For those who live in a country as prosperous as the United States, it is hard to imagine the struggles of families living in poverty elsewhere. Baltimore-based New Psalmist Baptist Church confronted this reality when, in partnership with World Vision, it visited Zambia to meet some of the families it will minister to in the future.
World Vision partners with organizations and individuals, and New Psalmist is one of 1,000 U.S. churches involved in this ministry. They are seeing positive results thanks to this partnership. “At World Vision, we affirm the local church as our indispensable partner. We recognize this powerful work would not have been possible without the leadership of New Psalmist and the generosity of their members who daily live out ‘making life better for someone else,’” says Javy Diaz, World Vision’s church engagement director.
New Psalmist’s relationship with World Vision is not new, and World Vision’s work is not limited to countries abroad. At the start of the school year, they delivered so many trucks of school supplies for Baltimore children that there was barely room to accommodate them all in the parking lot.
A Partnership With Global Reach
”New Psalmist has been in partnership with World Vision since 2023 when they launched the Chosen program,” says Dr. Alfred Bailey, leader of Missions and Outreach at New Psalmist. The church now has 1,022 members sponsoring children in Zambia, witnessing transformative changes and empowerment in the communities of Moyo Hamaundu, Nyawa, and Manuinda.
When they arrived in Zambia, they met warm, welcoming, and resilient residents. “Despite the year-long drought they’re experiencing and struggles with life, they still believe God and have a vision for their future and the future of their community,” Dr. Bailey says.
Empowering Women, Children, and Families
Early in their trip, they encountered a family that had to walk miles to fetch water, which they found hidden under rocks and stones to protect it from animals. The water wasn’t clean, but they were so thirsty they drank it on the spot.
“The father recounted an incident of working alongside his son when they both were bitten by a snake. His son died. Upon hearing more of the story, they found the mother had birthed 13 children. A mere four survived,” Rev. Walter Scott Thomas Jr., New Psalmist’s senior pastor told the congregation in the Sunday service following their return. “When they asked the family about the children going to school the reply was they only go to school on days they eat. And they don’t eat every day.”
This family is in the “before” stage of World Vision’s work.
The Chosen program is unique in that the children choose the donors who will sponsor them, giving them a sense of power and partnership. New Psalmist members commit to donating $39 a month to help families improve their lives and support their children’s success.
The team from New Psalmist also met a family who had been part of World Vision’s program for a year. Their tiny house had been expanded, and their lives had already improved. They had water in their home, solar panels, and televisions. They had learned self-worth, who God is, and the importance of family.
“They now had water available in their own house. They now had solar panels on their house to provide warmth and coolness. They have televisions. They’ve been taught self-worth, taught about who God is and the value of family,” Dr. Thomas told the congregation.
“The house didn’t just have water. It also had electricity. They had a garden around their home. The wife is now a CEO of her own business. The wife who had previously been abused by her husband. She started a church with a pulpit in her shed.”
He said the wife showed the visitors her vision of how she would transform her village.
“It was great and she didn’t need us to put the Western fix on it,” Dr. Thomas said. “And there’s greater work to be done.”