President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday hailed church leaders
for their rallying call for unity, saying the broader society must emulate the
clergy.
The President also committed to address concerns raised by
indigenous churches that include access to land for purposes of worship as well
as other viable programmes to materially promote their development.
With 2020 having been declared a year of production, the
President implored churches to inspire their members to hard work and
production in line with the national vision.
President Mnangagwa, who was accompanied by First Lady
Auxillia Mnangagwa, was speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Indigenous
International Council of Churches (ZIICC) National Day of Prayer at the
National Sports Stadium.
Addressing about 30 000 congregants at the convention,
President Mnangagwa said the initiatives being undertaken by the Government to
transform the country’s economy needed to be complemented by the churches’
support.
President Mnangagwa, who based much of his speech on
biblical scriptures, implored the nation to commit its aspirations to God.
“However, as a country, we must pray for divine protection,
economic prosperity and peace without ceasing. The Bible commands us to pray
and to give thanks in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.
“1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17-18: ‘Pray without ceasing, give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you.’
“We must always commit all our national aspirations to the
Almighty God; casting our burdens to him for surely he shall sustain us,” said
the President.
President Mnangagwa urged church leaders to encourage their
members to be productive, in line with Government’s theme for 2020.
“I have declared the year 2020 as a year of productivity
and trade. I, therefore, call upon the leadership of all churches in Zimbabwe
to engage, teach and encourage their congregants to be hardworking and
productive. God has given us abundant natural resources throughout the
country,” he said.
“We must harness these natural endowments to improve the
quality of life for our people.”
He implored churches to “be visible and relevant to
Government development initiatives” such as the devolution programme.
The President pledged to immediately address grievances
raised by indigenous churches, in particular access to land for worship.
“Turning to your genuine concerns you have raised, in
particular, the possible special consideration in accessing land for worship in
both rural and urban areas, let me assure you that responsible authorities will
look into the matter with the urgency it deserves.
“Equally, we have established institutions to deal with the
youths, women, people living with disabilities and SMEs, among others,” he
said.
The President applauded indigenous churches for standing
behind Government in calling for the removal of sanctions imposed on the
country.
“I want to thank you indigenous churches for mobilising
your congregants to support and unite the Government and the SADC region in our
call for the urgent removal of economic sanctions against our country. We
commend that collective, loud and audible voice,” said President Mnangagwa.
In his remarks, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga
applauded President Mnangagwa for offering the indigenous churches a platform
for dialogue, which was part of his promise to be a listening President.
“Since assuming the leadership role of the Second Republic,
His Excellency President Mnangagwa has indeed lived up to his promise that he
is a listening President who welcomes ideas and dialogue from all walks of
life,” he said.
The Vice President said the work being done by ZIICC clears
the road to the “Promised Land” for Zimbabwe to become an Upper Middle Income
Economy by 2030 adding that churches played a complementary role in fighting
current scourges such as the machete-wielding gangsters.
In his remarks, ZIICC patron Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi said
churches were not involved in politics, but had a God-given mandate to pray for
the nation and its leaders.
“We have thought to take our place as the church of
Zimbabwe, but not focusing on politics but on our God-given mandate to be God’s
intermediaries to his people,” he said.
“We are only here to pray for the leaders and pray for the
country and to help work together and do all we can to maintain peace.”
VP Chiwenga said President Mnangagwa remained “at the top
of our agenda in terms of our prayers because he is driving a big bus, which is
our country Zimbabwe. To the shock or surprise of our detractors, Zimbabwe is
still going strong. This is because Zimbabwe is a prayerful nation,” he said.
Bishop Roderick Makusha of Deeper Life Ministries urged
MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to move on beyond the 2018 elections.
“You can claim that you were rigged, but at times you have
to accept the result because God would have given his stamp of approval. You
have to accept so that the nation goes forward,” he said.
“You should let bygones be bygones; you never know, maybe
one day, you can be the winner.”
Prophet Andrew Wutawunashe of the Family of God church
commended President Mnangagwa’s administration for upholding freedom of worship
and supporting indigenous churches that had for a long time played second
fiddle to foreign denominations.
Prophet Wutawunashe said opposition politicians should not
focus on political battles at the expense of the general people.
“If we continue in the futile, adversarial and
power-seeking politicking, which is solely based on the destructive opposition
whose sole end is political power, we will abort the path to our own God-given
prosperity,” he said.
“Let us, as we pray, heed the clarion call to unite and
address our differences and work together for the agenda of strengthening and
building our nation, which holds great dividends for our people.
“While our nation, just like other nations, has its own
fair share of problems, the answer does not lie in cannibalising our own nation
and the future of our own children by bowing to foreign powers.”
Several Cabinet ministers and senior Government officials
attended the event. Sunday Mail
0 comments:
Post a Comment