30 Nov 2015

Hundreds of Seventh Day Adventists converged on Jwaneng over the weekend for the 15^th Botswana Adventist Gospel Singers (BAGS) Forum Music Retreat.

Officially opening the retreat on Friday, Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Botlogile Tshireletso applauded the church for successfully organising the music retreat annually for 15 years without fail.

“This shows high levels of commitment considering that you do not have any sponsor, but solely depend on your music retreat fees. I encourage you to uphold that spirit of self-reliance. God will reward you handsomely when the time of harvest is upon us,” she said.

She said their church has been the government’s developmental partner since it was established in Botswana in 1911. 

She said activities of the church have contributed to the development of the country and its people as well as their well-being.

Such contribution, she noted, was through the establishment of educational facilities, preaching the word of God as well as promoting healthy living.

The assistant minister also said their singing goes a long way in addressing the challenges that the world was facing by providing comfort and solace to the depressed. 

“We therefore need people who can sing out praises so that God can hear your message and bless us through you. A song is a powerful tool for solace. 

As you know, the word of God says “if my people who are called by my name call upon me, I will heal their land,” she noted.

She said the fact that the music retreat was held rotationally in different areas across the country was a true indication of their determination to reach many people. 

However, she urged them to avail themselves to other groups of people who were usually working during the holidays in areas such as army barracks, border posts and hospitals.

She also urged them to extend the same energy they had in singing to prayer.

“Brothers and sisters, as much as we have committed our lives to singing the glories of God, we must do the same with prayer because prayer is the key of Heaven. 

If we pray, all our diverse social problems will vanish,” she said.

For her part, BAGS patron, Margaret Nasha applauded the government for allowing freedom of worship, saying it was a far-fetched dream in other countries. 

She said it was the same freedom that has helped communities to choose how they want to express their spirituality.

She also commended the government for heeding their call to allow for national elections to be held on a different day and not Saturday, which is the Seventh Adventist day of worship.

“This is a welcome development which we had been advocating for. This way we are also able to cast our vote freely,” she said. Ends