SDA Church shifts focus to development projects

SDA

Mkhululi Ncube, Chronicle Reporter
THE Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zimbabwe has reorganised its operations, a move that it says will result in increased developmental projects that include the building of schools and dams.

The church, which previously had one national office, has established two more offices in Gweru and Harare.

SDA Church leader in the southern African region known as the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID), Dr Solomon Maphosa, a Zimbabwean national, told The Chronicle that the latest move will help the church pursue various developmental projects to improve its impact in communities.

“We had one national office which supervised the work of the church in the entire country, but our membership has ballooned to one million, which is too big for effective administration,” said Dr Maphosa.

“We want to encourage development; we want to build more schools, drill boreholes, construct dams and teach our health message, which will assist people live better lives to avoid non-communicable diseases.”

The move by the SDA to divide its national office into three regional offices was arrived at after the church’s membership grew to over one million.

The new structure of the church will see churches in the Matabeleland and Bulawayo provinces falling under the Zimbabwe West Union Conference to be led by Dr Micah Choga, the Central Zimbabwe Union Conference under Pastor Etwel Tapera and the Zimbabwe East Union Conference headed by Pastor Godfrey Musara.

Dr Maphosa said the SDA Church in Zimbabwe is the second biggest in the SID after Zambia, but could have had the largest membership had many members not left the country for greener pastures since the turn of the millennium.

The SID executive secretary Pastor Gideon Reyneke said the realignment of the church in Zimbabwe was a significant move that should be celebrated.
“Everyone in this country will be impacted by this realignment. But this is not only for Zimbabwe, it will be an inspiration to other SDA churches in the region. Zimbabwe has set a huge example that will motivate other churches to work hard also,” Pastor Reyneke said.

The SDA Church started operating in Zimbabwe in 1894 at Solusi Mission and runs a number of educational institutions. — @themkhust_ncube

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