THE gospel power couple of Pastors Charles and Olivia Charamba is in a fix!
They formed Rooted in Christ Ministries in October last year after leaving the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), in which they had ministered as pastors for two decades.
But creating a balance between the music and church business is proving to be a challenge.
A general feeling among their followers is that they are gradually drifting away from music, focusing more on the new church. Apparently, Rooted in Christ Ministries is growing faster than they had anticipated and now requires more of their attention.
In fact, the church, which is stationed at David Livingstone Primary School, seems to be overtaking their music influence.
Previously they were holding their services at the Zimbabwe College of Music and Ambassador Hotel but the congregation outgrew those venues.
Accordingly, the couple is now sacrificing live gigs and studio time to dedicate more time to the church. Clearly the revered couple find themselves in a quandary.
They are dithering between pleasing the highly demanding music fans and fulfilling their new found mission.
It is now rare to come across an advertisement for a Fishers of Men (Pastor Charamba’s backing group) gig, both in and outside the capital.
They now only feature briefly at corporate functions or at charity events like last month’s Air Force of Zimbabwe “Winter Warmer Charity” show. Other than that, they simply fulfil annual events like when they entertained retiring health personnel at Harare Hospital free of charge.
To make matters worse, their recent offerings “WeNazareta”, “Abba Father” and “Voice of Miriam” received tepid responses from the public.
Over the years, the Charambas have helped popularise gospel music through recorded music and enchanting live performances. Their gigs in venues like Harare Gardens, Aquatic Complex and the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) were a must attend.
But the gospel first family’s enthusiasm for music is fading. Some critics even argue that this is one of the major reasons why worship shows have somewhat lost their lustre.
Live show attendance figures have slumped over the years.
But giants such as Alick Macheso, Winky D and Jah Prayzah stand as beacons of hope in their respective genres. They have employed strategies that have kept them afloat.
Could the establishment of the church indeed be the reason for the Charambas’ shift of focus?
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Society, Pastor Charamba attributed the development to blossoming responsibilities.
“Apart from music and church, we have other responsibilities that include goodwill-ambassadorial duties, board membership, parental, music lectures and mentorship programmes. Some responsibilities come with age, some are inevitably brought about by our experience and stay in the arts sector,” said Pastor Charamba.State media
