June 23rd is the day we remember the 9 Elim missionaries and 4 of their children who were killed in the Vumba in Zimbabwe this day in 1978.
When we worked in Mutare, the nearest city to the Vumba, Diane and I planted a congregation in a building that had been purchased at the time as the Elim Memorial Church. That church has since been renovated to a high standard and has become a real focus for the Elim Church's work in that area. At the time of our being there Elim had around a dozen churches in the country, together with schools and a hospital. Now there are over 65 congregations all over Zimbabwe and the work is thriving. Stephen Griffith's excellent book The Axe and the Tree tells the story of all that led up to the massacre of 40 years ago and the great suffering and faith of the national church and its leaders at that time. I recommend it.
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| Peter & Sandra McCann, Philip & Joy died in the Vumba |
One of my responsibilities was to keep an eye on the upkeep of the mass grave of those who died in the Vumba. Once a year, on the occasion of the graduation of the young men we were training as evangelists in what was known as Project Timothy, they would gather with me around the grave. I would explain to the young men that they were the fruit of the sacrifices these people had made, and then pray for them that, as they went out two by two into the community, they would remember the example of these friends of ours who paid the ultimate price for the gospel and the service of the nation of Zimbabwe. Each year it was common for tears to be shed and the impact upon the young evangelists was clear to be seen.
Today, I pray for the relatives of all who lost their lives in that dreadful time in Zimbabwe, but recall that there has always been a price to pay for following Jesus and doing what is right.
"They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated— the world was not worthy of them...
These were all commended for their faith" (Hebrews 11:38-39)
