A Brief History of Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa

This study is a brief overview of the history of a missionary organization that specializes in ministering to the amaZioni of southern Africa. The word ¿amaZioni¿ is taken from the Zulu word meaning ¿the people of Zion¿. This Mission Organization was first known as the Mahon Mission and later became Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa (ZEMA). ZEMA has a close relationship with the Christian Catholic Church of Zion that was founded by John Alexander Dowie in 1896. Missionaries of ZEMA use this relationship that they enjoy with the church in Zion to gain acceptance by the amaZioni church leaders who themselves trace their history back to the Christian Catholic Church of Zion. The researcher attempts to give a brief history of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in Illinois, USA that was founded by Dowie. It includes a history of the establishment of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in South Africa and focuses on the most important characters who were influenced by Dowie in South Africa. These were Johannes Buchler, Pieter le Roux and Edgar Mahon, the latter being the founder of the Mahon Mission.