Key points:
- As the United Methodist United Kingdom District prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, its story offers a powerful witness to how faith travels with people.
- Over the years, thousands of Zimbabweans moved to Britain for education, employment and family opportunities, and they needed a place to worship God in their own language.
- The United Methodist Church U.K. District exists within the framework of the historic concordat relationship between The United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church in Britain.
For many Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom, Sunday worship is more than a weekly gathering; it is a moment of reconnection.
They hear Scripture proclaimed in Shona, sing hymns that shaped their faith from childhood, feel the rhythm of the ngoma (drum) and hosho (seed gourds), and worship alongside people who understand the joys and struggles of building a life far from home.
More than two decades ago, those moments began as small gatherings of Zimbabwean Methodists searching for a familiar spiritual home in a new country. Today, those gatherings have grown into The United Methodist Church’s United Kingdom District, a vibrant expression of the worldwide United Methodist connection.
The Rev. Kudzanai Honourable Mudambanuki, superintendent of the U.K. District, described the journey as a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
“This church started off as a mission area with one pastor who was looking after the whole of U.K. area. Now we are 12 pastors,” he said. “We became a district in 2025, and our membership is growing so fast. We are over 4,000 members in the U.K., and for that we really want to thank God.”
As the district prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027, its story offers a powerful witness to how faith travels with people, adapts to new contexts and creates communities.
Over the years, thousands of Zimbabweans moved to Britain for education, employment and family opportunities. Along with the challenges of adjusting to a new country came a deeper question: How could they maintain their spiritual identity and continue worshipping in the tradition that had shaped them?
Tracing history in the U.K.
For Ralph Mujuru, one of the founding leaders, the answer was clear: Zimbabwean Methodists needed a place where they could worship God in their own language and remain connected to their United Methodist heritage.
“It was our language that drove us most to start our church,” Mujuru said. “We had the zeal and the passion to say we want to worship God in our own language. We thank God, it came to pass.”
Before formal structures were established, members gathered in homes and informal fellowships. Those early meetings eventually developed into an organized church community.
“Legally, it was in November 2000 when we established ourselves,” Mujuru said. “However, there were gatherings before then where people would meet as a fellowship.”
The journey required patience and perseverance. The community had to navigate questions of identity, relationships with other Methodist traditions and how to maintain its United Methodist expression within the British context.
But for the pioneers, the vision was never simply about creating another congregation. It was about creating a spiritual home.
“We wanted to remain United Methodists,” Mujuru said. “It was about our language, our culture and that sense of belonging.”
The United Methodist Church U.K. District exists within the framework of the historic concordat relationship between The United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church in Britain — an agreement intended to guide cooperation between the two denominations and avoid establishing parallel Methodist congregations in the same communities. Because the Zimbabweans worship in Shona and maintain distinct cultural traditions, church leaders sought permission to continue as a separate United Methodist congregation serving that community.
The Rev. Agbeth Mutanho, the district connectional ministries director, said language and culture were central to that request.
“We were supposed to join the British Methodists. But because of our Shona culture and our Shona language, we asked the British church to allow us to operate as a church,” Mutanho said.
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The arrangement recognizes the district’s unique ministry to Zimbabwean immigrants while preserving its United Methodist identity. Mutanho said that identity remains closely tied to worship in Shona.
“We were allowed to register as a Shona congregation here in the United Kingdom, and because of that reason we cannot abandon Shona completely. We have to conduct our services in Shona.”
District lay leader James Kapuma described growth as reflecting the continuing vitality of the Methodist movement. “The spirit of Methodism is alive,” he said. “You cannot miss the movement that is here.”
Worldwide connections
Although the district is in Britain, it remains fully connected to the worldwide United Methodist Church through the Zimbabwe-Zambia-Malawi-Botswana Episcopal Area under the leadership of Bishop Gift Kudakwashe Machinga.
Machinga said the district’s recognition reflects decades of faithful ministry and the enduring strength of the United Methodist connection across borders.
“What began as scattered fellowships has now become a structured district serving thousands across eight charges,” he said. “The change reflects years of disciplined ministry, leadership development and faithful commitment to the Gospel.”
For The United Methodist Church U.K. District, language is more than communication. It carries memory, identity and faith across generations. Shona remains central to its worship life through preaching, prayer, hymns and traditional expressions of worship.
For associate lay leader Rugare Mojapelo, worship in Shona connects deeply with her spiritual journey. “Worshipping in Shona defines my Christianity,” she said. “It makes me feel closer to home. It makes me feel closer to God. It makes me reconnect with what it is that I need to nourish my soul.”
She recalled how familiar songs bring memories of childhood faith. “When I sing some of our songs, I remember when I was a little girl going to Sunday school, when we prayed at home, when I was teaching my own children about Christianity,” she said.
James Kapuma described Shona worship as a connection to spiritual memory.
“When we sing our own Shona songs or preach in our own language, it reminds us (of) and takes us back to when we received Jesus Christ,” he said. “There are memories of the songs we sang during those times.”
Beyond worship and church structures, members describe the U.K. District as a family that supports people through every season of life.
For migrants adjusting to a new country, the church often becomes a place of friendship, prayer, guidance and practical support.
“When somebody is going through hard times, we go and support them,” Mujuru said. “When we started, we would go into people’s homes, fellowship together, pray, preach and then spend time together. We have continued to carry that mentality.”
Despite the geographical distances between congregations, members travel to support one another.
“People in London drive all the way to Birmingham; people in Wales drive to Scotland,” he said. “That is the family we have. That is the Ubuntu spirit that we carry as Zimbabweans and as United Methodists.”
Mojapelo described the church in similar terms. “It is more than just a church. It is a community. It is a way of life for me,” she said. “I don’t feel alone because of the church.”
Like many diaspora churches around the world, the U.K. District is considering how to preserve its heritage while preparing the next generation.
Twelve-year-old Leanne Nyamugure, a second-generation member, understands the experience of growing between two cultures.
“At school, you have to be in the British tradition, but at home you have to be in the Zimbabwean way,” she said. “It is difficult, but it is also good because you learn more about both cultures.”
For her, the church provides an important connection to Zimbabwe, “because we all know how it feels to live Zimbabwean,” she said.
In 2027, the district will celebrate 25 years of ministry among Zimbabwean United Methodists in the United Kingdom.
For Mujuru, the journey remains a testimony of God’s faithfulness. “Something that started as a small thing has grown to this magnitude,” he said. “God was with us, God is with us and God will still be with us as the church grows.”
Mudambanuki sees a church that is not only surviving but flourishing. “The church here in the U.K. is very much alive,” he said. “We thank God for where we are as a church.”
Muzerengwa is a team lead for regional conference partnerships for United Methodist Communications.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
