Emergency board meeting on the 30th of November in Scotland to address crisis
When it comes to idol worship, most people think of carved
images and people bowing down to them.
Yes that idolatry alright, but I believe it goes deeper than that. In a
Church called Agape, “Daddy” has written three booklets called, Vision
Dynamics, I Believe and Threshing Floor. The booklets/pamphlets cost £10 each even though
they cost about 50 pence to print. Every true Agape child has to have one, says the Prophet in a threatening manner. The
books have pictures of Dr Masocha's face on the covers. Dr Masocha often talks about
how the pictures of his face on the booklets have power to heal, bring
breakthroughs etc. He says in his own words, “MY CHILDREN IN AFRICA KEEP GOING
BECAUSE OF MY PICTURES ON THIS BOOKLETS”. He claims that by just looking at his
photographs, church members in Africa are given strength. But
then it even goes further than that, a single mother named Ruth from Stirling is responsible for
selling portraits of Dr Masocha in his Archbishop attire. At every conference Ruth
goes to the pulpit and starts to yell and cry ordering church members to buy
the “anointed” portraits. She tells the members that the portraits will bring
breakthroughs into one’s life by just hanging it in the living room. I am ashamed to say I used to have a picture
of Dr Masocha in my living room. It so happened one day I was on the
phone distressed and crying to the Archbishop (which happened a lot by the way as my life was a misery) and he told me to take his
picture and start kissing it. He told me to kiss his face on the photograph and
he said if I did that the God of Agape would give me peace. He told me each time I felt lonely or upset I had to kiss his face. I feel sick that I
was reduced to kissing Dr Masocha’s photograph thinking I was worshiping God.
He also gave me his shirt and I used to sleep in. I used to
sleep with his used sweaty towels on my pillow. I used to bath using one of his
towels. Even my former husband Shingai Musuka sleeps with a sweaty towel on his
pillow as I write this, he also keeps one in his car and walks with one bulging
in his pocket when he goes to work. Its so sad what grown men are reduced to.
When he makes a grand entrance with his entourage (young women with flags wearing mini skirts and holding umbrellas) and his security guards everyone stops what they
are doing. A song “Father send your servant Walter” is sung, as women flock to
the front spreading their jackets for Dr Masocha to walk on. Each church service
a “host” is appointed to sit next to the Prophet and carry his bible to the
pulpit. The host even has to pass him a glass of water, the Prophet or his wife
cant even pour water for themselves! It
is also the job of the host to constantly wipe the sweat of the Prophet. He has
serious health issues which he calls “anointing”. But as if wiping his sweat is
not bad enough, people are commanded to eat his saliva from left over tea and
other fluids. If this is not idol
worship in the 21st Century, I don’t know what is. Even his step
daughter Sharon Masocha once expressed her disgust when in the middle of singing praises to God, the singer had to stop because the
Prophet had walked in, instead of continued in worship of God, people started
singing Father Send Walter. Sharon Masocha, the Prophet’s step daughter called
the incident “very disturbing”.
Anyway here is me rumbling on about idolatry, I'm no theologian okay, so let me talk about something else, yesterday another email
was leaked to me from one of the Board Members in the United Kingdom. Some leaders of Agape are now calling for
a public apology from the Church, the
email went like this:
AFANMI
needs to offer an apology and Not Penalty for Abuse Scandal.
The
Church is faced with sexual abuse scandals that have spread across the UK, USA
and Zimbabwe. It’s about time that an apology is made directly to victims and
their families, expressing “shame and remorse” for what we may call “sinful and
criminal” acts committed by our leadership.
These
families have suffered grievously, and we must be truly sorry. Their trust in the
Ministry has been betrayed and their dignity has been violated. I hesitate to
admit that they have been grave errors of judgment and failures
on our part.
On the
surface, it appears that the Board does not require that leaders be
disciplined, nor is it making an attempt to clarify what critics see as contradictory
rules that they fear, and allow abuse to continue unpunished.
Blog
reports are projecting systemic abuse, and others are indicating that the church
and its leadership, including myself are in a systematic collusion in covering
up the same.
Let
it be known that I am taking great exception to my name, my wife and that of my
family being drawn into these scandals, and I will be taking stern measures and
legal counsel to protect the same.
Am also
aware that these cases expose and show the difficulties facing some of us, for
though we may feel that the problem has already been decisively addressed by
some sources within Agape, it is also appearing to be intensifying, with new
allegations of other forms surfacing.
This
crisis has damaged the reputation of the leadership, and Agape’s central vision
of unconditional love, finding the lost, fortifying the church and fighting the
enemy within the body of Christ.
Jean’s
blog was anticipated, coming after weeks of damaging reports in the media
bringing the scandal close not only to the entire leadership, but also to the Apostle
himself.
