In 2010 we partnered with a 2 church charge in Zimbabwe:
Zimunya Central Circuit – (Zimunya means left over sadza. Sadza is the staple food for Zimbabwe; it is made from maize meal.)
The circuit is located 40km south of the city of Mutare, in Chief Zimunya’s area. It encompasses the only mission in the Mutare District called the Munyarari Mission. The circuit is made up of two local churches, Munyarari and Dambakurimwa United Methodist Churches. The two churches are 7km apart. Between the two churches there are: 258 full members, 156 probationary members, 78 children under the age of 12.
There are a total of 16 lay speakers in the circuit (6 male, 10 female). One of the female lay speakers is a youth.
The pastor in charge is Reverend Eunice Nduna. She is also the student’s chaplain and station chairperson for the mission center. She travels within the circuit by foot.
The circuit’s slogan is “Forward ever. Backward never”. “We shall soldier on with Christ nothing is impossible. We will never lose hope, Christ has a future with hope for us – Jeremiah 29”
Groups within the churches:
· Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai (RRW) – [This means the fellowship of women.] this is the biggest organization with 100 full members, and 27 probationary members. They meet for prayer every Friday afternoon.
· Mubvuwi we United Methodist Church (MUMC) – [mubvuwe means fishers of men.] There are 8 full members, and 16 probationary. They meet for prayers every Thursday morning.
· UMYF – the United Methodist Youth Fellowship has a 24 full members, and 31 probationary. They meet for prayers Sunday and Saturday afternoon.
Munyarari Mission:
· The Primary School there are 19 teachers and 499 students.
· The High School has 27 teachers and 622 students.
· Prayers are asked to help them reach their goal to make the school into a boarding school.
· The Clinic being supported by the Bel Air UMC, Maryland was opened the end of 2009.
The Churches:
· Financial support for the churches comes from the members who struggle to even cover pastoral support. This is because most of the members are peasant farmers who are finding it difficult to survive mostly due to successive droughts and the unstable socio-economic problems prevailing within the country. At present, due to failure to raise cash, the members are making pledges in kind, in most cases their farm produce such as ground nuts, eggs, mealies etc. for pastoral support.
· Projects in Progress:
o Home based care giving – a group of 10 women who are trained in-care giving are helping to take care of those affected and infected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. They are acting as God’s hands in the community by giving hope and knowledge to those infected by HIV & AIDS.
o Provision of School uniforms to school children – a group of 15 volunteers help to sew uniforms for the needy children at the mission center. The material for the uniforms is provided by ZOE Ministries. (zoeminstries.org)
o Renovation of “Dambakurimwa parsonage – This current project is so that in the future the circuit will have its own parsonage.
o Expanding Munyarari UMC’s sanctuary – The current building only accommodates up to 500 people, which will not be sufficient due to the ever increasing membership, and the additional children who will be in the area when the school becomes a boarding facility.
o Water supply system is also being expanded – This is so it will be able to cater to the entire mission project. This project will take a lot of money and is thus moving slowly.
o The mission and the circuit are trying to raise the money to buy two cars for the pastoral work and mission center business
Challenges:
o The Cholera epidemic is posing a great threat to the circuit. To date only a few cases have been detected, but the possibility of us being hit is very high, as it is spreading fast.
o The country’s ongoing economic problems are having a devastating effect on the people’s ability to make a living.
o Unable to provide pastoral support
o The AIDS pandemic has not spared the circuit. Many people of have died leaving large numbers of orphans. With the help of others the circuit is doing its best to provide decent education and food to some of these orphans.
Support provided by Ellsworth 1st UMC -2009-2010
Ø $600 was given to support ongoing ministry and projects of the Zimunya Central Circuit. They have used these funds to build a kitchen onto the parsonage, and to provide some pastoral support.
Ø 2 members visited Zimbabwe in July 2010 and took supplies for the Clinic (bandages, latex gloves, aspirin, & Alcohol swaps); The school (1200 each of pens, pencils & lollipops for the kids, toner cartridges for their photo copier, & Frisbees); the Churches (digital camera and batteries, photo album, and $)
Ø The funds to purchase a sunflower seed press were taken as this was named as the first priority of the circuit to help raise money for the churches and help the local farmers.
