Funeral Report of Apostle Richard Kangwa
Across history, countless towering and remarkable figures have shaped societies, inspired revolutions, and left legacies that continue to echo through time. Their ideas, sacrifices, and resolve have profoundly influenced the world we know today. While many have desired their influence to endure beyond their lifetime, only a few have left such an indelible mark that it could never be ignored. Within this grand constellation of greatness, unwavering purpose, and profound impact stands Apostle Richard Kangwa—a man whose voice, life, and ministry will continue to inspire generations through a legacy of faith, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication.
A Called Life
Some leaders are not chosen by the crowd; they are born for the hour, shaped by sacrifice, proven by storms, and revealed when ordinary men step back. They are confirmed by time, trials, courage, and the legacy they leave behind. Apostle Richard Kangwa was sent and confirmed by God, who arrived with conviction, endured faithfully with courage and departed leaving footprints no man can erase. A rare man who carried not merely authority, but divine purpose; a man who, whenever he stood, others found direction. His calling was not of men but of God. Apostle Richard Kangwa was born on 22 January 1956 on a Sunday in Kasama district of Northern Province in Zambia. His birth was indeed a calling, and appointed from above.
Remarkably, on the very day of his birth, William Marrion Branham preached the sermon A Junction Time, he stated:
“230. God give us some men like that who will call black, black and white, white, who will preach the Gospel uncompromised, the old, rugged Gospel of Jesus Christ, and believe this dear ol’, black-backed Bible to be the truth, and take Jesus Christ as Saviour. Things will happen, miracles will come back in the church, and you know that’s true. End Time!”
Sermon title: A Junction Time, 22nd January, 1956, Sunday – William Marrion Branham
To those who knew Apostle Richard Kangwa, these words found remarkable expression in his life and ministry. Born on the very day this sermon was preached, he lived as a man unwavering in conviction and uncompromising in his commitment to the Gospel.
Apostle Kangwa was born with a commission from heaven and lived true to his calling. He was a rare gift to the world—a man of unwavering principles who refused to pursue comfort at the expense of truth, but instead devoted his entire life to a cause greater than himself. Resolute and unyielding, he stood firm in his convictions, never compromising the Gospel entrusted to him. He transcended the ordinary, giving beyond what the world could expect—not merely his time or strength, but his very being in wholehearted service to God.
And in that selfless surrender, he accomplished the most profound purpose of all—to give himself wholly to the supernatural God. Through His servant, Apostle Richard Kangwa, God saved countless souls; many captives were set free, and the afflicted were delivered from every manner of sickness, oppression, and bondage, with signs, miracles, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to his ministry. He demonstrated that the Bible is not merely a record of history, but the living Word of God, proving that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The memorial service
There are some people whose value is only fully understood when they are gone; not because they sought honour, but they carried something irreplaceable. A true leader is not manufactured by position, title, or applause, they are refined by discipline and recognized by the lives they lifted. Apostle Kangwa touched countless lives, many of whom continue to bear witness to the work, dedication and sacrifice he gave toward the calling God gave him. The servant of God Apostle Richard Kangwa went to be with the Lord in glory on 9 June, 2026 at three score and ten years (70 years old).
The memorial service was held at Beulah Temple church in Ndola on 14 June, 2026 on a Sunday to honour, remember and celebrate the work of his servant that has impacted ours greatly. Countless ministers of the Gospel attended, both from within Zambia and abroad. Believers from more than forty (40) temple churches established by Apostle Kangwa travelled from across the country and neighbouring nations. Former workmates, friends, and believers from every corner of Zambia also came to pay their final respects. In that solemn space, they shared stories of his unwavering faith and boundless compassion. Speeches were delivered—each word carrying the weight of a life fully given to God’s call. And in every heart that day, a flame was lit—a determination to carry on the legacy he left behind.
Family members spoke with deep emotion, recalling how Apostle Kangwa was a selfless father who gave his strength, time, and resources so that his children could receive the best education, enjoy comfort, and inherit a future greater than his own. He was described as a man of precision and care, even in the smallest details. One of his children, Dr Michael Kangwa recounted a moment when, as a young musician, he missed a single note on the keyboard when he was composing meditation songs—and his father gently reminded him that every detail matters when serving the Lord for one missed note may send someone out of the Spirit. These intimate moments showed a man who not only preached, but lived or the greater good of his family.
He devoted his entire life to the ministry, ensuring that everything he did was in service of God’s work. His passion was to bring souls to salvation, often sacrificing his own needs. He was a man of detail, ensuring that every aspect of God’s work was done with excellence.
Ministers of the gospel gave speeches, and to recount but a few of them:
“Apostle Richard Kangwa was a great man of God, a great servant of God. His life was a shining testimony of unwavering faith, humanity, love, dedication to the kingdom of God. Through your ministry, countless lives were transformed, souls were brought to life and many servants of God were inspired and strengthened in the calling, you were not only a spiritual leader dear Apostle but also a loving father, mentor and a good friend and to many around the world. Your wisdom, generosity, compassion and commitment towards the Lord’s work, left an indelible mark on everyone who had a privilege of knowing you. Though your departure has left a great void in our hearts, your legacy of faith, leadership and service will continue to live on, for generations. We thank God for the precious gift of your life and for the tremendous impact you made upon the body of Jesus Christ. You fought a good fight; you finished the race and you kept the faith.”
