Bishop Pashapa
Shumirai Zhou
ZVISHAVANE – Churches should join hands and help former prisoners by providing resources that can help them to start a new life, Prison Ministry International (Zim) Trust (PMIT) founder Bishop Noah Pashapa has said.
He said this during the official launch and strategic partnership breakfast meeting of the organisation held last Saturday at Lions Club.
He said support must be given to former prisoners so as to reduce crime rates and recidivism (re-offending).
“Pastors should voluntarily offer help to these people not for publicity purposes but as a way of valuing humans rather than material things.
“Out movement is reaching out to many people who are imprisoned. In jail they meet social workers, educationists and chaplains who teach them the normative way of living as well as different life skills that can help them to start afresh upon release, especially those who would have repented while in prison.
“The name ‘Prisons and Correctional Services’ shows that prisons are not only meant to punish people but to provide certain services to offenders. They are meant to help them through rehabilitative and correctional services. For example, they are taught to sew, building, farming, carpentry among other skills.
“Our ministry has ordained more than 300 ex-mates and as a movement, we have come to plead with the society to employ these people in your organisations, companies and also to help by giving them resources to start a new life,” said Bishop Pashapa.
He also pointed out that the movement acts as a bridge between prisons and correctional services and the churches.
“When we hear that there are certain prisoners who are about to be released, we approach churches for help to make society welcome them. We also help them with resources to start a new life in the community.
Dr Pashapa also said that the movement’s national coordinator is an ex-prisoner who spent ten years at Chikurubi maximum prison.
The movement was established in 2009 in Zimbabwe but it came to Zvishavane in 2016.
The meeting ended with four churches being rewarded certificates which certified them as correctional care service providers. These are the AFM Amazing Grace, Family Fellowship Church, Holy Spirit Apostolic Church and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Zimbabwe.religion
