MRCH Week 2024

MATTHEW RUSIKE CHILDREN’S HOME WEEK 3-9 JUNE 2024

Vision: A Christ woven nest for orphans and vulnerable children

MATTHEW RUSIKE CHILDREN’S HOME WEEK 3-9 JUNE 2024

PREFACE

Greetings friends! It has become our tradition and obligation to come together one Sunday out of 52 weeks in a year to celebrate Matthew Rusike Children’s Home work which was started by Rev Matthew Jacha Rusike and raise funds and materials to support our children.
We are meeting at a time when the world is grappling with economic woes, political turmoil, social upheavals, drug menace, devastating effects of climate change and disruptive technologies among a plethora of challenges. Unfortunately, children are at the receiving end and at the core of these challenges further exacerbating their vulnerability.
The shared content, reflections and discussion questions that are in this booklet are meant to stir our hearts and minds as Ambassadors for Christ (following our 2024 theme 1 Corinthians 5 vs 20) and put children on the agenda of our programs and activities at individual, family, fellowship groups, organizations, church, community and national level for their protection, welfare and livelihoods.
Let us put our heads together and face the huddles head on as we prepare safe environments for children in family or alternative care set up as we also mould a better future for them. It is our duty and obligation to build a tomorrow’s better society, better church, better nation and a better world. Our efforts will never be in vain if all is done under the true guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us remember that this is not just a church calendar event, in fact it must be our daily responsibility to meet the needs of children at MRCH, in our churches and in community. Spare a time and be part of the gathering either physically, virtually, support the initiative in cash, material and or service.
God bless you.
Rev Dr K Paradza
Mission Director

DAY 1 Ambassadors for Christ 2 Corinthians 5:20 Brief overview

Vision: A Christ woven nest for orphans and vulnerable children.

Mission: We exist to transform lives of orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe through biblical nurturing, teaching and training into adaptive, responsible, self-reliant and God fearing citizens.
Values: Childcare, God fearing, Love, Teamwork, Integrity and Professionalism.
Matthew Rusike Children’s Home is a Methodist Church in Zimbabwe orphanage which was established in 1950s and registered as a welfare organisation in 1968 following the work of Rev Matthew Jacha Rusike. The Home has residential care centre in Epworth Harare and Community Child care centres at Donga in Shurugwi, Midlands Province and Mzinyathi in Umzingwane District Matebeleland South.

DAY 2 Baby Jesus in Egypt “Concept of Safe nets” Exodus 1: 16-22 Matthew 2: 9-21

The two biblical passages Exodus 1:16-22 and Matthew 2:9-21 contains heartrending stories of the elimination of Israelites boy babies for social and political reasons. In the Exodus story the oppressors wanted to keep the male population under minimum numbers so that they will not rise against them. Egyptian Midwives were instructed to kill all male babies of the Israelites at birth. Pharaoh charged that all his people must cast into the river all sons of the Israelites and save alive all the daughters.
Similarly, in Matthew 2:9-21 When Herod got the news from the wise men from the east that a new king was born in Bethlehem of Judea he sought to eliminate him. He gave an order that all children of two years and below in Bethlehem must be killed. Innocent babies, both boys and girls were ruthlessly butchered in a bid to safeguard the throne.
16 June 1976 is a date with a dark cloud over South Africa after the massacre of innocent defenceless children who were demonstrating against racial atrocities and the apartheid system. Among the blood that watered the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe in and out of the country is the blood of children that was ruthlessly shed.
Where there is political and social unrest in most cases children are caught on the cross fire. Recent cases point to Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Palestine war in Gaza, conflict in Sudan, Boko-Harama incidences in Central and West Africa.
Baby Moses found refuge in the river Nile surrounded by reeds, given lullaby by frogs and mosquitoes because death was looming in the Israelites homes. Ironically, Joseph and Mary had to flee with baby Jesus to seek refuge in Egypt when Herod’s wrath was wiping out children in Bethlehem.

Discussion Questions

1 Is the world today a safe place for children?

2 What threatens safety for children in our Continent Africa? In our nation Zimbabwe?
a. What threatens safety for children in our communities?
b. What threatens safety for children in our churches? Schools? Streets? And country side?
c. What threatens safety for children in our homes?

3 Does the political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal environment promote safe havens for children or bring calamities?

