12 Dec 2016

The church carries the responsibility of responding to various needs of communities in which it exists.

Coordinator of the disability office at Office of the President (OP), Mr Thomas Motingwa, said this at St. Faith Holy Church’s women’s conference in Moroka on December 9.

Mr Motingwa expressed concern that while churches continued to mushroom at an alarming rate, it was only a handful that upheld the call to show their faith through visible deeds.

He said it was disheartening that some of the churches were focused solely on receiving from members of their congregations without extending a helping hand towards the society’s less-privileged as commanded by the Bible.

Nonetheless, he commended the St. Faith Holy Church women, who donated 45 blankets to the Moroka Primary School’s special education unit for their noble gesture.

He implored them to not let challenges they encountered to derail their plan of contributing towards enhancing the living standards of fellow citizens who needed help.

Giving an overview of the donation, Archbishop Esther Mmolotsi likened what St. Faith Holy Church had done to the parable of the Good Samaritan; saying God had on purpose allowed for some people to live with disability to see if fellow human beings would respond to their needs in a humane manner.

She also commended her fellow women for having done something to uplift the others, saying that was what they were as believers enjoined to do.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Kgosi George Moroka of Moroka called on government to take stern measures against church leaders who abused unsuspecting members of their congregations by fleecing them of their hard-earned money.

Kgosi Moroka expressed concern that some such leaders were openly taking advantage of the freedom of worship espoused in Botswana’s constitution.

Notwithstanding, he hailed the St. Faith Holy Church women for their donation, saying that was clear indication of the important role women had been playing not only in the church but also at family level.

The women’s annual conference, according to Bishop Ruth Molefhe had over the years been used as a platform to make positive impact on the host communities.

Further, she said they used the conference to share ideas as well as to equip each other with life skills so as to also better their lives as church members.

At the event, church members were also sensitised on health issues by health personnel, with non-communicable diseases, which were said to have been showing an upward trend in recent years, taking the spotlight.

They were also implored by the Botswana Police Service to play an active role in combating crime, especially during the impending holidays, because it was evident that crime incidences shot upwards during such periods. ENDS