medical team, who are committed to both providing high-quality care and sharing the gospel.
Chifundo Clinic has been a tremendous blessing to AIU staff and students, and the local community. We are grateful that God has provided for this ministry through your generosity and, in this case, through the Zambian government.
The included picture shows our staff at the clinic attending to patients.
Career Guidance Workshop!
The first event of its kind at AIU seeks to build the confidence needed to launch graduates well.
The theology program at AIU is spiritually rich and rooted in God’s Word. We pray that it will be an impactful vessel in advancing the kingdom of God. For most of our students, however, Bible school was not the initial plan after obtaining a high school certificate. For most Zambians, theology is far from the top of the list of potential career paths. In fact, it is the common consensus that “pastors are poor” and that there are few job opportunities for theology graduates outside of pastoring/chaplaincy or serving with an NGO.
“Pastor Oscar Kayombo helped me personally to overcome the anxiety of what to do after graduation. He taught us to have an open-minded approach to productivity after graduating. His workshop also helped me think about productivity in a godly way – doing things that bring glory to God. God created us to be creative and productive. Such workshops are helpful to equip students with a business mindset, kill off some fears of society, and enable them to think about how they can serve their community and earn a living.”
With graduation looming for many of our students, the challenge of finding stable employment after Bible school can spark feelings of fear, discouragement, stress, and anxiety. But our goal is to help students graduate not only with conviction but also confidence, ready to provide for their families and serve their communities. In light of this, AIU conducted its first-ever career guidance workshop in March.
Pastor Oscar Kayombo – an AIU alumnus, founding pastor of Hope of Grace Church, entrepreneur, and author of three books – returned to campus to lead the career guidance workshop. Having attended AIU himself, Pastor Oscar was able to relate with the students and is a testimony of God’s work through AIU graduates. Many students reported that the workshop was engaging and sparked their interest to explore the topic further.
We praise God that the workshop accomplished its intended purpose. Moving forward, the department remains committed to equipping students with spiritual, social, and economic skills so they can serve as problem solvers and transformative leaders in their communities. Thank you for your generous support and prayers that make this vision a reality.
Teachers’ Lodge Renovations!
Much-needed renovations help guest lecturers feel at home at AIU
Since AIU’s founding, most of our lecturers have been visiting professors from the United States. These teachers have a heart for equipping church leaders and are willing to travel great distances to do so. More than five years ago, AIU built a teacher’s lodge on campus to serve primarily as housing for visiting professors during their time in Zambia. The six-bedroom lodge can house as many as twelve guests, offering a larger living room and kitchen for their convenience.
It recently became clear that the lodge needed to be refurbished. The wood-tile floor – along with unfavorable weather conditions – attracted an invasion of termites, making it difficult to maintain the lodge over the past few years.
But once again, God provided through your generosity, allowing us to remove the old wooden tiles and replace them with more durable flooring. The included pictures show the renovation efforts that are currently underway in the teachers’ lodge. We hope that this lodge will serve our guest lecturers well as they seek to serve our students for years to come.
Heading to Term Two!
A short break bridge successful first and exciting second terms.
We are thankful to God – and to you, our ministry partners – for a fruitful first term to start the 2025 academic year. Term one, which ran from January-March, was widely lauded by AIU staff and students as productive and successful. All of our students were able to attend classes with no major issues, and it has been such a joy to see what the Lord is doing in their lives.
Following a successful first term, AIU students were given a two-week break to prepare for the second term. During this time, many students remained on campus and continued to serve in their local churches. Others returned home for a short respite before classes resumed on April 7.
In the second term, most of our teachers are visiting professors from the United States and other parts of Zambia.
Please pray for our guest lecturers as they travel, prepare, and teach our students at AIU. Pray also for our students, that they would stay faithful to what God has called them to do and that they would return to their studies with renewed energy and passion for God’s Word.
The included picture shows our 2025 sophomores writing their final exams for term one.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT!
SANDWELL AND ABIGAIL ZGAMBO
Deputy Vice Chancellor
Originally from the Chama district in Zambia, Sandwell graduated from both AIU (2012) and Moody Bible Institute (2016). He has been on staff at AIU since graduating in 2016 and is currently the Deputy Vice Chancellor.
In this capacity, Sandwell has both administrative and teaching responsibilities. He teaches a variety of courses to our residential students, including Biblical Hebrew, Ethics, and Homiletics. His ministry has a widespread impact on students at AIU.
“I am forever grateful to God for the opportunity to serve at AIU and for the grace to be used by Him. I find pleasure in helping others to grow in their walk with the Lord by emphasizing our need to study God’s word for personal growth and to rely on the Holy Spirit. I’ve learned that God will use ministry to sanctify us and shape us in the image of his Son. We must humbly accept everything – good or bad – that comes from the hands of the sovereign God (Romans 8:28). God has used my ministry to impact the staff, students, and community in amazing ways.”
Sandwell has been married to his wife, Abigail – who is a nurse by profession – since 2017. Sandwell describes her as an amazing, intelligent wife and a caring mother to their children. Together, they have two daughters, Jaynah Hope and Janice Joy, and are expecting their third child in May!
Sandwell is currently in his second year pursuing doctoral studies. He plans to earn a Ph.D., which will help him serve AIU and meet Zambia’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) requirements.
Please pray that God blesses Abigail with strength as she prepares to give birth this spring. Pray also for Sandwell as he seeks to further his education and lead his family well. Sandwell is grateful that God has allowed him to impact the next generation of spiritual leaders, thanks to your generous support.
STudent SPOTLIGHT!
MANUEL TITO MANUEL
Sophomore
Manuel Tito Manuel – a 2025 sophomore at AIU – came to Zambia from Manica province in the heart of Mozambique. As the second of nine children in a Christian home, Manuel heard much about Jesus, but for many years he did not understand what it means to be saved.
All of this changed through the obedient witness of one of Manuel’s classmates, Domingos.
“[Domingos] preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, planting a seed in my life that germinated in 2018, when I came to know and understand the glory of Jesus Christ and the salvation he offers. I prayed – crying and begging for the mercy of God – for Him to save me. For sure on that day, I received hope. All the anger I was carrying disappeared; only joy remained.”
Manuel is studying at AIU to learn how to faithfully teach the Word of God, which he believes is his calling. He has already been blessed by his time at AIU, especially by taking a course on Bible study methods, which has given him many practical tools. He plans to become an evangelist not only to his homeland, Mozambique, but also to reach different African nations with the gospel. After graduation, he wants to teach the gospel in Mozambique, planting churches across the nation.
Because of your support, Manuel can study God’s word and prepare for ministry at AIU. Will you join us in praying with Manuel, for God’s wisdom and strength as he studies at AIU?