From the President

What has happened to the Church in Zimbabwe?

I made a brief stop in Zimbabwe this month to check on family and touch base with our Southern Africa Coordinator. An incident with a man I found by the side of a road one night, will illustrate the plight of the nation. When I stopped for this man, who I assumed was a hit and run victim, I discovered he was diabetic and had collapsed by the side of the road because he had had no food for days. It turned out that he as a farm laborer fleeing political violence after his house was burnt to the ground with everything he possessed. He had escaped with his life to report his case to the police who were not interested in helping him. He was from the wrong end of the country and therefore the wrong tribe. After reviving him with bits of food and drink I had in the car, I stuffed 2 Billion Zimbabwe Dollars into his back pocket for the long trip to his village the next day! (Relax. 2 Billion Zimbabwe Dollars is only US$ 10 then!)

Why am I telling you this story?
* Zimbabwe was the first Dawn Project in Africa.
* In the year 2000, we celebrated the accomplishment of a goal of 10 000 new churches planted in eight years!
* Since then, the country has been turned upside down through mismanagement.
* Inflation is over two million percent!
* The Aids pandemic has decimated the population. Life expectancy is 38 years for males and 32 for females. The nation has 2.5-3m orphans. An estimated 3 million people have fled into neighboring South Africa where they are
being burned and butchered in a new wave of xenophobia there.
* Despite winning elections in March, the Opposition has not been allowed to assume the government of the country.
* So what happened to the 10 000 new churches and what impact are they making on the nation?

Glad you asked!

Briefly:   Locally, the church is growing in leaps and bounds! They definitely caught the Saturation Church Planting virus! The church is holistic in its approach: reaching out to the destitute, the orphaned and those living with HIV AIDS and caring for victims of the current violence. Nationally, the churches are standing and speaking out against human rights abuses as well as seeking to mediate between government and the opposition. Sadly, government opposition is mounting.  Regionally and internationally, Zimbabweans who have fled the country have taken the church planting bug with them and wherever they have settled in diaspora, they have planted their flag! ZAOGA (Zimbabwe Assembles Of God) for instance, is on growth steroids! They have over 3000 churches in Zimbabwe and in each of the five major continents of the world!

Let me know if you would be willing to help us go back there to research and document what has transpired since 2000. You need to hear the story!

Blessings,
Ngwiza Mnkandla