Summer 2007 - Focus on Africa - Brethren in Christ Church

Seeing God’s “Finger-Prints”in Southern AfricaThe Zimbabwe Church’s PeaceWitness Amidst CrisisBy Carl StaufferIntroductionTurning off the main paved road wehit the dirt road with a rumble, dry winterdust swirling as we made our way to theBrethren in Christ Church’s MtshabeziMission, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. MyZimbabwean associate, Thami Sonile, and Iwere privileged to be accompanied by Mr.Alec Nkomo, head of the National YouthMinistries of the BICC-Zimbabwe. Heshared some of his personal experience ofMatabeleland violence. Alec’s family homeis in Tsholotsho, a rural area in region ofMatabeleland where heavy violence occurredduring the 1980s. Alec, his eyesintense yet bright with energy opened hisstory, “With a surname like ‘Nkomo’ youreally suffered, they lumped you togetherwith the extended family of Joshua Nkomo[The Matabeleland leader of the mainopposition political party].” Alec told oftwo brothers who had to fl ee the country atthe time in question and two of them thateventually changed their names. One ofhis brothers went missing in Matabelelandover that time and the family has neverseen him since. Alec pressed on, “We donot know if our brother is dead or alivebecause we have not buried any bones yet.”With an emotional yet poignant pause,Alec exclaimed, “I still even look for mybrother’s face in the crowds as I walk thecity streets!”The Regional Peace Network –Who are we?The Regional Peace Network (RPN)– Southern Africa, a program of the MennoniteCentral Committee (MCC) is anoutgrowth of MCC’s peace focus in SouthernAfrica since the 1960s. RPN’s mandateis to encourage linkages and empowerpeople and organizational peace resourcesalready active in the Region. To this end,RPN chose 12 African associates to walkalong side the MCC RPN Coordinatorin this important work. Thami Sonile isone of those 12 associate facilitator-trainersthat make up the life and passion ofthe RPN. RPN promotes four streams ofbiblical peace-building: 1) trauma healing,2) nonviolence, 3) restorative justice and<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • Page 84) reconciliation processes. Through itsservices of training, intervention, consultationand resource exchange, RPN has beenprivileged to travel and minister in 20different African countries since its inceptionin 2000. Starting in 2000, RPN hasprioritized the looming crisis in Zimbabwe(along with various other “hot-spots” acrossAfrica). The RPN vision is clear: “To seea Thriving Africa: Spiritually at Peace,Economically Just, and Socially Reconciled.”As a network our aim is to connectideas, people, organizations and resourcesfor peace. For Zimbabwe this has meantvarious activities:• Training Church Leaders (across alldenominations including the BICC) inbiblical peace-building practice• Training local government and politicalleaders in non-violent strategic actionand restorative justice practices• Sponsoring 14 local peace partners ofMCC to attend the six-week Africa Peace-Building Institute (API) in Kitwe, Zambia• Sponsoring 10 BICC pastors andBible teachers from both Zambia andZimbabwe to attend a two-week intensiveseminar in South Africa focusing on “PropheticPeace-making for Pastors” (hostedby MCC-RPN)• Helping the MCC-Zimbabwe offi cesupply 60,000 blankets to the displacedpersons who fl ooded the local churches ofBulawayo after their homes were demolishedin the government sponsored “OperationMurumbatsvina” (Cleaning up theRubbish)• Accompanying the Christian Alliance(CA) through prayer, consultation andstrategic planning. CA is an umbrella organizationof 70-80 churches (ranging fromCatholic to Pentecostal) who are maintaininga “prophetic” voice and advocating forsocial change in Zimbabwe.One Pastor’s Response to Repression- “I think I need to get arrested again”Senior Pastor Ray Motsi of the BulawayoBaptist Church was fi rst arrested in2002 when he challenged his church toraise the necessary funds and buy 70 tonsof maize (corn) meal and distribute it tothe many hungry people in the rural partsof Matabeleland. This he did in direct responseto the government’s false declarationthat there was no food shortage in Zimbabwe.Pastor Motsi was duly charged with“feeding the opposition.” In 2004, afterattending the “Prophetic Peacemaking forPastors” seminar, Pastor Motsi advised methat he felt he needed to get arrested again,in order to “wake up” the church to theurgency of the crisis in Zimbabwe. Well,in 2006 he had his chance again. This timeMotsi and a number of other pastors fromthe Christian Alliance were arrested andheld for three days in prison. Over thattime, like Paul and Silas, these pastors beganto sing praises and pray out loud in thecells. By the time they were released fromprison, they had witnessed seven inmatesdedicate their lives to Christ!Currently, RPN is managing anexternal Zimbabwe Advocacy Project.This effort will focus on raising awarenessand lobbying for support for a nonviolenttransition in Zimbabwe. The project willbe introduced among churches and civilsociety role players in the four countriesbordering Zimbabwe (Zambia, Botswana,Mozambique and South Africa). Thesegatherings are for the purpose of education,consultation and planning with key churchrepresentatives on how to develop a morecoordinated regional response to the currentZimbabwe crisis.God knows the plans he has for Zimbabwe,plans to give her a hope and afuture…“My hope and vision for the future ofZimbabwe is that one day we would be afree nation. That the sons and daughters ofZimbabwe who are struggling to sing theLord’s song in foreign lands would be ableto gather and partake in the joy of Zimbabwewhich is currently in travail. I dreamof a day when we will be able to re-buildthe broken walls of Zimbabwe, when wewill have a Biblical testimony of nationalredemption. To all Zimbabweans, I say -Let’s not hold our peace until He has madeZimbabwe a praise in Africa!” (ThamiSonile, MCC RPN Associate) ❦Carl Stauffer is coordinator of the RegionalPeace Network in southern Africa for MennoniteCentral Committee. On behalf of the RegionalPeace Network, Carl publishes a newslettercalled Peace Pathways, which is availableonline at http://www.mcc.org/southafrica/peacepathways/.