4 What must we do to make the world a safe place for children?

Day 3 Is there Justification for Hagar’s action? Genesis 21:15-20

Hagar story is a tale of misery, pain and family disaster that has got a negative bearing on the innocent child, Ishmael. Hagar is a maid servant of Sarah to start with. A decision is made that Abraham takes Hagar for a wife in a bid to solve Sarah’s problem of failing to conceive. Hagar gave her mistress a child according to their plan. Little did she know that this was going to be the reason for her exit door.
After a while Sarah finally conceived and had her own child, Isaac. This blessing of a child changed the family set up and caused serious relational challenges in the family of the father of faith. Sarah was not happy with the treatment of her child Isaac. As a result, she ordered that Hagar and her child Ishmael be chased out of the household. It was a tough decision for Abraham but he finally gave in and chased the maid servant and the child.
Hagar, a poor helpless and hopeless woman wandered about in the wilderness with a child with limited provisions of food and water for herself and the child. Soon, they are to face starvation and death is looming when the food and water is finished. Hagar was emotionally and spiritually drained as she also grappled with physical anguish of hunger and thirst. The emotional burden tore her heart apart as she observed her child, the only reason for existence succumbing to starvation. Unable to witness the horror she decided to abandon the child and she drift away from the child.
The Hagar/Ishmael story represent many situations that are obtaining in the communities were children end up being abandoned and neglected.

Discussion

1 Discuss some of the circumstances forcing parents to abandon/neglect their children
 Divorce
 Abusive environment
 Unemployment
 Hunger
 Poverty
 Leisure
 disability

2 Discuss other better options than abandonment and neglect.

3 What is the role of the family, church, community in response to child abandonment?

DAY 4 And grew up in wisdom and stature in favour with God and men. Luke 2: 52

When a child is growing from birth there are signs and marks that can be observed. Physical signs like change in size. This change can be confirmed empirically by measuring weight/mass and height. A child can also show growth through motion and motor skills like ability to sit, crawling, standing, walking, running, throwing, riding a bicycle etc. Mental development is yet another critical area in the growth of a child that covers functions like memory, perception, attention, language, reasoning, problem solving and creativity.
Parents/guardians must ensure that children receive adequate food, social, health support and appropriate environment that promote growth in all aspects. Any shortcuts or deficiencies will have detrimental effects to the child in the life to come.
A human being is a spiritual being. It is also important to nurture the child for spiritual growth. It is unfortunate that this critical area is often left out or is attended to very late in the development of a child. Caregivers are required to nurture the child right from birth just like any other critical area of growth. The child needs spiritual food and exercises in order to grow well. Matthew 4:4 confirms that men shall not live by bread alone but by the word which comes from the Lord.
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread that I will give, he will live forever. Exposing our children to the word of God and soaking them in the word day and night will is a lifelong treasure. During Sunday school, children are put in their age appropriate classes and fed with the bread of life. The various youth organisations like the Boys Christian Union, Girls Christian Union, Methodist Young Disciples, Tsungari, Guilds etc are spiritual pots mend to shape our children in line with the word of God.
Luke 2:52 gives us the desired end product, one who is in favour with God and in favour with men. To find favour with God you must be wired according to the will and dictates of God, living according to His commands and being led by the Holy Spirit.
However, one can be in favour with men for good or for worse. When you do good and walk in the right path some people are pleased and praise you, but some may despise you for that. The same responses may also be found when you do bad things and walk in the path of destruction, some people are pleased and praise you while others may despise you. It is therefore always advisable to seek to be in favour with God first and then find favour with men.
Parents, guardians and caregivers must strive to raise children who grow in all aspects in order to deliver a total human being who is a pleasure before God’s eyes and in the public sphere. Half-baked persons are a disaster in society. Such persons may excel in one area but are a total failure in other critical aspects of life. Although it may appear to be a mammoth task to have an all-rounder person at least in Jesus we have a moral example. It is therefore not out of this world.

Discussion

1 Discuss the stumbling blocks that affects children’s physical, mental and spiritual growth and how they can be minimised.