Pastor William Nathi and saints, Harvest Time Ministry International, India.
“During his (Apostle Richard Kangwa) first and second visit and ordaining me as pastor, my wife and me, we always remember that wonderful smile of our precious Apostle. I can safely describe him as a man who really stood for principles. I remember the time he came for ordination; we spoke at length when we met at the airport. He spoke to me like he would his son, even in talking after the passing of our pastor, I could hear the wisdom of our precious pastor in him as well.
Those remarks he was fond of saying that he was full of matter, always just brings a smile to me, to see that we have an old oak tree where you can always lean and get all the wisdom you can. …. I recall the time we sat at some point when he came and he taught me the setup of the church, how to stand in the gap as a pastor, what to guard and what to look for. I wish I had more time to talk to him. May God bless his family.
We will be coming there as a church, to further engage with the church (Harvest Time Ministry International), the work he started even here for continuation, sometimes it’s not the money we look at or material things per se, but it is the seed he planted in our lives that keeps echoing now, a thousand lived voices that we keep on hearing behind the people he met and touched with his life, counsel and wisdom.”
Pastor Fortune Simbarashe, Life Tabernacle church, Windhoek, Namibia.
Humanity has always strived to give its greatest men a fitting send-off, one that mirrors their impact. Some are carried with the solemn toll of bells, their memory rising like a hymn in the morning mist. Others are farewelled with volleys of gunfire in the sky, a salute that cracks like thunder across the horizon. Military honours, with 21-gun salutes, rank upon rank of soldiers standing at attention. Whilst others are honoured with horses and chariots, their processions dignified by military bands and a nation in solemn watch.
These ceremonies, though varied, all speak one language—a recognition that a life of such greatness deserves a send-off that honours the weight of its legacy, a testament that even in parting, their influence stands tall. But the language has a different meaning when God Himself does the honouring. When the Creator of the universe comes on the scene and confirms a life of a man, that altogether changes the entire meaning.
God’s way of sending off His servants is as diverse as it is sacred. Some are mourned like David, many days of weeping and fasting. Others, like Moses, are honoured for 30 days While others, like Elijah, were taken up in a chariot of fire. But some, like Apostle Richard Kangwa, are sent forth with the highest honour God can bestow upon a man—with the pillar of fire that guided Israel. The same Pillar that appeared as fire by night and as a cloud by day, guiding and protecting Israel, appeared as a divine vindication of his calling—a seal that, even as he ascended to glory, his ministry, like that fire, would never be extinguished.
The pillar of fire was photographed on top of the coffin where the body of the servant of the Lord Apostle Richard Kangwa rested during the funeral procession at the state-of-the-art building, The International Missionary Centre (IMC) in Ndola. This supernatural light has been a hallmark of the ministry of God’s servant, Apostle Richard Kangwa, for many years. It affirmed his calling in remarkable ways—from the occasion when his wife, Sister Kangwa, saw the light resting upon his head as he slept, to the day a traffic officer witnessed that same light surrounding the vehicle in which he was travelling.
As the vehicle approached a checkpoint on its way to a gospel convention, the officer was so dazzled by what she saw that she stopped the vehicle and asked everyone to step out of the vehicle so she could see what manner of people were inside. After speaking with Apostle Kangwa and observing how calm, sober, and composed he was in his answers, she affirmed that he was indeed a genuine servant of God.
The Pillar of Fire had continually accompanied the ministry of Apostle Kangwa as a divine confirmation of God’s calling upon his life.
Through this ministry, countless souls have been saved, the sick healed, the oppressed delivered, and many filled with the Holy Ghost, all through the power of God, of which the Pillar of Fire stood as a divine sign of His presence. These manifestations bear witness not merely to signs and wonders, but to God’s abiding presence among His people. God may have taken His servant, but the vision, burden, and spiritual legacy He entrusted through him still remain and lives on in those who follow.
As the pillar of fire once led the Israelites, so does it lead us even now. Though God, in His infinite grace, has called His servant home, the legacy entrusted to the Church remains. To the living, we are entrusted with the flame he kept burning—a call to faith, to perseverance, and to a greater purpose in Christ.
And so, as we say our earthly farewell, we do so with hope. For God who called Apostle Kangwa is the same God who calls us to keep the faith. His work was never just about one man; it was a spark that ignited a movement. We, as the living, are now bearers of that flame. Let us walk in his footsteps, guided by the same pillar of fire that led him, so that his legacy never fades but burns ever brighter in our lives and in the generations to come.
God always takes His man but never his spirit. We carry forward the same spirit of faith, sacrifice, and devotion that Apostle Kangwa exemplified—an inspiration to rise above, to serve boldly, and to never let the flame die. Apostle Kangwa may have gone to glory, his mission lives—through us, through our faith, and through the power of God that never fails.
And now, as we close, let us remember that greatness is not measured by what is seen, but by the quiet faithfulness that continues in others. Let us honour Apostle Kangwa not only in memory, but by living out the same integrity and passion he showed. May his example be a call for us all, as we walk forward in faith, carrying forward the flame of his example throughout our journey of faith. The pillar of fire is still with us, to lead us through all the way.
May the Everlasting King—Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever—be glorified through the life and legacy of His servant, Apostle Richard Kangwa, whom we honour today. Amen!