Servant Leadership

The last two weeks have been a busy time with a leadership retreat, church activities and a college group from the States here for a service learning course. There hasn’t been much time to write, but there certainly has been a lot happening to write about. I’ll try and catch up in the next couple of entries, so you have a feel for what has been going on.



Sunset over the Mulanje valley



Let me begin with the leadership retreat for the Synod executives. This was a small retreat for the top leadership held at Kara O Mula Lodge in Mulanje, a lovely facility on the side of Mulanje Mountain.  We used that facility because it was away from the Synod and Synod properties, so the leadership would not be distracted. The location is idyllic, with breathtaking views at every turn. The only challenge aspect of the retreat was getting there. We hunted for four days for fuel and finally resorted to going to the black market. It was costly, but worth the price for the great location and the productive retreat.



Power or Persuasion



One of the highlights of the time was a presentation on Servant Leadership. It was challenging, thought provoking and interactive. The facilitator, a Malawian, has his masters in education from the University of Manchester in England and his MBA from Eastern University in the States, so he brings an innovative teaching style to his presentations. He used Jesus as the model of the servant leader and built on the variety of styles of leadership that Jesus used, given his various disciples and various situations. His illustrations were not just Jesus’ examples but interactive activities to promote discussion. At one point he asked for 4 volunteers to pair up. He instructed one to make a fist and the other to open that fist. Immediately, power struggles ensued to wrestle the fists open. It was entertaining to watch ministers literally twisting one another’s arms. When it was over and the fists were opened, the facilitator did a debriefing of the techniques used, observing that everyone went immediately for overpowering their “opponent.” No one asked the other to cooperate and open his fist. This led to a fascinating discussion about the difference between leadership and power. For the closing exercise, we went outside and formed a circle. We were given 6 balls of yarn and those with the yarn were instructed to tie it to their waists. They were then instructed to toss the ball of yarn to someone else in the circle. We had 6 balls of yarn flying in 6 directions. Those who got the yarn were to wrap it around their waists and toss it to someone else in the circle. Quickly a web of yarn formed, intertwining us together. As we stood, webbed together, he talked about the community of leadership and the sharing of gifts and abilities. It was a powerful object lesson. I saw servant leadership in a much broader perspective than I had before. 

I believe the others gained new insight as well. If that had been the only teaching, it would have been worth the trip. There were other sessions on strategic planning, leading meetings, record keeping, time management, and property management. The challenge now is to put all of this into practice. That is the case with any good retreat or workshop.

Interconnective leadership



Gifts

Gift giving is a part of every culture. They are given to show appreciation, to show respect, to honor an occasion, or all of the above. But in Malawi, the variation is the style of giving and the gifts given. There is a flair to the presentation that is a delight to watch and humbling to receive. And the gifts themselves are practical. I witnessed this with delight on Sunday at the farewell to Rev. Kadawati from Chigodi congregation.

Rev Kadawati has served as senior pastor of Chigodi for four years, the time he was General Secretary of the Synod. He has left the office and is going to South Africa to pursue further studies, so the congregation needed to bid farewell to him. I was specifically invited since I had served as his associate for part of that the time. It was good to be back with the congregation for this celebration. Part of any welcome or farewell by a congregation is gift giving. The gifts are always practical and specific to the recipient. They have been thought through. It is not just giving a gift for the sake of giving. And in these economic times, the gifts are sacrifices, given from the heart. That is all the more reason to give with flourish.



Hugs from Rev. Kadawati



Each group to give a gift (and it is usually done in groups or at least categories of givers – geographic areas of the church, Presbytery officials and visiting pastors, choirs, and the like) is called up by the Master of Ceremony. The group gathers at the back of the church and when the music (either a choir singing or a CD played) begins, the presenters begin to dance up the aisle. The dancing is part of the joy of the giving. The group is led by the most important or highest ranking people of the group, and they are the ones to carry the gift. This procession takes several minutes. The dance is important. When the presenters reach the honoree, they kneel, if a woman, or bow, if a man, and hold out the gift for the honoree to receive. He or she takes the gift, then hands it to one who is standing close by to collect the gifts and keep them organized until the end of the function, when a group of folks will arrange for their transportation to the honoree’s home. The honoree then shakes the hand and/or hugs the givers of the gifts – all of them in the group. The group then begins to toss kwacha (money) at the honoree, in rhythm to the music. This is usually small bills – 20 kwacha (12 cents) or 50 kwacha (30 cents) but doesn’t have to be. This can go on for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the group. The amount of the money is not the issue. It is the joy of giving that matters most, for all concerned. This is dancing in Malawi. Then the next group is called and the process begins all over again. Gift giving can last for an hour or more of the function.



