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Gandiya

Lawrence Chitumba Review Writer
The season of goodwill to all mankind according to Christian principles is upon us once again. In a world where Christians grossly outnumber all other religions, it is only natural that Christmas, one of their most celebrated religious holidays is a big deal the world over.

It is estimated that there are over 2,2 billion Christians worldwide.

Inevitably the season entails a lot of merrymaking and behaviour that is distinctly the opposite of what the principles of Christianity embody. But outside the debauchery a lot of love is spread as people visit relatives and family that they may not see at any other time of the year.

For Christians Christmas symbolises the birth of Jesus Christ and also the time to give and to receive gifts from friends and family. Christ embodies selflessness and sacrifice and such Christmas activities must accordingly typify the object of their adoration.

With so many churches sprouting everyday in Zimbabwe, one expects the Christmas will really be wonderful.

There is no better time for churches to recommit to Christ-like virtues, most importantly charity and love as a way of restoring the legitimacy of the holiday.

Traditionally churches make sure that they practise the spirit of giving by helping out the less fortunate with items like clothing, blankets and food. Old people’s homes and children’s homes are usually the beneficiaries of these goodwill gestures.

In a survey recently The Herald Review news paper established that many churches already had plans to take care of the less privileged while some were still planning on how they would take the task this festive season.

Apostle Victor Simbarashe Chimudhara, founder and president of Mercy Seat Kingdom Ministries said while they assist the less fortunate on any other days other than Christmas, they also have specific plans for the needy during the festive season which are annual events.

“Annually we visit Jairos Jiri institution for those with disabilities in Waterfalls during Christmas to mingle and assist the kids with whatever necessity we would have identified.

“We also visit an Orphanage in Melfort where we assist with food and educational material because we believe that institutionalized kids should be given life skills which would support them later in life,” he said.

Apostle Chimudhara also said that his church visits places like Domboshawa where they distribute clothing sourced from well wishers from the church.

“We also identify other critical areas of need not just food and clothes but identification documents like IDs and certificates as it is our social responsibility to provide for the less privileged members of our communities.

“This is in line with our vision of taking the gospel of kingdoms to the nations where our core values are ‘love God, love the people’,” he said.

He said as a church they followed a commandment which says ‘ I give unto you that you love one another as I have always loved you , by this all men shall know you are my disciples if you love one another’(John 13v34-35).

Dean Farai Mutamiri who is in charge of the Anglican Cathedral in Harare said already his church was providing meals and clothing to the less fortunate members of our society as it was their duty as a church. The church also has special Christmas projects.

“We intend to visit Marondera prison during the Christmas holidays where we will provide spiritual care as well as food hampers.

“As you may know we have an orphanage which we take care of in Murehwa known as Shirley Crisp, definitely we will provide them with something for Christmas,” he said.

Celebration Church pastor and founder Tom Deuschle said since God had foreordained the church to be his operating centre for the propagation and practice of love there was no better way and time to practice it other than during the Christmas holidays.

He said this year they have come up with a different approach to Christmas giving and are avoiding the standard pre-packaged hamper. Instead they will be having a new set in which the recipients get a say in selecting what they would like to receive.

Pastor Deuschle his church was going to provide the less privileged members of the society with an opportunity and experience of a Christmas shopping extravaganza.

“We will start by collecting the goods that will be on offer for the ‘free Christmas shopping’ which we will dedicate to the less privileged members of society.

“Once the goods are available we will then issue tickets to those that deserve this gesture and on the ‘free shopping day ‘they will bring the tickets which they will use to shop for goods that they want.

“It’s like they will be doing real shopping but in this case the shopping will be free,” he said.

Pastor Decschle said he hoped this gesture would raise the spirits of the less privileged during the Christmas holidays.

A church leader who requested anonymity said that as much as it is good for churches to lead the way in spreading Christmas joy, they should go beyond the hype and really show enduring love for all mankind.

“We should not go to an orphanage, have a party and leave a few provisions then pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. We should look at how we are relating to the rest of the people near and around us. Have we also cared for our own relatives and neighbours? There are people who may not be needy in financial terms but who are desperate. If we all cared about each other then we would not have people committing suicide,” he said.

Many other churches are also carrying out different fundraising initiatives in moves to boost what they can give to the disadvantaged. Musical concerts, family fun days, cake sales and raffles are among the most popular.