Deacon Candidate Dreams of Building a Wellness Center

2012 alumna Dr. Mazvita Machinga first earned a Master of Theological Studies, with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling, then a Ph.D. in Practical Theology, with a track in Pastoral Psychotherapy and Counseling.

Serving in Zimbabwe, Mazvita said, “I’m proud to be a practical theologian, pastoral psychotherapist, and mental health specialist. It has always been my passion to be able to journey with people and create space for them to share their life experiences. Through the Clinebell Institute at CST, my training in psychotherapy and counseling taught me how to integrate psychological, theological, ethical, and spiritual frames of reference when offering counseling.”

Mazvita works hard and wears many hats. She teaches ministerial and social science students and serves as the University Counselor at Africa University. She said, “I feel very humbled to share my skills and knowledge with students who will in turn go back to their countries and offer care and counseling.” Mazvita previously served as a Dean of Student Affairs at Africa University, caring for students from a variety of backgrounds.

In addition to teaching and counseling, Mazvita volunteers her clinical services as a Psychotherapist at Pastoral Care and Counselling Services (PCCS) in Mutare, the only such registered center in a province of over 1.9 million people. The center, founded by Mazvita in 2000, offers services to over five thousand people a year through individual and group counseling, substance recovery programs, couples counseling, play therapy, and support groups for women, youth, and children diagnosed with hydrocephalus, HIV/AIDS, and albinism; Mazvita also dreams of raising the money to build a wellness center for PCCS.

Mazvita shared, “My dream is to have a pastoral care center [building]. Because my ministry is not profit-making, we cannot afford to build a center; currently we use space that has been donated. My prayer is that one day we secure some [financial] assistance that will help us build a Pastoral Care and Wellness Center within our province which would take care of people’s emotional and psychological welfare. I kindly ask you to join me in prayers for this dream to become a reality.”

Mazvita continues this sacred work by providing pro-bono psychotherapy and spiritual care services for the patients and staff at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital and other hospitals in the city of Mutare. In this work especially, Mazvita is grateful for the knowledge and skills she acquired through the Clinebell Institute and the Clinical Pastoral Education program in which she participated at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, CA. “I feel humbled to have been equipped for such sacred ministry of care,” she said. “I see myself reaching out and continuing the mission that Jesus Christ asked us to do: to be compassionate for those who need help—to be the hands and the feet and the ears and the eyes of Jesus Christ.”

One way Mazvita has been inspired recently is by the ways denominations and faith leaders have been engaging mental health knowledge and awareness through an initiative of the counseling center: “Working with churches has been very fulfilling to me. People turn to churches to find safety and help in times of need. Thus, church leaders need capacity in understanding mental health issues. It has been exciting to see lives being transformed when the church takes its position.”

Mazvita is grateful to Trinity UMC Pomona, East District, and the California Pacific Annual Conference for their support in her deacon candidacy process. She is also indebted to her United States friends and supporters—especially professors at CST and her spiritual director in Claremont who has been journeying with her since 2010.

Although the pandemic has brought challenges, the ministries in which Mazvita is involved continue to provide invaluable hope to the community: “The Lord has been helping me to do what I can with what is there, and we are grateful for where the Lord has taken us thus far. I am doing my best to ensure that the education I got from CST is helping me to make a difference for our people in Zimbabwe and in Africa.”

Wondering how you can support Mazvita’s dream? PCCS has partnered with United Methodist Global Ministries to make donations easy and tax-deductible. Just visit https://advance.umcmission.org/p-459-safe-communities-projects.aspx to donate.