Harare — LAST year, Heads of Christian denominations launched a document called "The Zimbabwe We Want: Towards a National Vision for Zimbabwe." that generated debate in various quarters. It was hailed in some sectors and dismissed in others. In the spirit of the debate, The Herald caught up with the president of the Christian Organi-sations Support Ministry MR FLAVIAN ZINYEMBA to find out his organisation's views on the document and role of the Church in nation building.

Mr Zinyemba, you are president of the Christian Organisations Support Ministry, can you briefly tell our readers about the organisation and yourself?

Christian Organisations Support Ministry is a non-denominational Christian organisation based in Zimbabwe.

It was founded in 1997, our mission is to provide facilities for prayer retreats as well as church conferences for all Christian churches.

Over 40 Christian denominations from all over Zimbabwe benefit from our Prayer and Conference Campus, and we are open for more.

Our campus is located in Glendale, but we have a booking office in Harare.

Why put emphasis on "non denominational", and if you have been in existence for so long, why have you been so quiet?

As our name suggests, we are a para-church, support ministry, our vision is to promote prayer and the holding of conferences in all Christian denominations.

We believe that holding of church conferences is an integral part of worship that impacts the believers' spiritual lives in a unique way.

That explains why every church organisation, big and small, makes plans each year to hold a conference.

Unfortunately, many denominations do not have suitable venues for holding their annual conferences, especially where large congregations are involved.

Our Prayer Centre is ideal for holding individual as well as church prayer retreats, and overnight accommodation is available.

The concept of a Prayer and Conference Campus catering for many denominations is a new and unique concept of camping in Zimbabwe.

Such a facility cannot be fully utilised by a single denomination, hence our emphasis on non-denomination.

Since the founding of our organisation we have been busy implementing what God directed us to do, hence we have not been quiet. We speak out here as stakeholders of our country Zimbabwe, as invited by this church initiative.

Were you part of the Heads of Christian Denominations initiative that produced the Zimbabwe We Want document?

No, we were not. We are a small organisation dedicated to accomplishing what God sent us to do. We are pleased that God has impressed upon some people to spearhead this initiative and that they have openly invited all stakeholders to participate.

This is how we come in.

The issues raised, do you feel it is the church of Zimbabwe speaking, or some other people through the Church?

There is a lot of pain associated with childbirth, when the child is finally born, all complications will be forgotten and people forgiven, we are at a period of childbirth in putting together things that affect our country.

Issues will be raised and comments, palatable and unpalatable, will be thrown around.

Our success lies in focusing on the intended result. We need to be proud of the fact that we have a dialogue initiated by our own people in our own country.

The church will not come with all the answers to our problems. There will be some people within the church with selfish motives, but the majority are people desperate for a real and lasting solution to our problems.

Judas Iscariot was also a disciple of Jesus, but he could not change Jesus' mission. Let us give them a chance. Time will tell.

What vision should the church advocate in Zimbabwe today?

The church's vision should take into account two spiritual dimensions to the Zimbabwean problem, both of which emphasise the fact that Zimbabwe's problems are God-initiated and will need God to solve.

First, we need to understand how and why God is involved in the thorny issue of land redistribution. Over a century ago the colonisation of Zimbabwe involved the unfair and treacherous colonisation of this land by Europeans.

In the eyes of God this was an iniquity that they committed. God can avenge iniquities on behalf of the offended, sometimes onto latter generations.

In Exodus 20:5 the Word of God says "I am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and forth generation of those who hate me."

Therefore anybody or country which attempts to rescue those under judgment will be fighting God as well, and will not succeed.

Secondly, we need to understand why the problem is prolonging yet Zimbabwe is not collapsing as expected, the reason is that, on one hand God wants to bless Zimbabwe, while on the other, the people are not ready to receive the blessing.

The people as a nation are committing iniquities in God's eyes, they are not aligning their lives with God.

This includes the Christians as well.

There is corruption in and outside the church.

If 80 percent of Zimbabweans are Christians, would the current high level of corruption be attributed to only 20 percent of the population?

There is fighting for positions, hatred, unforgiveness, adultery, child abuse in and outside the church.

This is iniquity in the eyes of God.

For God to heal the land, he is expecting some form of inner transformation of the nation, starting in the church. Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people".

Therefore any vision by the church must be a vision acceptable to God.

The church is God's contact with man.

We must create the Zimbabwe that God wants.

"The strength of the church rests in doing the will of God. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it build but in vain." Psalms 127:1

This is the time that the nation's Christian Spiritual fathers should rise up and lead the way. They need to show the people how to rid of the iniquities being experienced in the church as well as on the land. When the church gets right, the nation will get right as well. Reconciliation and forgiveness should be preached and demonstrated in the church first.