The Goat Gift



The gifts are unique to the culture, too. Frequently they are household items, like glassware, dishes, bowls of various sizes or clocks. Sometimes they are personal items of clothing. But most frequently, and especially in the village areas, they are food items. It is these items that give the flavor to the giving. Chigodi is close to Blantyre, but it still has a village atmosphere to it. That is part of its charm. That was reflected in the gifts presented to Rev. Kadawati on Sunday. – packets of sugar, bags of rice, sacks of maize and a goat. The goat is a great gift of honor. It is expensive and it is practical. It is the food of celebration. Goats’ meat is a delicacy. For me, it is still a delight to see men dancing up the aisle with a goat, legs tied together and held upside down. The goat is quickly handed over and handed off to be taken outside and tied to a tree, to await his fate. He will give his ultimate gift – his life – for the celebration. That is his sacrifice for the honoree.

A Faithful LIfe

A funeral speaks of the person who has died. The individual has no control over what will happen or what will be said (usually), so it is an indication of who the person really was – what others thought of him or her, of the status he or she held in the eyes of others. It is a witness to the life lived. That witness was resounding today for Rev. Greyson Hastings Mputeni.

Rev. Mputeni was a gentle, quiet man who faithfully did what the church and God asked of him. He never held the highest position in the church. He was Deputy General Secretary for 8 years, serving as a support player for the General Secretary. While in office, he has a stroke. He could have used that as in excuse to step down or to at least slack off, but he didn’t. He consistently worked through the rehabilitation he needed to and then worked with the limitations with which he was left. He never complained. Conversations never focused on him, but rather on those with whom he was working, those who came to him for counsel, or those who met him in the street or at the church. He never served the larger churches of the Synod. He was content with the smaller, outlining churches and faithful to serve them. Most recently, he took the assignment of rehabilitating Grace Bandawe Conference Center when it was on the brink of bankruptcy and has been slowly bringing it back to life. That is what he was doing when he took sick on Saturday and was taken to the hospital. He died yesterday, surrounded by his family.

Today was his funeral and it was a testimony to this faithful man of God. The service was held at St. Michael’s Multipurpose Hall, the largest venue the Synod has, and it was not large enough. The hall comfortably seats 2,000. There was standing room only, and an overflow outside, even though it was raining. People were willing to stand in the rain to pay their respects. They were willing to go to the graveyard for the burial in the rain. Representatives came from the other synods in of the CCAP, from Anglican Church, and from the Catholic Church. More than 130 of the 200 ministers of the synod were present. There were choirs from 10 churches and two schools. All told stories of Rev. Mputeni’s kindnesses and his caring ways. Repeatedly the word faithful was used to describe him.

Malawi is a rain-dependent country and when the rains come, everyone rejoices. It is received as a sign of God’s blessing, of his faithfulness to his people. We have been experiencing a drought for the last month. Today was to be a day of national prayer for rain. It began raining about 5 a.m. and has not stopped all day, sometimes coming heavily and at other times gently. God has been faithful to us today. It seems right that today, of all days, as we commit one of God’s faithful to him, he would respond with his faithfulness to us with rain. The congregation rejoiced in the rain as a sign of God’s blessing on a life faithfully lived.

Full Days

Some days are full of variety and it takes awhile to catch up with them, once they fly past. That was Dec. 23, Thomas’ birthday. It has taken this long to have time to sit and write about it. It was great fun, and jam-packed. Three major events were planned for the day and a few unplanned thrown in for good measure. We had the birthday celebration, a staff Christmas party and a family seminar at the church. It was a day for time management in a country that doesn’t pay much attention to time.

The first order of the day was to celebrate the birthday. Thomas and the family had made the long trip from Ntaja the day before just for that purpose. They rode an hour on the motor bike (all 4 of them- Thomas driving, Jean on the back, Chimwemwe sandwiched in between them and Mphatso on Jean’s back) on dirt roads and then 4 hours on minibuses to Limbe where I went to pick them up. So they were ready for a party. I got up early to bake the birthday cake, with Chimwemwe’s help. He is great at licking the bowls. We had three folks drop in for various reasons as we were preparing. So the cake preparations took most of the morning.



Thomas and the children swinging



One of Thomas’ delights is to have a birthday lunch someplace special, so about noon, we collected the cake and the kids and we headed to La Caverna, a lovely lunch spot on the grounds of an historic building from colonial days, which is now a museum. The restaurant has a park-like setting and places for the children to play. I know the owners, so I knew we could take our own cake and not cause a problem. The children played on the handmade swing while we waited for our meals. After we ate, Chimwemwe sharing from everyone’s plates (so much more fun than just eating your own); we sang and cut the cake. I was watching the time because one of the unplanned events was a trip to the open air market to get vegetables and any other goodies that may catch our eyes. That is a trip fraught with danger to time-keeping. Jean loves to shop. To keep to time, I promised her time the next day for “untimed shopping.” (That was part of her birthday present, since her birthday is the 24^th. That did the trick.)



