By Tafara Chikumira
RELIGIOUS Leaders have been challenged to work with the government for the nation to achieve much-needed development.
This was the message as religious leaders from across the Midlands province converged in Gweru this Tuesday to witness the birth of the Pastors for ED forum.
The religious grouping’s main thrust is to support the vision of President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the country to attain an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
“The Bible is very clear that you can’t separate the church and politics. The Bible says we should pray for our leaders and what we are simply doing is interpreting the scriptures. We are in the summer cropping season, and we need to pray for our country to have a bumper harvest which will translate to massive development,” said Pastors for ED advisor, Pastor Aaron Rusukira.
Bishop Wellington Mupisa, a war veteran said, “Some of us went to war when we were very young as we fought for the freedom of worship we are currently enjoying. People need to be reminded that the colonial regime used to ban indigenous churches and we would congregate in the middle of the night. The President is very clear in his support for the church and as such, we need to also show him support.”
“As a party, we are here to show support for the church. They have expressed their support for our President’s vision, and we are saying as a party we will give them the much-needed support for them to pray freely without any hindrances,” noted ZANU PF Central Committee member, Cde Wellington Magura.
The Pastors for ED national leadership vowed to continue recruiting more members to ensure the church and government work in harmony.
Pastors for ED Founding Chairperson, Evangelist Idirashe Dongo said, “We want to foster the spirit of patriotism in the church. We need to have a shared vision with our government leaders. We are very grateful to the people of Zimbabwe who have shown such great support for our cause. Development can only be achieved if people work together. Our President has shown great support to his people and it’s our turn to say thank you for your excellence.”
The Pastors for ED forum was also established to encourage young people to appreciate government development programmes and lobby for churches to access land from local authorities through collective bargaining.
