10 Oct 2023

The public must join forces with religious based organisations to seek God’s intervention to ensure a secure and safe nation.

 The call was made by pastors from different church denominations in Maun during a closing ceremony of Month of Prayer against societal challenges.

They noted that tackling current societal ills required all to change attitudes and intensify praying.

They said the  church and the nation must collectively pray for stability, peace, harmony and against ills bedeviling the country.

Reverend Phomolo Masike of Spiritual Healing Church called for all to engage in effective public prayer, which he said involved faith and compassion.

“We need to intensify prayer because our society is overwhelmed with ills such as gender-based violence, disease out breaks, road crashes, alcohol and drug abuse among others. To overcome all these, we need to join forces and speak with one voice unto God,” he added.

The church, he said, should heighten its role in providing spiritual guidance to complement government efforts towards ensuring a healthy and spiritually sound nation.

Rev. Masike cited gender based violence as a serious concern, saying many had been traumatised with some children witnessing violence in their homes against their mothers and sisters and other family members.

“It is time to further our collective action to end violence against women and girls. Every woman and every girl has the right to life free of violence. It is a pity as some suffered emotional violence which I consider it more painful as it is often unrecognised,” he added.

Some women and girls, he said  lived in fear of men because of the pain they caused by some men. 

He also called on the public to tackle rising toll of illnesses by taking responsibility for their own health. 

He advised all to lead healthier lifestyle and to refrain from consuming things that would negatively affect their wellbeing.

Pastor Baba Chaka of Johani Masowe Church concurred that the societal ills required all churches to seek God and belief  that together they could make a difference. 

Prayer, he said could combat the ills.

He emphasised the need for collective efforts in order to successfully eliminate disease outbreaks. 

He expressed concern that some members of the public especially men were lagging behind in managing their health.

Men, he said, still drag their feet to screen for diseases and test for HIV/AIDS citing that some relied on results of their partners. 

Pastor Chaka called on men to change attitudes and to  ensure regular screening for different illnesses, saying such would help stop transmission of some diseases.

Batawana deputy paramount chief, Kgosi Kealetile Moremi thanked Ministers Fraternal for organising the prayers which she noted were initially intended for  praying against HIV/AIDS, but later included other ills faced by the country.

She was of the view that the prayers would be answered as God cares and calms all pestilences. Ills such as diseases, she said  were a threat to humanity. She urged churches to participate in community activities and attend kgotla meetings.

Minister’s Fraternal secretary, Ms Bernadette Malala thanked churches for attending the event in large numbers, saying that was an indication that they took  prayer month seriously and wanted to make an impact.

However, she took a swipe to some government departments for failing to participate in the prayers citing that pastors were assigned to pray in different departments but some were not welcomed in offices. 

“It was disappointing as some public servants undermined the efforts by pastors to respond to the government call to bring hope and healing to the nation,” she added. Ends