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Manicaland Bureau
Churches must speak with one voice and help foster peace and tranquillity before, during and after forthcoming harmonised elections, Zimbabwe Amalgamated Churches Council (ZACC) has said.

The church representative body said church leaders should focus on peace building and national unity, instead of assuming political roles. At a recent meeting with various church denominations in Mutare, ZACC patron Cde Jimayi Muduvuri said churches should preach peace.

“As patron of churches, I would like to call upon all church leaders of various denominations to speak with one voice,” he said. “We want every church sect to preach peace, which is a good recipe for development.

“Some church leaders assume political roles which will then go against the word of God. We are saying please, let us move away from politics and start preaching about peace and development.”

The new dispensation, Cde Muduvuri said, required churches to focus on development, which could only be achieved through unification of various religious denominations.

“We resolved as churches that we should improve the general social welfare of church leaders,” he said. “It is sad that after one dies after serving a certain church, the family will remain with nothing to show for the good work that the family head worked for over the years he was at church.

“We want the family to also enjoy the fruits of the work done by the family head who was leading the church before his or her death. In that regard, I have donated residential stands to various churches across the country. These stands will be given to church leaders of various church denominations.” Cde Muduvuri vowed to help some apostolic sect churches set up income-generating projects.

“We want to break the old thinking that apostolic churches cannot afford to have income-generating projects in their churches,” he said. “I have decided to empower them so that at the end they can afford to build structures where they can pray from.”

Cde Muduvuri donated two grinding mills — an electric and a diesel-powered one — to Johanne Masowe eChishanu in Gandanzara. He also donated two peanut butter-making machines to the same church.

Mr Tarssen Dube, a deacon with ZCC church, who also attended the church leaders’ meeting in Mutare, said various religious denominations in Manicaland would take heed of their patron’s call to preach peace ahead of the national elections.

“We are fully behind the patron’s words and we hope that all churches will take heed of his call,” he said.