Pastor Thanks’ name couldn’t be more appropriate. Life in Zimbabwe was far from easy for him in his roles as church leader, father and business owner. Some training and the grace of God gave him good reason to give thanks. And the story didn’t end there.
In 2013, Tearfund’s partner, Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, invited Pastor Thanks to their church and community transformation training course. During the workshops, Thanks learnt the skills needed to help his church members and the wider community support each other in new and powerful ways.
The training focuses on how people can realise their potential and improve their income by using locally available, God-given resources, empowering them to work together to solve local issues.
‘Before embracing [the training], my life was characterised by begging, without hope. I was very uncertain of what the future held for me. I am so grateful that I can now provide for my family,’ Pastor Thanks tells us.
Putting it into practice
Thanks set about putting the training into practice, and both he and the wider community flourished. The church grew, businesses grew, and Thanks was asked to share the training with church leaders in other communities so that even more people could benefit.
Thanks now juggles being a church leader, a trainer, a mentor, a husband and father, a baker, a farmer and a business owner!
