07 Nov 2016

The Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) has contributed to the health and education sectors of the country.

Consequently, the church inspired Botswana’s growth and development.

The Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, said this during Trinity Congregational Church’s golden jubilee celebration over the weekend.

“As the country celebrates its golden jubilee, we also celebrate the contribution of the UCCSA church to the development of Botswana,” he said.

He said the church remained the cornerstone of development in the country, adding that it should preach peace and help restore human dignity.

“The church is called  not only to  provide for the material needs of the poor, but should also tend to spiritual needs of those who are heartbroken and desolate. I therefore urge you to be a sanctuary for poverty alleviation and discrimination in any form,” he said.

Mr Masisi said the history of Botswana could not be written without acknowledging the immense contributions made by generations of church members under the auspices of the London Missionary Society (LMS).

“It was LMS missionaries, most notable the Rev. Robert Moffat, who pioneered the development of the firsts Setswana publications, as well as schools through printing press and college at Kudumane,” he said.

Mr Masisi said, besides establishing the first mission and school in Botswana, Robert Moffat's son-in-law, Dr David Livingstone pioneered the introduction of the science based medicine.

“The early LMS missionaries were also notable for their recognition that for the gospel to truly take root it needed local baruti to take the lead,” he said.

From the time of Moffat and Livingstone through the colonial era, Mr Masisi said the church was at the forefront in upholding freedom and dignity of Batswana against external threats from the Amandebele, Boers and the British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes.

“It was the latter's desire to take over Botswana that motivated the three  dikgosi  to accompany the Rev. William Charles Willoughby to Britain in 1895, adding that, while the formal reason for their visit was to attend the celebration of the LMS centenary as the guests of honour, their underlying motive for their overseas mission was to lobby the British Government, and the public against the transfer of their territories to Rhodes.

He said after Independence in 1966, the church continued to support the post-independence administration.

For his part, the UCCSA, Synod Secretary, Rev. Keleneilwe Kgerethwa implored the congregation to map their way forward for the next 50 years, adding that they needed to assess what further contribution they made as a church beyond the seed planted by the missionaries.

“Allow me to remind you that when the missionaries came to the cape of Good Hope, their intention was to create not or form any denomination but to plant the seed in God's vine yard,” he said.

He said he was concerned that the generation of strong theologians was slowly dying, which resulted in the congregation growing slowly and being shallow on Christian education.

“Our debates, theological discourse and the bible studies are normally very shallow and draw a lot from the internet material that lacks rigor and theological astuteness,” he said. ENDS