Meeting My Sister in Africa

I grew up as an only child. I never had any of the blessings or burdens, the benefits or difficulties of having a brother or sister. I never dreamed that someone in Africa--of all places--would greet me as my sister!

She came through the greeting line after Sunday worship on August 2 at St. Peter's United Methodist Church in Mutare, Zimbabwe. As she extended her hand to greet me, she said unexpectedly, "You are my brother." By that time of my trip, I wasn't surprised by much of anything but this was definitely new information!

I had been blessed by the generosity of my hosts, the Kennedy Masunda family, who had welcomed me into their home and treated me like family. But this woman was not part of their family.

I had been blessed by a growing acquaintance with the people of the Streamview United Methodist Church, having worshiped with them the previous Sunday and having been greeted by several of them at different times in the past week. But this woman was not part of the Streamview congregation.

I had been blessed by a growing acquaitance and friendship with pastors and leaders of the Mutare District, but this woman was not a pastor. To the best of my knowledge, I had never seen her before in my life.

I must have looked at least a little quizzical, because she looked up, pointed, and said, "Same God." Then she looked at me again and repeated her affirmation, "You are my brother."

And of course, she was right. She is my sister. I am her brother. We are all part of the same family, since we all belong to Christ. As it says in Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

Thanks be to God for family that we meet in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected times!

Celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday

During my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe, I participated twice in Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday--July 26 with the people of Streamview United Methodist Church and August 2 with the people of St. Peters United Methodist Church, both of them in Mutare. Each was a joyous celebration, filled with powerful singing, drumming, and dancing.

The practice of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, as I have learned since my return, dates back to as early as 1910. This is what is reported in Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa in his book, Humble Beginnings: A Brief History of the United Methodist Church [in the] Zimbabwe Area.

The contemporary celebration of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, however, is due in many ways to the work of Chuck Miller, a missionary from Texas who translated Shona/ Zimbabwean concepts and words into powerful religious concepts. He developed the concept of "harvest thanksgiving" from the Shona concept of "Bupuro," which means "harvest." As director of stewardship, he introduced the use of motivating language for the churches. No one wanted to be part of a "Garaipasi Church," which is a "do nothing church." It is better to be part of a "Simukayi" congregation, which is a "stand-up for the challenge" church. The best is to be a "Fambayi" church, which means a church that is "on the move." Both Streamview and St. Peters certainly appeared to me to be "Fambayi" congregations!

The presentation of "Harvest Thanksgiving" gifts is done by sections. A section is comprised of up to ten households in a geographic area. The sections meet together once a week for prayer and other purposes. The Streamview church had 22 sections, and the St. Peters church had 14 sections. In addition, gifts are brought forward by "junior church" (Sunday School), the United Methodist Women (RRW), the United Methodist Men, the United Methodist Youth, and--at St. Peters church--the choir. Finally, there was the recognition of visitors at each congregation, with the "Visitors Section" at St. Peters invited to come and make their special donation for the day.

In past years, people brought actual produce from their harvest, and some still do so. At Streamview, bags of cement were among the items that were contributed by many of the sections. I had seen them being unloaded at the Streamview church site on Saturday, and many of the sections reported with pride on the number of bags that they had contributed.

As it happened, the area where the bags of cement were stored was in the same building as the men's and women's bathrooms. One of the section leaders reported with bursting pride that, "If you want to see what we've done, you need to go to the bathroom!" There was an immediate outburst of good natured laughter as well as a look of horror on her face when she realized what she had said!

As each section was announced, a sound of singing would begin toward the back of the worship area. Eventually the members of that section would make their way forward, singing all the while. A spokesperson for the section would boast in a good natured way of all the blessings God had given them, and then he or she would announce what had been brought by that section. A running total was kept of all the financial contributions so that a total could be announced at the end of the service.

One of the touching moments at the Streamview celebration of "Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday" was when one woman, who was herself a widow, said that there were no widows and no orphans in that section. This was because "Jesus is our husband, and Jesus is our father."

At St. Peters church, one of the older women in the congregation--dressed in her United Methodist Women's uniform--had a special presentation to make to Ed Dodge and Peggy Miller. They are two of the children of the late Bishop Ralph Dodge, who was so important to the life of the church in Zimbabwe. , two of the children of Bishop Ralph Dodge who had been so important to the life of the church in Zimbabwe.

A portion of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday service at St. Peters, in fact, was given over to a brief celebration of the life of Bishop Dodge. The choir director, Patrick Matsikenyiri, had prepared a version of "Celebrate" that honored Bishop Dodge's ministry. A fuller celebration of Bishop Dodge's life will take place when the Ralph E. Dodge Library and Convention Center at Zimunya is completed.

