Churches I attended & lessons learnt.

[A long, musical thread because for each I have a soundtrack, or 2 or 3]

I was born into the United Methodist Church (ma Yuna muriyo here?!) My earliest recollection of attending church is circa 1990 aged 8 at St Pauls' kuMbare. My folks -

2. -are from Mutare but we grew up in Waterfalls so at that time, about '90 there was no UMC in the area. We would go to Mbare for services. I loved that trip using Pfumo Cab (story for another day but they were a local business so 'hood pride -my Parktown peeps hola at yo girl!)

3. We still call the cab place "Pa Pfumo". Later, we rolled to Mbare in my dad's white Morris Minor. Bhambadatya.
He parked it outside our girls' bedroom window always because "if thieves come you will scream"

I digress.

St Paul's song-Hymn 38 Jehova anotipa, chisepe misi..

4. Waterfalls church eventually started maybe later 1990 and we used SOS premises until we got the 6th Avenue stand. Those were epic days!

The choir was on steriods.
They had deep green gowns from America.
We were like a big family, lots of potlucks and stuff.
Still vivid!

5. Soundtrack obviously is related to choir in procession:

Wanokomborerwa awo
Wanemoyo yeurombo
Zviro zvese zviri zvavo-o-o
Nehumambo wokudenga!

And once settled, chechi yesi yaiimba

6. Biggest lesson from UMC was connection. We had munamato for section Tuesdays I think, from home to home. Ours, section 3, was thee most lit. We met in homes of all sorts rich, poor, in between. No one cared. We ate together though this was discouraged - people still catered!

7. Some put sandwiches. Others biscuits, which my friend Patie and I made light work of. Others madima & magwere. We bonded over this well after the formal meeting was done.

Also learnt super transparency. After each service offering was counted & announced at UMC.
Y'all knew.

8. I should mention before UMC came to Waterfalls, we sometimes went to what we called the British Methodist. They had an awesome Sunday school. We sang Father Abraham had many sons etc. And after church there was tea and cupcakes for all. Remember, British Methodist zve. Wyts

9. Next major church was the Anglican Church because Bonda mission.

Cue Hymn 282.
Bonda Hymn book 2-8-2.

It was fire. I loved the chants.

And for communion - no raspberry, the proper stuff which we sipped in turn from the goblet.

Ndairidza ngoma.

10. I always wondered why the priest cleared the leftover wine and why there was leftover at all considering it was the same congregation size each week.

Anyway, I loved that there was room for lots of participation by youth & women in the church. Cantors, servers, preachers!

11. During school holidays, as a teenager fired up by Scripture Union, I was looking for a Pentecostal feel. I started going to Upper Room Fellowship lunchtimes as often as my mum sent to me town (read daily). Enjoyed the ministry of Pastor B Dambaza a humble, sincere minister.

12. I learnt that location is everything, they could minister to all sorts of people especially uni students because at the entrance was were UZ lifts were boarded so easy choice. Also peculiar to that church: most worship songs focused on Jesus. Uchibudamo, Juvana chips! Life

13. I attended several Mai Mujokoro, then Carol Chivengwa, shows in Upper Room so soundtrack :

That, and the Anglican Church up Nelson Mandela street were two places you could just walk in and pray in the CBD back then.

Probably not the case now.