By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

THE Lusaka High Court has declared the expulsion of some church members at the Christian Community Church as illegal and cannot hold.

Justice Mungeni Mulenga has since advised the parties to reconcile based on Biblical principles.

This is in a matter in which Christian Community Church trustees sued Paul Kodochi, Charles Benson Manjimela, Charles Kadochi, Geoffrey Luwaya and Simeon Mavuya seeking an injunction to restrain them from performing or acting as church elders.

The Christian Community Church wanted a declaration that the five were legally expelled from the church and were no longer members of the church.

It further wanted the court to declare as illegal the international general meeting of July 6 and 7, 2013 and that all decisions made in the meeting be nullified.

The trustee also wanted the court to order the five members to pay damages for inconveniencing the church.

But the five filed a counter claim seeking a declaration that the amendments purportedly made to the constitution were null and void and another declaration that their expulsion was illegal.

The five wanted the court to order that the Apostolic Council and the title of overseer were alien to the church’s constitution and that the church be restrained from interfering with their rights as members.

But Ms Justice Mulenga said in her judgment yesterday that the church’s constitution was validly amended and lodged with the registrar of societies.

She, however, declared that the expulsion of the five was not done in compliance with the provisions of the constitution as such, it was null and void.

Ms Justice Mulenga also said the International General Meeting held by the defendants was illegal as it was supposed to be for both factions.

She said that she could not grant an injunction to restrain the five from performing or acting as church elders or representatives of Christian Community church because the parties could find a neutral person to reconcile them.