ZCC Members Gather For Parish Dialogue In Binga

By Rev. F. Mutimbanyoka

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches convened a One - Day Parish Dialogue workshop attended by twenty nine people and facilitated by the ZCC Western Region secretariat Sarah Mupomhori and Michael Fatini last Friday.

Earlier on Rev. Kawina of Baptist Church in Zimbabwe had read from Proverbs 3:27 and provided warm devotions for the day.

The first presentation  centred on the structure of ZCC from general assembly, supervisory council, advisory board, Local Ecumenical Fellowships, and Secretariat. 

He further elaborated on the programs being undertaken by ZCC such as social cohesion and Christian unity, economic justice and youth empowerment, inclusion promoting gender equality and women empowerment, active citizenship and good governance and many others. 

Areas of the mission, vision and values were also shared. 

The ZCC's main four values are inclusion, unity, compassion and justice.

Sarah Mupomhori took the participants through a Dialogue Framework.

She took the group in different conflicts in the Bible and people and  listed a lot of them.

The following are some examples cited; Council of Jerusalem, Tower of Babel, Prodigal son, Building of the walls of Jerusalem, Solomon and two women with a dead child and many others.

Participants noted four ways in solving conflict as follows, violence, litigation, mediation, negotiation, and dialogue.

Generally people agreed that the only way to solve an conflict is through dialogue. 

Mostly the agenda of the dialogue comes from the grassroots.

The area of contextual analysis was also touched.

A PESTEL analysis was done to establish the current realities.

P-political

E-economic

S-social

T-technology

E-environmental

L-legally

Many issues were raised by the members of Women's Ecumenical Fellowship, Men's Ecumenical Fellowship, Youth Ecumenical Fellowship and ministers of religion.

Some of the issues raises were, lack of employment, early pregnancy and early marriages, drug abuse,

poor road network, intergenerational conflict,

polygamy, human and wildlife conflict, lack of exposure and many others.

After the deliberations solutions were proposed for these challenges as

awareness campaigns, capacity building, financial literacy training, positive empowerment parenting skills, regular meetings for local ecumenical fellowships at district level and vocational training centers are needed.

Then after the workshop then elections for Binga District LEF leaders of 2022 were held.

The Chairperson is Rev F. Mutimbanyoka Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, and the vice is Rev Dube Reformed Church in Zimbabwe, the 

Secretary is Rev Kawina of Baptist Church, the treasurer is Rev Masinire of Reformed Church in Zimbabwe and the committee member is  Rev G. Maunze of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.