Harare, 17 February 2026 — On Monday, 16 February 2026, the third-year ministerial class enjoyed a warm, fellowship-filled meal hosted by Pastor Simbisai Mujati.
The thoughtful gesture was part of his personal celebration for his 2026 birthday, reflecting his commitment to fostering strong relationships within the ministerial programme.
It was more than a meal. It was a moment of belonging.
Around one table, students who study together, pray together, and prepare together for ministry were able to simply be together. There were no lectures, no assignments, and no deadlines. Just food, laughter, conversation, and the quiet joy of being part of a community that cares.
During the gathering, Reverend Chiwoniso Gwenambira, a faculty member present, offered blessings for the meal and the fellowship. He took the opportunity to commend Pastor Mujati for his generosity and initiative in organising the occasion.
Rev. Gwenambira also issued an inspiring challenge to the ministerial students, encouraging them to embrace and continue the tradition of fellowship and shared meals. He emphasised the importance of these practices as essential to their ministerial and missionary calling.
He urged the students to uphold this spirit of community and mutual support as they progress in their studies and future service, highlighting how such bonds strengthen their journey and ministry.
And he is right. Ministry is never a solo journey.
Before a minister can lead a congregation, comfort a grieving family, or sit with a community in crisis, they must first learn how to sit with one another. They must learn how to listen, to share, to celebrate, and to carry one another’s burdens. Those lessons are not only learned in the classroom. They are learned at the table.
A shared meal teaches generosity. It teaches hospitality. It teaches that leadership is not about being served but about serving others. When a student chooses to celebrate his birthday not by receiving but by giving, he is already preaching a powerful sermon without saying a word.
Pastor Mujati’s gesture is a reminder that the life of UTC is not only about thinking, studying, and learning. It is also about becoming a family. It is about building friendships that will sustain these future ministers long after they leave Harare, when ministry becomes lonely, difficult, and demanding.
UTC celebrates Pastor Mujati and thanks him for showing, in such a simple and beautiful way, what community truly looks like.
Happy birthday, Pastor Mujati. May your year be as generous as your heart.
The Event in Pictures
