The ManicaPost
Morris Mtisi
Post Correspondent
The Anglican Diocese of Mutare recently celebrated its 37th birthday. It was gifts galore from church circuits and schools and individuals throughout the Diocese, music and dance after a moving devotional ceremony from Reverend Matikiti earlier on in the morning.
The Reverend’s theme during the devotion was listening to one’s own heart in decision making. “God does not reward group work. He rewards His people on the merit of individual decision action,” he said. He was reminding Anglicans attending the 37th birthday to remember how much they have gained or benefitted from the church? “This being the Church’s birthday, how much are you going to give? Listen to what your heart tells you and give accordingly,” he said.
Time for mass
Indeed church circuits put money together and donated. Schools likewise collectively gave. And so did individuals! The money paid upfront and receipted totalled thirty-nine thousand dollars, nearly forty, while that pledged totalled thirteen thousand dollars, nearly fourteen. Of the schools St David’s-Bonda and St Mary Magdeline gave five thousand dollars a piece with the rest of the so-called big six schools averaging two thousand and five hundred dollars.
Reverends, literally all of them, led their church assemblies and members by example when they each gave from personal pockets sums between 200 and 500 dollars. Can other churches emulate and do the same? Food for thought!
Diocesan Secretary, Rev Samutereko
The Diocesan staff, not to be left behind, also gave each according to what God gives them and pushed them to extend into His work.
Spectacular amongst the visitors at the birthday was a praise and worship choir from Mozambique.
Led by Reverend Paulos into song and dance the Mozambiquan ensemble almost took the thunder away from the colourful church choir also called the Bishop’s choir which thrilled the audience with thunderous church songs spiced with drums and hoshos (rattles) only as best as Anglicans can and always do. To crown it all Reverend Paulos gave two pieces of beautiful cloth (mukume) as a birthday gift to the Lord Bishop Ruwona but also as a symbolic note around which the Zimbabwean church and Mozambican Anglican church must be bound. “This is mukume. In Mozambique this piece of cloth is given to the bride as a love-knot…a symbol of unity of the heart and mind of the newly married.
Chimoio Anglican Choir in Action
“Likewise I hand mukume to you to symbolise our love and bond in Christ. This one (a smaller piece of cloth…same material,) is used to cover the head of the loved one. This one the Lord Bishop joked that therefore everyone must already guess whose it was going to be; namely his wife.
It is worth noting that the Anglican schools rule the roost in running schools that excel and dominate the rest when it comes to the pass rate.
They boast academic guns like Tsambe, St David’s –Bonda and the headline St Faith’s whose examination final results are always at the top in both quantity and quality. Even St Anne’s-Goto, St Mathias Tsonzo, St James Zongoro and St Mary Magdeline are schools to reckon with in Manicaland and the nation.
May be it can be safely argued too that it is Anglican schools that have produced the most in the numbers of national heroes and heroines…and luminaries in Zimbabwe since time immemorial.
The birthday celebration was concluded by a full mass in which the Lord Bishop Ruwona blessed every Anglican present in the sacrosanct symbolic body-and-blood-of-Christ holy communion.
Not to be outdone, throughout the celebration, the pair of MCs comprising Muusha ‘Igweee!’ and one Doctor Cremora thrilled the audiences and left them in stitches with their back-yard radio station that would make radio legends Erick Night and Godfrey Gweje …and of course Diamond FM Radio presenters green with envy.
