St James in the Bush by Melusi Sibanda

Author:Melusi Sibanda
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nyamandlovu, Gwayi
ISBN: 9781785386275
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2017
Published: 2017-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

Amancio Guedes’ Work of Genius

The most important part of every Mission station was a church in which God could be glorified through regular worship and prayer. Whilst a DH could provide food for nourishing the body and classrooms and labs offered space for the mind to be at work, the church allowed the heart to focus on what was good for everyone and to tell the difference between right and wrong. Francis loved beautiful churches and in the Diocese of Lebombo he had been able to upgrade St Augustine from an ordinary parish church to become the mother church when Maciene had been given the status of a cathedral village. St James did not provide him with such a grand opportunity as Bulawayo cathedral was already in existence. But that did not stop him from dreaming big dreams; only a big dream could have the power to move the heart and mind of a man like’s Francis who had such big faith in God and possibilities. His acts and projects were always driven by that unwavering faith.

As the central station for Gwayi Mission project, St James needed a good church building which would serve not just the needs of the students and local people but one that could accommodate gatherings for outstations too. People from neighbouring farms could use it alongside students from the primary and secondary schools. From the onset Francis had constructed a chapel within the grounds of the primary school. This became the first church on the site but as the number of boarders increased, communal worship was relocated to the new DH. To accommodate students, staff and members of the local community, the DH was adapted and used as a temporary worship space as plans for a larger church had to be shelved for a while due to financial constraints. However, vestments and the reserved sacrament continued to be kept in the small church which was still used by primary school pupils for assemblies especially.

In the original site plan Francis’s intention was to put the church at the very centre of the built up area as a way of demonstrating that the Christian faith was at the heart of the work of his educational institution. However, the place that he had considered as his geographical centre was used as a storage area for a grinding mill, farming equipment and tractors. This was close to the new farmhouse (which later became the Beardall Residence) and the location was set between the primary and secondary schools. Mr MacKenzie, who was married to Joan, Monica’s sister, served as the farm manager, taking over the running of the agricultural division of the diocese and thus allowing Francis to concentrate on his other jobs. MacKenzie took charge of the tractors, managed part of the workforce and installed a grinding mill which served people from around the area.

The church was eventually sited close to the clinic, a little bit further from the primary school but right in the centre of the secondary school campus.

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