Speech by His Excellency Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu President of the Republic of Zambia, on the occasion of the 80 years (OAK Jubilee) Celebrations to be held at St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church Regiment Parish on Sunday, 19th January, 2019

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Speech by His Excellency Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu President of the Republic of Zambia, on the occasion of the 80 years (OAK Jubilee) Celebrations to be held at St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church Regiment Parish on Sunday, 19th January, 2019

Theme: celebrating 80 years of existence and evangelisation.

State house Lusaka

• Your Grace, The Archbishop of Lusaka and Apostolic Administrator of Ndola Diocese, Dr Alick Banda;
• Members of the Clergy, Religious Men and Women;
• The Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs – Hon. Rev. Godfridah Sumaili –M.P;
• Other Cabinet Ministers present;
• Senior Government officials;
• Area Member of Parliament;
• Defence and security chiefs;
• Guests from other Churches;
• Distinguished invited Guests;
• Parishioners, Brothers and Sisters in Christ;
• Members of The Press;
• Ladies and Gentlemen:

I greet you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am very happy to be part of this very important occasion.

Indeed, I feel greatly honoured to be part of this celebration. We can only thank god for this well-deserved achievement.

An occasion like this one, OAK Jubilee calls for serious reflection on the achievements, failures and lessons learnt, in order for us to define our future.

The 80 years that this parish has clocked should not end with this celebration, but should resonate through all of us as we look back on the initial steps which were taken by our forefathers to this present day.

We need to appreciate that so much has changed and so is the approach to issues.

I wish to commend your selflessness and spiritual love which has produced other parishes. Thus, our faith is in vain if it only ends with us.

Evangelisation requires spreading the word of god above and beyond our precincts, and this i believe has been well articulated through the various achievements that have been highlighted by your parish.

It is usually not common to build partnerships with groups that are perceived to share competing beliefs with what we believe in, and yet still find common grounds of engagement.

 

 

I am saying this in particular reference to the historical bond that exists between St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church and the Zambia Army.

This bond is a clear testimony of god’s supremacy which cuts across all types of groups. This only goes to show one thing, that it really does not matter what you do or the kind of profession you are in, as we all require god’s intervention to achieve our goals and aspirations.

It is in the same spirit of engagement that this land was apportioned to The Church by the Zambia Army. The role of the men and women in uniform is to provide an enabling environment that guarantees peace and freedom, while the church ensures that its people are helped to attain salvation.

I am elated that you have embarked on a number of activities intended to raise resources for The Church.

Like I have always emphasised at most meetings, let’s not get engrossed in what the Government can do for us, but what we can do to help the government.  In fact, it is imperative that as a church you venture into income generating ventures because you no longer get aid from overseas as was the case in the past.

While our responsibility as Government is to provide for our people, the resources are scarce, and thus not enough to cater for everyone.  Therefore, it is through such initiatives like yours that can help to fill the gap hence complementing Government efforts to better the lives of many households.

I have taken note of some challenges that you are facing, and as a listening government it is our responsibility to ensure that we do everything possible to help those communities that are doing something for the greater community.

I have equally been encouraged to learn that you are running a skills training Centre at Mulele Mwana to assist youth with survival skills, rather than solely depending on the Government.

My government remains committed to providing an enabling environment for institutions which are providing skills training especially, for the youth.

Through Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA), my Government will see to it that your skills training centre acquires necessary teaching aids to guarantee quality education, and ensure sustainable skills.

The PF Government’s development agenda entails that we have well formulated programmes at both national and community levels to provide holistic development for our people thereby ensuring that no one is left behind.

Therefore, my Government is gratified for the partnership that it shares with The Church as it is a sure way of taking development to our people.  Government and The Church share the same constituents hence the need for closer collaboration for us to serve the people well.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the parish priest for extending an invitation to me to attend this important occasion.

I wish everyone present here a Happy OAK Jubilee celebration, and pray to the almighty god to continue providing the peace and harmony that has always existed between The Church and The Government.

God bless you all.  Happy OAK Jubilee, i thank you. Dr. Edgar chagwa Lungu president of the republic of Zambia