08 May 2017

Anglican Women’s Fellowship (AWF) members have been encouraged by different speakers who took to the podium to work together as a unit in the Diocese of Botswana.

Speaking during the AWF conference held in Molepolole on Saturday, Bishop of the Diocese of Botswana Rev. Metlhayotlhe Beleme called on the women to remember that “each one of us is only a member of a larger body which is the church of God.”

He therefore said the usefulness of their work as AWF depended on how they were fitted into the body of the church.

He further noted that while it was true that all people and nations were one before God, the  unity of all people did not mean that they were exactly the same.

However, he said even though each person was made in the image of God, their ideas and patterns of behaviour varied greatly in different persons, “and that is where encouragement of one another comes in handy because we even come from different environment.”

He stressed that if women worked together as one for the benefit of the fellowship the differences which were part of God’s plan for humanity, would contribute positively for the organization as each one of them brought their own special way of thinking. He therefore urged them to encourage and help one another in this journey of service to others.

Again he reminded the organization to uphold the values of their church as they best learn how to serve God and God’s children in the days ahead.

Among the core values of the Diocese are Holy Spirit driven, mission centred, community service hospitable and Christ like.

Rev. Celestino Chisimba also gave word of encouragement to members of AWF. He told the congregants that they should take every member of this family (AWF) as equally important.

“Therefore as a body we need each other,” he said.

He furthermore reiterated that women could build one another by saying positive things about others.

He said doing so  demonstrated that they too should be deemed in a positive light. He also reminded them that the different talents they had belonged to the church and they should use them to build one another.

For her part, president of AWF, Ms Gosego Nthumbe explained that the organization was formed in 1966 in South Africa by members of Mothers Union in the Diocese.

Some members of Mothers Union realised that there were a number of women within the Anglican Communion who wanted to join Mothers Union organization but were unable to do so because of some of the regulations that existed then.

These Mothers union women she said then decided to form a provincial Organization that will accommodate and link all women from the age of 18 years to participate. BOPA