The Sunday Mail
JUNE 25 was a special day for the congregation at St Paul’s Anglican Church Highfield Parish (CPCA) as they celebrated the 66th anniversary of the setting up of the church under the theme, “Remembrance and Renewal — Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future.” Reverend Noel Magaya (NM), the Rector or priest in charge at St Paul’s spoke with Tendai Manzvanzvike (TM) about the significance of the celebrations and other church-related issues.
TM: Welcome Rev Magaya. Highfield is one of the oldest suburbs in Harare, and it also has a number of historical landmarks, including churches. Your parish, St Paul’s, is one of them. How many Anglican parishes do you have in Highfield?
NM: St Paul’s parish is the only one, and it has a congregation of about 2 000. It is also one of the oldest, but largest Anglican churches in the diocese of Harare. You can trace its history from St Michael’s parish in Mbare.
TM: When was the parish established?
NM: In 1950. So we celebrated the church’s 66th anniversary on the 25th of June.
TM: A lot of people are mourning about the economic challenges. Couldn’t you have postponed it?
NM: Yes, things are not easy, but for us, it was a privilege to see God’s love manifesting.
The anniversary was special and historic. Special because we were blessed to have time to appreciate those that have done the bigger work for us — the living and the dead, and those that have passed through St Paul’s, be they priests and others who performed various roles.
Without their input, St Paul’s would not be where it is today.
To us, they are a real blessing in the parish, and this day was testament of the fruit of their labour, so we just wanted to say thank you for their good work.
It was also a moment to interact, share and network. We also used the opportunity to remind one another to continue to work for the Lord.
TM: Who were some of the key people you invited?
NM: We invited those who served at St Paul’s, among them the former Rector, who is now the Bishop of Masvingo Godfrey Taonezvi.
We also invited the relatives of the deceased priests who served at St Paul’s.
Bishop Gandiya was there as the celebrant, and Bishop Taonezvi as they gave the keynote message. We also had people coming from our sister parish, in the diocese of St Mark’s in South Africa. The evangelist came with their choir and three other priests.
TM: What did the day mean to you personally?
NM: I thought that before I leave St Paul, we should commemorate the 66 years since we are one of the biggest parishes. We became the first parish to have an anniversary celebration, and this was historic.
Initially, we were commemorating 66 years as a church. And then, we also laid a stone in commemoration of those 66 years, and it was unveiled by the two bishops, with Bishop Gandiya leading.
TM: What is the significance of the stone?
NM: The stone is a symbol of remembrance. As you know, in the Bible, when Rachel died, Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb, and to date, that pillar is there. (Genesis 35:19-20).
So, we just thought that we should put a stone as a symbol to remind us that we commemorated 66 years on June 25, 2016. We shared the significance of the stone with the parishioners.
Another highlight was that the two bishops also planted trees as a mark of remembrance for the anniversary celebrations.
TM: Trees representing what?
NM: We are very much concerned about the environment, and as the church, we have a responsibility in ensuring that we maintain our environment. So, we thought that we should plant trees as an indicator that as we commemorate the 66 years, we are also doing the right thing for the environment.
TM: Did you invite other churches?
NM: Indeed, we invited other churches in our fraternal like the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Reformed Church of Zimbabwe and others.
TM: What was the message from the Bishop?
NM: Bishop Gandiya recognised “the clergy and laity who sacrificially and faithfully served in the parish from its inception in 1949 till today.”
He said that the, “light lit 66 years ago. . . with a few people is today glowing beyond Highfield. In Highfield itself, it is shining in the hearts of over 2 000 people who worship regularly at St Paul’s. The variety of its’ ministries has touched the hearts of both Anglicans and non-Anglicans. Today, St Paul’s parish is the largest congregation in the diocese.”
The Bishop also cautioned us that these numbers should not lead us as a parish “to complacency in carrying out our fundamental responsibility as Christians, which is, to bring others to Christ and to disciple them.”
TM: This was an event that needed lots of resources. How did you manage?
NM: The truth of the matter is that it was not easy, but by God’s grace, we managed to do it, and a lot of people, our Bishop included, were surprised.
As you know, when the economy does not perform well, the church is the first organisation to be affected. For someone to bring their tithe or offering to church, they must have food on the table, and fees for the kids. God is getting the leftovers as Prophet Micah says. But there are some people who are very honest with their tithing.
However, as we speak right now, the church (not just St Paul’s), is suffering.
TM: And who is Rev Magaya and any relation to Prophet Walter Magaya of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries?
NM: No, lm not related to him. At 33, I am the youngest priest to serve at St Paul’s. I was ordained priest at 28 years of age.
I come from Rusape, but I came to Harare for my secondary education in Chitungwiza. Before becoming a priest, I worked for Truworths and Zinwa.
I did my priesthood training at Bishop Gaul College in Mt Pleasant, Harare. And, I have just completed my BSc degree in Sociology and Gender Development Studies with the Women University in Africa.
TM: Why does a priest need that?
NM: I have realised that women in our society are marginalised. They are viewed as second class citizens economically and socially, particularly in our culture.
As a priest, I want to see women being at the same level with men. Even in church, women should also have top leadership positions. In the Anglican Church, women are now doing the same duties as men.
It was not easy for me to balance my pastoral duties and my studies, but I thank God that I managed even as we were preparing for this anniversary celebration.
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