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Mlotsa, Simon
1940 to 2009
Church of the Nazarene
Swaziland
Simon Mlotsa was born at
Engculwini in the
Manzini area and he found the Lord there as a result of meetings held by
students. He completed his primary education at school and did some high
school
work by private study.
He married Mrs Victoria Mlotsa (1945-2004)
in
1962. She was born at Bulunga in the Manzini area. She completed her
higher
primary education at Manzini Nazarene School.
Feeling a call to
the
ministry they went to Swaziland Nazarene Bible College in 1965 and both
graduated with diplomas in theology in 1967. They began pastoring the
following
year. Mlotsa was district president of the Nazarene Youth International
for
eight years and district president of the Nazanene World Missionary
Society for
five years. Twice he was elected the Nazarene Youth International delegate from Africa Region
to
General Assembly in the U.S.A. In 1973 he was ordained by Dr. George
Coulter.
In 1974 the Mlotsas arrived to pastor at Lugongodlwane,
a small
struggling church. They began keeping a cradle roll and the parents of
one of
the babies were won for the Lord. Later three more adults from that
family were
converted. Then a cradle roll baby died and Mlotsa was invited to
hold
the funeral. An uncle repented the following week and then the whole
family came
to the Lord. The Mlotsas continued to pastor at Lugongodlwane and it
grew into a
large strong church. [1]
In 1998 Mlotsa was elected as superintendent
of the
Northern District of Swaziland. He retired in 2003 because of ill health
and
Rev. Philemon Dlamini was elected didstrict superintendent in his place.
Simon Mlotsa
was
called to his eternal home when a gas cylinder exploded in the house and
he died
after inhaling the gas.
Paul S. Dayhoff
Notes:
1. Dorothy (Davis) Cook, notes. Theodore P. Esselstyn, Cut From the African Rock: A Portrait of the Church of the Nazarene in Africa - 1974, (Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1975), 54. Dr. Enoch Litswele. e-mail, July 20, 2009.
This article is reproduced, with permission, from
Africa
Nazarene Mosaic: Inspiring Accounts of Living Faith, first edition,
copyright 2001, by Paul S. Dayhoff. All rights reserved.
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