ACNS Africa Correspondent Bellah Zulu recently accompanied a Mothers’ Union delegation to Zimbabwe to learn how Anglicans in that country are utilising the Community Mobilisation Process (CCMP), a Christian Development model which emphasises personal and community development using various teachings from the Bible.

During one of their visits to St Christopher Anglican Parish in an old railway and immigrant community of Rugare, he had an interviewed 19-year old Mickton Phiri who shared about Anglican life in his area.

Rugare Township was, at one time, notorious for high crime rates, reckless drinking and prostitution especially among the youth. This is also the same Parish where the excommunicated former bishop Nolbert Kunonga spent a good part of his childhood.

Mickton is the church and youth choir director at St Christopher Anglican Parish. He is also the Chairperson of the youth group and Co-Facilitator CCMP in his parish.

Q. Can you tell me more about your involvement and contribution in your church?

A. I have always desired to do anything I can to contribute to God’s work. I started working in the church at a tender age of six. I started off as a server to help the priests and the Sub-Deacon. I am the youngest chairperson of the youth group in my church after having been elected leader at the age of sixteen.

Q. What has motivates you to be such a committed Anglican and to contribute positively to God’s work?

A. My biggest motivation was my late auntie. She dedicated her life to Christ and was a member of this church all her life. She was a Sub-Deacon in this church was always a pillar of strength in our church and family. On further inquiry I learnt that she drew her strength from this church.

My parents do not come to this church. In fact my own mother switched to Presbyterian when our church here was persecuted and exiled by the excommunicated bishop Dr Nolbert Kunonga.

My mum left this church but I decided to stay on because I strongly believe that the Anglican Church is my home. I love it here…I even visited my mum’s church but I am still drawn to our church.

Q. How are the youth generally performing in this church?

A. The youth in our church are doing well but have suffered a lot of challenges. A good number of our youth eloped with women and that has dealt a blow to the youth movement in our church. A good number also left the church when the church was in exile. We are now rebuilding and currently have about thirty registered members in our youth group.

But by further the biggest challenge is that of unemployment considering Zimbabwe’s tough economic times. None of the youths in our church, even me, are employed. We have serious financial constraints and this affects us in many ways. I am currently looking for a job and hoping to be the first young person to be employed in my church.

Q. How has it been growing up in this Rugare community and how has that affected you?

A.  Our community has not had a pleasing reputation. Most people in this area are immigrants and we have a lot of mixed cultures. Most people came in from neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi at a time was this was a vibrant railway town and destination.

For a long time, it was known as an area where prostitution and smuggling controlled and prohibited products was rampant. Things are now changing but still we have grown up in an environment with so much bad influence. We only had a few people to look up to in our community as role models.

But I thank God because from the very beginning, I learnt that everything that I need comes from God and He promises that He shall be with me always. In fact all the wrongs I was seeing in my community motivated me to want to make a difference in my community.

From a young age, I tried to be exemplary in my community. I have been blessed with leadership positions at various stages in life including as head-boy in primary school and many others. I therefore believe that even though we have been raised in a bad environment, we can still turn things around and make a difference.

Q. Tell me more about your experiences as a young person when your church was exiled more than five years ago?

A. That was a very difficult time for my fellow youths and me. The priest we had decided to side with the Kunonga group. We were not allowed to worship in our own churches. I remember many times we would find State Police manning these premises and stopping us from getting inside.

Despite a court order, which allowed both churches to use the buildings at different times of the day for worship, the Kunonga supporters refused and we were never allowed. We ended up using one of the parishioners’ houses close by for all church activities including youth gatherings and worship. We later moved to the community hall before finally settling at a local primary school.

At one time, we just said ‘We have a court order so let’s just get back to our building to pray’. The police officer guarding the premises allowed us in but just when our rector was about to preach, other police came in and we realised we were surrounded by police officers.

The situation became so political with some saying that the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) was siding with the opposition parties in the country. One of parishioners almost had his hands cut off. Up to date, we don’t understand how he survived, and can only attribute it to God. Even he cannot explain how they let him go even when they actually had weapons in their hands ready to do it.

We lost a lot of the young people during that time. We have got some of them back but a good number of them left for good.

Q. How does it make you feel that the man responsible for the pain and suffering of Anglicans in exile was a member of this church?

A. Dr Kunonga grew up in this church and used to live in a house nearby in his early years. When I learnt that he was responsible for the exile, I was so surprised. As a church we felt so humiliated and lost our pride. We thought that people would point at us and say, ‘Rugare, look at your product.’

The church was so terrified and humiliated and even with the counseling, it was hard for us to understand though we gradually did. Some church members even put the blame on themselves saying that maybe they did not groom him properly.

When we came back from exile, people would concentrate so much on the pains they suffered. Many people forgave but forgetting was very tough. We even had sessions to help people air out their anger, pain and concerns.

Q. What’s your word to young people who have left the Anglican Church thinking they can find fulfillment and healing in other churches?

A. You don’t run away from a problem, you face it. There is no need for the young people to go out there. If it’s music we want, let us bring it here.  For instance, I used to think that we don’t have the healing ministry in the Anglican Church, and that we can only go get it from Pentecostal pastors.

But after the Bible studies conducted using CCMP, I realised we have that ministry in our church. I even came to a point where I could declare that nobody can come into the house of God sick, and go back the same.

Even Jesus reminds us that he who believes in me believes in the father, and shall do greater things. This challenged me that if Jesus was able to heal and we are like him, then we can do even greater things.

Yes in some cases, the church is too traditional but still there is no need to leave. If it’s the speaker or microphones we need, let us bring them. We can talk to our elders and Synod about our concerns and am sure consideration will be given.