Chronicle Editor
ON the occasion to celebrate the late Archbishop Ezekiel Guti’s 100th birthday, on 5 May, the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga) executive described the late preacher as a “unique man of God whose life has impacted five continents.”
President Mnangagwa, who graced the event, said the late Guti was a patriarch of faith in the country, who had done a lot to instill Christian values among the people. The President said he was honoured to be part of the people that gathered to celebrate the day, which was also commemorating 75 years of preaching for the late Guti and 63 years of Zaoga church.
“Developments in the church are a clear testimony of grace upon Ezekiel Guti. We join the country in celebrating this historic moment. We are all witnessing this through the works of this great church and I wish to congratulate you on behalf of the country and my family on this centenary celebration of your birth. I call upon church leaders to intercede and pray for peaceful elections. We don’t want violence and bloodshed. I call upon the nation to remain guided by 1 Peter 3 verses 8 to 10 which says: ‘Let us seek to be of one mind, loving one another and refraining from evil and deceit, pursuing peace at all times’. No matter our endeavours across the socio-economic and political spectrum, let us use our God-given gifts for His glory and the prosperity of our nation. As a God-loving, Christian nation, may we never tire seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness trusting that all other things shall be added unto us,” President Mnangagwa was quoted as saying.
The presence of the Head of State was testimony to the good works by the late church founder, and also a celebration of a life well lived. Having founded the church on 12 May 1960, the late Archbishop Guti never looked back, as he spread the church inside and outside the borders of the country. Under his leadership, the church has grown into 168 countries across five continents. Furthermore, the late church leader was praised for pioneering indigenous Pentecostal evangelism in Zimbabwe. In an article published by this newspaper last week, a church member Simbarashe Bepete, said the late church founder helped give Africans a sense of identity in the Christian faith.
“The founding of Zaoga in 1960 coincided with the onset of the wave of independence in Africa. Post-colonial Africa, as a social construct, was initially premised on the notion that Uhuru or political freedom would automatically usher all the previously disenfranchised into the promised land. This was soon to be proven to be a mirage promise by the socio-economic realities that unravelled in many African countries after the advent of independence. It is my opinion that it is in this context of pre- and post-colonial Africa that Baba Guti’s legacy can be most felt and appreciated. Baba Guti and his fellow pioneering Pentecostal ministers became in many respects repairers of that breach (identity crisis). Pentecostalism to which Baba Guti belonged and so earnestly served, is an offshoot of mainline Christendom. Charismatics as they are often called, are somewhat differentiated from traditional Christianity and or Catholicism in that they emphasise more on the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.”
Many lives were transformed and enriched through the ministry and legacy of the late Archbishop Guti. The establishment of a university, many theological colleges, primary and secondary schools, technical colleges, a hospital, pre-schools, multiple state-of-the-art national centres, numerous church buildings in Zimbabwe and all over the world, without any donor support, have affirmed the unique seed and mandate that was given to the deceased. He was also a prolific writer of note having published multiple books rich in Christian doctrine and counsel. It was therefore befitting that Archbishop Guti be accorded national hero status by President Mnangagwa. He died on 5 July and the church has put in place a number of days of mourning to honour his works and legacy.
Online Reporter