10 Jul 2017

The nation has been called upon to continuously introspect as doing so could contribute to future success.

In a sermon during the President’s Day celebrations church service held on Sunday (July 9), Reverend Celestino Chishimba of the Anglican Church said while African cultures have for years been labelled as primitive, it remained imperative for African nations to hold dear those cultures, and continuously look back onto them to draw lessons that could benefit them going forward.

Likening the life of a human being to that of a tree, Rev. Chishimba said a nation without God cultural roots was bound to fail in its future endeavours.

Describing the future as a continuation of the past, he said it was thus critical for nations to make peace with their past.

Rev. Chishimba also implored the nation of Botswana to continue carving out a culture that would work for it in future as it had always done.

He noted that with culture being central to self-identity, it was important that the country’s cultural heritage be working for it and not against it.

On the role of the church in maintaining peace, Rev. Chishimba said it was the church’s God-given responsibility to unify people.

He said promoting and nurturing peace were at the centre of the church’s many responsibilities.

The cleric also emphasised the importance of people being change-agents.

He said before advocating for societal change, people should, at individual level, strive to be the change that they want to see in the larger society.

Speaking earlier, Pastor Boitirelo Kabo of the Seventh Day Adventist Church had stated that the church service, which is held each year, accorded the nation an opportunity to thank God for its blessings as well as to pray about the challenges it could be facing.

Pastor Kabo said churches in Botswana used the church service to recognise and acknowledge that it was God who had brought the nation this far.

He said as a nation, Botswana did not take for granted the unity, peace and tranquility that it continued to enjoy, and thus used the church service as a platform through which to express gratitude for those.

The church service, which brought together different churches, saw prayers being offered for peace and stability; prayers for national leaders; as well as prayers for thanksgiving and for rain.

The leadership of the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB), Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) and the Botswana Christian Council (BCC), together with some senior government officials, graced the occasion.  ENDS