13 Apr 2025

United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) is hard at work to uphold the UCCSA original melodies, their singing culture as well as retain the original tune of the UCCSA hymns.

Reverend Cosmos Ngoreng of Motswedi UCCSA in Kanye thus announced during the just-ended Botswana Synod Choirs Conference that Moeding Region was hosting under the theme: Empowered by Faith, United in Purpose, Transforming Communities and Systems for a Just and Hopeful Future. The four-day conference came to an end yesterday.

Reverend Ngoreng said often times, the UCCSA hymns were mistaken for bereavement melodies, explaining that the hymns were not only conformed to such, but served the spirit in a variety of ways including rejoicing and worshiping.

He, therefore, told the congregants that the conference sought to address such perceptions by enhancing the accessibility of the hymns in the purest form through use of online media platforms.

“This way it will help the hymns to retain their original tune, which is always twisted each time you hear them sung across various sessions during community gatherings,” he said.

Moreover, Reverend Ngoreng highlighted that the choir activities was expected to bring the youth and the elderly together to help develop the UCCSA hymns as well as inspire the youths to embrace the singing culture in large numbers. He said the youth seemed to migrate to worship places where musical instruments were used, which he said was evidenced by UCCSA choir largely made up of the elderly, who faced aging and retirement.

“Therefore we want to lure the youth into singing, by incorporating musical instruments and other developments,” he said, adding that the Synod choirs were expected to ignite the love and inspire both the young and the old to uphold the UCCSA hymns.

During the conference, Sejelo Police Station commander, Superintendent Mogomotsi Matlapeng urged the public and churches to work together to combat GBV, which he said was on the rise.

He called for the church to take lead in establishing strong families, describing this as the family foundation. He said that way it would become easy to curb GBV torments.

“As the police, we advocate for strong families and households that are accountable for children and other family members’ upkeep and welfare,” he said.

Furthermore, he encouraged the church to pray for reduction of GBV cases, as well as form committees that fight the vice. ENDS