CHURCH ELDER PETITIONS SDA OVER IDOL WORSHIP

A Church Elder has petitioned the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA)Church for allegedly introducing idolatry images and symbols in one of its Livinsgtone congregations contrary to its doctrines but church leaders  have refuted the claims.

The Protestant Elder, Durton Nanja accused the local Church leadership at Airport Congregation and the Church’s national mother body, Zambia Union Conference of the SDA, for introducing idol worshiping in the Church without the approval from the Global SDA Union whose headquarters is in the United States (US).

In a Press Statement availed to ZANIS in Livingstone today, Mr.Nanja, an ordained elder serving at the Airport Congregation stated that the church leaders have ignored calls by concerned church members to remove the idols.

 “God’s written word rebukes this abomination. They should repent and remove the Idols from the church of God. “ They have continued to install more Idols everyday, the Lord of Heaven is angered by their actions and God is about to take action against them and those who support and worship Idols.” 

But Livingstone District Pastor in the Western Division Pastor Kawana Kashweka, an overseer of congregations around Elleaine Brittel,in which Airport SDA is a  member church, challenged Elder Nanja to show the people which Idols he was talking about.

Pastor Kashweka has since threatened that the church will ex-communicate Elder Nanja if he continued bringing the name of the church into disrepute.

Pastor Kashweka who had been going round Media Institutions counter-reacting Elder Nanja’s statement dismissed the idol worship claims saying the clergy had no authority over church matters and that he had taken a wrong route to address the problem.

“ First of all Mr Nanja is not a serving elder except that he was ordained that’s why his status still remains so, secondly it is not the policy of the church to call a Press conference neither is it biblical” he said.

Pastor Kashweka said he earlier advised Mr Nanja that those issues raised were internal matters but he continued writing to the Regional president and National Union president over the matter.

Pastor Kashweka,who was accompanied by another pastor who simply introduced himself as Pastor Nsaya said Elder Nanja’s  grievances have not been addressed because he felt ashamed to face the local leadership which he earlier disregarded.

He also disclosed that Mr Nanja allegedly told the Zambia Union Conference of SDA president that the local leadership was doing nothing. 

Despite Pastor Kashweka’s threats of ex-communication, Elder Nanja went ahead to call for a Press Conference which was scheduled for yesterday under a theme "The future of the SDA with idol worshiping"

ZANIS