First Sabbath Offering for the Zimbabwe West Field’s Headquarters

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa, known for its dramatic landscape, huge mineral deposits and diverse wildlife. On the mighty Zambezi River, Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, make a thundering 108-meter drop into the narrow Batoka Gorge.

Zimbabwe is bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. This nation, with a population of about 16 million, enjoys complete freedom of worship. Most Zimbabwean Christians are Protestants. The Protestant Christian churches with a large membership are the Anglican, Seventh-day Adventist and Methodist churches. There are about a million Roman Catholics.

In 2008, with inflation skyrocketing to an astronomical 231 million percent, the nation’s currency totally collapsed and became worthless. To stabilize the economy, the government adopted the use of the United States dollar as its main currency.

The message of Reformation reached Zimbabwe in 1928. T.T. Ndlovu, a teacher at the Solusi Mission, saw a letter with SDA Reform Movement letterhead in the office of his pastor. Since he had not known about the existence of such an organization, he copied the address and started corresponding with brethren from Europe. Soon he was preaching the Reform message and was banished from the mission to his home area where he eventually pioneered the first Reform Movement church in Africa. In 1951, the enemy attacked the Reform Movement and caused a chasm within the church, yet faithful members regrouped—and since that time, the work has been steadily developing, leading to the establishment of a Field and a Mission. Recently, brethren in Zimbabwe started projects, and through self-sacrifice, have constructed memorials to God in the form of church buildings. Now it has become necessary to build the headquarters with a church office, preschool, and a health center.

We appeal to all our brethren, sisters and friends around the world for prayers and donations to accomplish this major development befitting this pioneer country on the African continent.

Your brethren from the Zimbabwe West Field