Farewell to Rev. Bona

Rev. Rodney Bona has been the pastor of Limbe CCAP for the past six years. That is not a long time in the States, but it is here in Blantyre Synod where pastors are reassigned about every three years. The congregation had become very comfortable with him as their pastor, appreciating his leadership, so they were dismayed at his transfer, but they knew they needed to accept it. This is the system. They decided that the best they could do was to give him a grand send-off, to let him know how much they appreciated all he had done for the congregation. Rather than a farewell, the organizing committee had decided to focus on a celebration of Rev. Bona’s ministry at Limbe He had done a great deal. He had helped to develop a strategic plan for the congregation and implemented it, provided financial stability for the congregation, directed the building of an office complex for the staff, a new manse, and the refurbishing of the church building and spearheaded spiritual growth programs that deepened the faith of the congregation and increased the numbers of worshippers. There was much to celebrate. The committee invited his friends and colleagues, the Presbytery and Synod officials, other churches he had assisted while he was at Limbe, and well wishers from the community to celebrate with the congregation.

It was a grand send-off. The organizing committee spent 5 weeks preparing, meeting twice a week, at least. When I arrived at the church on Sunday morning at 7 a.m., the site was alive with preparations. A canopy had been erected in the parking lot to accommodate the overflow congregation and then to be converted into an outdoor dining area after the service. Additional speakers had been set up to allow those outside to hear the service. Smoke was rising from the women’s guild kitchen as the cooks worked to prepare the meal to be served to everyone after the service. Joint choirs worked to prepare songs, since there would not be enough time in the service for each choir to present its own number. Some members of the committee served as greeters, handing out programs and escorting guests to the proper location. All committee members wore name tags that displayed their area of responsibility.



Rev. Bona saying farewell



. The Very Rev. Dr. Felix Chingota, the guest preacher, had been alerted to the theme of the service and he had prepared an appropriate message. The service followed the usual format, although everything was larger than normal. The congregation had swelled to fill the sanctuary and all the chairs under the canopy. People sat on steps, under trees and anywhere there was an empty spot. The combining of choirs meant there were eight choirs to present numbers. All the songs had been adapted to specifically commend Rev. Bona to God.  The All For Jesus Band provided background music and accompaniment. The special features of the service were the disjunction statement from the Presbytery, releasing him to serve in another presbytery, the presentation of gifts and then speeches. After the disjunction statement, the celebration began in earnest with the giving of gifts. This was a tangible way for everyone to show their appreciation for his ministry. The gifts were overwhelming. The executive committee gave him a black leather sofa, love seat and chair. The various geographic areas of the congregation followed suit with household furnishing – a stove, a refrigerator, a flat screen television and stand, a coffee table, a microwave, and a generator to power all the electrical appliances in the event of power outages, a fact of life in Malawi. Then there were smaller, personal gifts of clocks, pictures, glassware, bags of maize, plastic buckets and a goat. It was not as much about what the gifts were as it was about the heart of the givers.Then the speeches followed. Rev. Bona was the last to speak and he was overwhelmed with the outpouring of gratitude, as close to speechless as I have ever heard him, but he recovered and managed to bid farewell.

After the benediction, he and his wife stood at the door to greet all who filed out, not something usually done in Malawi. The congregation was directed to one of three dining locations to be served a feast of nsima, rice, Irish potatoes, chicken, beef, vegetables, salads and fruit, with cake for dessert. The women served 1,500 people in style. The celebration was one of the largest farewells I have seen in my time in Malawi, a real testimony to his impact on the Limbe congregation.