During one of these services, another person on the platform leaned over and asked if we had anything like Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday in the states. I could only shake my head "no," but not without regret.

All of us, no matter where we live, need to experience the joy and power, community and commitment, blessing and good will of Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday. None of us should ever settle for being part of a "Garaipasi (do nothing) Church." We need to be--or become--a "Simukayi Church," standing up to the many challenges facing us. Even better will be when we become a "Fambayi Church," which is "on the move" to make a difference in the world by the power of Christ!

Taking the Music Back

Another privilege during my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe was to take back the music of the Ambassadors Quartet that had so touched my life fifty years ago. In fact, it has been exactly that long since four young men from what was then Southern Rhodesia made their tour of the United States of America on behalf of the Methodist Church.

Their tour took them to 29 states and the District of Columbia. It included, perhaps amazingly, the Methodist Church in Arlington, Kansas, where my father was pastor at the time. Their singing made a powerful impact on me, and it helped create my interest in going to Zimbabwe for the first time in January 2007 with the General Commission on Communications.

Upon my return from this trip, I looked among our record albums where I was convinced that a copy of this album could be found. I have no idea what happened to it, but I could not locate it. Nevertheless, there is always e-Bay! I managed eventually to purchase several copies, always looking for a better version of the record and the album cover.

The four young men in the quartet, as I learned, were Dennison Nyamarowa from Zimunya, Josiah Njagu from Mtoko, Daniel Kasimbira from Umtali (now Mutare), and Ben Jambga from Nyadiri. One was a social worker, two were teachers, and one was a ministerial student. None of them is any longer alive. It has been my privilege, however, to be in contact one way or another with the families of three of the four quartet members and let them know what a difference their father made in my life. Perhaps someday God will bring me the the opportunity to be in contact with someone from the family of the fourth member of the quartet.

The album was entitled "From Darkness to Light." The music is divided between traditional songs and Christian songs. Side One includes a War Song, a Work Song, Four Drum Solos, a Lullabye, a Herd Boy Song, a Food Song, a Mourning Song, an adapted War Song, and "God Bless Africa." Side Two includes the quartet's introductory song, several Christian hymns in English and Shona, the Fisherman's Club Song, "Only the Best," and "Plea for Africa." The chorus of the last song is: "Tell the love of Jesus, by her hills and waters. God bless Africa and her sons and daughters."

As I accumulated copies of the "Ambassadors Quartet" album, I eventually discovered that one of the church members where I serve had the equipment and the knowledge to convert the music from a long playing record album to a Compact Disc! He did so graciously, so now I had a "master copy" of the music. Another church member had the ability and willingness to adapt the artwork from album size to CD size! So now, I had the music, the artwork, and the story of the "Ambassadors Quartet" in CD format.

I took with me to Zimbabwe four CD copies of this record. I also took an actual "Ambassadors Quartet" record with me for the Zimbabwe United Methodist archives at Africa University.
I presented CD copies to Bishop Schol and Bishop Nhiwatiwa during my report to the Zimbabwe International United Methodist Partners Summit. I gave a copy of the CD to my hosts, Kennedy and Anna Maria Masunda.

I contributed my last copy of the "Ambassadors Quartet" CD to the "Harvest Thanksgiving" offering at St. Peters United Methodist Church in Mutare on August 2. Such an offering is traditionally a "second mile" gift that reflects your gratitude for what God has done in your life, and this CD seemed an appropriate thing to give.

Of course, I really didn't take the music back--only the recording made half a century ago by the Ambassadors Quartet. The music that really makes a difference resonates in the lives of the people of The United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe.

Fifty years later, the music of this people of faith continues to "Tell the love of Jesus, by her hills and waters. God bless Africa and her sons and daughters."

Another Unexpected Blessing

One of the collateral goals in my Volunteers in Mission trip to Zimbabwe was to further the relationship between the pastors, people, and congregations of the Hutchinson District of the Kansas West Conference and the pastors, people, and congregations of the Mutare District of the Zimbabwe East Conference. That happened in both expected and unexpected ways--all of them blessings.

I had taken with me the "Harvest Thanksgiving" offering and signed "Future with Hope" card from the people of First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson for presentation to the people of the Streamview United Methodist Church. I took items from the Stafford and Alden United Methodist congregations for their partner congregations--the Zimunya North Circuit and Muradzikwa respectively. I carried with me a suitcase filled with "prayer bears" from the people of the Hillsboro United Methodist Church for the children of the Fern Valley United Methodist Church. I brought a copy of the 2008 Book of Discipline and the 2008 Book of Resolutions for the Mutare District Office.

