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Faith Test: Cash Crisis Affect Churches

The prevailing cash crisis in Zimbabwe has caused a significant drop in tithes and offerings as the shortages are affecting all spheres of ...

The prevailing cash crisis in Zimbabwe has caused a significant drop in tithes and offerings as the shortages are affecting all spheres of life. 

Some of the hardest hit are Pentecostal churches whose teachings usually centre on the 'prosperity gospel'.

Some churches have resorted to plastic money, with Celebration Church and the Apostolic Faith Mission having introduced such facilities for congregants.
Church Offering is Affected by the Cash Shortages 

Founder of House of Grace International Church, Prophet Shame Hungwe, said his ministry recorded a drop in offerings from US$4 000 per service to US$1 000 in recent weeks.

“The church is a component of the society. So, what is happening in the society will affect the church. We are not isolated from the ills that are affecting our country. 

"When people are not accessing their monies it means the church will also suffer because there is nowhere we can get money besides collecting tithe and offerings.”

Prophet Hungwe added that he was “not concerned about money” as long as souls were won for God. “We used to have as much as US$4 000 as offering on Sundays in our services but now we hardly get US$1 000 as offering. Our average is now US$800 tithes and offerings per service.

“This is because most of our members have been affected by the cash crisis and economic hardships that the country is experiencing. The little we are getting now comes from those who are running their small businesses.

“What we are doing is that we are preaching the gospel of hope, we want people to remove their focus on what is affecting them and put all their hope in Christ.” 

United Family International Church spokesperson Pastor Prime Kufa said the cash crisis had affected livelihoods.

“Well we cannot talk about the cash crisis in the context of the church lest we project the body of Christ as profit making organisation yet it is a charity organisation. Instead we have to talk of the cash crisis in terms of how it has affecting the people,” he said.
Prophet Tapiwa Freddy of Goodness and Mercy Ministries said one of the obligations of the church was to assist the less privileged. 

“The message for the people at this time is to look unto God. We are telling our members to turn to God at this time. You can read it on the faces of many people that they have issues they are passing through,” said Prophet Freddy.

“The cash inflow has dropped. It is when you receive salary that you will pay tithe. The people are just living by faith. If you see anybody in church today that is still faithfully paying his tithe and offering the way he used to, you should know it is by faith.”

God’s Power House Ministries leader Prophetess Taclar Gutsa weighed in: “It is a big problem with people losing their jobs and those that are not working are not being paid and those who are being paid there is no money in the bank.”

A deacon with the United Methodist Church in Harare said “some of our members are still complying, but the level of payment has diminished due to the fact that there is no money in the banks”. - The Sunday Mail 


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