By MOFFAT CHAZINGWA-
THE Apostolic Church in Zambia is seeking increased access to land to enable congregations using school classrooms for their church programmes, to construct own buildings.
Apostolic Church’s newly-inducted overseer Bishop Jacob Mubanga said Government should enable churches acquire land in order for them to construct own buildings.
Bishop Mubanga’s comments come in the wake of the directive by the Ministry of Education that churches meeting in schools should look for own places for their church activities.
He said in an interview in Kitwe recently that the Church had no problem with that declaration as long as a deliberate programme was put in place to enable churches acquire land to construct their own buildings.
‘‘There is a directive by the Ministry of Education that churches meeting in schools should be given a period of up to two years after which they should look for their own places.
‘‘Our view is that for this ultimatum to stand, churches, especially those congregating in schools should be availed access to own land because without plots, how are they going to build?’’ he asked.
Bishop Mubanga said to construct own buildings had always been the cry for many churches in the country, but it has been hard to acquire land.
Bishop Mubanga said with the marking of 50 years of independence, Government should use the Golden Jubilee celebrations to enable churches acquire land for construction of own church buildings.