Spiritual hunger offers opportunities
for Bible Society of Zimbabwe

Edward Mutema, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe. Photo: UBS/Julian Phillips (ZIM06DJ-2.JPG)

ZIMBABWE — The situation that the Bible Society of Zimbabwe is currently facing could be described as a ‘dangerous opportunity’, says General Secretary Edward Mutema. He describes below how, on the one hand, the country is experiencing a rapidly worsening crisis, but how, on the other hand, people are very resilient and there are great opportunities on the spiritual front, especially among young people.

No solution

“The situation in Zimbabwe has had a dramatic impact on Church life. I’ve visited many churches whose life has been transformed. Somehow people are seeking God at this hour. I think they have realised that without God there is no solution to the crisis that is happening in our country today. So we are pleased by what’s happening in the sense that it’s an opportunity for us and for many across the world who want to support the work of the Bible Society. We can now seize this opportunity and make sure we flood the market with the Scriptures to meet people’s spiritual hunger.

Vibrancy

“This vibrancy in Church life is particularly noticeable among young people. The enthusiasm, the excitement of young people when you meet them in worship! What we need to do at the Bible Society is to capture that excitement by providing Scriptures that will make sure they have a solid foundation, a basis for the excitement they have in life.

Hard to believe

“For us, it’s hard to believe that young people in the West don’t really care about the Bible. When you get the Bible into our context people rush for it as if they’re going for gold and it’s amazing!

“We have 12 staff at the Bible Society, from a wide range of denominations. Some do marketing, some have skills in business, some have skills in publishing, but we are very small in terms of our skill base. I think our challenge is to make sure that we broaden that base. When you’re dealing with young people you need certain skills that will appeal to them, so we need to bring in staff to take up that challenge and to make sure that we meet the demands of our people.

Not alone

“It’s great to know that we are not alone, we are part of a global Fellowship. We get a lot of encouragement knowing that there is always somebody somewhere praying for us. It keeps us going when we feel like giving up. I sincerely believe that we are strategically positioned as a Bible Society to influence the country: we are at the cutting edge of making a difference. Our vision statement talks about enhancing a God-fearing nation, and I think that, properly resourced, with all the energy that we have, we can actually do that in the next few years.”