Prairie Grove United Methodist Church issued the following announcement Nov. 5.
In Zimbabwe, mixed feelings greeted a recent government announcement that both vaccinated and unvaccinated congregants could worship together in person.
The decision followed a series of meetings after the government announced in August that only fully vaccinated congregants could participate during in-person services.
Following the Aug. 12 decision, representatives of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and the Union for Development of Apostolic and Zionist Churches in Zimbabwe Africa noted that the order was difficult to implement because, theologically and practically, the church is an open and welcoming space for everyone. They added that no one has ever needed qualifications or qualifiers to attend church service, as it is a place of God’s grace.
As of Nov. 2, 17.22% of Zimbabwe’s population was fully vaccinated. Because some cannot be vaccinated due to age or medical reasons, the church representatives negotiated with the government to allow all congregants to worship together without discrimination.
The government heard their voices, deciding that, as of Sept. 12, both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated congregants could worship together.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Prairie Grove United Methodist Church
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