UCZ Eastern Presbytery

16/08/2026

𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 : 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗝 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗼- 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗯𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆

Grace and Peace to you from God Almighty our Father.

Dear fellow citizens, brothers and sisters in the Lord.

As we come to the end of the election period, I wish to appeal to every Zambian to embrace peace, unity, reconciliation, and love for one another.

Elections come and go, but Zambia remains our shared home.

Political parties may differ, candidates may compete, and people may support different leaders, but none of these differences should divide us as a people.

Let us accept the outcome of the elections with maturity and respect the constitutional and lawful processes available to address any concerns. Those who win should lead with humility, while those who loose should accept the outcome peacefully and continue serving the nation in whatever capacity they can.

To our political leaders and supporters, I appeal to you: Do not allow political differences to destroy friendships, families, churches, communities, or our nation.

Let us reject violence, intimidation, insults, hatred, and revenge.

As a nation, let us now turn our attention to rebuilding, developing our communities, strengthening our economy, and improving the lives of our people.

May God heal every wound, unite our nation, and give wisdom to our leaders.

May Zambia continue to be a nation of peace, democracy, justice, and unity.

Let us remember: political victory is temporary, but the peace of our nation is priceless.

God bless Zambia.
God bless our people.

Rev Bishop J Mutembo - Eastern Presbytery

14/08/2026

John 14:1.

13/08/2026

Zambia decides, we pray for peace to reign on this day and going forward.

Amen.

12/08/2026

An encouragement to choose peace over violence.Rev Josphat Nkole

12/08/2026

The church must Speak love, unity, justice and reconciliation.

11/08/2026

Peace During and after the elections.

10/08/2026

𝘼 𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝘼 𝙋𝙀𝘼𝘾𝙀𝙁𝙐𝙇 𝙕𝘼𝙈𝘽𝙄𝘼: 𝘼𝙎 𝙒𝙀 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙋𝙊𝙇𝙇𝙎
There is a story every Zambian must remember as we approach the 2026 elections.

It is the story of a nation that has walked through many seasons seasons of hope, uncertainty, celebration and disappointment. Through all these seasons, one thing has remained constant: we have remained Zambia.

This week, millions of Zambians will walk into polling stations carrying different hopes, different political convictions and different choices. Some will celebrate their preferred candidates; others may be disappointed by the outcome. But when the votes are counted and the political campaigns are over, we will still have to live together.

The neighbour you greet tomorrow may have voted differently from you today.

The teacher standing in front of your children may support a different political party.

The person worshipping beside you on Sunday may have chosen a different candidate.

And that is the beauty of democracy: we can disagree without becoming enemies.

It is against this background that Bishop J. Mutembo has issued a powerful call to the nation and, particularly, to the Church.
“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚.”
This is not simply a political statement. It is a moral and spiritual responsibility.

The Church cannot afford to watch hatred grow and remain silent. When political differences begin turning into insults, intimidation, tribalism and violence, the Church must become 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲. The Bishop reminds us.

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” whispers the Bishop emphatically. And perhaps this is the message Zambia needs most at this moment.

We have a responsibility to reject the temptation to believe that our political opponents are our enemies. They are Zambians. They are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, teachers, farmers, pastors, business people and young people who, just like us, desire a better country.
The Bishop's call also carries a special responsibility for those who stand behind the pulpit. “The clergy must remain neutral.” he said.

The pulpit must not become a battlefield for political parties. The Church must be able to welcome every citizen, regardless of who they support.

Our churches should be places where wounds are healed, not where divisions are deepened. Where citizens are encouraged to pray, not instructed whom to hate. Where truth is spoken with love. Where leaders are held accountable without turning the Church into a political campaign platform.

“𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨.”
Let us therefore say NO to intimidation.

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𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙄𝙉 𝘾𝙃𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙏

08/08/2026

SAY NO TO POLITICAL VIOLENCE

03/08/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵- Rev Bishop Jones Mwimba Mutembo

At a critical moment in the life of the nation, as we head towards the national polls, The United Church Of Zambia Eastern Presbytery Christians from across the Central Zone gathered in prayer in response to a timely call by the Bishop Rev Jones Mutembo. The gathering was not merely another church meeting but a solemn reminder that the destiny of a nation is shaped not only through political processes but also through the prayers of God's people.

The gathering was held under the theme drawn from Psalm 33:11–12:
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance."

Opening the gathering, The Presbytery Secretary Rev Brian Musongole urged Christians to rise to their God-given responsibility of praying for Zambia. He reminded believers that every generation faces defining moments, and this is one of those moments where the Church must faithfully stand in the gap for the nation. He emphasized that prayer is not an escape from national issues but the Church's greatest contribution toward peace, justice, and righteous leadership.

The programme was directed by Rev Josphat Nkole , with all the Ministers from within central Zone present, while the main Scripture readings were taken from Matthew 5:13–16, where Jesus calls His followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world," together with Genesis 18:1–5 and 16–24, the account of Abraham interceding before God on behalf of S***m and Gomorrah.

Delivering the homily, Bishop Rev Jones Mutembo spoke passionately on the theme "The Relevance of the Church in a Fast-Changing World." He observed that today's society is experiencing unprecedented challenges moral decay, increasing poverty, political uncertainty, social conflict, and growing hopelessness. In the midst of these realities, many people are asking one important question:

"Where is the Church?"

The Bishop explained that the relevance of the Church extends far beyond Sunday worship services, Bible studies, prayer meetings, or casting out demons. While these remain essential aspects of Christian life, the Church has an even greater calling to be God's transforming presence within society.

Drawing from Jesus' teaching in Matthew, he reminded believers that salt preserves what is good and light drives away darkness. Likewise, Christians are called to preserve righteousness, uphold justice, and provide hope in communities that are losing their moral direction. The Church should therefore become a living example of Christ through integrity, compassion, love, humility, and service.

The Bishop further challenged believers to live differently from the world because they belong to Christ. Their values, conduct, speech, and decisions should reflect the character of Jesus. The credibility of the Church is not measured merely by the number of its members but by the visible impact it has on society.

Using the example of Abraham in Genesis 18, Bishop Mutembo illustrated the Church's ministry of intercession. Rather than celebrating the destruction of sinners, Abraham pleaded before God on behalf of S***m and Gomorrah, asking whether the city could be spared if righteous people were found within it. Abraham became a model of one who stood in the gap between God and humanity.

The Bishop said the Church today is called to do the same to stand before God on behalf of the nation, praying for peace, wisdom, justice, and godly leadership, especially during seasons of elections and political tension. Instead of fuelling division or taking sides, believers must become peacemakers and ambassadors of reconciliation.

He also reminded the congregation of the Apostle Paul's teaching that "there is neither Jew nor Gentile" in Christ. The Church must therefore reject tribalism, political divisions, social status, and every form of discrimination. Christians belong first to the Kingdom of God before any earthly identity. This unity should become a powerful witness to a divided world.

Concluding his message, Bishop Mutembo called on every believer to embrace the Church's prophetic role in society. The nation does not simply need louder political voices it needs Christians who will faithfully pray, speak the truth in love, uphold righteousness, and demonstrate Christ's love through their daily lives.

As Zambia continues through an important season of national decision-making, the gathering served as a timely reminder that a nation's future depends not only on the choices made at the ballot box but also on the faithful prayers of God's people. Indeed, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord

03/08/2026