Govt applauds role of churches in national healing

Speaking at the African Apostolic Faith Mission annual general conference at Rudaviro Farm in Chegutu yesterday, Minister of Media Information and Publicity and Zanu-PF national commissar, Cde Webster Shamu commended churches for going beyond ensuring the spiritual well being of people.
“The country’s Organ for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, in the President’s Office relies on the church and other like minded bodies to preach the message of forgiveness, the importance of remaining reconciled and united for national prosperity.
“The peace and tranquility that our country enjoys can only be sustained if all our people, individually and severally, pursue it in our entire endeavour,” he said.
Minister Shamu applauded some of the church’s principles of inculcating a spirit and practice of industry, good work habits, living harmoniously and peacefully and submitting to authorities set on earth by God among other goals. He said Zanu PF as a party has always worked with churches from the beginning.
“Our history with the church is as long as the party has existed. Therefore we stand by you as you seek to influence our people for good in the communities where you are operating,” he said.
He encouraged churches to shun homosexuality, incestuous practices, rape, ritual murders and other like vices.
He also challenged the church to preach against domestic violence, which is on the rise in the community. Minister Shamu acknowledged the work being done by African Independent Churches, which are an expression of the people’s wish for self-determination and self-rule.
He urged churches to be self reliant than rely on donors. Instead, he said churches should take advantage of programmes underway such as the land re-distribution programme and the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme to start income generating projects to support the church.
The African Apostolic Faith Mission was founded in 1943 when the late Bishop Isaac Chiumbu broke away from the then white controlled Apostolic Faith Mission. Today the church has grown, spreading to cover the whole country and into South Africa, Zambia and Namibia. Delegates from Zambia also attended the conference