Chronicle Editor
ON May 5, he reached a century.
Nine days later, a public celebration of that milestone of milestones was staged in Harare. The guest of honour at the event was President Mnangagwa. We saw the President gently hand-holding his host to the top table before a huge congregation.
He looked strong for his age but exactly two months after his birthday, the centenarian rested.
The doyen of Pentecostalism and a revered preacher, Archbishop Ezekiel Guti was our country’s biggest minister of religion to the world.
“Nearly two months ago, on May 14,” said the President in a condolence message on Thursday, “I joined countless congregants of the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa Forward in Faith and many eminent Zimbabweans in celebrating 100 years of his devout life so eventfully.
“Beyond celebrating the gift of life, we, in unison, basked in the joy and belief that our nation stood uniquely blessed and favoured by the Almighty to have in its midst such a great figure who personified longevity, tenacious faith, compassion and a givenness to serving mankind, especially in the broad areas of human development, as never witnessed before. Sadly, that joy has now turned short-lived, leaving our nation all the poorer and plunged in profound grief.”
We were shocked at the news that Archbishop Guti had left but the age at which he departed and the immense, good work he did for humanity, preaching the gospel of Christ, beseech us not to shed a tear. We are beseeched to actually celebrate a life well lived.
Archbishop Guti touched the lives of many through his preaching.
He motivated, he was used by God to convert the lost, to deliver the burdened. He encouraged. He built. He was a real servant of God. Heaven is meant for people like him.
Archbishop Guti’s life story is one of victory of good over bad as he grew up in Chipinge in Manicaland Province. A life of profound poverty moved into deep, ceaseless prayer, leading to his encounter with the light and the building of one of the largest Christian congregations in the country, in Africa and the globe — the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa Forward in Faith (Zaoga FIF).
This is an inspiring story indeed. A story that whatever background one is born into, whatever odds one may face, with perseverance and God on one’s side, they will definitely succeed. Archbishop Guti, that small, poor boy from Chipinge, was, in the fullness of time, able to build a church with millions of believers.
Another big point about his life is that given his life of poverty, the man of God did not attend school. He had no formal basic education but ended up reading and passing degrees. Again, this tells us that whatever background one is born into, even with no basic education there is no need for anyone to lose hope. We must persevere and seek God; He will do it for us.
In addition to attaining degrees, Archbishop Guti, through Zaoga has over the past 80 years, built dozens of schools, vocational training centres and, to cap it all, a university — Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University.
We join the Guti family, the Zaoga faithful across the globe and the nation in celebrating his life. We pray that everyone of us will aspire to live a life of service to Christ that Archbishop Guti lived, to transform lives, to encourage, to persevere and to build for our good as persons, the good of our families, our communities and our country.
Online Reporter