ELCZ NATIONAL REVIVAL AND 500 YEARS OF THE REFORMATION

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) is from 10 to 13 August 2017, celebrating
500 years of the reformation at Beitbridge Mission School, Beitbridge under the global theme
liberated by Gods grace. These celebrations are coming after the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) global celebrations which were held in Windhoek, Namibia on the 14 th of May 2017.
These upcoming celebrations, therefore, are the local expression but still with an international
and ecumenical outlook. We continue to chant the slogans salvation not for sale human
beings are not for sale and creation not for sale .

The celebration programme is going to focus on the history of the reformation, the present
practice of reformation and its future implications for us and the generations to come. The key
symbol for the celebrations will be a baobab tree. Perhaps our followers and readers may
question why baobab tree? A baobab tree represents resistance to any form of weather and
hardship, it is drought tolerant and its big in size. That is relevant to reformation that it has
been able to survive in all types of weather. Furthermore, a baobab trees fruits are believed to
be medicinal, its trunk can be used as a shelter (or was used as a hut by African families), during
leaf season it is a shade and finally, its bark can be used as a dye, and raw material for doormats
and clothes. All these traits of a baobab tree are part of the reformation story.

Highly qualified and dynamic speakers have been identified to expound on the themes of the
celebration. The likes of Bishop L M Dube, a church historian par excellence is going to trace the
development of the reformation and its dynamics from 1517 to 1903. The retired University of
Zimbabwe lecturer, Rev Dr A Moyo (the Guru) is to present a topic on why celebrating 500
years of the reformation? It is not only going to be theologians on the podium, but even laity
in the form of Professor Ngwabi Bhebhe, who is going talk about the development of education
in ELCZ under the leadership of a great educationist, the late Tore Bergman, a missionary from
Sweden. Women are a critical component in the development and spread of the gospel and so
Rev Dr Dean C Moyo, an Old Testament specialist and one of the first women to be ordained as
ministers in ELCZ, is going to reflect on the topic Women in Ministry: joys and concerns. Mrs
Musvaburi, from Bulawayo East parish, is going to lead a group of young generation performers
in poetry and drama to further spice the celebrations.

Rev Dr Kenneth Mtata, the current Zimbabwe Council of Churhces (ZCC) General Secretary and a
Lutheran pastor, is going to elucidate the theme of the celebrations and further summarise the
lessons learnt from Namibia Windhoek LWF Assembly and Celebrations that the ELCZ can take
note of or benefit from.

One of the sub-themes that has been alluded to in the foregoing as slogans is creation not for
sale hence, the celebration programme does include a session where the Lutheran attending
are to go out at the busiest bus-terminus in Beitbridge to do a public cleaning. We thank God
we managed to get some partners to this effect, these are Nyaradzo Life Assurance, Beitbridge
Town Council, and ZCC. All other ELCZ projects like, Gender, Diakonia, Malaria, Thusanang,
Christian Education are also going to weigh in with sponsoring part of these celebrations and
the clean up campaign.

What is of paramount at this juncture is to realize that reformation has gone for 500 years. Its
theological teachings have survived such a great span of time. It is therefore a pleasure that this
occasion has happened in our time. The reformation is a good indicator of the apostolic
teachings that if it is for God it will outlive our time but that of human mind and tricks will not
survive test of time.

Halala maLutherans and Zimbabwe lets rejoice as we celebrate this milestone!