I was “inducted” (installed) at the Chigodi congregation as the associate pastor when I first returned to Malawi in 2009, so when I was reassigned to the Limbe congregation, I was only to be introduced because it is within the same Presbytery. That was a technicality for the Limbe congregation. They made as much of a celebration of the event as if it were a full induction. I have served as the associate at the congregation for the past 7 months, so the introduction has been a long time in coming. But in that time, I have been serving as if I were installed, preaching regularly, officiating at weddings and funerals, attending meetings, leading cottage prayer meetings, and participating in nights of prayer. The people have come to know me well and I have gotten to know them. So when the official celebration finally took place two weeks ago, it was a big one. We were already ministering together. That is what they celebrated. It was a large celebration.
The worship service was much the same as a regular service, but with a few special elements. The four choirs had prepared special numbers for the celebration, several of them offering wording specific to the event, including my name in them. The sermon was directed at the nature of the pastor-congregation relationship. The Presbytery took over after the sermon to ask the pastor and the congregation the constitutional questions that allow for the official acceptance of the position. Then there was a charge (a mini sermon) to both the pastor and the congregation. The presbytery officials invited my son Thomas to give the charge to his mother, since he was present to witness the celebration. That was a touching moment for me, when he said that he could not give a charge to his mother, but he would remind her of things she had told him about being a faithful shepherd, and he did so in a tender and touching way.
The biggest element came at the time of the offering. After the regular offering was taken, I was invited forward to receive gifts from the congregation. This is where things got overwhelming. Limbe is an incredibly generous congregation by nature. They proved that again in the presentation of their gifts. This was a time for dancing. The sound person played recorded music and groups danced down the aisle as they were called forward to present their gifts, beginning with the senior minister and the session members coming with a new clerical robe for me. After each gift was presented, the members of the group then tossed kwacha (Malawian paper money) at a tray that one for the mvano held for me. The bills were small, 20 kwacha (13 cents) and 50 kwacha (33 cents), but there were many of them. Most of the fun is in the tossing, not in the amount, all the while those tossing were dancing and singing. The senior pastor, Rev. Bona, took special delight in tossing money and dancing. The groups consisted of the geographic areas of the congregation and various organizations within the congregation. The gifts were given with such joy. Some of them were overwhelming. One of the areas gave me the biggest floor fan I have ever seen, but the gift that left me speechless was from the organizing committee of the event. They were the last ones to present their gift and I was glad. I couldn’t have taken more after theirs. They danced down the aisle with a wicker furniture set – a love seat, two chairs and a coffee table. It was chosen to augment what I already have in my living room, to offer more seating when the various church groups come to visit “Manse 2,” (pronounced man-`sa) as my home is called by the church.
I was so humbled by their thoughtfulness and their generosity. I am blessed to be their associate pastor and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve with them. After such an awesome introduction, there is no other reasonable response.
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