Jehovah's Witnesses to Support Government
by zev 5 Replies latest jw friends
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Jehovah's Witnesses to Support Government
The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
August 23, 2004
Posted to the web August 23, 2004JEHOVAH'S Witnesses will support the Government of the day while it remains neutral on political issues.
Speaking at the just ended three-day Lusaka district convention yesterday, convention spokesperson Joseph Kunda said the church would support certain policies of the current Government.
"The church will remain submissive to Government by paying taxes and will support certain policies but will not engage itself in politics," Mr Kunda said.
Mr Kunda said the church baptised 176 candidates where an 87-year old was the oldest and the youngest was 15 years.
And Kwacha Member of Parliament (MP) Eugene Appel has urged the church to complement Government effort in uplifting the living standards of the people.
Mr Appel said many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had gone underground and it was now up to the church to take up the challenge.
Mr Appel was speaking at the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) Kwacha east congregation in Kitwe yesterday.
He said it was important that the church identified itself with the leadership in the party to ensure that the community benefited from both donor and Government supported projects.
The MP who is Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister, said he was in the constituency to update himself with the problems the community was facing such as lack of water and HIV/AIDS.
The deputy minister said those in the church should be in the forefront providing information which the NGOs had failed to offer constituency leaders.
He praised the UCZ Kwacha East congregation for spearheading the formation of a union of 11 different congregations in the area to help raise the living standards of families through community-based projects.
"Problems of poverty are very real in the country and the Zambian Government has set itself a time frame for wiping out the problem and would involve women in programmes through their participation in all projects," he said.
When he visited the Evangelical Church of Zambia (ECZ) in Kwacha constituency, Mr Appel urged members and Pastor Fitrix Chitengi to continue with their good works.
He told Pastor Chitengi that the church should continue as a mirror of society and help vulnerable groups better their outlook and should ensure they were not neglected since the majority came from poor backgrounds.
On the poor road network in the area, Mr Appel said there was not enough money to go round, explaining that even the fuel levy was just a drop in the ocean.
Mr Appel urged the people to participate in the community-based road projects as they were meant to benefit them.
He said he was concerned at some businessmen's behaviour when they failed to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) to the Zambia Revenue Authority as that was the same money Government used to develop the entire country.
The deputy minister said it was important for Zambians to ask for receipts from shop attendants whenever they bought goods in super markets as the move would benefit Zambia.
Not doing so, he said, would appear to be supporting corrupt tendencies.
And Pastor Chitengi thanked the minister who was accompanied by officials from his constituency led by chairman Macleans Chupa.
The pastor complained that the Kitwe City Council had denied his church a plot meant to build a youth and women centre.
"We need your assistance in getting a plot from the council where we intend to construct both a women and youth centre for the church," Pastor Chitengi said.
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Well now, isn't that special?
sKally
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avishai
Nice, I hope it happens more often
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candidlynuts
help me understand this..
the following talks about the JW's ........
JEHOVAH'S Witnesses will support the Government of the day while it remains neutral on political issues.
Speaking at the just ended three-day Lusaka district convention yesterday, convention spokesperson Joseph Kunda said the church would support certain policies of the current Government.
"The church will remain submissive to Government by paying taxes and will support certain policies but will not engage itself in politics," Mr Kunda said.
Mr Kunda said the church baptised 176 candidates where an 87-year old was the oldest and the youngest was 15 years
after this line the rest is about the United church of zambia? am i reading it right?
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candidlynuts
i am such a good thread killer lol
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zev
don't worry, i'm way ahead in that dept.