May 22, 2013


“I never dreamed of being where I am today,” said Father George Kwari, the new minister of the Anglican parishes of Parham-Sharbot Lake and Maberly-Lanark. Father Kwari hails from Zimbabwe and officially took up his new post on April 1.

When I interviewed him following a service he gave on May 19 at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Sharbot Lake, Kwari said he considers his own life a miracle. Born in Zimbabwe and raised by his grandmother, Kwari said he is forever indebted not only to God but also to the many generous people including the current Anglican Archbishop Fred Hiltz, who assisted in facilitating his studies here in Canada.

Father Kwari was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and grew up very poor in a humble adobe house “with no television, or radio and where bread was often a luxury”. He recalled that it was “through the grace of God I was able to attend school both in Zimbabwe and in Canada.” Kwari received his Bachelor of Divinity at the Africa University in Zimbabwe and was ordained there in 2005. Before that he received an Honours Degree in Philosophy at the Jesuit School of Philosophy in Harare, Zimbabwe, and most recently, after arriving in Canada in 2007 with his wife, received his Masters in Pastoral Theology at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. He currently resides there now with his wife and two young children. He has served in other Ontario churches before coming to his new post. He spent two years as the assistant curate at a parish of the Algoma diocese in Northern Ontario, and following that, served as the interim incumbent at St. Thomas Anglican Church in Bracebridge.

Kwari, who is planning to relocate to Perth with his family in the near future, is looking forward to serving his new congregations. Asked of his strengths Kwari said, “When I speak, I speak of the God that I know I have experienced first hand.” He also spoke of his rigorous prayer life, which he credits his great grandfather, a lay reader in the United Methodist Church for instilling in him, and who taught him that “The living God is in charge as long as we have faith in Him.”

Kwari also spoke of his enjoyment in working with people from different cultural and racial backgrounds. He seems to be settling comfortably into his new post and said that he is impressed with the members of his new congregations who have gone out of their way to make him feel welcome.

Regarding the challenges that come with any new posting, Kwari said that serving rural communities has its challenges, one being the lack of young families in the church. “Not having young families in the church poses the risk that our church may not survive the next generation and also makes the church feel incomplete in that the Body of Christ is missing a vital component.” He was sorry to say that the lack of young people means the cancellation of certain programs that otherwise would greatly benefit the community. Also the overall size of the parish poses its own unique challenges. “Having six congregations under my care will be a challenge because of a lack of continuity. Seeing my congregations just once every other Sunday will make it difficult to maintain continuity in certain programs.”

On a more positive note, Kwari said that he remains hopeful and that he is already taking steps to try to attract more young people to his congregations. In a new special outreach program the church will be holding regular monthly movie nights for children ages 5-12, which will be open to members of the local church community, and all denominations. He will also be starting up a community prayer ministry where all parishioners will be prayed for daily along with other members of the community who would like to be involved.

Kwari, who has a very gentle and open manner of speaking, said that he is both hopeful and grateful to the members of his new church community who have already reached out to him. “The care, kindness, generosity, and respect that I have received from the people here is amazing. It is one of God’s miracles. God’s love inspires us and empowers us to love any person unconditionally. The congregations have welcomed me with open arms and many have welcomed me into their homes. This shows me that there is room for everybody and I want people to know that our doors are open and we will always have a seat for our guests.”

For more information please call Father Kwari at 613-561-8455.

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