Read Letters from Charles and Melissa Johnson
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2016
March - We're Finally in Zambia
2015
November - Our Second Half Life Begins
September - Ministry Announcement
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 342
Charles and Melissa Johnson
Mission Co-workers serving in Zambia
Serving at the invitation of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Zambia Synod
Give to Charles and Melissa's Ministry
Video: A Call to Mission in ZambiaCharles and Melissa's Prayer CardBlog: Life in Lundazi
Contact Charles (charles.johnson@pcusa.org)
Contact Melissa (melissa.johnson@pcusa.org)
Charles and Melissa will be in the U.S. visiting congregations through February 2016. Email them to learn about their schedule and invite them to visit your ministry.
Position Start Date: October 2015
About Charles and Melissa's ministry
Charles and Melissa Johnson have been invited to help the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian’s Zambia Synod expand its ministry of community development and food security. Charles will serve as a development specialist, and Melissa will support him in this role. They will focus heavily on developing the Chasefu Model Farm, an agricultural project of Chasefu Theological College. The farm feeds the students and also provides opportunities for future pastors to learn agricultural techniques. The intent is for pastors to be able to supplement their income through farming and share their agricultural knowledge with the communities they serve. Chasefu Farm also provides local farmers opportunities to learn innovative approaches to agriculture. In addition to agriculture, the Johnsons will work with the CCAP on projects related to clean water, micro-credit, health, and education.
Country context
Zambia has a population of 15 million people, which includes some 70 ethnic groups. An estimated 50 to 75 percent of the population identify themselves as Christian. Most other Zambians are either Muslim or Hindu. Presbyterianism was introduced into Zambia by Scottish missionaries in the 1860s. The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian’s Zambia Synod is growing rapidly and is committed to a holistic approach to outreach. The Synod serves a population struggling with massive poverty and the rapid spread of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDs. The UN estimates more than 1 million Zambians are living with HIV/AIDS. Zambia ranks 163rd out of 187 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index, a composite measurement of life expectancy, education, and per capita income..
About Charles and Melissa
Charles and Melissa’s call to service has been shaped by the struggles and joys life has presented them.
“A series of events and experiences have led us to a point in our lives where we felt we had to respond to God’s call to serve,” Charles says. “Perhaps the most significant of these was the life and death of our severely disabled son, Holden. Throughout his life, even at the most difficult times, we saw God’s hand at work through Holden and others who came into our lives.”
Melissa’s love for and experience with Holden thrust her into advocacy efforts for special needs children and their families. “Through Holden, God gave me a voice and a heart for ‘the least of these,’ and I felt God leading me to advocate against the injustices many of these families frequently experience, especially the lower-income, less educated families.”
After Holden’s death, the Johnsons began turning their attention toward God’s work abroad and participated in short-term mission trips to Vietnam, Peru, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Along the way, we found new meaning in our lives,” Charles says. Melissa adds, “I felt the call to work for the least of these, particularly women and children, even more strongly.”
The couple traveled to Congo several times and developed a particularly strong passion for the country. “Because of those experiences and specifically the people we’ve met and become friends with, we were drawn to full-time mission service in Africa,” Charles observes. “The joy we have witnessed in the people we have met, despite the difficult circumstances in which they live, is a striking witness to God’s love and people’s faith and hope for a better life.”
While aware that Zambia is different than Congo, Zambia’s neighbor to the north, Melissa notes their relationships with people in Congo “have made us more open and understanding of different cultures.” They anticipate drawing on those experiences as they begin their ministry in Zambia.
Prior to entering mission service, Charles served for 21 years as president of Patty’s Herbs, Inc., an agribusiness based in Pearsall, Texas, that grows and distributes fresh-cut culinary herbs. Previously, he worked for several banks and for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Charles holds a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M.
Melissa served for 15 years as an assistant to the managing partner of Thornton, Biechlin, Segrato, Reynolds & Guerra, a San Antonio law firm. She left that position in 2010 and devoted considerable time to church and community volunteer activities. She attended Texas A&M University.
In addition to Holden, the Johnsons raised two other children, Meagan and Brien.
Both Charles and Melissa are PC(USA) ruling elders and members of Northwood Presbyterian Church in San Antonio.
