Online Reporter
Sunday News Reporters
CHRISTIANS in Zimbabwe congregated in various places of worship as they joined the rest of the world in celebrating the Easter Holiday where they commemorated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Local churches held various programmes to commemorate Easter, with some dedicating the whole weekend in camp to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Various churches shared how they celebrated the holiday.
The president of the Council of Churches in Africa (CCA), Bishop Dr Rocky Moyo, said this was an important time for Christians to observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Easter is not just a holiday. It is that time of the year were Christians from all walks of life observe the death and resurrection of our saviour Jesus Christ. Other churches take to camps to teach and learn how to lead a Christ-like life, away from world influences,” said Bishop Moyo.
He said believers are free to celebrate those days if they choose to.
Bishop Moyo in Zimbabwe Easter being a national public holiday, it has remained the time for Christians to follow their belief.
He added that Good Friday is an occasion that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a pivotal event in Christian theology that symbolises sacrifice and redemption.
Good Friday always falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday.
This timing, according to Christians, is not arbitrary; it is rooted in the belief that Jesus Christ resurrected on Easter Sunday, two days after his crucifixion.
Despite the rain and chilly weather, Christians from various denominations gathered at their churches to observe the significance of the Son of God’s life.
Archbishop Alex Thomas of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bulawayo said Easter is a holy event.
“On Holy Saturday, there is the commemoration of the vigil Easter, where people will be waiting for the resurrection of Jesus, and on Easter Sunday, people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus,” he said.
“In preparation for this holy week and Easter, in Catholicism, there is what we call ‘40 days of Lent’, which we begin with ‘Ash Wednesday’. During those 40 days, we have three main pillars, that is, prayer, fasting, and alms-giving, so we have been preparing ourselves for this.”
For the Apostolic Faith Church of Southern and Central Africa, the church’s Easter camp meeting coincided with its 70th anniversary celebrations at its headquarters in Nhlozamandla Mabindisa Village, Esiphezini, Umguza District.
In an interview, Board Secretary of the apostolic Faith Church of Southern and Central Africa Reverend Osias Mutasa said they have got a number of foreign delegates from various countries that include Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and they are expecting some to arrive from Zambia.
“We also have got some gatherings that are taking place outside the country and that have limited the attendance of foreign delegates,” he said.
He also noted that they are having similar Passover meetings happening in South Africa and some in Namibia where they even sent some ministers.
He highlighted that the anniversary is a very significant event, which personally brings him into contact with the founding of the work.
“A lot of miracles happened, some as far back as 1955 in this gospel, we are aware that there are some people who came to seek the gospel when they were sick and they were healed, some could not even walk, some were blind and some even rose from the dead and personally I have also experienced a good number of God’s miraculous working in this gospel,” he said.
Rev Mutasa said the theme for the anniversary is taken from first Samuel chapter 7 verse 12 which talks of Ebenezer, “The Lord has helped us thus far.”
“We found the theme quite appropriate because 70 years is a long time, so many people do not live to 70 years, some marriages may not even last that long.
We found the theme appropriate so that it makes us appreciate 70 years of the preaching of this gospel, it’s not by mere chance but the grace of God,” he said.
Oneness Pentecostal Ministries also saw its 50th jubilee coinciding with the Easter gathering, celebrating the existence of the church for the past five decades.
“We are gathered here for the annual worship conference, however, this year’s annual conference has a difference in the sense that the church has reached 50 years of its existence,” said Oneness Pentecostal Ministries presiding Bishop Elson Shava.
Bishop Shava said the church has achieved a great number of things, including acquiring three buildings in Bulawayo and they have also established churches in the rural communities apart from established branches in Malawi and Botswana.
Meanwhile, in Gweru, over 3 000 women from across the country and Sadc region thronged the African Seventh-day Adventist (ASDA) Church for the annual Dorcas meeting aimed at equipping them with life-changing programmes.
The week-long meeting also saw the distribution of 10 000 chicks and seven vehicles for women to use in socio-economic programmes in line with Vision 2030.
Dorcas is the name of a biblical character that ASDA women emulate and is found in Acts 9:36.
The ASDA women also embraced Amai Mnangagwa’s Traditional Cookout Competitions, a flagship initiative promoting Zimbabwe’s gastronomy tourism.
The cookout competitions, which have gained popularity across the country, celebrate traditional cuisine while encouraging cultural pride, diversity, and healthy living.
It was a jovial atmosphere at the Church Centre located at the Industrial Sands as women from all walks of life participated in the life-changing skills spearheaded by the church leadership.
In an interview yesterday, Mrs Busisiwe Nyoni, ASDA Dorcas society and community service secretary, said the week-long programme was aimed at equipping women with life-changing skills.
“We had over 3 000 women from across the country and Sadc region meeting here for the Dorcas meeting in Gweru. The women are on a mission to transform lives and we thank God for the transformational and spiritually powerful meeting,” she said.
Colletta Dube