Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 111 | Wed 08 Jun 2011

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ZIMBABWE: ANGLICANS EVICTED FROM CHURCHES AND HOMES
Plus Pakistan Update

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By Elizabeth Kendal

RLPB 110 on Zimbabwe was issued last Wednesday 1 June after news emerged
that churches were facing escalating levels of political violence (see
also Religious Liberty Monitoring). This political violence is doubtless
intended to inject fear into the churches and to silence them ahead of
what are likely to be rigged elections. The regime aims to force the
churches to adopt a position of compliant subjugation if they want to
survive. On 2 June the Bishop of Harare, the Rt Rev Chad Gandiya, issued
an urgent appeal for prayer, detailing more persecution.

On Sunday 29 May a priest belonging to the pro-Mugabe faction (led by
excommunicated bishop Nolbert Kunonga) broke into the home of the Rev
Charles Muzanenhamo, an Anglican priest in the Mubayira area of Mhondoro.
Muzanenhamo was away visiting rural parishes at the time. When Bishop
Gandiya alerted Muzanenhamo he returned home immediately and expelled the
intruder. However, when the police subsequently arrived they arrested the
pastor, charging him with assault. Muzanenhamo had to spend the night in
detention before the bishop could bail him out. That same evening, a newly
ordained deacon, Noel Magaya, was also illegally and forcibly evicted from
his home-church. Once again, when the police arrived they sided with
Kunonga’s criminals. On 30 May when Rev Julius Zimbudzana tried to notify
the police about Magaya’s eviction they refused to open a docket, so
officially the incident never happened.

On the evening of Wednesday 1 June Bishop Gandiya’s congregation was
holding a church wardens meeting when they were told that thugs from
Kunonga’s faction were breaking into Zimbudzana’s home. Some of the church
wardens ran to stop the break-in but all the assailants managed to escape,
except one who was caught by members of Zimbudzana’s church. These members
and the church wardens took the apprehended attacker to the police. When
they returned from the police station they found Zimbudzana’s home was
surrounded by riot police who then arrested all 16 present, including
priests and three women — even Zimbudzana’s elderly mother. All were
released on Friday 3 June when all the false charges levelled by the
police failed.

Bishop Gandiya’s 2 June email reports that many believers are ‘greatly
traumatised by all this’. Some of his priests have shared with him that
their children are affected, becoming exceedingly anxious about the safety
of their fathers. ‘Please continue to pray for us as a diocese,’ he asks.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our
behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2
Corinthians 1:11 ESV)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT –

* God our loving Father will instil peace into the hearts of all
Zimbabwe’s burdened yet faithful believers, particularly threatened
church leaders and their vulnerable families; may they be assured of
God’s everlasting love (‘hesed’), and may they find rest in God’s
everlasting arms (Matthew 11:28-30; Deuteronomy 33:27).

* the Holy Spirit will wield, as a sword, the gospel message preached and
lived by his faithful ones, so that it might be powerful and effective
in convicting of sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:5-11), and
powerful and effective in personal and national transformation (Isaiah
2:1-4).

* our LORD Jesus Christ will build his Church in Zimbabwe; for (as we
prayed last week) ‘Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with
the morning’ (Psalm 30:5b ESV). May the LORD hasten Zimbabwe’s
‘morning’.

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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ANGLICANS ILLEGALLY EVICTED IN ZIMBABWE

The Bishop of Harare, Rt Rev Chad Gandiya, issued a prayer request on 2
June for the Anglican Church in Harare. After seizing control of 40
percent of all Anglican properties in Zimbabwe, the pro-Mugabe faction led
by excommunicated bishop Nolbert Kunonga has begun forcibly evicting
Anglican pastors from their home-churches. Kunonga is supported by a
totally partisan police force. On 1 June police arrested 16 Anglicans,
including priests and three women, who had helped Rev Julius Zimbudzana
resist a totally illegal forcible eviction from his home. This was the
third time within a week a pastor had been illegally evicted. All those
arrested have been bailed. However, there is growing concern that the
situation is deteriorating. Please pray for the Church in Zimbabwe.

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UPDATE –

* PAKISTAN: ISLAMISTS WANT ‘BLASPHEMOUS’ BIBLE BANNED

At a press conference in Lahore on 30 May 2011, the leader of the Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam party, Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, appealed to the Supreme
Court to ban the Christian Bible on the grounds that many of its
‘insertions’ were pornographic and blasphemous and thus offensive to
Muslims. Ominously, Farooqi suggested that the ban was necessary to
prevent a clash between the two religions. This is highly provocative,
creating a most dangerous, incendiary environment. Please pray for the
Church in Pakistan.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Previous bulletins may be viewed at <http://www.ea.org.au/ea–
family/Religious-Liberty/Prayer-Postings.aspx>.

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