VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 6/4/19)—Christina and Lance Muteyo, both passionate peacemakers who creatively combine art and activism, have been appointed to serve with International Ministries (IM) as International Associate Global Servants in their home country of Zimbabwe.

The first IM global servants to serve in this southern African country, the couple is employed by Trees of Peace Africa, an IM partner whose mission is to change the world through planting seeds of love, peace and harmony in Africa.

Lance and Christina are proteges of IM Global Consultants, the Rev. Dr. Dan and the Rev. Sharon Buttry through their signature 10-day Training of Conflict Transformation Training (TCTT). TCTT uses experiential education methodologies developed by people’s movements around the world, interwoven with spiritual disciplines, to explore topics of conflict dynamics among people, governments and churches.

Lance has co-facilitated two TCTT workshops and introduced the tradition of planting a tree for peace at each TCTT. He has conducted conflict transformation training work in Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Ukraine and Italy, as well as in Zimbabwe.  His wife Christina is also a TCTT graduate and has led trainings herself with counselors, and co-facilitated others with Lance in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“Aside from his community organizing and training, Lance is a poet,” adds Dan. “He speaks passionately and proudly as an African with a prophetic edge calling Africans to take full responsibility in shaping their destiny. He often accompanies his poetry recitation with the mbira, a traditional instrument sometimes called a thumb piano. With Christina and their two young children, the Muteyo family has become a bright beacon of hope not just in Zimbabwe but in many countries of Africa.”

Area Director for Africa, Karen Smith, is looking forward to serving with the Muteyos. “Lance and Christina are truly the salt of the earth,” Smith comments. “IM is blessed to have them as associate global servants. What a privilege it is, that this work started by the Buttrys can continue to grow and bear much fruit through Lance and Christina and Trees of Peace Africa.”

IM is appointing global servants who are not U.S. citizens from countries that we once considered to be mission fields as International Associate Global Servants. “The Muteyos are Africans and are being recognized and affirmed by IM as partners in this exciting paradigmatic shift,” says IM’s Director of Mission Mobilization, the Rev. Dr. Rodney Ragwan. “Their holistic approach to mission fits well with IM’s focus area of Peace and Justice. With the appointment of the Muteyos, IM is promoting mission ‘From Everywhere to Everyone.’ As Associates, they are not directly employed by IM, but are working in close partnership with IM. Contributions from supporters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico may be received by IM, and are then forwarded to their employing organization to underwrite support and ministry-related expenses.”

The Buttrys are clearly on a mission to develop young, talented and committed Christians to spread their ministry of peacemaking to the ends of the earth. “When it comes to social transformation, even the greatest among us cannot live to see the fulfillment of our dreams,” said Dan. “When I had cancer in 2009, God showed me that my time is limited, so I needed to shift what I was doing. I needed to both train others and bring them along wherever possible.”

Buttry’s realization led to the development of the TCTT program and the launch of the Global Peacemakers Mentoring Project. The project is designed to enable some of those he has trained to accompany him on peacemaking trips and to provide funding for those he has mentored to engage additional training, especially cross-cultural or international.

Christina is a 2015 graduate of Zimbabwe Institute of Systemic Counseling and holds a degree in Systemic Family Therapy. Lance is a 2005 honors graduate of the University of Zimbabwe with a degree in Sociology.

Their home church is Emmanuel Baptist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe.

More information about Christina and Lance is available on their profile page on the IM website.

International Ministries, also known as the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, works cross-culturally to invite people to become disciples of Jesus Christ and to proclaim, through both word and deed, God’s reign of justice, peace and abundant life for all creation.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.