Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, General Secretary for World Council of Churches has sent a message of courage to the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe ahead of their annual general conference.
Professor Pillay, started by acknowledge the local leadership of the Methodist Church .
“As you all gather together today for your annual conference, I thank your Presiding Bishop Rev. George T. Mawire, and your General Secretary, Rev. Likhai Molife, for their invitation to greet you in the name of the full fellowship of the World Council of Churches.”
I salute you all in the name of the Lord, and I encourage you and the whole of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe to keep the faith and to stay the exemplary course you have chosen as disciples of the Lord.
I know that “trusting God in all circumstances” (Hab. 3:17-18) is not just a pious sentiment but a vital necessity for yourselves as Christians and Christian communities in Zimbabwe, especially in difficult times, such as our own.
” Trusting in the steadfast love of God, as manifest in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, is the taproot of personal faith but also of all the church’s efforts to better the human condition, promote human dignity, and ensure human rights. It is crucial for sustaining hope and courage—in ourselves and others, too—in these times of uncertainty and chastened resources.”
Indeed, in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, social justice and human rights are actively championed, as are gender justice and fighting against human trafficking, addressing climate change and means of adaptation, encouraging youth, education and healthcare delivery, and nurturing rural community development and economic empowerment. This is God’s work through our hands.
Such commitment echoes the inspiring words of John Wesley that “the church changes the world not by making converts but by making disciples,” perhaps especially of ourselves, and that if we but “Get on fire for God, and people will come and see you burn.” The example of our engaged discipleship is the best form of mission, but also the wellspring of transforming the world more nearly into the realm of God.
The MCZ cannot tackle all these issues alone. Your ecumenical ties and your outreach to and engagement with other churches and organizations for practical projects models the collaborative and concrete commitment to which the whole global ecumenical fellowship is pledged through the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity.
So as you gather today at the conference to study the Word, to worship God, and to greet friends old and new in fellowship, and as you deliberate prayerfully over the selection of your new leaders and envision new vistas for the church, I join our prayers to yours, knowing that your trust in God will be rewarded with God’s accompaniment and presence among you and in your faith-inspired service to the world.
