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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
ACTING President Constantino Chiwenga is today expected to grace the National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service hosted by interdenominational churches in Bulawayo.
The aim of the service is to seek God’s intervention in the development of the country.
The National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service is held annually at the end of December as church leaders seek divine interventions to solve national challenges.
In today’s prayer session, church leaders are expected to pray that the country holds peaceful harmonised elections in 2023.
The church service will be held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre Hall 4.
It will be the 6th edition of the National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service which started in December 2017 following the advent of the Second Republic.
Since its inception five years ago, President Mnangagwa has been gracing the event.
The service is organised by the Faith for the Nation Campaign — an inter-denominational grouping of local churches.
The service will run under the theme: “Let us embrace the culture of hard work, the key to building our nation Zimbabwe” and will be anchored on biblical verse 2 Chronicles 15 verse 7, which says “Be strong and therefore do not make your hands be weak for your work will be rewarded.”
Addressing a Press conference yesterday, Faith for Nation Campaign founder and chairperson, Prophet Andrew Wutawunashe said it is important for the nation to gather in prayer and seek God’s intervention to national challenges.
“It is an inspiration that comes from the Lord that we should meet as Christians across denominations and have a day to contribute to nation-building through prayer. We are speaking about the service which has become an annual event,” he said.
“In 2017 following the coming in of the New Dispensation, we had a discussion with the present leadership of the nation and more specifically the President His Excellency, President Mnangagwa and we concurred that we should bring the nation together at least once a year for the purposes of giving thanks to God for the blessings of the previous year.”
Prophet Wutawunashe said since then the Presidium has graced the National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service.
He said President Mnangagwa has been warmly promoting the concept of praying for the nation.
Prophet Wutawunashe said through today’s event the country will celebrate some of its achievements while dedicating national challenges to God.
“Definitely this being an eve of an electoral year, we are going to have a specific prayer to call for peace during the electoral campaigning. Elections have from time to time yielded conflict and violence,” said Prophet Wutawunashe.
“We use every edition of the National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service to simply call for peaceful campaigns in conducting elections. We call for people to avoid violence and conduct the competition in a way that brings dignity and safety to the people of Zimbabwe.”
Prophet Wutawunashe said while the clergymen would pray for peaceful elections, they also condemn any form of violence in the arena of political competition.
He said the nation should also be thankful for the prevailing peace in the country to continue.
“I know, we in Zimbabwe, find it hard to see positive things in our nation yet there are. One of them is that God has answered our prayers year after year. This nation has had conflicts and divisions which are so big such that nations, which have had smaller conflicts have gone for years in unending wars,” said Prophet Wutawunashe.
“So, we believe that it is a sign that God is hearing our prayer and answering us.”
Prophet Wutawunashe said what is also encouraging is that this year’s thanksgiving service is expected to be bigger as Covid-19 regulations have been lifted.
He said buses have been organised to pick up passengers from various pickup points within the city. — @nqotshili
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