Zephaniah Peters
1949-2019
On June 12th , 2019 after a long period of illness, Bro. Zephaniah Peters of Arusha, Tanzania slipped away from us and went to his Eternal home. He was a true servant of the Lord, one who loved the Lord and the Message of the Hour with all his heart. He was not the first person to have received the Message in Tanzania, but certainly was chosen by God to do a special work for the Kingdom of Heaven in that part of the earth.
Bro. Zephaniah was born in 1949 in Machame, Tanzania and graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Tanzania. He became pastor of the Arusha church, but continued to translate the Message and minister to Swahili-speaking Believers in Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Burundi, Uganda, Eastern Congo and Rwanda. He traveled all over the Eastern portion of Africa and established many churches, helping to physically build many houses of worship. He was greatly respected by Ministers and Believers not only in Africa, but also in the United States where he visited annually.
He was a kind and gentle man whose disposition can best be described by one brother who said: “He was a wonderful man, clothed in humility. Christ was expressed through him.” Yet, I saw him many times deal with tense and difficult situations, and always, he handled himself in a consistent and confident manner. He could turn a hard situation around and had a way of dealing with “the African way” of doing things that only a real Christian could.
Since the time of his multiple strokes and because of multiple serious health issues, Bro. Zephaniah has not ministered for several years. His work is being carried on by capable ministers and deacons who were trained under his mentorship. The work continues in East Africa, and even flourishes today because of his dedication and his vision. Sermons are being translated, books are being printed and missionaries continue to trek through some of the most remote regions of the Rift Valley. He will be greatly missed, and always appreciated for his dedication to the business of the King.
Bro. Barry Coffey
