Chitungwiza – July 1985. Ethiopia was in famine. One million reportedly perished. Moved by their plight, singer Bob Geldof initiated a series of Live Aid concerts to raise funds.
In response, 200 000 people attended. An estimated one billion viewers in 110 countries watched the concerts live on TV.
Top acts in the showbiz industry performed. Bob Dylan, Elton John, Madonna and Paul McCartney teamed to raise $125 million relief for Africa.
On the sporting front, Michael Jordan clinched the National Basketball Association (NBA) Rookie of the Year award. In 1984, he had been drafted into the Chicago Bulls squad, marking his inaugural season.
He soon became a crowd puller. Jordan later became an accomplished basketball player. Today, he occupies the sports hall of fame.
Far off in Zimbabwe, Africa, a young Amon Madawo was being called into ministry to preach the word of God. While some of his age pursued other devious acts, he was focused on forwarding the Kingdom of Christ.
Urged by a spiritual zeal, he started to preach in remote, rural areas of the country. Resources were scarce – there was no Public Address System to communicate. But he persisted to recruit more saints into the Kingdom.
After three years of rigorous preaching in the outlay areas, his quest to attain more remained unfulfilled. The energetic youth felt the urge to learn more about the living bible. In 1989, he enrolled at Living Waters Bible College (LWBC) run by Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM).
After two years of intense studying, he attained a theology qualification from the renowned college. In 1992, he became a pastor in Inyati Rural Area in Matabeleland North. He was back to the rural settings that had shaped his initial Christian life.
The period between 1994 and 1998 buttressed his church planting abilities. In his early ministry work, he pioneered four churches – two in Hwange – and the other two in Marondera. In 1997, he became a Provincial Secretary, a post he held for even years.
By 1999, the experienced cleric was back at LWBC as a lecturer – a position he holds to date. During the same period, he pastored in Chitungwiza, growing the church to a strong 1500 membership. Under his leadership, a 2000 capacity auditorium – the New Life Assembly was built.
As a marriage officer for 20 years, Bishop Madawo has presided over many nuptials. In a bid to further his studies, he enrolled for a Master’s Degree in UK. By 2005, he was leading in Birmingham, UK as a part-time minister.
Within the church, Bishop Amon Madawo’s continued to prove his leadership abilities. In 2009 to April 2019, he was a Provincial Overseer. At the same time, he was the National General Secretary, until the 2018 elections, when he assumed the position of AFM President, taking over from the previous leader Aspher Madziyire to lead over 2 million devotees.
The eloquent servant of God has appeared on global stages, speaking to a universal audience. In the nation, he has become a leading Kingdom voice, across the Christian denomination. His knack to mend relationships came after the recent elections.
“It is a very difficult time for the church and we have engaged our former presidents and other leaders to come and mediate so that we can unite again as a church.
“Yes, we might win legal challenges, but what is important is winning back the love and unite as a church. I have engaged AFM International so that they can facilitate dialogue,” he mentioned to a local publication.
Bishop Amon Madawo is the current president of AFM Zimbabwe (Apostolic Faith Mission), and he also serves as the senior pastor of the Seke based AFM - Shiloh Word Miracle Centre.
Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) is one of the leading Pentecostal denomination in Zimbabwe, with a following exceeding 2 million across the nation, with assemblies nationwide.
Since 2011, Bishop Amon Madawo has led the arm of AFM in Chitungwiza East Province. Bishop Amon Madawo took over leadership from Rev Aspher Madziyire who had served for 16 years before passing the baton in 2018.
The Tiyambuke International Christian Convention (TICC) is an annual gathering of Christian believers from various denominations, organized by Glory Ministries under the leadership of Apostle Pride and Anna Sibiya.
With its inception in 2001, TICC has grown to become one of the largest conferences in Zimbabwe.
The convention's name, "Tiyambuke," meaning "Let Us Cross Over," reflects its mission to lead people out of ignorance, sin, and bondage into a life of knowledge, love for God, health, prosperity, and freedom.
