ABOUT 30 pastors and church leaders attended a Windhoek pastoral forum meeting at the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) yesterday.
The leaders attended a research forum addressing churches’ role in the community through an assessment of their resources and the need to alleviate poverty and address social issues in Namibia. The secretary general of the CCN, Maria Kapere, asked, ‘How do we biblically contextualise issues affecting our communities, such as drug and alcohol abuse, gender-based violence, poverty, rape and other crimes? We should become a united body to address these issues.’Members were briefed by economist and researcher Martin Mwinga about a report illustrating the role of churches in Namibia’s economic development. ‘There are some churches in Namibia that own property and therefore have access to resources to make a significant impact in Namibia. These figures should not be viewed in light of wealth, but rather the potential of the churches to make an impact in society,’ Mwinga said. According to the national income and expenditure statistics, Mwinga said that the Kavango Region is the poorest in Namibia, with the Khomas and Erongo regions being the richest. He explained that more than 80% of people in Kavango live with less than US$1 a day. He appealed to churches to address these issues by investing there.’We often find the most churches in cities and towns, because this is where the ‘rich’ members are,’ Mwinga said. The statistics revealed that the Omusati Region has the highest unemployment. ‘Churches operate in a social environment. Some are poor, some are rich. Churches should come together and pool resources to start projects and invest in the community,’ Mwinga said. He further elaborated that many churches in the UK and US have taken the task upon themselves to address social issues, instead of waiting for the government to do something.’Churches there have gone as far as to sell property they do not use and invest the money in the poor through projects.’ Mwinga recommended that churches take a more proactive role in influencing national budgets so that Government has better advice on where they direct their money. ‘If the Church speaks as one voice, it can influence Government to make viable and important investments in the community,’ he said. The two biggest church denominations in Namibia, the Roman Catholic Church and ELCIN, own assets worth an estimated N$20 billion. ‘People must realise the impact churches have made in community. More than 204 educational institutions in Namibia are church owned. About 35 health institutions are owned by ELCIN and the Roman Catholic together. The Church is also the third largest employment provider in Namibia, following government and the retail industry. Up to 20 000 people are in church employment in Namibia.’Churches should invest in the community through financing entrepreneurial projects, partnering with other churches to run projects together, distribute food and flood relief. The churches are able to do this,’ he said. Mwinga said that these and other facts reveal that churches’ role in Namibia is big and that their impact can grow through operating as a united force, investing in the community and their members and becoming a proactive voice in government investment.
