UPDATED 2/25 see read more
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Canon Kenneth Kearon writes:
I want to bring to your attention the request of the Primates and Moderators of the Anglican Communion, at their recent meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, that Anglican Churches world-wide observe 25th February, Ash Wednesday, as a day of prayer and solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.
The primates and Moderators also requested that parishes throughout the Anglican Communion give aid to enable food and other material aid for Zimbabwe for distribution through the dioceses of the Church of the Province of Central Africa.
Financial aid should be channelled through your own church’s relief and development agency
Read more at the Anglican Communion News Service.
Episcopal Relief and Development is one way to act on our prayers:
Episcopal Relief & Development has partnered with the Anglican Diocese of Masvingo where communities are struggling to cope with hyper-inflation and food shortages. A priority has been supporting the sick and caring for young orphans. With Episcopal Relief & Development’s support, parish volunteers have been trained in home-based care and supplied with kits to families affected by HIV. Poultry projects are bringing a necessary source of both food and income.
Episcopal Relief & Development is fighting disease in Zimbabwe through the malaria prevention program, NetsforLife®. Partnering with the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa, this program protects the most vulnerable – primarily pregnant women and young children – from contracting malaria. In 2009 NetsforLife® plans to educate communities in prevention and treatment methods and distribute 49,500 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets to people in Zimbabwe.
Read more here
Donate here
Prayer resources below:
Prayer Resources
Prayer for the People of Zimbabwe
We pray for the suffering people of Zimbabwe,
Forced to live amid deterioration, disease and despair.
We raise our voices on their behalf,
As truth-tellers we want to proclaim ‘This is not good’,
It is not how God desires our world to be.
Loving Father, look after the people of that sad but beautiful land,
Care for the little ones,
Comfort the dying ones,
And into this hour of darkness may the light of your new dawn begin to shine.
Amen
Prayer from All Africa Conference of Churches
Pray for the church in Zimbabwe that it takes its appropriate role in responding to the needs of the people.
Pray for the formation of a government that will ensure delivery of services to the people of Zimbabwe.
Pray that the food supplies reach the dying people in remote Zimbabwe and that there be enough food for everybody.
Pray that medical supplies are made available to all areas of the country and save threatened life.
Pray that there be unity, tolerance, love and mutual respect among all Zimbabweans regardless of political differences.
Pray that the Lord may have mercy on Zimbabwe and give enough rains for a good harvest which will result in the restoration of human dignity, respect and recognition.
Pray that Christians worldwide may be inspired by the Spirit to remain in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe until the end of crisis.
Pray that the faith of Christians in Zimbabwe may be made stronger by their suffering so that in hope they retain their joy and commitment to Christ.
Pray that the resources being extracted from Zimbabwe may benefit the whole nation including the poor rather than individuals.
Pray that God may change the hearts of those who do not put the interests of the people but think of themselves as more important than others.
Pray that the will of God may be done.
UPDATED Wednesday February 25
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF ARCHBISHOP THABO MAKGOBA
Support PM Tsvangirai’s Appeal For Help, Says Archbishop Makgoba
Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town today (Wednesday) appealed to the international community “to give generously” to Zimbabwe’s new unity government in response to pleas for help by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
“Although many have had reservations in the past about whether the inclusive government… can work, it is right now the only hope which the people of Zimbabwe have, and we must do all we can to make it work,” Archbishop Makgoba said.
He was preaching in St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town, at an Ash Wednesday service (marking the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar).
Archbishop Makgoba, supported by Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury and other leaders of the world-wide Anglican Communion, has declared today a “day of prayer and fasting for Zimbabwe.”
Referring to the people of Zimbabwe in his sermon, Archbishop Makgoba said: [verbatim excerpt follows]
“The injustice, the oppression, the hunger, the deprivation they have suffered is hard for us to grasp. Their needs are desperate: the most basic medication for clinics and hospitals; money to pay for the marking of last year’s exam papers, let alone civil servants’ salaries.
“Although many have had reservations in the past about whether the inclusive government agreed upon last September can work, it is right now the only hope which the people of Zimbabwe have, and we must do all we can to make it work.
“I therefore appeal to all South Africans, including the Government – and also to the SADC nations, to the European Union and the United States – to give generously in response to the pleas for assistance of Prime Minister Tsvangirai.
“As Anglicans, we can fast for the people of Zimbabwe and donate what we save as a result of our Lenten observances to support them.
“Most important of all, we can pray for Zimbabwe and all its people, and I ask that you do this, not only today, but throughout Lent – persevering in your prayers, as new circumstances with the power-sharing government unfold – persevering in prayer, like the runners of our second reading.”
Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
Inquiries: Cynthia Michaels – 021- 763-1320 (office hours)