It is Saturday around noon and everyone is rushing to the Senga shops in Gweru. People talk as if they all know each other. They encourage each other to walk faster. Fascinated, my best friend Tariro Guwira and I, two students at Midlands State University, decide to join the mob.

Prayer organized by the African Apostolic Church in Senga (photo J. Musikavanhu).

We had seen posters around but never thought people were actually going to flock in such large numbers to the gathering to listen to the word of God being preached by Ngoni, son of Paul Mwazha (founder of the African Apostolic Church).

The place was packed with people of this church. But some of them were Senga and Nehosho residents from other churches. The choir was singing amazingly and, believe it or not, everyone was singing and humming along with the choir — You know one or two words and you feel you have to sing along in respect of the Almighty. The mood and environment drew me closer to God , I felt I had a reason to praise and worship God together with the people. Not that I have not been praising and worshiping before in my church, but a church is a church as long as we praise and worship the same God. This I felt the moment we got to the gathering.

The word was something else too. And besides the choir, the ushers made sure us visitors were comfortable. Clothes did not matter and umbrellas also ,what only mattered was being there. I could not even feel the scorching sun and this alone says it all. It was a moment of bliss one would need for a supernatural uplifting of the spirit.

We have so many denominations in Zimbabwe but this experience alone taught me that people now praise and worship together regardless of the type of church.