wfn.org | Pray for Zimbabwe, bishop urges church

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Jan. 28, 2002  News media contact: Tim Tanton7(615)742-54707Nashville, Tenn.
10-31-71BP{024}

NOTE: A head-and-shoulders photograph of Bishop Felton Edwin May is
available at http://umns.umc.org/photos/headshots.html online.

By Dean Snyder*

WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- A United Methodist bishop, who has been active in
African ministry for 30 years, is calling for a worldwide month of prayer
for the people of Zimbabwe.

Bishop Felton Edwin May of Washington has issued a call for United
Methodists to pray for Zimbabwe during their worship services, Sunday school
classes and personal devotions for 30 days, from Feb. 10 through March 11.

"Our sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe are experiencing tense times socially,
politically and economically," May said in a Jan. 24 statement. "As much as
anywhere in the world I've been, the United Methodists of Zimbabwe believe
in the power of prayer. We can not make political decisions for them, but we
can diligently keep them in our prayers." 

A heavily contested presidential election is scheduled in Zimbabwe on March
9 and 10. Opposing parties have accused each other of attempting to unfairly
influence the result through the threat of violence or by rigging the
election process.

"Because the United Methodist Women of Zimbabwe are such a powerful force
for hope and healing in their land, I hope every United Methodist Women's
group in the United States will make a special effort to organize prayer
vigils on behalf of their Zimbabwean sisters," May said.  

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has been criticized for alleged efforts
to control the election's outcome. Britain has threatened to suspend
Zimbabwe from its Commonwealth because of legislation restricting
journalists and other concerns. The Methodist Church in Southern Africa, the
Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa and the Botswana
Christian Council have issued a joint statement asking Mugabe, who has been
in power for 22 years, to step down.

On the other hand, Mugabe's followers have accused members of the Movement
for Democratic Change of organizing riots and even of murdering an opposing
politician. Mugabe's primary opponent in the March election is Morgan
Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.

In addition to political tension, Zimbabwe is experiencing high levels of
unemployment and inflation. A quarter of the adult population is infected
with AIDS, and a fifth of the country's children have lost at least one
parent to the disease, according to the United Nations.

"It has got all the potential for trouble ahead," said Michael Quintana,
editor of Africa Defense Journal, in an interview with the Washington Post.

However, Professor Rukudzo Murapa, vice chancellor of Africa University,
believes any trouble arising in Zimbabwe as a result of the election will
not mirror the destruction that has occurred in other African hotspots, such
as Rwanda or Sierra Leone. "Zimbabwe is nowhere near that, far from it, both
in terms of the tensions that exist now or even the propensity for
confrontation," he said in a Jan. 14 interview. Zimbabwe's infrastructure is
so strong compared to Rwanda or Burundi, it simply could not be knocked
down."

Zimbabwean United Methodists have been advocates for justice since the
country's struggle for liberation, said the Rev. Isaac M. Mawokomatanda, a
former United Methodist superintendent in Zimbabwe now serving as pastor of
a Baltimore church. 

Under the leadership of Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa, now retired, who served as
head of Parliament before Mugabe's election in 1980, United Methodists
played a critical role in Zimbabwe's struggle for independence,
Mawokomatanda said. "When we see people suffering, the church also suffers."

May, who has visited Africa more than 30 times, is vice president of the
board of directors of Africa University, a United Methodist-related school
in Zimbabwe that serves students from throughout Africa.  As president of
the United Methodist General Council on Ministries from 1988 to 1992, he
supported the establishment of Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. 

Written prayers and thoughts will be posted on a Web site being established
by the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference Department of Communications
at www.prayersforzimbabwe.org. Prayers may be mailed to Zimbabwe Prayer
Vigil, 9720 Patuxent Woods Drive, Suite 100, Columbia, MD 21046, e-mailed to
prayers@prayersforzimbabwe.org or posted directly to the Web site. 
# # #
*Snyder is editor of UMConnection, the newspaper of the Baltimore-Washington
Annual Conference.

*************************************
United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org