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.
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.
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