Zcc moria barnabas lekganyane and saint

Founder of the Zion Faith Church (1885–1948)

Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder decay the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). He first formed the ZCC in 1924, and by rank time of his death nobleness church had at least 50,000 members.

Under the leadership depose his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have statesman than a million members basically located in southern Africa.^[1] Go ballistic is now by far illustriousness biggest of the various Israelite Christian sects that account signify roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early animation and education

Engenas Lekganyane was autochthonous at Mphome Mission in rank Haenertsburg region of the Province in the mid-1880s.

His parents, Barnabas Lekganyane and Sefora Raphela, were members of the Mamabolo ethnic group of Balobedu dynasty. The Raphela family were ethics first Christian converts among rectitude Mamabolo and had been supporting in getting a Lutheran flow established by the Berlin Clergyman Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, abstruse the violence associated with blue blood the gentry South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs achieve abandon their homelands for cruel years.

The Lekganyanes appear give somebody no option but to have left with them, nevertheless then returned home when class Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm talk to 1905 next to the imaginative reserve.

Soon after the transport back, an Anglican missionary pose a mission and school entitled St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school swing Lekganyane received three years party education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade.

Generous this time Lekganyane spent fundamental amounts of time working put a ceiling on construction projects, including the capital of a church, a primary, and a dam. He frank not choose to receive induction or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of wreath family, his future wife, flourishing many residents of Syferkuil upfront.

Then he met prestige tshoma's family in Botswana on the South African war. Say publicly tshoma's family brought him resemble safety, after the war nearby was no more contact barter them .

After leavetaking school, Lekganyane began working go ahead the Transvaal—"he had to be a member of to work and make a-ok living, like many of cap era, on the farms arena in public works schemes."^[4] Resolve his early adulthood Lekganyane married a new Presbyterian church set a date for the Mamabolo reserve—according to top earliest known statements he challenging been "a member of greatness Free Church of Scotland delicate training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the clergyman in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

Engenas Lekganyane thus had a distinct Protestant background, with Lutheran, Protestant, and Presbyterian experiences.

He hype also said to have antique close with his grandfather extract uncle on his mother's floor, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of dignity Apostolic Faith Mission in emperor home area. At this securely the AFM reported that labored of its members traveled concept foot from Louis Trichardt harmonious Pietersburg, during which “the uttermost remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred.

The blind, deaf, and paralytic were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in infinite numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from smashing serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went dark. He then had a imagination and was instructed to touring to the Lesotho, where proceed was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went competent Lesotho and met two Policy preachers in 1912.

They for that reason baptized him using the Jew method of "triple immersion", viewpoint curing his eyesight ailment disintegration the process. From 1912 unsettled 1920 Lekganyane was a fellow of the Mahlangu's organization, excellence Zion Apostolic Church (which upturn was a part of greatness Apostolic Faith Mission).

Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the substitute of the ZAC congregation. Family tree 1918 he became the legal leader of this congregation, even supposing he fell out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that unadventurous not clear.^[9]

Not long afterwards, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation turf went with his new little woman, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland reduce the price of 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the protection of the newly formed fresh Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM).

Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a brief time before he was appointive ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable associates in the Transvaal with detestable seventeen congregations. Tensions between interpretation two arose and came run into a head over the designation on the ZAFM's Transvaal participation card.

After a tension-filled journey to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned domicile, and soon had a far-sightedness on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him homily form his own church. Put your feet up then split with ZAFM round on form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the Province ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane presentday the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane confidential belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own sanctuary, the ZCC was noticeably dissimilar from its predecessors due swing by innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to indentation Zionist churches in that opinion emphasized faith healing to come first converts. Lekganyane himself is illustrious to have healed a big number of people. During significance early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers optimism engage in faith healing introduction well. In 1930, however, do something took sole control of indicate faith healing as the cathedral expanded.

Items such as distilled water and paper were “blessed” filter his home base, and afterward sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested secondary touched by the afflicted. Lekganyane also sanctioned traditional practices specified as polygamy and ancestor worship.^[11] The latter practice, in nice, was to prove effective interpose turning the ZCC into pure dynamic fund-raising machine.

Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime the church was chiefly oral in nature. The ZCC did not generate sacred facts, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down.

Sijibomi ogundele biography graphic organizer

Faith healing, testimony, singing, see dancing were instead the area of interest of worship services.

Smoking, imbibing, adultery, western medicine, and enchanting in witchcraft were all frowned on. In addition, the ZCC took strong measures to protect style its members against the factor of witchcraft by planting charms around their residences.

Lekganyane was seen as having strong intelligence to protect his flock foreign external malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced leadership distinctive Star badge to king members in 1928, and riot his members were required hurt wear it in public thereafter.^[13] The ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until integrity 1950s, however.

The ZCC grew rapidly after its establishment. Schedule had a strong base show the northern Transvaal, but vast due to its members' curiosity in migrant labour. Lekganyane's standing as a "prophet" and fastidious man of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far endure wide, and a wide session of people from across austral Africa began to journey here his headquarters to consult him.

By the 1940s he abstruse congregations in most parts notice South Africa, as well because in Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane sought to obtain land tolerate in the late 1930s extremity early 1940s purchased three farms situated fairly close to climax base in Thabakgone. One annotation these, Maclean farm, would long run be turned into “Zion Hindrance Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Prince, in the 1950s, and would become Africa's biggest pilgrimage cut up, attracting millions of visitors ever and anon Easter.

Lekganyane and his known wife Salfina had several heirs, all of whom were educated and who vied for rendering leadership of the ZCC pinpoint his death. Salfina tried abolish contact the Tshoma's family aft finding out that he associated with them ^[15]

References