Brian Hatyoka
28 November 2009
"IF you respect God in privacy, God will respect you in public," is one of the phrases the late Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church pastor, Joe Silishebo Lubasi uttered at his last meeting with students at Kitwe School of Nursing on November 14 this year, a week before he died.
Indeed, the SDA and the entire country has been robbed of another versatile preacher, evangelist and prayer warrior, who died at Lusaka Trust Hospital after a short illness on November 20.
Many will remember Pastor Lubasi as the speaker for the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation television Voice of Prophecy programme every Tuesday evening.
He replaced the late Zambia Union Conference president Cornelius Matandiko, who previously preached on the same programme.
At the time of his death, Pastor Lubasi was Zambia Union Conference departmental director in charge of youth, campus ministries, chaplaincy, communication, and music, apart from steering the Voice of Prophecy programme.
The late pastor, who is survived by a wife Chitalu and a daughter Thabo, emphasised the importance of private prayers and evangelism.
He conducted 31 crusades at which many people were baptised. At his last youth crusade in August, he baptised more than 600 people.
Several pastors and dignitaries attended Pastor Lubasi's funeral service at Libala SDA Church last Monday.
Among those in attendance were Science, Technology and Vocational Training Deputy Minister Chrispine Musosha, Zambia Union Conference president Harrington Akombwa, and All People's Congress president Ken Ngondo.
In one of Pastor Lubasi's recorded sermons, which was played during the funeral service, he had this to say:
"God is the defender of the widows and the fatherless. Whoever mistreats the widow is fighting God. From Malachi 3: 5, the Bible is very clear on the issue of taking care of widows. You need to pay attention to it because these are facts of life."
Several people described him as a disciplined and firm preacher who had a lot of passion for God's work.
A youth, Vera Banda said the late pastor lived a life full of focus and passion for the people in despair.
According to Ms Banda, Pastor Lubasi travelled far and near to seek the lost and encourage those who were discouraged.
"The late pastor lived a life full of focus and passion for the lost sheep. He travelled far and near to seek the lost and encourage those who were discouraged in life.
"He didn't just talk about evangelism but he lived it. He was a passionate soul winner and had a vision to see youths and students succeed in their endeavors," she said.
Pastor Lubasi supported various groups engaged in spreading the word of God such as National Association for the Prevention of Starvation (NAPS), Campus Ministries, Impact as well as Adventist Youths, among many others.
He was a firm leader when dealing with various issues affecting young people.
With love and care, he rebuked those who were wrong.
Pastor Lubasi believed that evangelism was not an option but a job one could not delegate to others.
"Dear mourners, let's labour for the master from dawn till the setting of the sun.
Pastor Lubasi fought a good fight. What are you doing to work for the Master? Rise and do something for Jesus," Ms Banda said.
Brian Mayeya, who is Campus Ministries associate director to Pastor Lubasi, has a lot of memories about the late pastor.
According to Mr Mayeya, one of the memorable events was when the late pastor spearheaded the review of Campus Ministries' constitution in Mazabuka at the national student convention held from June 14 to 17, 2007.
He recalls that the late pastor chaired the review meeting from 20:00 hours until the following day at 06:00 hours without resting.
He was trying to formulate the constitution which currently guides operations of Adventist students in institutions of higher learning in Zambia.
From July 3 to 7 this year, the late pastor spearheaded another national student convention held at University Church at which more than 1, 000 students and youths from Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and United States of America attended.
Last year, he conducted a record setting evangelistic crusade in Muzuzu, Malawi, at which 360 people were baptised.
In the same year, he conducted a successful crusade in Mbala, during which more than 600 people baptised.
In April this year, he led a youth congress at Muluse area in Lusaka under the theme, 'It is time to cross over' and attracted hundreds of youths from all parts of the country.
Pastor Lubasi was born on May 4, 1964 in Nalikwanda Constituency in Western Province.
He completed his primary and secondary school education in 1978 and 1982, respectively.
Between 1983 and 1985, Pastor Lubasi trained as a literature evangelist. He was a student at Rusangu Ministerial School from 1986 to 1987.
From 1988 to 1990, he was a district pastor for Kafue and Lusaka East in the Central Zambia Field then, and in 1991, he was a district pastor in Kabwe.
From 1992 to 1995, Pastor Lubasi was departmental director at the Central Zambia Field.
He held a Bachelor's Degree in Theology and a Masters Degree in Pastoral Theology from Solusi University in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
From 2001 to 2003, he was a church pastor for University Church.
In 2003, he was elected as departmental director at the Zambia Union Conference, a position he held until the time of his death.
The late pastor had a sense of urgency when executing tasks and left a challenge to people who are slow in carrying out their assignments.
And according to Pastor Lubasi's daughter Tabo, her late father died after baptising many people because of his love for God.
"To my late father, I say goodnight. I say so because we will meet on the resurrection morning," Tabo said.
In the words of Zambia Union Conference executive secretary Bedinical Ndatoya, Pastor Lubasi was an effective and committed evangelist whose evangelism career was sought locally and abroad.
Pastor Ndatoya said the late pastor touched the lives of many young people and many television viewers were blessed by his messages.
"Blessed are those who die in the Lord because their works will follow them," he said.
In a sermon delivered during the funeral service, Zambia Union Conference president Harrington Akombwa, who quoted Isaiah 57: 1, said there was need for Christians to remain in the Lord.
"We have no abiding city on earth and all of us will die one day. We need to work for the Lord while we are still alive," Pastor Akombwa said.
He described the late pastor as a "gallant soldier of the cross".
Family spokesperson, Mwilola Imakando said the family was grateful to the SDA and others for the support rendered to it during Pastor Lubasi's illness and funeral.
"The Adventist Church sang, preached and has been with the family throughout, even during the sickness of the late Pastor Lubasi," Dr Imakando said.
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