AME Church holds memorial, counselling and healing service

Sunday News Reporter
THE African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) yesterday held a memorial, counselling and healing service for people who lost their loved ones in the past two years.

The Presiding Elder of AME South West Zimbabwe Conference, Reverend Eustice Bekithemba Ginya, said the church service, held at their Gumtree branch in Bulawayo, was meant to pray for the healing of church members who lost relatives and friends in the past two years since the Covid-19 pandemic started. He said the memorial service was not for only those who lost loved ones to the pandemic.

“A lot has happened in the last two years especially since the Covid-19 pandemic started. We lost relatives and friends and workmates and church mates. It has been a difficult time in the sense that we were not able to go and bury our loved ones as a church because of the Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.

The pandemic has forced us to change the way we do things even as churches. We can no longer visit the sick in hospital or at home to pray for them and comfort families when they lose loved ones. So we saw it fit to hold this memorial, counselling and healing service so that we can move on and ask God to guide us going forward,” said Rev Ginya.

He said the church invited pastors from United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) and Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) to be part of the service.

“As you can see we have people from different denominations all gathered here today. The numbers could have been more but we were limited by the law because we have to abide by the Covid-19 protocols not to exceed 100 people.

We also understand that the disease is still with us so we have to follow these guidelines so that we protect ourselves and our loved ones. We invited Rev Mhlanga ((UPCSA) and Rev Nkomo (UCCSA) to lead in our counselling session and Rev Cele to lead in our healing session, while I lead in the memorial session,” he said.

The theme of the service was “Arise and move on”, and was anchored on scriptures, 1 Samuel 16 verse 1  “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

And Deuteronomy 1:6-8, “The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighbouring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.  See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”