®™REV. SAMUEL MUTENDIS LIFE. In 1880 Samuel Mutendi was born at Chipinda Zaka district in Masvingo province as a young man who loved prayer and christianity which he learnt under REV MALAN at the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) @ Mushana mission school in BIKITA(1910-1913).He joins BSAP at Chegutu (Hartley) as a Police recruit (1913-1924).The Holy Spirit comes down upon him at Hartley in (1913) and he faces osracism as he searches in vain for a local church that could accommodate his brand of Fellowship with the Holy Spirit goes back home.He serves briefly as teacher assistant at the DRC Gumunyu primary school with friends Andreas Shoko and David Masuka. He travels to Pretoria, South Africa as a migrant labourer and joins Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM)led by Rev Mhlangu where they receive water baptism. In (1923) befriends Enginas Lekganyane,a local leader of the ZAFM church. He comes back to Southern Rhodesia as a ZAFM missionary in 1923.Bttween 1924-1932 he goes back to South Africa at the invitation of Lekganyane where together they from the Zion Christian Church (ZCC ).They submit registration papers for the church @ the Union building in Pretoria.Rev Mutendi returns to Southern Rhodesia operating from his mission at Mubveve near Nyika Growth point Zaka and starts preaching and converting people and using river immersion Baptism which was quite different from the mainline missionary churches.He establishes his reputation as a Faith Healer, Rainmaker,wise counsellor and bold man God.He and his converts endure persecution from White Missionaries who believed that only they could preach and baptise people not and not a black African missionary.He Experiences frequent arrests from the white colonial government officials and harassment from some local chiefs and traditional healers(1932-1947).To escape proscription Mutendi moved his mission station from Mubveve to Mukute.While at Mukute Mutendi and the early Church sees up six schools in Zaka Bikita and GUTU where Africans are taught to read and write. These schools were banished by colonial inspectors who considered them springboards for a resurgent African Nationalism.So more arrests and custodial sentences followed.ZCC given permission by the colonial government to worship and pray in public without fear of police raids. In 1939 the current Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi is born.ZCC is officially registered in southern Rhodesia.In 1942 Lekganyanes Zion Christian church is officially registered in South Africa.between 1947-1966 Mutarara Mission becomes a landmark establishment in Bikita the first fully fledged community primary school buit with permission from the colonial government. Lekganyane dies and contact with South africa is lost.1948 the Church grows and Rev Mutendi holds Conferences in the community offering Holy Communion.Some local chiefs and headman like Nyashanu of Buhera Mazungunye of Bikita chief Ndanga Chief chibwe to name a few are born again and baptised into the Zion Christian Church.Between 1967-1972 REV MUTENDI and his whole church community is forced to relocate to remote GOKWE in the Midlands Province.He establishes Maramasimbe the first Mission Station in GOKWE catering for the local vaSHANGWE Community whose nearest School had been Kana mission some 50KM away. In 1973-1976 after 50 years of nomadic travel REV. MUTENDI finally settles at DEFE DOPOTA in Gokwe where the current Church Headquarters is located. Early July 1976 REV MUTENDI presides over his last Conference at SOTE in GUTU where he prophesises his own death.He foretells how three days after his demise people would observe a sign that he had been delivered.At age of 96 REV MUTENDI passes on peacefully at DEFE DOPOTA on 20 JULY 1976) a custom that has since been sanctified by the ZCC.On Friday July 23 1976 as the Zionist fraternity converges for the funeral a great spectacle takes place in Southern Rhodesia.As thousands countrywide witness a celestial body appearing in the cloudless night sky! To those who knew him the dazzling portrait of REV SAMUEL MUTENDI in full Church regalia_ gliding from North to South before disappearing in misty radiance at DEFE!Thus fullfilling what he had prophesied to come 3 days after his death!!!!!!
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 19:53:41 +0000