Pastors in Blantyre Synod are assigned to churches at the discretion of the Synod and the Presbytery. These decisions are made by the executive team of the judicatory body. The pastor’s response is to go where he or she is sent. That obedience is part of the ordination vows. I am part of Blantyre Synod, so when the executives of the Synod told me I was to be transferred from the Chigodi congregation to the Limbe congregation, my response was, “Of course.” Actually, I knew this was going to happen, since the young pastor who has come as my assistant at Chigodi Women’s Training Center needed to be assigned to a congregation and it was most logical that she take the church closest to the Center, where she is living. The congregation, however, was not as willing. It wasn’t that they didn’t want Rev. Jailos. It was that they didn’t want to lose me. But after some long conversations with the elders, they accepted the transfer and began to plan a farewell Sunday for me.
Sunday was the big day and it was a big day. We usually have two services, one in English and one in Chichewa, but on special occasions, we combine and have only one service. That was the schedule for Sunday. That meant that the church was crowded, as we packed the two congregations into one. The choirs of the congregation usually divide between the services, but since there was only one, all the choirs were present and they each had prepared special music for the occasion, songs thanking me for being their pastor. That was most humbling. I preached the sermon, with the session clerk as my translator. It was a joy to work with him for one last time in this way. After the offering, came speeches of appreciation. It was a humbling, too, to hear all they thought I had done for them and with them in just 16 months. Then came the giving of gifts. This has a particularly Malawian flavor. Each of the zones of the church, the various groups of the church and some individuals had gifts to present. I stood in the front as the giver of the gift danced up the aisle with the gift as a choir sang. The giver knelt in front of me to present the gift, which I received and then handed to member of the mvano who was there to assist me. She took the gift and placed it in the growing stack beside the pulpit. One of the elders stood on the other side of me with a bucket in hand, to receive the kwacha that the folks from the group wished to give. The giving of money is part of the fun of giving here. This is usually given in small bills of 20 kwacha (about 13 cents) and 50 kwacha (about 33 cents), but many of them. The fun is in the dancing and the tossing of the money, all the while choirs sing. This can go on for some time. The whole process of gift giving took almost an hour. It is not the amount given that matters. It is the heart and the fun of the giving that matter. There was great heart in their giving. I was deeply touched. After the service, there was a dinner at the Women’s Center, just up the hill from the church, for all the elders and their spouses. There were more speeches and more laughter as we shared a final meal together as pastor and elders.
Pastors become used to going to and leaving congregations. That is part of the call of God but there is always something bitter sweet about having to say goodbye. While it means new opportunities for the pastor and for the congregation, it is hard to let go of the relationships that have been built and the ministry that has been done together. I guess that is the price of engaging in one another’s lives. The farewell recognized that relationship and appreciated the time together. I praise God for that. I’ve said goodbye, but part of my heart remains, as part of my heart has in every congregation I have had to leave.
No comments:
Post a Comment