(Churches and clergy making headlines this past week)
September 09th 2021
*Church Urged To Expose Crime*
By Kimberly Kusauka
MASVINGO- As crime rate soars in the province; the church has been urged to be on the forefront to expose criminal activities that have been on the rise in recent months.
This came out during a stakeholder engagement meeting facilitated by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP) held on Sunday 30, 2021.
The engagement was in response to socio-economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disturbed peace in communities and propelled crime.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) representative at the meeting, Superintendent Vhulindela Jamela said the church should not be accessories to crime by hiding criminal activities.
“We encourage church leaders to expose criminals even when they are from your congregation and stop sweeping crimes under the carpet because when the matter comes to light, we will arrest all participants involved,” said Jamela.
CCJP National Coordinator Paul Muchena said the church was facilitating programmes aimed at promoting peace and stability in many communities across the country.
“As Catholics we are working together with government in maintaining peace and justice through our social teachings.
“We have programs that target to strengthen the church’s role in civil participation and they are coming from national level down to every society,” said Muchena.
Chief Gutu born Edmund Masanganise also applauded CCJP for being key in peace building and offering a platform for people to come together and develop their communities.
“The engagements carried out by CCJP are fruitful since a lot of stakeholders bring up ideas on how to build peace within communities,” said Masanganise.
CCJP is currently working on a project called Churches Convergence on Conflict and Peace (CCOP) in conjunction with Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA), Ecumenical Church Leaders Forum (ECLF) and Zimbabwe Divine Destiny (ZDD) targeting implementation of peace building projects in the country.
Also present at the meeting were representatives, from Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) and Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ).
Source - Tell Zim
*Mutare ZRP, Churches In Joint Prayers*
Police in Mutare District, churches and other stakeholders have set this Saturday as a day to pray against escalating road carnages and murder cases.
This year only, more than 20 people have perished in road accidents as well as in murder-related cases in the province.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, said the event will be held at Mpudzi Business Centre, about 40-km from Mutare.
“Police and various stakeholders such as churches, community leaders, Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, and Vehicle Inspection Department, among others join hands to pray against incessant road carnages, and murder cases that have been happening in the province, particularly along Mutare-Masvingo Highway,” he said.
In one of the latest accidents that happened near Mpudzi Business Centre, four people died – two of them on the spot – when a vehicle they were travelling in encroached onto the opposite lane and crashed into an oncoming car.
Source - Manica Post
*Binga Philanthropist, Church Minister Dr Mudenda Dies*
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
RENOWNED Binga philanthropist and church minister Dr Jabulani Mudenda has died at the age of 46, after succumbing to injuries sustained in an accident last week.
His younger brother Reverend White Mudenda, who worked with him in the day-to-day running of church ministry at Hope Ministries, confirmed Dr Mudenda’s death at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo on Wednesday afternoon.
“He was coming from a conference in Lubimbi in Binga when he went to drop a friend in Victoria Falls before driving to Bulawayo. He was with his friend Pastor Godwin Sangweni in the car when his car was hit on the rear wheel by a haulage truck.
“The car veered off the road and overturned before rolling three times. He sustained head injuries and broke two ribs resulting in blood clots which needed an operation. He had undergone a head surgery and the doctor was due to remove the blood clots through an operation yesterday, but his blood pressure had drastically gone down hence delayed the operation. He died around 1pm Mater Dei Hospital,” said Rev Mudenda, who is church liaison officer at Hope Ministries.
Dr Mudenda had transformed the face of Binga with the establishment of the orphanage, construction of a church and various activities that included distribution of bicycles and bibles to rural pastors across the country.
He was a pastor by calling belonging to the Baptist Church and founder of Hope Ministries and Hope Foundation which gave birth to Kabwe Children’s Home, currently with 18 orphans. Dr Mudenda is survived by wife Zondiwe, who is advisor of Kabwe Children’s Home in Pashu area.
The couple had three daughters. Burial arrangements are being made and he is set to be buried at his home in Pashu next Saturday.
Source - Chronicle
*Christians Mourn The Late Rev Dr. Mudenda*
By Sydney Barson
The late cleric Rev. Dr. Jabulani Mudenda has been described as a spiritual giant,
passionate leader, man of humility with deep piety and great unifier, _the Church News_ heard yesterday.
Pastors from all corners of the country yesterday took to social media to pour in their condolences to the family of the late Rev. Dr. Jabulani Mudenda.
Rev Mudenda, a Baptist Pastor and founder of Hope Ministries was involved in an accident last week at Insuza along Bulawayo/Vic Falls road, he was 46.
"Zimbabwe has lost a spiritual giant with the home going to heaven of Jabulani Mudenda. Jabulani had a passion to share the gospel to his fellow Zimbabweans, to see African pastors trained to teach the word of God and to care for orphans. I was blessed to minister with Jabulani in 2012 and 2014." said USA based Pastor Richard Verdery.
"I was privileged to be part of his leadership seminary which was held in my rural home village, Samende in 2018.
"He was a man of humility, deep piety and unifier. He preached the message of being kingdom minded not local church minded. He made leaders to put aside their differences to concentrate on the advancement of the kingdom of God. He has gone home to be with the Lord so early." said Pastor Israel Ncube of House of Prayer Ministries.
Pastor Jairos Mweembe of Brethren In Christ Church (BICC) said the nation has been robbed of a great pastor who had a soft spot for his rural home, Binga.
"He developed an orphanage in Binga, he supported Pastors with bicycles and bibles, he trained hundreds of Pastors annually at his word - centred seminary he was developing in Binga." Pastor Mweembe said.
Harare based theologian Rev Karekera said the news of Rev Mudenda's demise came as a shock.
"He was such a brother and colleague. I worked with him in Evangelism programs and others. MHSRIP" said Rev. Karekera.
The late Rev Mudenda will be buried at Pashu Village in Binga next Saturday.
He is survived by wife Zondiwe and 3 daughters.
Source - Church News
*Environmental Awareness - A New Church Dogma*
By Sydney Barson
How many Churches have an environmental policy?
As much as there is no legal mandate that regulate Church activities, there has to be some policy frameworks that are put in place.
Church bodies like the ZCC, EFZ, ZCBC and UDACIZA should be mandated with monitoring compliance of salient policy frameworks in every Church.
Local authorities must come up with plans that ensure that any new construction of buildings do not damage the environment.
Besides paying an environmental tax for the ecological damages during construction there has to be plans not to damage or destroy anything at all, even if it means leaving trees inside buildings but yet protruding outside.
All of us know some Church somewhere where there is no dust bin and there is a heap of junk at some corner and flies are seen partying there.
I hear the digging of dump pits is now a thing of the past as the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) decommissioned dump pits because plastics will not decompose for years and animals tend to eat poisoned stuff from these pits hence the ban.
So Churches should lead by example in waste management.
If you happen to enter most Churches on a Monday morning you are highly likely to see empty freezit plastics, empty plastic water bottles strewn everywhere on the floors.
To begin with there can three dot bins, one for plastics, one for ordinary papers and another one for makoko esadza, because there's always some waste which is mixed with water ndiwo masadza acho.
It is time to rethink our theology and theology students must leave college with an appreciation of eco - theology.
To this end I suggest:
👉🏻A compulsory environmental policy for every church
👉🏻Environmental Stewardship Sundays where focus is put on sensitizing each other environmental matters.
👉🏻An Eco - Theological course in all theological training institutes.
👉🏻Tree planting days at church on all special occasions as a culture of the Church.
Theological rigidity will affect future generations should the Church chooses to ignore climate change education.
Environmental awareness must be a new Church dogma for now and the next century and beyond.
Source - Church News
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