Lydia Neshangwe, a minister of religion in the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) was inducted as the first ever black female moderator of the denomination at a historic service held in Harare yesterday.
The UPCSA is a Christian denomination modelled on the Presbyterian system of governance with presence in South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe.
By being inducted moderator, Neshangwe will be leading the denomination across the region.
She takes over from Sipho Mtetwa who is based in South Africa.
“It is with great humility that I accept the call to serve in this new mandate,” said Neshangwe.
“I have been understudying my predecessors and keen on maintaining momentum around the great commission of bringing as many souls to Christ.”
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She said to fulfill this divine mission, the church ought to be united.
“The thrust of my tenure is togetherness,” said Neshangwe.
“It’s about the collective and not necessarily on my individual person or leaders.
“We have collective responsibility at all levels.
“Families are stronger together. The church is stronger together and so are nations.”
Neshangwe had an illustrious career in the education sector, which she left to serve in the ministry on a full time basis.
She serves within a local congregation in Mutare and also currently serves as the Moderator of the Council for World Mission (CWM) among other deployments.