A matter
that has been exposed is the case involving Brother Maxwell Nyakutya which was
raised, with bloggers expressing their dismay that the BM who was found guilty
of sexual abuse, should never have been allowed to work with vulnerable persons
and children.
Though
we are aware that the blog remains tightly focused on the goings-on in the UK—to
the dismay of many victims’ families around the world — please note that, the
crisis has widened to include the entire Agape family.
Leaders,
let us not be deceitful expecting that our stance will sanitize lies, because
we know and have been aware that this has been a systemic problem for several
years, and let’s not been seen to be protecting the ministry or anyone for that
matter, at the expense of the very people we are shepherding.
The
greatest contribution the Church could have made at the first instance was to
stop the abuse of victims, address the entire leadership, the church, sadly of
which has not been done.
For
saints, observers and critics alike, this incident is offering a critical test
of whether we can stem a crisis that has shaken the credibility, and authority
of the Archbishop, leadership, and the Church Agape.
With
or without our cooperation with civil justice authorities, e.g. Betty Makoni,
media and the like, the abuse scandals have put to the test an Agape culture of
protecting its own even in the face of crimes against civil and Biblical law.
People
are hoping for concrete measures after the reports criticizing our norms for
dealing with the abuse. Agape still has to offer a prescription for how to renew
their faith. I urge all leaders to go on a spiritual retreat and suggest that
we set aside all other activities, and find time to lead the saints to pray for
“healing and renewal.”
As a
fault of our own making, we are guilty through “perjury by omission” (allowed
our-selves to be forbidden to ask important questions), cultivating a strong
tendency of approaching such matters as these, as problems of faith, not truly
Agaped, lies, demonic attacks, and so on when this is clearly a problem of leadership,
management, abuse and a lack of accountability.
Let
us also take heed to the fact that the “most glaring” omission in our ‘wait and
see’ stance is also our failure to acknowledge our own culpabilities by pointedly
not including ourselves in the criticism of the entire church leadership.
We have to be moved and be direct to the pain
of victims. As in this instance, we must be aware that many victims who find
that, when they have been courageous enough to speak of what happened to them,
no one would listen, and I know some of us will find it difficult to face the
saints, even enter the doors of our own satellites and any other church after
all that has occurred.
We
need to be bold enough to ask those implicated in acts of abuse to submit themselves
to the demands of justice, but not despair of GOD’s mercy.
Beyond
all these revelations and according to these damning reports, we have been found
wanting and that the church did not routinely act upon allegations, committed,
and reported cases of abuse.
As
reports continue to spread, many questions have been raised about the line
between Agape secrecy and civil judicial process.
Our
problem has been deepened by ignorance and/or confusion over the interpretation
of our unclear, unpublicized church constitution, reiterating a strict
requirement for secrecy in handling such cases. Many directives give the
authority for handling such cases to a non-existent body within the ministry;
with the Apostle being prefect of the same since 2007 to date.
I also
see an inherent contradiction between the directive and the Apostle telling
leadership to cooperate with ‘them-selves’. The powers that may be say that its
discreet/secrecy norms help protect the victims.
I
feel that it to be a well-intentioned, but misguided tendency to avoid penal
approaches to violations of the law.
The
higher leadership attributes that problem in part to a misplaced concern for
the reputation of the church and the avoidance of further scandal. And it is
said that local leadership should continue to cooperate with the saints in
their area of competence.
All
these approaches will not, cannot, and will never sanitize lies.
Brethren,
let us take a relatively rare step of ordering a special pastoral delegation to
investigate these matters. For those who have been forced to sign secrecy
oaths, please reconsider, or recluse your-selves from the ministry.
AFANMI
is GOD’s church and as such, he and he alone is to be feared,
not man. Let us pray that my proposal letter will be the beginning of a great
season of rebirth and hope in AFANMI.
Name and Location of writer withheld.
In response to the above email, Agape has called for an emergency Board Meeting on the 30th of November 2013 for Envoys and Board Members. Envoy Muchie Hove the liar has sent this email to all leaders:
Dear Envoys & Evangelists,
Greetings to u all in the name of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ. Trust this message finds u well.
Please be advised that there is going to be an Envoys board meeting with the Archbishop on the 30th Nov 2013 - Scotland. Venue and time to be confirmed.
For apologies please contact Envoy Muchie by text.
Regards,
Envoy Muchie.
This picture depicts the idol worship in Agape, this is how the Prophet is welcomed into the Church, The Flags, The Grand march, the Ark of Covenant model, all this is for the Prophet. NOTICE THE JACKETS ON THE FLOOR FOR THE PROPHET TO WALK ON...
