Africa-Press – Botswana. The nation have been called to partner with the police and pray for hope, healing and mental strength for officers across the country.
The call was made by the Assistant Minister for State President, Ms Maipelo Mophuting during the launch of the Botswana Police Sunday Church Service programme in Gaborone on Sunday.
Ms Mophuting stressed that spiritual welfare mattered just as much as physical welfare, hence the call.
“While they guard us with courage, we must cover them with prayer, while they protect our homes, we must protect their hearts,” she said.
Furthermore, she said challenges faced by the country today, such as crime, violence, suicide, broken families, moral decay and youth unemployment, were not merely social issues, but spiritual battles requiring spiritual intervention.
“Prayer is not a passive act, prayer is power, it restores, it unites, it heals and it transforms,” she affirmed.
Ms Mophuting further said the Botswana Police Sunday Church Service sent a clear message to the world that Botswana was ‘anchored not in fear, but in faith; not in division, but in unity’.
The day, she described it as ‘a covenant of healing’ and urged the nation to view it as the beginning of a prayerful movement, one that embedded spiritual support for officers into the national fabric.
Held under the theme: Praying Through the Storm, Faith in Difficult Times,” she said the occasion marked a national turning point, a commitment to placing spiritual strength and emotional resilience at the heart of public service.
“This initiative aims to integrate prayer into Botswana’s national identity and creating a culture where every citizen becomes a spiritual support system for the Police Service,” she said, adding that ‘every time we see a police officer, let it be a moment we whisper a prayer for them’.
Police Commissioner, Ms Dinah Marathe said the new church service initiative was designed to strengthen spiritual resilience, offer emotional support and remind officers that they were not alone.
“Our officers encounter trauma almost daily, whether it is scenes of violence, tragic accidents, murders, suicide abused children and confronting armed criminals, or high-stress interventions, it is important that their mental well-being remains stable,” said Ms Marathe.
She stressed the importance of nurturing the spirit, mind and body of officers so they could continue to serve with strength and dignity.
“Policing is not only about enforcing the law, it is also about serving communities with compassion, that becomes difficult when officers are struggling internally,” Ms Marathe added.
She said the initiative had objectives of mobilising officers through prayer by encouraging deeper commitment to service through regular spiritual engagement, providing officers with a platform to confront personal and professional challenges through faith.
Also, she said the initiative served as a way of fostering unity through strengthening relationships between officers, religious leaders and communities, as well as promoting spiritual values by raising awareness on how spiritual grounding could combat societal ills.
The Botswana Police Sunday Church Service is expected to be held regularly and has been extended across the country’s districts and police stations, reinforcing its purpose as a movement of faith, hope and national unity.
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