In July 2010 a group of 14 people from the Upstate New York Synod traveled on our behalf to our companion synods in Zimbabwe and Zambia to walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Their stories reveal how their own lives have been changed by their experiences. You're invited to read and share these stories.

As we traveled through Zimbabwe this summer, we discovered that church membership is growing and there are many plans to build chapels, parsonages, schools and clinics.  Beyond the growth of the church, there are other factors that fuel the need for more chapels. The lack of reliable and affordable transportation makes it difficult for members of a parish to worship in a single, central location.  Parishes are striving to serve a widely distributed membership by establishing congregations in areas that are easily reached on foot.  This means that a parish the size of a small to medium congregation in the US, may be split into five or more, smaller congregations in Zimbabwe, in a effort to bring the church to the people.  The membership of the parish in Shurugwi is slightly 200 members but currently is comprised of four congregations, one preaching point and a site for a parish center spread out over an area the size of a large county in New York State. They have one completed chapel, one almost completed chapel and plans to build one more chapel, two parsonages and a parish center.

The reality of building churches in Zimbabwe is very different from building churches in the US. It is not a case of raising funds and standing back while a construction firm builds your church!  Whether the congregation is located in a city or in a rural area, the vast majority of the work to build a church is done by the members of the congregation.  This includes the initial clearing of a site using shovels, axes and rakes. Members of the congregation make any required items that they are able to. In Bulawayo we saw a hand crafted door that was destined to become the front door of a new church in Bulawayo south.

In the city areas, plans need to be approved by the city council and the primary building materials are commercially produced concrete blocks and bricks.  In the rural areas the need for formal plans and approvals is generally non-existent and the building material of choice is hand molded and hand fired bricks.  Members of the congregation meet at a site where local clay is available, and using local clay and sand, mold the bricks.  Once they have 10,000 bricks molded they form a kiln with the bricks and begin the firing process.  The bricks are fired with wood fires for three days and then cooled for two weeks before the kiln is taken apart.  This is repeated as many times as required to mold and fire the desired number of bricks.  We were told that a parsonage requires 15,000 bricks and a small chapel requires 30,000.  The attached picture shows some locally fired bricks leftover after the construction of a church.

Land to build the churches can come from a variety of sources.  In the cities, the plots are generally granted by the city council.  In the rural areas, they may be granted by local chiefs or the towns.  Land may also be purchased.  The two plots of land for the Shurugwi parish center were purchased for $160.  No matter how the land is acquired, the congregation must demonstrate progress towards building on the site within 12 months of receiving title or they may lose title to the land.  Progress may be as simple as having dug the foundation.

Security is also a major concern.  Churches without walls and gates surrounding the property are open to vandalism and theft.  We toured one parsonage that was under construction in Bulawayo.  The congregation is storing the windows and doors in a safe location, until the walls are in place, for fear of having them ripped out and stolen.  The best situation is to have walls, gates and a completed parsonage on a site with a pastor or caretaker in residence.  This appeared to be a larger issue in the cities but it was also mentioned in the rural areas as a concern.

Whether in the city or the rural areas we met congregations that are excited about growing the church and convinced that a physical presence was required to support that growth.  They are willing to do back breaking, physical labor to make that a reality!  While they wait for the resources to complete building chapels,  they continue to worship in sheds, cattle barns and open fields.  The reed walls in the attached picture had been blown down in a storm but are where the congregation of Shurugwi urban worships while waiting to build their church.

Rick Walker is a member of Bethlehem, Fairport