Faith in Action in the UCCSA
Evangelists Building Sustainable Ministries Across Zimbabwe
In December 2024, evangelists from Tjimali, Hope Fountain, Makhazankala, and Zinyangeni gathered at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) Zimbabwe Synod Offices in Bulawayo for a one-day Entrepreneurial Skills Workshop. The goal was both simple and profound: to help leaders integrate faith with sustainable livelihoods, ensuring that ministries could thrive even amid economic hardship.
The workshop offered hands-on sessions in business planning, financial management, and climate-resilient farming. Participants explored practical projects such as poultry and goat farming, vegetable gardens, fruit tree planting, and brick moulding. The focus was not only on generating income but also on modeling faith through visible, tangible action.
“We preach faith every day,” said Reverend Lucky Maphosa, “but this training helped us live that faith through work that feeds our families and our ministries.” Rev. Maphosa launched a poultry project with 50 chicks, which quickly doubled to 100. “When the chicks grew and multiplied, I saw God’s provision in motion. Faith and productivity go together.”
Reverend Thuba Moyo started a vegetable garden producing tomatoes, beetroot, and cabbages. By mid-year, her tomatoes reached the market, generating income for church work. “We were taught to be creative with what we have,” she said. “Now my garden is both my ministry and my livelihood.”
Praymore Ncube began goat farming with five goats; four have already given birth. “Each new kid reminds me that small beginnings are powerful,” she said. “This is how we multiply hope.”
Under the blazing Zimbabwean sun, Mrs. Thandekile Gama used her start-up fund to begin molding bricks. “I sell block bricks at one dollar for two,” she said proudly. “Now I’m extending my house into the home I always dreamed of.”
Facilitators emphasized that ministry extends beyond the pulpit. “Jesus taught both with words and with bread,” said one trainer. “This training helps us do the same—meet both spiritual and physical hunger.”
Participants quickly put their learning into action, launching projects that already produce income, create jobs, and strengthen church outreach. “We learned that evangelism can also be creative,” reflected one participant. “It’s about bringing the good news through what we do, not only what we say.”
From chickens and crops to goats and bricks, these evangelists are demonstrating that faith combined with action can sustain livelihoods, feed families, and build stronger communities. “We learned that faith without work is dead,” said one leader. “Now we’re showing our communities that faith can grow food, build homes, and raise hope.”
By integrating practical skills with spiritual leadership, the UCCSA Zimbabwe Synod is nurturing a form of ministry that feeds both soul and soil. Across villages and towns, tomatoes ripen in gardens, chickens roam carefully tended pens, goats multiply, and new bricks rise into homes and community structures.
“This is ministry that grows,” one evangelist reflected. “It feeds our families and feeds our faith.”
Through these efforts, the Zimbabwe Synod shows that the Gospel is not only a message—it is action, creativity, and transformation. When faith is paired with skill and courage, entire communities can flourish, and hope becomes tangible in daily life.
