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| Zimbabwe: To Buy Seed Is a Sign of Hope | ||||||||||||
Dry, parched fields push up to the churches and homes of Mashvingo District, Zimbabwe; cattle get a bit of water on a prescribed schedule. Yet in timeless acts of hospitality, the people share sweet potatoes and boiled tea with one another. The specter of famine prowls alongside the life-threatening drought across much of southern Africa. Yet the people of Mashvingo District ask where and how they can buy seed. United Methodist Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa sees the practice of hospitality and the question of seed as rays of hope holding back the shadow of death. The bishop is working with community leaders to organize responses to the threats posed by limited water and sparse crops. Elected to the episcopacy late last year, he is responsible for the 230 circuits and 130,000 United Methodists in Zimbabwe. Southern Africa is particularly vulnerable to food shortages caused by drought. In a May 24 report in the New York Times, scientists said that heat-trapping atmospheric emissions—known popularly as “greenhouse gases”—cause the rains to fail. Vulnerable populations, such as the rural residents of Zimbabwe, are more likely to feel the effects than are the wealthy. A part of the Church’s ministry, says Bishop Nhiwatiwa, is to sustain the community in its efforts to cope. “This serious drought really puts Christians to the test,” he states. “It teaches that we do not live by bread alone.” During a recent visit to the United States, the bishop reflected on the Bible passage about the ravens feeding the Prophet Elijah. “Even the creation around you knows that you need food,” he said, referring to 1 Kings 17:6. The United Methodist Zimbabwe Church is a member of a local nongovernmental organization called Christian Care that is addressing rural poverty. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has made a grant to help Christian Care with its nutrition programs, food distribution, and self-supporting activities such as gardening. “Thank you,” Bishop Nhiwatiwa says simply, “the people in Zimbabwe know that the church has not abandoned them.” United Methodists’ prayers and gifts of money are critical to ongoing
needs in the face of drought and famine. Donors may contribute to UMCOR Advance
#101250, All Africa Famine, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Donors
using a credit card may call toll free, 800-554-8583. UMCOR is exempt from
tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States
and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
Date posted: May 25, 2005 |
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