Pray for Zimbabwe

Deborah Froese, Interim PrayerNet Coordinator, sent this urgent prayer concern last week. Since then the opposition leader has withdrawn due to escalating violence against his supporters. Inspite of no opposition, the election is still apparently going ahead today. Please pray.

Dear Friends and fellow pray-ers,

Since the last issue of PrayerNet was distributed, Mennonite Church Canada and the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) have issued an urgent call for intercessory prayer on behalf of Zimbabweans as they face a tense run-off election on June 27. (MWC 2006 statistics count over 33,000 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ members in Zimbabwe.) MC Canada Witness workers Dan Nighswander and Yvonne Snider-Nighswander will be in Zimbabwe as deacons for the MWC community for two weeks surrounding the election period. For your convenience, we have attached a PDF copy of this request that has been formatted to include in your church bulletin.



Urgent call to Intercession

Please note June 26 and 27 on your calendar. Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and Mennonite Church Canada are calling for prayer and fasting on those dates to support Zimbabweans as they face a tense run-off election on June 27.

Dan Nighswander and Yvonne Snider-Nighswander, MC Canada Witness workers in South Africa, have been blessed by MC Canada to serve as deacons of the MWC community during that time. They will provide encouragement to Bishop Ndlovu, MWC president-elect and leader of the Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe (BICCZ), Bishop Ndlovu’s family, pastors and others under stress.

Dan and Yvonne have specifically asked for prayers for wisdom during this time of uncertainty. Please also pray:
– that God will intervene in a visible way to end the violence and suffering that have afflicted Zimbabwe;
– that the churches of Zimbabwe will be signs of God’s love and justice in the midst of this struggle;
– that those who have been intimidated will be able to exercise their right to vote without further threat;
– that election monitors will be permitted to play a credible role to assure integrity and lack of violence at polling stations;
– that the government in power will allow honest results to be reported;
– that, whatever the election results, the government in power will agree to come to the table with opposition political leaders, military and security forces, and church and civil society organizations to map out a workable path for the future of the country;
– that African and United Nations leaders will play a strong and clear role in pressing for the above outcomes.

Mennonite World Conference is a communion (Koinonia) of Anabaptist-related churches linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service, and witness.