History & Vision | We were called to serve our community at large - and continue to do so.
Emmanuel Zihove became a Christian in 1972 at the age of 21 and four years later became the youth pastor at his home church, Mufacose Christian Center. Soon after marrying Betty in 1979, the two of them moved to another suburb of Harare to begin their new life together. Having left the ministry following their marriage, Emmanuel and Betty continued a nightly time of Bible reading and prayer. One evening, a neighbor who had overheard their prayers, came and asked for prayers for their sick child. The child was healed and the Zihoves were able to share the Gospel with their neighbors The couple accepted Christ and began sharing with others about their experience. Soon a new church was forming in the Zihove's living room.
This home church became a seed for a future full of church plants, evangelism, leadership training, community outreach, children's ministry and more.
The political situation in Zimbabwe and surrounding countries also played a part in the direction that Emmanuel and Betty would go. During the War for Independence, some Canadian missionaries were evacuated. The Zihoves were granted permission to use the vacated buildings to start churches. One of the new churches, Mufacose Christian Center, would become the center for a variety of ministries and outreaches. When the war ended, people returned to their villages and this became an opportunity for Emmanuel to train others to begin churches in their home areas.
About this same time, a war in Mozambique was creating troubles of its own but the Zihoves seized this opportunity as well and worked with World Vision in their refugee camps and distributed food. When this war ended, the refugees returned home and they too began churches in their home areas with Emmanuel's help.
The Zihove's vision for ministry expanded in several areas including the introduction of Oasis of Grace Bible School in 1997. Betty led an expansion of her own when she started Community Care, a program where she taught women skills so that they could make an income that allowed them to care for their family, send their children to school and buy needed food and supplies. This ministry continues under Betty's leadership. Further ministry expansion saw the children's orphanage begin with Emmanuel's brother, Asmon, taking the lead.
In 1999 the Zihoves met Phil Hudson of New Mission Systems International (NMSI), a Florida-based Christian mission organization. NMSI partnered with Emmanuel and his affiliation with NMSI would open more doors and more expansion. Soon, highly qualified teachers from the United States, Bob and Peggy Kuest (also NMSI affiliates) would come to Zimbabwe to teach leadership development, women's ministries, and children's ministries. Emmanuel is passionate about not just training leaders, but training leaders to be "servant leaders." The Kuests have played an integral part in this vision and passion.
Today, Oasis of Grace Ministries is at another point of expansion. The Zihoves feel God is leading them to minister to their community in new and different ways. To learn more about this expansion and the role that you may play in it, click here.
"...whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become
in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14