Online Reporter
Africa Moyo
Deputy National Editor
THEY haven’t been holding many live shows ever since starting a ministry a few years ago.
But that didn’t matter when Pastor Charles Charamba and his wife Olivia took to the stage at around 11:30 pm at a Kingdom Prosperity Ministries’ monthly all-night prayer session in Harare on Friday.
Worshippers stayed awake from dusk till dawn, lifting their voices in prayer and praise.
The atmosphere got into overdrive the moment the Fishers of Men belted their first song, ‘Hakuna Chombo.’
The packed room responded instantly. By the second verse, it wasn’t the musical outfit’s voices alone filling the auditorium.
It was hundreds of voices, men and women, young and old, singing word for word as if they had rehearsed it all week.
That call-and-response spirit set the tone for the night. When the worship team flowed into ‘Regera Kundisiya Ndega,’ hands went up across the hall.The sing-alongs became the heartbeat of the night.
‘Kuna Mwari Kudenga’ rolled through the congregation like a wave.
Fathers harmonised the bass lines they grew up hearing on the radio, mothers clapped the rhythm on their laps, and the youths added harmonies from the back of the room.
No one needed a hymn book.
Everyone knew the words.
After midnight, energy levels should have dipped as many people are not used to staying awake up to that time.
Instead, the energy levels rose.
When Mai Charamba sang ‘Rute,’ the church’s response was immediate and the same happened minutes later with ‘Buruka.’
When the first notes hit, people flung fists and open hands onto the air.
‘Aba Baba’ turned the sanctuary into a room of children calling on their Father.
After 1am, when voices are usually tired, the Fishers of Men chose ‘Moyo Wandangandinawo.’
It might have been the loudest moment of the night. Pastor Charamba then pledged to return when invited again and promised that he would hold a couple of concerts this year to reunite with his fan base.
For Kingdom Prosperity Ministries, Friday night wasn’t just an all-night prayer.
It was a reminder that when worshippers like the Charambas lead with humility, the whole church becomes the choir.
And when the church sings together, dawn always comes.
Mathew Masinge