Testimony of Rev. Margareth Sibanda, District Superintendent of the Zimbabwe Midlands District
By Rachelle Miller
Rev Margareth Sibanda is a visionary and fiery leader who is the District Superintendent (DS) of the Zimbabwe Midlands District. She elected this role after the untimely death of her husband, Rev Noah Sibanda, who was the DS at the time of his death. The Lord has remained her rock and strong fortress through the challenges of raising 5 biological children, as well as other needy individuals who have come into her household. Rev Sibanda is an evangelist and church planter in the Gweru area of Zimbabwe, and her greatest joy in life is being a soul-winner. She states, “Every soul you bring to Jesus Christ, you seem to get a new heaven here on earth.”
Rev Margareth Sibanda was born into a Nazarene family in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She received Christ as her Saviour when she was 12-year-old and felt the Lord’s call at the age of 16 while finishing school. The Lord kept prodding her to attend Bible College, but she was not sure how she could do this. Margareth kept these thoughts and feelings to herself.
In 1995, she met a handsome young man named Noah who was dedicated to the Lord. He was studying at the Nazarene Bible College in Malawi. Noah and Margareth were married in late 1996, and they began attending Bible College in Malawi together. Through a generous scholarship, Noah was able to begin studying at Africa Nazarene University while Margareth stayed behind in Malawi. Although it was difficult to be separated, the Lord sustained them both and brought them through. Margareth was able to travel to ANU and join her husband for his final year of studies, and she worked in the library at the university. She had not completed her studies, but she knew in her heart that the Lord had called her to be a pastor.
Upon graduation from ANU, Margareth and Noah returned to Zimbabwe and began pastoring at the Gweru Church of the Nazarene. Finally, Margareth verbalised her call and told her husband what she had known since she was sixteen. He encouraged her to pursue this call, and she joined the extension classes that were being led by her husband and continued where she had left off. She graduated in 2009 and became more involved in the church through church planting and evangelism. The church grew in their area of Zimbabwe and a new zone was established. The zone grew and eventually became the newest district in Zimbabwe, and it has continued to grow each year.
Rev Noah Sibanda was appointed as the DS of this new district, and then elected as DS two years later. He worked hard for the formation of the district until his untimely death of covid. Margareth states that when the district chose her, she was afraid at first because she is both a woman and a widow. She was also still grieving the loss of her husband, but the Lord stood with her. People believed in her, and they still do. The Lord has sustained her and given her the strength each day to battle, if needed, and to stand steadfast to see victory. God’s faithfulness is evident in the growth of the church in all areas. The church is growing, the church is alive, the church is moving on—a moving church for a coming Christ.
The Zimbabwe Midlands District continues to see the hand of God in its exponential growth and expansion. There have been new churches planted and new buildings dedicated in recent months. The Lord has provided the funds to build not only the church buildings but a manse with solar power and a water well. Rev Sibanda anticipates the continuation of the growth as the population is growing in the area, and another church will be dedicated soon in the area of Salem Chirumanzu.
The Midlands District also owns 100 hectares of land where they plan to do projects that will help the district become self-sufficient. There is also a Christian school that is growing and the goal is to turn it into a boarding school in future, and it will become an income generating source for the generations to come.
Additionally, the district is building a private, Christian university in the city of Gweru with one block complete. They are hoping to open the doors in the next school year so that young adults can experience a Scriptural and biblical worldview in their education. This was the vision of Rev Noah Sibanda, but Margareth is carrying it forward. Not only will the college help financially for the church, but it is also beneficial to the entire community as there are many people and few schools in the greater Gweru area.
Rev Margareth Sibanda is a testimony to God’s sustaining grace throughout life’s struggles. She continues to be a fiery and influential leader in the Church of the Nazarene in Zimbabwe.
