Thinking Theology gathering, the first time in Zimbabwe, was held on the 8th-11th of May 2018 at ZESA Training Centre attracting an average of 90 participants from EFZ and ZCC members. This was unique in that there was collaboration with various partners to make the event a success, the rich presentations on family, leadership and integral mission enhanced our EFZ Mission as well as approaches to this mission. A follow through on the REFLECTIONS and OUTCOMES of this Gathering will be made and communicated soon.
Theological Reflections Theological reflections on the role of the church in public life, were held in Bulawayo and Harare in April 2018. The theological reflections seminars' provided platform to stimulate sustained dialogue within the church to understand their social responsibilities and obligations as informed by the scriptures and to contribute towards the development of a compendium focused on promoting public participation within the Church. The theological seminars' also provided a platform for church to reflect on its mandate and through the presentations of developed papers by theologians from different schools of thought church reflected on how it can operationalise its role as the salt and the light of the world and also look into its regulation system in order to provide a leadership role for the nation.
Theological Reflections Meeting - Bulawayo
Enunciating the role of the church in Zimbabwe's Peace Building Agenda The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), with the support of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the ACT Alliance hosted a Dialogue Exchange Programme under the theme "Religious Leaders Supporting the Peace Process in Zimbabwe". The DEP follows key (peace-building related) events that have taken place in Zimbabwe over the past five months, including the signing into law of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Act, the appointment of the Commissioners to the NPRC and nation-wide consultative processes conducted by the NPRC which have culminated in the development of the Commission's strategic plan. All these events were as a result of the years of work that various stakeholders, particularly the church and civil society, have put in as their contribution to the peace building agenda of the country. It was therefore against this background that this DEP was conducted. The DEP had both local and international participants including representatives from Kenya, Togo, Burundi and South Africa. Specifically, the ZHOCD has been involved in shaping the peace and reconciliation agenda in Zimbabwe and this DEP was constructed to build upon an on-going engagement between the churches and National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) in Zimbabwe and to strengthen capacities of the church to contribute to the implementation of the peace framework and peace-building broadly.
While the ZHOCD has contributed significantly to the establishment of the NPRC, there remain gaps in the area of capacity building for church leaders. These capacity gaps have been identified by church leaders themselves and include limitations to appropriately map scenarios and to conduct mediation and negotiation as they host various national dialogues with different stakeholders.
Additionally, the NPRC conducted consultation with Zimbabweans across the country earlier this year and the DEP was critical at this stage in order to prepare participants/church leaders to understand the scope of work of the NPRC, its legal and technical limitations and capacity challenges as well as to influence its subsequent interface with stakeholders and communities in rolling out a peace & reconciliation process. The DEP also provided a platform for church leaders to critically reflect, through a process of theological reflection, on their religious mandate to uphold and strengthen peace in Zimbabwe.
Delegates at the Dialogue Exchange Programme