Zambian Bishop puts on his walking shoes
The Anglican Church celebrates one hundred years of existence on Zambian soil this year and Bishop William of Eastern Zambia is setting out to walk 100km for charity.
He writes:
In order to commemorate this day a number of programs have been put in place. All the five dioceses in the country will commemorate the day individually in this month before the national one in October. This will be held on 31st October at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.
Our diocese (Eastern Zambia) will carry out a thanksgiving service on Sunday 15 August, to thank God for all the contributions of the faithful, both lay (of different professional callings) and clergy, who have contributed in many ways to the Christian way of life in Msoro and beyond. This will be preceded by a walk of pilgrimage dubbed William's Walk (adapted from Peter’s Progress, a walk that Bishop Peter Price undertook along the boundaries of his diocese when the Diocese of Bath & Wells celebrated its 1100 years last year!)
I will with a few disciples undertake a walk of 100km, from Chipata to Msoro, the route which the Revd Leonard Kamungu, the UMCA missionary from Nyasaland, now Malawi, took 100 years ago to open up a mission station at Msoro and from whence the Anglican church spread to other parts of the country. We hope to walk for three days, evangelizing on the way and sleeping in at two different schools on two nights of our journey. We have asked local businessmen for sponsorship/support whose proceeds will go to the purchase of bed linen, drugs and other requirements for St Luke’s Rural Health Centre at Msoro Mission Station.
We are aware that this walk will be both physically and spiritually challenging. We therefore ask all our friends for prayers as we embark on this pilgrimage next Wednesday. Any financial or material support in aid of the walk and/or in aid of St Luke’s Rural Health Centre at Msoro will be highly appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
+WilliamBishop of Eastern Zambia