Ruing gives K200,000 to churches

By YVONNE HAIP
A PASTOR in Western Highlands has praised Dei MP Puri Ruing for committing K200,000 annually to churches in his electorate.
Assemblies of God highlands’ assistant superintendent of churches Pr Thomas Namba commended Ruing for helping the Dei council of churches.
He said parliamentarians often praised the work of the churches in motivating development at the community level but seldom paid for that work.
He said other MPs should follow Ruing if they wanted to improve the lives of people in their electorates.
Ruing gave K200,000 last year to all churches in his electorate and vowed he would continue the practice while in office.
The money is distributed among mainstream churches as well as Pentecostal churches in Dei.
Church leaders said the money would be used as part funding to renovate churches, host crusades and conventions, sponsor further training of church elders, carry out awareness programmes on different issues, as well as carry out other development projects.
Namba said the answer to solving growing lawlessness at the community level was in funding the work of churches and the different programmes that they run.
He said so often, the government promoted church activities and spoke highly about their work but gave little or no direct support.
He said most churches were self-reliant and the programmes they implemented were always for the good of the people and their communities.
Although he is not from Dei, Namba said he was proud of Ruing for recognising the needs of churches.