Methodists revive Wesleyan spirit

19 Mar, 2017 - 00:03 0 Views
Methodists revive Wesleyan spirit Sunday Mail

The Sunday Mail

Desire Ncube
The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe will in August celebrate 40 years of autonomy at grand celebrations set for the National Sports Stadium in Harare.

The theme for the celebrations is “People of the Warmed Hearts”, inspired by a phrase uttered by one of the church’s founders, Reverend John Wesley.

The celebrations set for August 17–20 will mark 40 years self-governance from the British Methodist Church when Rev Andrew Ndlela became the first local black minister to lead the church.

In an interview last week, MCZ mission director Dr Kennedy Gondongwe said the church entered the then Southern Rhodesia on September 29, 1891 and operated as a district of the British Methodist Church.

The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe was formed in 1977.

“We are going back to the antiquity where we revive the Wesleyan spirit. We are trying by all means to publicise the event so that we celebrate 40 years of autonomy together with all our people.

“We are expecting more than 60 000 people to converge in Harare and I can safely say that we have already secured the venue for the event, the National Sports Stadium,” said Dr Gondongwe.

“The Uniting Church of Australia, Uniting Church of Canada, Methodist Church in Britain, Methodist Church of Southern Africa which include countries like; Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique will be attendance.

“As a church we have a lot to celebrate. Coincidentally, 1977 was the very year the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe accepted a female candidate, Rev Margaret James, to become a minister. So we will also be celebrating 40 years of Methodist women in the ministry.”

He said the major highlights of the celebrations would include music and the importance of young people in the church.

“You might be aware that in 1991 the church signed a Youth Charter which recognised the importance of youths in the church. So during the celebration the youth will be demonstrating and exhibiting what they are doing because we have programs particularly for them.

“The church empowered and capacitated them not only with skills but also with the right model of leadership because we believe the youth are the leaders of tomorrow,” Dr Gondongwe said.

On the church’s role in education and healthcare, he said: “We have developed schools such as Moleli High School located in Mashonaland West province, Sandringham High School near Norton, and Waddilove in Marondera among others.

“These are top schools in Zimbabwe and we are celebrating the impartation of balanced education as opposed to the colonial education which was kind of a utility education benefiting only the whites.

“Over the years we have also expanded our ministry of health. We have a huge clinic in Epworth that is catering for more than 5 000 people.

“Again we have started expanding our educational institutions as we are constructing Chimwanda Secondary School in Manicaland, Muzavazi Secondary School in Mhondoro and we have also ventured into university education.

“Construction of the Southern Africa Methodist University at Waddilove farm in Marondera is starting soon,” Dr Gondongwe said.

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