Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa

Holy Archbishopric of Zimbabwe

THE MISSION WORK OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN ZIMBABWE 

Zimbabwe is located just north of South Africa. It gained independence in 1980 after a fifteen year liberation war. It is a country of 12 million people and endowed with many natural resources. It is the home of Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Zimbabwe has a well developed manufacturing sector, a relatively diversified mining sector and a productive agricultural centre. Recently however it has fallen on hard times because of a difference of opinion between Zimbabwe and the Western world over a land redistribution program, which was implemented by the government to achieve more equal distribution of land.

Over the years the Western Churches have made tremendous progress on converting the indigenous people to Christianity. They have done this through active missionary work, the establishment of schools, churches, hospitals and clinics. Orthodoxy has been present in Zimbabwe since the early 20th century. The focus of the Orthodox Church had been on serving the needs of the Greek Orthodox immigrants from Greece and Cyprus.  

However in the last fifteen years the Orthodox Church has become active in the missionary field. The Orthodox Church has constructed a missionary centre in the capital city of Harare, called ‘St. Nektarios’. At the missionary centre there is a clinic which serves the local community on a daily basis. The centre a hive of activity on weekends with a meeting of the Orthodox youth on Saturdays and the weekly Divine Liturgy and the catechism on Sundays. It has been very gratifying to see the positive impact that the Orthodox Church has had on the lives of these many converts from the local community.  

Another mission centre, ‘St. Augustine’ is under development in the second largest city Bulawayo and two new churches are under construction (St. George & Christ the Saviour). At ‘St. Nektarios’ a technical school is being built. The Orthodox Church is committed to enhancing the quality of life of the local community. The Church offers scholarships to enable underprivileged children to attend school and it is also active in supporting the underprivileged with food and medical assistance.

There is significant scope for the Church to do more in bringing Zimbabwean people closer to the true faith and making a real difference in the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans. In the course of time the Church is planning to expand its support of the local community by increased provision of health and education services.  With the support of our Orthodox brethren around the world much can be achieved.