In addition, I took with me a set of envelopes for the pastors, retirees, clergy widows, and conference appointees of the Mutare District. Each envelope contained a $20.00 bill, a $10.00 bill, and a "Three Simple Rules" bookmark.

The financial gift was in keeping with a goal that we have set for ourselves as pastors in the Hutchinson District to send a "love offering" four times a year of at least $20.00 for each of our counterparts. We had done so twice already, and I carried the third such gift with me.

The "Three Simple Rules" bookmarks just seemed like a good idea. They are a modern adaptation of John Wesley's admonitions to "Do No Harm. Do Good. Stay in Love with God." It seemed like the kind of admonition that the clergy in our two districts always need to keep in mind.

Earlier in the week, I had given the envelopes with the money (and bookmarks) to the Rev. Tazvi Nyarota, the superintendent of the Mutare District. She said that she wanted me to present these envelopes to the pastors in person. As the week unfolded, nothing ever worked out, and I assumed that other arrangements had been made. As it turned out, there was another unexpected blessing in store for me.

This blessing came on Friday afternoon, July 31. That morning, our Volunteers in Mission team finished work at the Zimunya Skills Training Centre. We had then shared another excellent noon meal at St. Peters United Methodist Church. The next thing on my schedule was attendance at the Zimbabwe International United Methodist Summit, scheduled to begin on the campus of Africa University at 2:00 pm.

I knew that I was going to be late for the start of the meeting, so I was hurrying across the Africa University campus toward the chapel. To my surprise, Tazvi Nyarota stepped out from among a group of pastors and spoke to to me. "The people who have been waiting for you are here," she said. At first, I thought she meant the people at the summit where I was headed. But she meant the pastors from the Mutare District who had been waiting for my arrival.

They had been at Africa University that week for Pastors School. Unlike the Kansas Area Seminar on Professional Ministry, this week-long event is well attended! Pastors School itself had ended on Friday at noon--or perhaps with the noonday meal. In any case, the District Superintendent had kept her pastors waiting for me to get there. She knew my schedule, and she wanted me to present the envelopes myself.

And so there came another unexpected blessing. Rev. Nyarota had me call the name of each pastor aloud and then present them with the envelope containing the money and the "Three Simple Rules" bookmark. After the presentation was completed, one of the pastors spoke words of appreciation on behalf of his colleagues for me to share with the pastors in the Hutchinson District. And then, of course, we took a picture!

Like so many other experiences on this trip, this unexpected blessing was simultaneously uplifting and humbling. The pastors of the Mutare District graced me with their patience in waiting for me to show up that afternoon. They blessed me with good humor as I mispronounced their names in sometimes spectacular ways. They blessed me with their good will as they expressed their appreciation for what was a modest gift by American standards by a significant one by Zimbabwean standards. They blessed me with the depth and breadth of their faith that sustains them in remarkably difficult circumstances. They blessed me with the joy that shows through in so many ways.

It was another of the many blessing--expected and unexpected--that I encountered during my trip.

Bread at Zimunya

Our Volunteers in Mission project at the Zimunya Skills Training Centre came to an end on Friday morning, July 31. By then, we had settled into a rhythm of work (and rest!). One of our faithful local volunteers--Mrs. Ressie Nemaramba--was not at the work site that morning when we arrived. I didn't really pay attention to her absence, perhaps assuming that she had other obligations, responsibilities, or commitments.

Midway through the morning, however, the reason for her absence became apparent. Mrs. Nemaramba came walking up the path, carrying a gift of fresh, warm bread for us to share. She had brought it with her, wrapped in a towel to keep it warm.

Mrs. Nemaramba had raised the wheat. She had harvested the wheat. She had processed the wheat into flour. She had baked the flour into bread, and now she had brought the bread for us to share. It was her gift to us for having shared in work that week at the Zimunya Skills Training Centre.

It was a sacramental moment. The Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16) were blessed with bread that came to them unexpectedly. We were only in Zimunya, but we were equally blessed with bread that came to us unexpectedly. As one of our team members received the bread, we gathered around--VIMers, brick layers, local volunteers, and the caretaker's children.

There was a word of blessing, and then the bread was broken and shared. It was round, warm, fresh, and delicious. And there was more than enough for everyone to have some. It was the best possible way to end our week of work at the Zimunya Skills Training Centre!