Tendai Manzvanzvike
GHANAIAN Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills and his team have been in Zimbabwe for more than 19 days now, holding the month-long, nationwide outreach programme known as the Healing Jesus Campaign, which he established in 2004.
Since his arrival on November 9, he has held open air crusades in Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Beitbridge, Gwanda and Zvishavane.
Today, they are in Masvingo before he comes to Chitungwiza, Harare, Bindura, Marondera and Mutare.
Tendai Manzvanzvike spoke with the International Campaign Director, Pastor Ebo Schwarts Ankrah about the objective of holding the crusades nationwide – 14 cities and towns, how long it took them to organise for the massive year-end event, who they are working with locally, what to expect from the campaigns, and above all, who Evangelist Heward-Mills is.
Below is part of what Pastor Ankrah shared:
“Evangelist Heward-Mills arrived on November 9 and held a press conference at a Harare hotel, which was attended by Harare Metropolitan Province Minister Miriam Chikukwa and church leaders from across denominations.
“The government of Ghana sees Evangelist Heward-Mills as a national asset, a religious ambassador. Since Ghana is a champion of regional integration, it promotes what he does.
“Through the Healing Jesus Campaign, we go from country to country, not only preaching the gospel, but also doing humanitarian and medical outreaches, which put the name of Ghana in the limelight, and unites it with all the countries we go to. So, the government of Ghana actually supports, and goes everywhere we go.”
When Zimbabwe beckoned!
“We have so far done 132 campaigns worldwide, and it is not by accident that we are here. God had planned it that at such a time as this in the history of Zimbabwe, we should be here.
“We were working towards Namibia and Evangelist Heward-Mills called me one morning and said, ‘God says, Zimbabwe now.’
“Usually, it takes about a year and six months to set up these crusades, but with this one, we just came in and started because he said it’s time, and we are believing God that after these 14 campaigns, there will be transformation.
“The first stop before we leave Ghana is the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Through the presidency, they instruct the host country, our high commission in the host country, about our arrival.
“So, what the embassy did before we came to Zimbabwe was to write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Africa Desk, informing them about the Ghanaian government’s involvement with this programme in the country.
“So, everywhere we went, we went with the consular from the Ghanaian embassy. After that, we started meeting with the pastors. We are working with all local churches and Christian organisations, where the crusade goes.
They include Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Union for Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe (UDACIZA), Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and Heads of Denominations.
We are also working with Government, not only here, but all over the country. So, it’s a partnership of Government and the church.” The Sunday Mail, 28 November 2016
