New church for Gweru

mbabwe’s economic and political collapse, but stands tall as a testimony of God’s faithfulness. “Since the beginning of the project, started not long after the first farm occupations in 2000, we have said to the Lord, “is it wise to go ahead with this project when so many people are emigrating from the country?” explained Taylor. Since that time, the church has lost some 240 members, mainly due to emigration. Yet God’s answer has always been “this is my Building, and I will (continue) to build my Church”. “And He is, the Church is still relatively full on Sunday mornings, God is adding many more to our number and we have a wonderfully integrated congregation,” he said. “The good thing about the new building is that it is all paid for, no debt – an entirely Biblical thing! All the brickwork is now finished. We do need funds to get the building usable – which is our goal for this year. We still need to plaster the inside, electrify the building and do the glazing. Zimbabweans these days are not too fussed about the cosmetics, along as it’s usable,” added Taylor. On a less positive note, both the pastor and a parishioner who came to the church to do flowers last Friday were victims of theft. Thugs smashed the rear window of the pastor’s vehicle and grabbed the bag containing his salary, new bible, address books, diary and all the pastoral plans for the year. Two hours later, the parishioner was attacked by a group of five or six men, punched twice in the face and kicked to the ground. One of the men threatened her with a hand gun and also threatened to shoot the church caretaker and cleaning lady. Failing to get her car keys, they smashed the woman’s car window and stole her handbag containing a significant sum of cash, her ID, driver’s licence, cell phone etc. They also knew exactly where to find the bag with a very large sum of money placed behind the driver’s seat of her vehicle. “The caretaker ran to the museum to contact the police, who this time came very quickly as the criminals were armed. We visited the lady concerned, and, although somewhat bruised and sore, she is in very good spirits, recovering well, and thankful for God’s protection. We’re trusting that God will use this whole nasty experience powerfully for His good – that’s what he specialises in doing,” said the pastor.