Looking for the Church
My pastor was away this week. When I asked him where he was going he said something about an important church conference in Harare. At the Sheraton. I was intrigued by the idea of my humble
pastor going to a five star conference centre. On the little salary we give him he could not afford a cup of tea at such an expensive place, let alone the cost of travel from Gweru.
I made some enquiries, and this is what I learnt. The Conference was called “Global Advance”. It was addressed by a number of high-powered American evangelists flown in for the occasion. No fewer than 3,000 Zimbabwean pastors had been invited and the total cost was more than one billion (yes, one billion) Zim dollars. Which set me thinking.
I ask myself does any church in Zimbabwe have a billion dollars to spare ? And if it does, is this the best way of spending it, at a luxury five star hotel when half the population is starving ? Anyway, what do these Americans really know about our culture and our ways ? Don’t we have any African Christian leaders ? I also remember that a few years ago Jonathan Moyo set up the fake pastor, Musindo, with an office in the Sheraton - the Musindo who is always singing Mugabe’s praises. So I ask myself did Musindo have a hand in setting up this glittering conference ? After all, we know Mugabe wants to set up a church of his own to worship the ZANU PF way.
I just hope my pastor is asking himself these same questions while he is enjoying the five star meals in the land of the hungry. And I hope when he comes back to us he will still be the humble pastor we have always known.
