Our Purpose

History

Evangelical mission work began at Sunbury Mission Station in 1911 by the Scandinavian Independent Baptist Union. The land was a portion of Sunbury Farm owned and donated by a Norwegian couple who had been Salvation Army missionaries in Swazi-land.

In 1914, adjacent property was purchased for a hostel and school for coloured children. By 1923 medical care was provided at a new clinic. When South Africa became a Republic in 1961, the education and medical activity at Sunbury was transferred to a Zulu speaking community in Doornkop District.

By 1970, the missionaries who had lived and worked at Sunbury had died and the property was sold in the late 1980s to the Empangeni Baptist Church as a vocational retreat and Christian training centre. At the time of purchase there were twenty acres with some buildings badly needing repair. The church worked diligently to clean up and develop the property. They cleared land, built buildings and made many improvements with donations of building materials and landscaping supplies. The property began to be used as a camping facility open for the use of other Christian churches.

In 1995, seeing the potential for its Zion ministries, this beautiful property was bought by Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa (ZEMA). The original church building and its bell from the Scandinavian mission still stand in the campground as reminders of the heritage of faith and God’s provision in bringing Sunbury to where it is today.

Zion Evangelical - Ministries of Africa (ZEMA)

Zionists... You see them all around southern Africa. They are members of the African churches that wear coloured robes with sashes and carry sticks. It may be your maid or gardener or waitress or grocery store attendant. Traditional Zionists mix Christian beliefs with their own African traditional tribal practices. Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa is training many Zionists in South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique in the truths of God’s Word and to walk in a relationship with Jesus Christ. ZEMA is not ask-ing Zion leaders to leave their church but to learn the Bible and begin preaching the gospel and God’s truth in their churches and communities.

ZEMA has 60 schools in southern Africa. One of them is at Sunbury. ZEMA missionaries use Sunbury for monthly Zion Evangelical Bible School (ZEBS) weekends where Zion pastors and leaders come for Bible training. An annual Zion Youth Camp, a Zion Sunday School Teachers’ Training Conference, and a ZEBS Alumni Conference are also held each year at Sunbury.
ZEMA is learning there are many more countries throughout Africa where there are Zion churches; literally millions of Zion-ists needing to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
www.ZEMA.org

Camp Use Today

The main purpose of Sunbury is for the training of Zionists and related activities at minimal charges making it possible for many more people to be trained.

Sunbury Christian Camp is a not-for-profit ministry. It takes money to keep the facilities functioning and cared for, and our hired Housekeeping and Grounds & Maintenance staff need to be paid. Funds for wages and maintenance of the property is provided through camp fees from churches and Christian organizations using Sunbury. Missionaries living at Sunbury work as volunteers and do not receive a salary. This makes it possible for all camp fees to be put back into Sunbury. A secondary purpose for Sunbury is to provide non-Zionist churches with a facility to broaden their ministries through teaching, training, meetings, and social interaction amongst members. We are thankful for the many churches and organizations using our facilities that help fund the ministry to Zionists through the use of Sunbury Christian Camp.