To help further develop 5 young post-graduate professional ladies who had all been an integral part of the discipleship program we encourage during their student years, Sarah developed a 12-month program in 2025 covering specific teaching topics and 12 personal challenges. Challenging it was! Life changing it was too. They named themselves The Sisterhood.
The women were responsible to hold each other accountable and in so doing became tight friends. When recently debriefing the year, each spoke into the others' lives. Everyone of them spoke of the growing wisdom they saw in each of the others as leaders, the implementation of good boundaries, and the impact of applying specific disciplines in their lives. Learning to budget has freed a couple of them to greater generosity. Time management has allowed them better rest. Everyone of them are now in leadership roles at work or in their church life. In discussing the way forward in 2026, the group was insistent on reworking the program to give space and time for them to concurrently model for and develop the leaders beneath them. The changes this year are very significant as they reveal that the women have fully grasped that discipleship is a wholistic concept with no spiritual/secular divide and reaching into every area of life; that it is not a personal self-help program, and that they are now confident to lead/disciple others and to pass on what they are receiving. Another significant change/development within the OC Africa Zimbabwe world: As a result of The First Switch in 2025, OC was exposed to the caliber of disciple Jay and Sarah Gerhart have been intentionally helping to form through their ministry in Zimbabwe among college-age youth. Kenny Wong approached them about taking on one of the Zimbabwean participants, Sheila, to assist him remotely. Sheila, in between getting engaged and married since her time in Uganda, has been growing in confidence and ability as a leader and personal assistant, while also being the administrator for The Base Community TCZ in Zimbabwe. Her newly married husband is considering Bible College next year, and we believe this couple could become increasingly involved in the OC world in the years to come, be that in Zimbabwe or elsewhere.
From Sarah Gerhart