CELEBRATING A MILESTONE:EFZ@60
This year the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe celebrates 60 years of holistic ministry work in Zimbabwe. It is customary for the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe to celebrate key milestones in her journey. Born a fellowship of just five Missionary Evangelical Denominations coming together to encourage each other in prayer in lower Gwelo, she was then rebranded ‘The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe’ from the Evangelical Fellowship of Rhodesia of 1962.that is now widely recognized even beyond borders. EFZ is synonymous with growth and expansion and striving for progress. In that vein EFZ @ 60 is a reflection on the journey back, an appreciation of the current standpoint and a projection of the journey forward.
About EFZ
Five commissions feed into her, all in the quest to spread the good news of the gospel. She serves as a unifying platform for preaching the word, equipping church leaders and ministering to humanity in other aspects of life such as meeting the needs of vulnerable communities and being a positive influence in nation building efforts.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe has over the years become home for 931 Evangelical Pentecostal denominations, para church movements, ministries and Biblical Institutions of the Evangelical persuasion. It stands on the enabling grace of God and supporting partners.
EFZ Partnership milestones
Looking at partnership milestones, The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe was privileged to be one of the founding members of The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) the coordinating mechanism of all four church umbrella bodies and she gracefully executes the duties of the vice president in the organization. Among other major significant success stories in the national discourse, the ZHOCD developed the National Discussion document dubbed “The Zimbabwe we want” in 2006 which still influences the political landscape in our country today. The same birthed the home -grown constitution that was used between 2010 and 2013.
In addition to this, EFZ also played the strategic role in the negotiations that resulted in the formation of the government of national unity in 2009 which still stands as one of the times that the people of Zimbabwe enjoyed the fruits of a unified government as this had a positive impact on the livelihoods of people and the general standards of living. In the international platform EFZ is the chair of both the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) as well as member of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).
Beyond church confines, EFZ also enjoys partnerships with other Civil Society that operate as umbrella bodies or as key representative organizations for groups such as women and children. Such organizations include organizations such as the Zimbabwe Elections support networks (ZESN), the national Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (NANGO), the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WACoZ) and the Zimbabwe National Council for the welfare of Children (ZNCWC)
The EFZ@60 celebration
EFZ @ 60 is a reflection on the journey of the organisation to draw lessons, learn and grow. It is an avenue through which she can highlight, document and celebrate her success. At the same time EFZ@60 is a challenge for every member to brace up for even more work to continue to uplift the banner of excellence and above all to fulfil the Great Commission.