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| Talent Chiwenga preaching along First Street |
If Harare is a site of spiritual contest, as its contrasting tendencies suggest, then First Street may well be the foremost stronghold of God’s militants.
Hundreds converge at the corner of First Street and Speke Avenue every week day between 11AM and 8PM for marathon sermons by a varied line-up of open-air preachers.
Mugomba, as the place is popularly known for its depressed location, means different things to different individuals.
Some show up occassionally for spiritual sustenance, others linger awhile out of “wonderlust,” and still more for biblical answers to the economic downturn.
While the Mugomba arena is exclusively dedicated to sermons, the area just a few steps away hosts raging theological debates on a daily basis.
Some of the debates are responses to messages preached at the main arena, and others, a means to test the doctrinal claims of different denominations against Bible truth.
Interestingly, there are very few female participants, perhaps owing to the combative nature and take-no-prisoners approach of the discussions.
Herald Review toured this Christian equivalent of ancient Athens’ Aeropagus to get a feel of the spiritual tempo.
Apostle Antony Chingandu of Christ’s Kingdom Ministries preaches along First Street from 3PM to 4PM every week day.
For Chingandu, the place is a strategic site for reaching out with God’s Word to the largest audience possible.
“We are honouring the great commission to preach the gospel everywhere, not just conventional places,” Chingandu said.
“If you read the Jesus’ Parable of the Wedding Garment, the servants are specifically assigned into the streets to summon people from all walks of life to the feast,” he said.
And First Street might be just such a dragnet, with its cosmopolitan resume.
Chingandu said it did not require much decision or boldness for passerbys to be part of the crowd, given the informal set-up hence more chances of reaching people who would not ordinarily go to church.
“From my understanding, First Street is a spiritually high place. The same place was once dedicated to magical theatrics. Thankfully, the message of the Lord Jesus has taken over the stronghold,” Chingandu added.
He said although some people may be drawn to the place primarily to resolve immediate problems, the preaching goes beyond the material.
“People are stressed – no money, no jobs, no ideas. Some come here because they need answers, which is still good because they might have otherwise fallen into crime and corruption.
“We then present the holistic package of the Gospel to respond to every human need in light of 3 John 1:1 which says ‘I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers,'” Chingandu said.
Artwell Wikirefu is a recent university graduate who makes it a point to attend Mugomba sermons, following a chance encounter with a sermon that shook him.
“I did not attend church previously because the emphasis in most denominations I have been to did not address the deeper yearning of my spirit,” Wikirefu said.
“One day I was passing by with some friends, and I heard the Bible being expounded in a way I had never heard before.
“My friends left me transfixed here. In those few minutes, I had reached a resolution to a jigsaw puzzle I have been trying to connect for years,” Wikirefu said.
Robson Majiya (50) of Spoken Word Ministries used to preach at the arena everyday from 12PM to 1PM but claimed that he has been since struck off-schedule by people who deemed his sermons to offend their denominations.
“Here we say what cannot be said in mainstream churches and exposes false doctrines. I have preached here since 2007, not consistently because of the nature of my day job and it has always been an enriching experience regardless of the opposition I have met from some quarters,” Majiya said.
Majiya said when he used to work as a salesman some of his customers would recognise him and testify having heard him preach at First Street.
Pastor Nathan Moyo (52) of Grace Bible Church participates in the Bible study group adjacent to the Mugomba arena.
“There is a lot of positive spiritual energy here which draws people to our discussions and that way we occassionaly get a chance to minister to those who have not yet received Christ,” Moyo said.
“I have met people from all walks of life here. Some respect the fact that I am a pastor and pour out their unanswered questions,” he said.
“Collectivelly, the ministers of God’s Word in this place bring a rough average of 10 converts to the kingdom everyday,” he said.
Moyo said several Whatsapp platforms had been opened to enable follow-up on new converts and to continue Bible discussions during hours when the group cannot physically meet.
He said although people who converge for the Bible debates are from different denominations, they are kept together by their sincerity and thirst for the truth of the Bible.
Pastor Simbarashe Marava (48) of Restoration Ministry used to preach at Mugomba beginning early last year but said he had stopped and reverted to the Bible study group because of inordinate competition among different preachers.
“Denominations have their narrow agendas but the bell we beat here is the ultimate authority of God’s Word,” Marava said.
“You find that people are being weakened by some church systems which emphasise allegiance to personalities and institutions as opposed to God,” he said.
“They cannot seek clarifications in their denominations for what they perceive to be a mismatch between God’s Word and church doctrine because they are afraid of being labelled subversive.
“But the concern is not just being part of a chariot even if it is the wrong one. It is to test everything like the Bereans,” he said.
Marava, who has been preaching since 1986, said the informal gathering was an ideal place to discuss God’s truth without being distracted by merchandise and hero-worship, sideshows for which he faulted major Pentecostal denominations.
McDonald Mbofana (23) of the United Family International Church (UFIC) said he was drawn to preach at First Street between 11AM and 12PM at an early age because of his love of Christ.
“First Street has emboldened me in my calling to preach the Gospel to everyone. I also preach in schools, parks and hospitals but I learnt a lot about evangelism from this place.
Some theological students go through First Street in partial fulfilment of their practicals, while some churches have actually been launched from there.
Farai Hamadi of Church of Christ, who makes a date with the First Street bible study group every day after work said while the group’s approach is not to attack other denominations, heresy is ultimately exposed because it is not supported by the Bible.
Clifford Dube (58), an unaffiliated Christian, said the interdenominational study group had since been formalised, with participants congregating opposite the Eastgate shopping mall, although meetings have been currently discontinued.
Open-air preaching at the Africa Unity Square and several other street corners, and the sale of Bibles at most vending verandas also suggest a spiritually healthy Harare.
