“The best thing is that the church has spoken through this committee and the message is that God is with us,” said the church leader who spoke to the committee about the atrocities in his country.
Committee members and members of the press attending the open meeting were instructed that the four presenters who came from Zimbabwe would not give their names, but simply introduce themselves saying, “I’m an ecumenical visitor from Zimbabwe” because of the concern of retribution for their witness.
“I am an ecumenical visitor from Zimbabwe and I am glad to participate in this process,” the first woman addressed the committee. “It is a painful experience to wake up almost every morning and not know what to feed your children,” she shared.
“I am ecumenical visitor from Zimbabwe,” began the second woman, “and let me start by telling you that the way things are in Zimbabwe are simply unbelievable.” She proceeded to share with the committee that women are being beaten in front of their children, raped in broad daylight, and that all involved are losing their dignity. In her request to the committee the woman said, “I’m appealing to my brothers and sisters to stand solid with us for the future of our country and our children.”
“Thank you for allowing me to speak,” said the third speaker, a man who is a minister from Zimbabwe. “I’m so happy because what I see in this overture is embodying the spirit of this assembly as well as the mission of the church in general, and that is to do justice.”
“I am one of the church leaders in Zimbabwe,” began the fourth man to testify before the committee, “and since I have been here in the US twice they have gone looking for me because like you the church in Zimbabwe believes that what the Lord requires of us is to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.”
In the light of such testimonies, the Committee on Peacemaking and International Issues unanimously approved an overture from the Presbytery of Denver to do the following:
* Call upon the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state and government to
o Establish concrete measures for addressing the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe; and to
o Vigorously advocate for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
* Encourage the president and Congress of the United States to increase humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe and continue support for the Zimbabwean people via legislation.
* Support the work of individual congregations, church governing bodies, and ecumenical groups within Zimbabwe as well as the Presbytery of Zimbabwe and The Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.
* Establish a Day of Prayer for the people of Zimbabwe.
This action will go as a recommendation for the full Assembly to adopt later in the week.