2 Discuss possible remedies to the affected children.

DAY 5 Foster care program Exodus 2:5-10

Moses was born when Israelites male children were being persecuted at the order of Pharoah in a bid to control the population of the Hebrew slaves. The child was hid by her mother for three months. After three months it became difficult to continue concealing the child until they decided to make a basket for him and hide him in the river bank. The child’s sister Miriam would watch over him from a distance. One day Pharoah’s daughter was walking along the river with his maid servants when they bumped over the child. The Princess was moved with compassion and Miriam quickly appeared and suggested that she looks for a nurse. She called the mother of the child, unbeknown to the Princess. The Princess charged the nurse (who was the child’s real mother) to look after the child. When the child grew up he was brought to Pharoah’s daughter and he became her son and she called his name Moses: and she said, because I drew him out of the water.
Moses story is a typical example of parental, foster care and adoption. In the first instance, the child belongs to the Israelite woman through birth. Pharoah’s daughter claimed ownership of the child after discovering him from the river bank. She surrendered the child to a nurse who would look after the child on her behalf. Although the nurse is the biological mother to the child, she became a Foster parent to the child. After the child had grown up, he was surrendered back to the Princess who became his adoption mother.
Foster care – it is a TEMPORARY living arrangement for abused, neglected and dependent children who need a safe place to live then their parents or another relative cannot take care of them.
Adoption-It is when a child is PERMANENTLY moved to a new home with new family. These new parents are now LEGALLY responsible for the child and have all parental rights as if they were the biological parents. These adopted children now have all of the same benefits as the biological children in their family.
Both foster care and adoption are processes of providing children for childless parents and parents for parentless children. Adoption is a lifetime, legally binding and emotional commitment whilst foster care is temporary and parents have no legal parental rights. It is necessary where a child has no biological parents or children living in difficult situations, abandoned, orphans and neglected children.
It is important to note that most people have “informal” foster care arrangements in our families where we take in children of our relatives and live with them. Adoption and formal foster care is done through the department of Social welfare. A probation officer/social worker conducts thorough investigations into the background of prospective adopters on some of the following list:
 Physical health
 Ages
 Shelter
 Financial position
 Religion
 Emotional health
 Capacity to love, accept and offer emotional security.
 The process can take up to 3 years but in most cases adoptive parents are allowed to foster pending adoption.
MRCH runs a holiday placement programme/foster care programme for children in the Home. You can foster children from your family, church or community at large. The programme is facilitated by the Department of Social Development. Little is more!!!!. You too can be a part of it!!!

Myths about fostering and adoption:

* It is a myth that one has to be rich to foster or adopt

* Cultural beliefs – ngozi

* Family – inheritance issues

“As Zimbabweans, closely knitted family structures are a vital part of our culture. Surely we are all relatives of these children. Most of us have the capacity to accommodate them. We can take them in within our homes. Adoption is also on option that we have and we should demystify it. There is no need to fear and remain in ignorance. We should educate each other…….” Her Excellency the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.

Action:

1 Adopt a House: There are 8 Housing units at Matthew Rusike Children’s Home and two houses at our Community outreach centres at Mzinyathi and Donga. You can adopt a House and meet repairs and maintenance needs, furnishing, painting etc.

2 Adopt a care-giver House Parent: You can adopt a caregiver and contribute towards their welfare through a monthly contribution of $475us.

3 Foster Parenting: You can submit your details to Circuit Childcare Coordinators for assessment, registration and receiving children on MRCH foster-care program.

4 MRCH Associates membership: You can contribute towards the upkeep of MRCH when you become a member of MRCH Associate. To become a member, you pay $10us per year for membership and $2 per month subscription. You are also encouraged to recruit at least 5 more members.

5 Offer- Relief service: You can also offer Voluntary Relief service to Matthew Rusike Children’s Home as a Relief House Parent, Social worker, Health worker or a counsellor.

DAY 6 ACTION DAY

 Prepare to support children at MRCH in Harare Epworth, Donga in Midlands province, Mzinyathi in Matebeleland South, in our local churches and communities.
 List of needs
 2024 Budget

 Fees
 Medical
 Clothes
 School uniforms
 Toiletries
 Stationery
 Text Books (from ECD to Form six all subjects)
 Laptops, tablets, Calculators

DAY 7 MRCH Special Sunday “Let them come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Luke 18:16

 MRCH BIG SUNDAY: WORD, FELLOWSHIP AND FUNDRAISING FOR OUR HOME
 Let us hear God speaking to us through the preacher of this great day for children at Matthew Rusike.
 Let us bring our donations in cash and kind. As we bring our donations let us remember that we have 3 MRCH centers, Residential care in Epworth, Community based care centers in Donga Shurugwi and Mzinyathi in Matebeleland South.
 Among our critical needs are food for children, fees for university students and salaries for workers (6 months’ backlog)
 We are also encouraged to participate in the fundraising activities that are lined up.
 Please note that even if you are not physically present you are encouraged to mobilise donations wherever you are, cash donations can be deposited in the bank accounts given below.
Banking Details for Financial Support:
First Capital Bank Nostro Account 21573675029
Domestic FCA 21573675142
ZIG Account 21576290535
Branch
NGO Centre, Mt Pleasant, Harare.
Swift code FRCGZWHX
Corresponding bank Crown Agent, London, CRASGBZL
Ecocash Merchant code *151*2*2*74930*Amount# Matthew Rusike Children’s Home
ZESA Account for tokens 37131484711