Zimbabwe Link

Croydon/Central Zimbabwe Link: News from Zimbabwe – January 2023

In December The Venerable Moira Astin, Archdeacon of Reigate and Steve Chapman from the Link committee were able to meet in person with members of the Link committee who live in Zimbabwe. It was good to meet face-to-face and not to have to cope with the problems of the electricity supply and internet for once.

Moira and Steve

These problems continue to affect communication with Zimbabwe (at our January meeting we had only one member of the committee from Zimbabwe represented as others were experiencing power outages). We are looking at different ways of setting up parish links, possibly using WhatsApp which seems to be more reliable.

Here are some updates in the meantime:

Mothers’ Union

At Christmas branches were able to give groceries to their pastors, and also to the children’s home. They also collected clothes for the children’s home. In 2023 they want to support the MU in rural areas, providing school fees for poor children, so that they can be educated and help to break the cycle of poverty.

Projects

St Philemon’s are now on the electricity grid and are working on a bore hole to provide clean water, with a solar pump.

St David’s Dorset have sunk a hole but are having some problems with the casings. They hope that the bore hole will supply the church and the local community and enable them to have a market garden.

St Andrew’s Mkoba is working on a bore hole as are several other parishes. In this way the churches can practically serve their communities. These projects have started in rural areas, but they will also be brought to urban areas, since the municipal supply is insecure.

The Elution boiler at the Gold Mine is working well and provides an income of $350 per cycle – with about 15 cycles a year. The diocese has a second boiler and is negotiating to find another mine which wants to rent this technology to get the gold out of the cyanide solution where it is located. This has been funded by local fundraising and the income will provide pensions for retired clergy.

Zimbabwe Link2

The Diocesan Schools have environment clubs running now supported by an NGO.

The hospital project has not progressed any further as they are in the rainy season, so the building is still only used as a surgery.

Farmers have been planting so the food project is going well, and they are praying for a good harvest.

Other projects which are planned include the prospect of building a shopping mall (where the Diocesan offices are based), so that rental income can be generated and it is hoped that works will commence this year. They are also mobilising resources to build a new boarding school as there are not enough high school places for the population.

Situation in Zimbabwe

There will be elections in 2023, but the date has not yet been announced, and there is currently some violence as electioneering is rising. Please pray for the tensions and violence to subside, without any more violence as the elections draw nearer. +Ignatios is the President of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and this means he goes to Harare at least weekly. Please pray for him as he talks with politicians and leads the churches in meeting with the political parties. The meetings include challenging the corruption that is rife, so please pray for the church leaders as they speak truth to power.

The food situation is deteriorating, the rains have come and it is hoped this will help, but they can cause floods. As well as individual food programmes, the Diocese is looking to have farming education programmes to increase productivity. Cyclones are anticipated, and the government seems unprepared for the damage that they cause to infrastructure. The Diocese is trying to educate people in what they can do to protect themselves and their property from the intense rain and wind that the cyclones bring.

Here at St Margaret’s, we are proud to support the work they do, our mission representatives are Madeleine MacCallum and Nic Dodds so if you would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact them.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

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Planning your Visit

New to Church?

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at St Margaret’s Church for our Sunday Services . We now have two services of differing styles on offer, Holy Communion will be celebrated at one of these services every week.

The first service starts at 8:45am and this will be BCP (Book of Common Prayer) traditional worship with hymns.

The second service starts at 10:15am and will be more contemporary worship with band led music. Groups for under 18's will be held, starting off in church together. Communion will be held at one service each week.

We will hold a Unified service at 10am celebrating the best of both traditions. This will be for occasions such as Remembrance Sunday, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and our Patronal Festival. We will also come together as one church family when there is a 5th Sunday in the month.

For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you will be greeted by someone on our Sides Team, please make yourself known, that you are visiting for the first time so that we may give you a welcome pack.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after each service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Sides Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is also a disabled toilet and baby changing facilities.

Our Service

Each service begins with a warm welcome from our Rector. We have a mixture of services, comprising of Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, BCP Communion, Morning Worship and All Together. Our music is organ and band. We typically have 3 or 4 songs. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Our Rector will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. There is always an opportunity to receive private prayer at the end of the service.

What about my children?

We have a great programme lined up for children of all ages:

Bubbles (3-5 years)
Juniors (6-11 years)
Ignite (11-14 years)
Youth (14+ years)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs, and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children’s group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games, and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes, usually around 11.15am.

Getting Connected

Small Groups
While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons, and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering
If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us, make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.
Name:
Telephone:
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Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?
Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes