St. Chad's came into being upon Simon Dube's departure from Ezakheni township just outside of Ladysmith. With the unrest and political violence of 1992--1994 Simon decided that enough was enough, fleeing the area with his family.

He arrived in St. Chad's in 1994. At that time, few homes existed as there was no infrastructure. So, on a piece of barren land Simon Began to build his house. As he scratched out an existence on this barren soil, he built a place to worship God and share Christ with others.

Soon the church exploded with growth, and the need to build a proper facility was evident. The St. Chad's Bible Baptist Church was dedicated in 1997. Dr. Tom McGath of the United Baptist Church of Springfield, Missouri was guest speaker. The folks of United Baptist Church provided $10,000 toward construction costs.

Today the church struggles as Simon's heath declines¾he is now 82 years old. In South Africa, tribal youth desire to throw off the "shackles" of the old ways. The older folks, however, wish to maintain the respect, obedience, and subordination of the Zulu culture, which causes many struggles in the church, leaving it weakened.

Pray that:

• The younger members will respect age, leadership, and seniority.
• The older folks will try to develop young people into dynamic disciples of Christ.
• The church will minister in honesty, transparency, and integrity.
• Students graduating from the Northern Natal Bible Institute here in Ladysmith will accept the call to minister at this young church.