“What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” This is how Jesus entered into a conversation with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk24:13-35). They were coming from a situation of deep hurt and betrayal. Their responsorial psalm to Jesus’ conversation starter was nothing but a lucid expression of shattered hopes; we had hoped….. They were going to Emmaus, which some people have mischievously posited to be a Roman pub. They thought they would drown their sorrows in a bottle or two at the pub. Jesus’ joining them introduces a dramatic turn of events. He walks with them, listens to their story, develops interest, asks questions. He listens as they talk and he teaches based on an objective analysis of what he hears.
This pretty much mirrors the modern story. People are on a journey, from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jerusalem is a place or situation where all hopes get shattered and Emmaus being that place or activity promising illusory consolation. Even in the workplace, there are people who drag themselves to work coming from places or situations of great pain, betrayal and loss. They are looking for consolation. If these people do not encounter Christ on the way, only God knows their destination.
ZimWorX prides itself as one company that has created an environment where employees can encounter “a stranger” who walks with them, listens to their story, asks questions and becomes a friend. This is the raison d’être for workplace pastoral care: an active accompaniment, offering spiritual, moral and emotional support to the employees. This accompaniment takes different shapes and sizes. From informal interactions to confidential interpersonal sessions, the goal being to be present and available to one another. Spiritual exercises, in the form of daily devotions, are tailored towards grooming a faith community within the workplace. This community of faith meets to pray together, challenge, inspire and encourage one another. What a privilege to be in a place where everyday is a day of drawing close to the Lord!
Tuesday TED Talks are designed to support other human facets of growth. We invite experts and influential people to interact with our staff for the purposes of information and motivation. At a time when a lot of conspiracy theories, about the Covid 19 vaccines, were flying around, we invited an expert in vaccines to empower us with reliable information so that we could make informed choices about our lives. The other time we had some martial artists taking our employees through basic self-defence drills. It doesn’t get better than this!
On average we spend around 40 hours per week in the workplace. This becomes probably the longest time we get to spend in one place outside our homes on a daily basis. It gotta be fun otherwise it becomes a slog. Pastoral Care contributes to making fun happen at the workplace. The other day we interacted with one of the popular musicians in the country, Ngoni Kambarami. What a blast it was (see clip).
Our community engagement makes us responsible stewards of the resources and blessings that God has entrusted to us. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. The commitment of 51% of the profits to Ministry work is testimony to how we take community engagement and kingdom business seriously.