Gift giving to the staff and families



We arrived home just in time to set up for the staff Christmas party. I host a party for my house staff every year. They have become like family for me and we enjoy getting together for some social time, more than just handing out gifts. When they learned Thomas was coming, they asked if we couldn’t do it when was here. He is a favorite with them. They gathered at 4 p .m. for cookies and cokes, for music and presents. Gifts here are practical. The traditional gift is food – rice, salt, sugar, cooking oil, tea or soda and a chicken. (I gave money for them to buy a chicken each, since I don’t handle live chickens, if I can help it). Thomas led us in a Christmas meditation and them we celebrated. This is Malawi, so there had to be speeches of thanks and speeches of farewell as they left, even in informal gatherings. It was great fun, but I had to watch my time. I had to be at the church before 6 p.m. to speak at the last night of a week-long family seminar.

Jean cleaned up the party remains as I got dressed and gathered my notes. Thomas decided to accompany me, so off we went to get to the church just in time. This was the last night, so the crowd had gathered to finish strongly. The senior pastor had been ill all week. We were to share the speaking but he was still not feeling up to it, so I had the entire evening’s speaking. I had prepared earlier in the week, so that was not a problem and as a former teacher, I can always talk, so that was not a problem either. All went well. We finished about 8:30, after all the closing speeches and the like. As Thomas and I drove home, we reflected on the day. It had been full but fun.

 But it wasn’t over. Jean had prepared dinner for us, making all of Thomas’ favorite foods, including ngumbe (little insects that are only available when the rains come). I had bought them at the market for him on our shopping spree. We sat down to a birthday feast at 9 p.m. Then we sat up and talked until midnight, just enjoying being together. Some days are too good to let any time get away. And birthdays only come once a year.

New Year's Eve

“Happy New Year!” “Happy!” “Happy!” “Happy!” came the cheer. Then everyone in the room, over 1500 bodies, began to jump up and down together, as if to music. Then the music began and the crowd sang and the jumping increased, in time with the beat of the music. People jumped and hugged, shook hands and hugged again. Thus 2012 was ushered in at Limbe CCAP.

New Year’s Eve in Malawi is celebrated significantly differently than it is in the States. The focus of the celebration for the vast majority of the population is at church. Limbe was typical of many of the churches that host such nights of pray and praise. The event began about 8 p.m. By 11 p.m. the sanctuary was packed to overflowing. The amplified music was at top volume. This night the emphasis was on praise. Ten choirs, five small ensembles, and seven soloists gathered to lead in the praise time. Two of the soloists were special guests – gospel singers of renown in Malawi. Many in the crowd had come to hear them, especially. One of the blessings of living in a small country is that big “stars” are accessible to the everyday person, especially if you live in the commercial city that hosts the recording “industry,” of Malawi. No one outside the country may know of Favourite Sisters or Allan Chirwa, but most Malawians do. Most of the recording stars   have come from the churches, so they are well known, and well loved, within church circles. They willingly accept offers to perform, and to sell their music CDs and DVDs, a thriving business in Malawi.

That was part of the draw for the night, but it was more than that. This is safe, lively entertainment as well as praise to God. It was an opportunity to participate in praise. More than half of the congregation was under the age of 25, and ready to praise. The room vibrated with sound and movement as the performers invited the congregation to come up and sing with them. Young people flocked to the chancel to dance with Allan or sing with the sisters. They joined the various choirs as well, swelling their numbers to over 100, all crowed in the front to dance together. I say dance because most Malawian choir numbers are carefully choreographed. There are specific dance steps for each song, and everyone knows them, so it is easy to join the dancing. This music is pre-recorded and is played at a good volume to keep everyone together. In addition, the “All for Jesus” praise band was present to provide live music for spontaneous praise.

There was a prayer aspect to the night. I was asked to preach on “Why Thank God for 2011.” Given the challenging year the country has had, this was most appropriate. When I finished preaching about 11:40, one of the elders rose, led us in a praise chorus and then offered a prayer of thanksgiving that took us up to midnight. Shortly after the “amen,” the celebration of the New Year began. After words of New Year encouragement, Rev. Bona preached on “God’s Presence in 2012.” This was followed by an elder offering intercession for the nation, the church and individuals’ lives in the coming year.

But most of the night was lively praise. About 3 a.m., some of the youngest children curled up on pews or in plastic chairs and slept, regardless of the volume of the praise. All night is too much for the average 5 year old (and for a few 50 something’s who caught a few winks in their seats). As dawn approached about 4:30 a.m., the mistress of ceremonies drew the festivities to a close with thanks and final praise and prayer. Thus 2012 was officially opened in God’s presence. We all headed home to refresh and return for Sunday worship at 7:30 a.m. The sanctuary was full by 8 a.m., but for a more reserved worship service.