Taking the gospel to all nations

13 Jul, 2014 - 00:07 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Conducting seven open-air crusades in five provinces is quite taxing, especially considering that the country’s economic challenges have not spared the church. But for some it is all part of the great commission to preach the Word to all nations. Evangelist Paul Saungweme of the Jesus for Africa Evangelistic Ministries has revealed that preparations for the Binga Miracle Crusade at the end of July are at an advanced stage. This is against the backdrop of the 11th anniversary of the founding of JFAEM.

In March, they were in Mvurwi, followed by Marondera and Murehwa. After Binga they look forward to holding three more crusades: Pumula South in Bulawayo in August; Hauna in September/October and Checheche, both in Manicaland, in November. He estimates that since 2003, more than 500 000 people have accepted the Lord at the open-air crusades.

Tendai Manzvanzvike (TM) spoke to Evangelist Saungweme (PS) about soul-winning and a wide range of issues regarding his ministry.

TM: You have been described you as the Reinhard Bonnke of Zimbabwe, why?
PS: Well, my guess is that Reinhard Bonnke has been an outstanding voice of evangelism in Africa together with his Christ for All Nations Ministries. They probably see that in me inasfar as our national context is concerned.

TM: You are celebrating 11 years since the founding of JFAEM. What is JFAEM?
PS: JFAEM is an evangelistic ministry founded in 2003, and it works with various churches to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost of the world through open-air mass crusades. It partners with local churches in an area through the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe structures or the local pastors fraternity to bring a crusade to an area after which the local pastors take over the shepherding of the new converts. The ministry also has a co-ordinating and partners’ base in South Africa.

TM: What has the walk meant to you?
PS: Our 11-year walk has been humbling as we consistently see God’s miraculous provision and display of power. These have been 11 years of total dependence on God resulting in the ministry fulfilling every scheduled crusade. Each year, we see God affording us the opportunity of ministering the gospel of truth to the diverse populace of this country. I have travelled and partnered with ordinary men and women who have bought into our vision.

Our thrust of specialising in evangelising communities in partnership with the church body has made us remain focused. Evangelism is our core function and we have not been called to shepherding people. Ours is to unite the body of Christ and not to destroy the very body that supports our work.

TM: And the challenges faced?
PS: The greatest challenge we have experienced as a ministry has been the slow acceptance by the church body that such ministry work where one just focuses on evangelism as a way of supporting churches exists.
There has been suspicion on whether the ministry was not setting itself to becoming a church. Secondly, because of the absence of a steady financial support base like the one found in churches, the ministry depends solely on individuals who have a passion for evangelism, thus the income flows are not consistent and do not come in when needed. This has made long-term planning very difficult.

TM: And, who is Evangelist Paul Saungweme and what does the evangelism ministry entail?
PS: Born in 1957, I was called to be an evangelist at an early age. I am married to Winnie and we are blessed with four sons.
I gave my life to Christ in 1975 and then enrolled at African Multinational for Christ College to train as a pastor and graduated in the same year. I became passionate to preach the word of God to as many people as possible and to see them saved.
I have been in ministry for more than three decades, first as an evangelist under ZAOGA until I received autonomy from my spiritual father, Dr Ezekiel Guti, to start an independent evangelistic ministry.

Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ runs in my blood and drives me more than anything else. This work entails attracting crowds to a site by way of song and dance and conveying in simple terms the word of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing thousands giving their lives to Christ and the power of God falling on them is the greatest miracle of them all!
We thank God for synergies created with churches of various sizes. Most of the time we have meetings with pastors before crusades, highlight to them that our greatest enemy is the devil and not the church next door.

The person who has the greatest need, salvation-wise, is not the one in someone’s church but on the streets, in the remotest part of Zimbabwe. For us, it’s not an achievement when the same person hears the gospel over and over again, yet someone has never heard of it once.
There are people in dire need of hearing the gospel and we must stand up as the body of Christ to ensure they hear the wonderful news of salvation.

TM: And evangelism?
PS: The work of an evangelist involves proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. I can say that the work of an evangelist is found in the book of Isaiah 61:1-5 “The spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . ”
But evangelists don’t work in isolation. The five-fold in ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in Ephesians 4:11 play a complementary role to each other as we lift up the name of Jesus Christ.

TM: You submit to your spiritual father, Archbishop Guti. What does submission mean and why is it important for a man of God to do this?
PS: It is important for any minister of God to have a traceable background and ministry history. Submission to verifiable spiritual authority and mentorship and being continually nurtured is key to acceptance in a ministry that deals with people from different denominations and, it is also important for one’s protection from such vices like pride, greed, false doctrine and various temptations.

TM: Why have you not started your own church?
PS: The answer is simple: JFAEM isn’t a church and has no intention of being one. We have not been called to start a church. Our calling is to evangelise the gospel to the world.
Churches, pastors and believers should not be afraid of being associated with us thinking that we will be a church someday – well, that will never happen. Instead let us arise and win souls to our Lord, as a united front.

TM:  Why don’t we hear big names like Prophet Makandiwa, Prophet Magaya, Pastor Tom Deuschle, Bishop Tudor Bismark and others partnering you as guest speakers at your crusades?
PS: We hope to explore some of these synergies in future with those servants of God who share our vision. We have, however, had one or two of these servants of God minister at our partners’ conferences.

TM: The church body seems divided, meaning that though you evangelise, the church kills what it is supposed to nurture? Why these divisions?
PS: I’m sure doctrinal differences are a major factor in the current disunity of the church body. Our ministry plays a pivotal role in uniting the church body given its simple thrust of working with different denominations and churches that believe in the great commission: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .  (Matthew 28:19). But, the problem is also universal.

TM: Finally, your message for Zimbabwe.
PS: Let’s put our hands to the plough and partner in this work of winning souls because Jesus Christ is coming back soon!
Events Calendar
Event: Fire Night – Revival International Ministries
Date: July 26
Venue: Zimbabwe College of Music; Time: 7pm to 5am; Speaker: Apostle Raymond Mujeyi; Theme: This nonsense must stop (Nahum 1:9); Contact: +263-4-2918324; +263-4-772853584
* * *
Event: Catch the Fire Conference 2014 (Chatsvaa!) – Heartfelt International Ministries
Dates: August 25 to 29; Venue: City Sports Centre; Time: 6pm to 8pm; Hosts: Apostle Tavonga and Pastor C. Vutabwashe; Contact: +2634 785906-08/2917995; +263 772102601
* * *
Event: Pumula South Miracle Crusade – JFAEM/EFZ
Dates: August 26 to 30; Venue: Mpofu Shopping Centre, Pumula South, Bulawayo; Hosts: Evangelist Paul and Mrs Winnie Saungweme; Contact: +263-4-779508, +263-4-772969069

Please email events to: [email protected] by Tuesday mid-day

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