Johane the 5th of Africa Apostolic church

	Johane the 5th of Africa Apostolic church
Location	Zimbabwe
Country	Zimbabwe
Denomination	African indegenous church
History
Founded	1995
Founder(s)	Madzibaba Andby

Johane the 5th of Africa Apostolic church is an apostolic sect with its origins in Johane Masowe Echishanu. The apostolic sect was founded in 1995 by Madzibaba Andby and is headquartered at Mt Esinai Matangi, hospital hill in Mutare. The apostolic sect has numerous branches in the SADC region ( Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia), in Europe the United Kingdom in Nottingham, Denmark and in North America in Canada.

Madzibaba Andby claims that he was instructed by the holy spirit to form the church and register it under the laws of Zimbabwe. He stated that his move to register the church was also an inspiration from the holy spirit so that he could reign in order among the indigenous churches through leading by example. He also mentioned that registering churches helps the government to regulate church activities and also bring them to book in the event that any crimes are committed.

Background

Johane the 5th of Africa Apostolic church is a blend of African Traditional Religion and Christianity with Old Testament practices being prominent. The sect takes on some symbols and practices of Judaism (forbid pork, alcohol, and tobacco, as well as emphasizing faith healing and prophecy. Johane the 5th of Africa Apostolic Church, is an indigenous Apostolic church founded by Madzibaba Antby Makururu. The Church has a gross national following of close to 900 000 followers across the ten provinces in Zimbabwe, 500 000 followers in Mozambique, 150 000 in South Africa,80 000 in Zambia, 60 000 in Malawi and close to 100 000 followers spread across Europe and North America.

The large demographic dividend of women and children who are vulnerable in the face of abuse inspired the founder of the church to Ruvheneko Rwenyeredzi Trust mandated by looking into the problems that affect women and proffering solutions in the same breath. The department’s work is hinged on the premise or belief that the greatest miracle is remembering the widows and vulnerable children. “Munana Mukuru kurangarira Shiri kadzi nenhererea”

Philosophy

Johane the 5th of Africa church,s philosophy is based on transforming indigenous churches to suit global standards and values.

Johane the 5th of Africa seeks to modernize its evangelism and believes that the use of technology is not a heathen practice but a necessary and fast way of spreading the word of God. The church urges its congregants to register for funeral policies, embark on developmental projects , empower women and children, support government initiatives and to work hand in glove with civic society organizations.

In a letter to partners, Madzibaba Andby said

Dear Partners
Apostolic churches have been lagging behind in human development for a very long time, mainly because of the rigid religious fundamentals that are at the core of the being and becoming of these churches. On one hand, most if not all apostolic churches have been operating under a veil of secrecy and very cautious with regards to knowledge transfer with civic society organizations. The relationships between religion, gender, and development, are complex and context-specific. The need for development donors and organizations to consider religion (apostolic churches) as a relevant factor is ever more important since religion and religious practices are a feature of life for the vast majority of women, men, and children whom development organizations seek to support. Engaging with religion, and understanding its role and significance in women’s and children’s lives, is also useful when this leads development policymakers and practitioners to challenge the notion that ‘development’ can be reduced to the pursuit of economic prosperity alone, at the expense of other indicators of well-being. In addition, the gendered impact that development processes themselves can have on religious practices are significant, yet are typically overlooked in assessments and evaluations carried out by development actors.
As a Prophet and a man with a calling to do great work, I am strongly convinced that Individuals and communities need to take responsibility for the overall wellbeing of their flock and communities from which they derive their flock. The Zimbabwean social community can be a utopia – but only if communities get together through the effort of determined individuals and decide to engage courageously with the significant challenges in their own communities and to work relentlessly, staying engaged until a level of maturity and sustainable wellbeing has been established and can be sustained. Community engagement and increasing the knowledge base could replace ignorance, discrimination, prejudice, and poverty with development, tolerance, harmony, and compassion. Johane the 5th Apostolic church invites caring and courageous individuals and organizations to invest in the creation of an environment that is consciously tailored to assist vulnerable groups in the pursuit of Collective development. Yours in Christ
Madzibaba Andby

Church registration

The founder of the church Madzibaba Andby stated that his move to register the church was also an inspiration from the holy spirit so that he could reign in order among the indigenous churches through leading by example. He also mentioned that registering churches helps the government to regulate church activities and also bring them to book in the event that any crimes are committed.

