Pray for Zimbabwe on Sunday, October 23, 2011
Prayers for Zimbabwe: Matthew 22:34-46
LORD our God, your glory fills the earth. Inspire in your people a love for you that will spill over into service of others. As we go into all the world and make disciples from every nation, inspire respect and affection for those with whom we minister. And an ecumenical spirit among fellow Christians.
Heavenly Father, instill love for you among our missionary partners, the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe and the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. May we serve alongside each other with integrity and mutual respect.
Lord of the Nations, continue to restore democracy to Zimbabwe and revive its economy and educational system. Let this country again be a leader in Africa. Through our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
Mission Stewardship Moment from Zimbabwe:
African Christianity is thriving! Protestant Churches in Zimbabwe are thriving! United Theological College is flourishing—enrollment grows every year. UTC is the primary venue in Zimbabwe for the education of ministers in mainline Protestant churches (The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, the United Methodist Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa and last but not least the churches with congregational polity related to Global Ministries, the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe, and the United Congregational Churches of Southern Africa). United Theological College is the largest, longest-lasting ecumenical theological school south of the Sahara.
Until we arrived, students were not being taught Hebrew at all and they were not learning enough Greek to read the New Testament. Now first year students in the Bachelor of Theology program are required to take a full year of either Hebrew or Greek, enough to read the prose portions of the Old Testament or much of the New. A number of Hebrew students are already thinking of going on to become teachers of Hebrew to the next generation of African church leaders.
UTC is where we work as teachers, where we live among teachers and students, where we pray and sing together every morning and fraternize between classes. We count it an honor to participate, as your representatives, in ecumenical theological education in this environment.
(Prayer and Mission Moment by Mary & Dale Patrick)
Video Resources on Zimbabwe:
College of Mission Interns Pilgrimage to Zimbabwe – July 2010: http://globalministries.org/resources/multimedia-resources/index/general-videos/zimbabwe-video-clips-from.html
Global Ministries International Partners in Zimbabwe:
- Christian Care
- United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe Council of Churches
- Zimbabwe Synod-UCCSA
- United Theological College, Harare
For more info about Zimbabwe: http://globalministries.org/africa/countries/zimbabwe/
Global Ministries Missionaries in Zimbabwe:
- Mary and Dale Patrick, member of Glen Echo Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Des Moines, Iowa, serves with the United Theological College of Zimbabwe. Mary teaches Greek and New Testament and Dale teaches Hebrew and Old Testament.
- Maryjane and Don Westra, members of Federated Church UCC, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, serve the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe. Maryjane works as a health and child care consultant at Mt. Selinda. Don works on the staff of the Micro-Enterprise and Strategic Planning/Management program at Mt Selinda.
Pray for Partners without Global Ministries Mission Personnel: Democratic Republic of Congo
For more info on the DRC: http://globalministries.org/africa/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/