Stop dividing people Church urged

By Tovin Ngombe
Sinazongwe District Commissioner (DC) Laiven Apuleni has urged the church to guard against the trend of dividing their flock.

. Apuleni said at the induction of reveland Morgan Silwenga of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) in Sinazongwe that without the Church’s key role of uniting the nation, countries would be plunged into perpetual wars.

He said some clergy in some Churches have taken upon themselves to speak authoritatively on matters that have not been discussed with their members.

“I recognize that men and women of God have their personal opinions, regrettably, some of our clergy have propagated their personal opinions on matters of national importance as if those opinions were of the Church, don not divide the Church”
Apuleni said.

He also noted that the Clergy play an important role of shaping the morality of the nation and their church members should support them so that they devote themselves to preaching the Gospel.

Apuleni said some Church leaders have abandoned the Gospel to join politics because they think they would find better livelihood than spreading the word of God.

UCZ Bishop Vincent Kageya said some Churches were divided at the expense of serving people.
Bishop Kageya said people were too confrontation in expressing their views government does things wrongly in instead of advising.

The Bishop said marriages have broken in most homes because the Church fails to talk about issues of sexuality openly.

He also urged Sinazongwe people to engage into farming rather than depending on relief food from government.

“It is not fair when we have water around and people are failing to cultivate instead you sit and wait for relief food, do not encourage people for relief food government officials should visit our fields not to ask for relief food,” Bishop Kageya said.

He told the gathering to work together to uplift their living standard because hungry people could not have the ear to listen to the word of God.

Bishop Kageya said adultery and fornication have also rocked the church resulting into high levels of HIV/AIDS which the Church has to talk about.

He said the Church should not allow the use of condoms to unmarried people because it would encourage fornication.