If we pray for the healing of the land and continue in our sin, this dialogue initiative will bear no fruitful result as did former initiatives such as the Abuja Agreement.

The Word of God says in Mathew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you." When the people get transformed for God, God will heal the land.

You are on record as saying everything happening in Zimbabwe was prophesied in 1998. What did the prophesy say about how it would all end, would it end with a church-related initiative or a political solution?

The prophesy outlined that the problems that Zimbabwe was to face were certainly going to end at one stage!

Not only that, but that Zimbabwe would regain its food security again, that new factories will be built, and that relations with other nations will normalise.

It stated that a treaty will be written with other nations. There will be reconciliation between black and white. This, forgivably, a difficult miracle to swallow when looking at our current situation today.

Many prophesies from God do come true. In Deuteronomy 18:21 the bible says that as proof that a prophesy has come from God, the thing has to happen.

We therefore need to go back and review some of the things that were prophesied in this prophesy and see what came to pass.

This prophesy was said by a white person who had never been to Zimbabwe, some two years before there was any sign of this trouble happening.

It said that a powerful revolution was going to sweep through Zimbabwe. This was going to cause many problems, affecting many people.

We realise that every Zimbabwean has been affected, and that Zimbabwe has been the talk of the world over the past seven years.

It stated that the centre of the storm was based on the historical background of the country which was once treacherously taken from the indigenous people.

We have certainly seen the revolution, which became known as the Third Chimurenga.

It said there were going to be many irreversible changes, and the situation would seem like the country was going backwards, but it would not be so.

It said that the country was going to reach a point of civil war, but praying people would save it. We saw how volatile the situations became, and thanks to the many Christians who prayed for the country, diffusing the situations.

It stated that corruption was going to be exposed at high levels. We have seen many company executives' shady operations exposed, banks closed and so on. According to this prophesy, the solution rests with the church.

It rests on 2 Chronicles 7:14 which outlines the divine principles of healing troubled lands: "If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

What relationship should the church have with Government, and how has our church fared in that relationship?

The bible encourages all believers to respect those in authority and pray for them (1 Tim 2:2).

All Christians are compelled to positively pray for the government so that it governs God's people well. Individual church members may have differences in opinion with the Government, but they do not have God's mandate to fight it physically or otherwise. Today we have many Christians who take God's role, in the name of seeking justice.

The church can air its sentiments directly to the Government, (like stating the Zimbabwe they want), and pray to God.

The Government, on the other hand should fear God. It needs to realise that the people it is ruling belong to God, and that the Government is only a steward. It should realise that God can make it prosper for the sake of God-fearing people.

Therefore, the Government has to support the church in its efforts of praying or initiating peaceful initiatives.

It is commendable that in the year 2006 President Mugabe and some of his Ministers joined the church in a National Day of Prayer.

In fact, he personally went on to suggest that it would be a noble idea if Zimbabwe could have a national day of prayer as a holiday.

We would encourage that the Government should consider this suggestion seriously, as these are the steps towards obtaining favour from God for our nation.

On the other hand it is also commendable at this stage that the different political parties have welcomed the church initiative by giving it a chance, and participating in the dialogue.

God is expecting Zimbabwe to become His chosen nation, with a holy people, blessed of Him. In this regard, the Government and the church should jointly fight the sins of corruption, sodomy, child abuse, domestic violence, etc.

The church should preach how to overcome personal temptations to its members (suggested to be 80 percent of the population) while the Government continues to enact laws that fight the evils of society. The church leaders as well as the Government leaders must live by example.

The way forward, what can Zimbabwe do to shorten the distance to the Promised Land?

In my opinion the Promised Land is no longer far away, the year 2007 should be our year of the breakthrough, we as a country have been in this struggle for the past seven years.

The number seven is a figure of breakthroughs in the bible, for example, God took six days to create the world, and on the seventh day He rested.

If we are to receive the Zimbabwe we want, we have to become the people that God wants. Every Christian needs to play a part.

If we stand firm we will see the deliverance of God, as outlined to the children of Israel in Exodus 14:13 as they stood helplessly by the Red Sea.

We need to stand firm but in action -- "purifying ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of the reverence of God," as in 2 Corinthians 7:1.

Every preacher should preach this message in 2007. Every believer must decide to start living what the word of God says.

We need to realise that when we pray for Zimbabwe in 2007, the year of the Lord's favour, our simple prayers will move mountains.

We need to pray as individuals, as families, as a church and as a nation. We are pleased to see so many individuals and church groups who come to pray at our Prayer and Conference Campus. In 2007 every Christian must pray for Zimbabwe wherever they live.

God already knows that we need foreign currency inflows, more jobs, good relations with other countries etc, his word says in Mathew 6:33, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these will be added to you."

God will grant us the Zimbabwe that we want.