Madzibaba Andby is of the view that when a church is registered it becomes a Corporate Body. As a corporate body, the church dealings and engagement with the public and the society will improve. The church can sue or be sued through its incorporated trustees to enforce its legal rights. The Church becomes entitled to buy land, own fixed assets and incur liabilities under its common seal, something which was not happening among apostolic sects hence the widely accepted notion that these churches are backward and incapable of development.

The importance of funeral cover

The sect acknowledges that death something inherent in human life. Like it or not, death is a part of life and something that has to be planned for. Buying a funeral policy for you and your family should not be seen as a grudge purchase. It’s about you protecting your family against the financial burden of funeral expenses in the event of the death of a loved one. Most apostolic sects are view funeral cover as a satanic practice but Johane the 5th of Africa debunks that position based on the fact that they are of the view that death is a reality that must be embraced and prepared for so as to maintain human decency and dignity afterlife. The church believes in a decent burial.

Empowering women

Johane the 5th of Africa church implored leaders of the Johane Masowe Chishanu to invest in their female church members by giving them opportunities to acquire skills.^[1]

madzimai pamasowe

The sect is of the view that women constitute the majority in Zion and Apostolic churches and in light of that huge demographic dividend the department works closely with women on property rights and inheritance, women's rights, women empowerment, protection, and psycho socio support. Violence against women and girls is endemic in religious settings. Its consequences are both devastating and lasting, with psychological, social and health consequences for women and girls. From domestic violence and sexual assault to isolation and economic exclusion that leads to sexual exploitation, violence against women and girls has critical repercussions for individuals, families, communities, and countries as a whole.

Forming Ruvheneko Rwenyenyedzi

Madzibaba Andby claims that he was instructed by the holy spirit to form a trust that fights for the rights of women and children in apostolic churches. He registered his trust in August of 2019 in Harare, Zimbabwe under section 13 of the Deeds Registration Act [Chapter 20:05]. Madzibaba Andby launched his trust on the 27th of September 2019.

The organization was founded for the purposes of creating an environment consciously tailored for the protection and development of children, women, and families in the Apostolic churches and the community

Fighting Child marriages

Johane The 5th of Africa led by Madzibaba Andby joined the fight in calling an end to child marriages in the apostolic faith sects.

The sect rolled out a campaign against child marriages in their church where they are calling all members of the church to desist from promoting child marriages in his church. In Madzibaba Andy's speech at the launch of Ruvheneko Rwenyenyedzi Trust which they opened to promote the right of women and girls, he urged men not to prey on young girls as this destroys their future.

Since time immemorial, the Apostolic sect has been accused of promoting a plethora of societal ills which have been fuelling archaic values and norms which include child marriages. As Johane Masowe The 5th, we dare to be different, child marriages must be stopped and we are going around the nation advocating for an end to child marriages,” said Madzibaba Andby.

Taking a stand campaign

On the 28th of September Madzibaba Andby and Ruvheneko Rwenyenyedzi Trust conducted a solidarity march against child marriages in Mutare. The march ran under the Taking a standing campaign. The campaign shall see anti-child marriages marches being conducted in every provincial capital in Zimbabwe hence covering the ten provinces of Zimbabwe.

taking a stand against child marriages

Women take a stand against child marriages in Mutare

Radio Campaigns

Madzibaba Andby has appeared numerous times on Diamond FM talking about the need to fight child marriages and the effects of child marriages on child development.