Goodbye and Hello

The transfer of pastors in Blantyre Synod is an opportunity to witness the Body of Christ in action. That was certainly the case on Tuesday as Rev. Bona departed from the manse at Limbe and the new pastor, Rev. Kamponda, arrived. Rev. Bona was going to Mawiri congregation in Liwonde, about a two hour drive north of Limbe. Rev. Kamponda was coming from St. Michael’s, about 7 miles away in Blantyre. The exchange was scheduled that the Bonas would leave at about 9 a.m. and the Kampondas arrive at 2 p.m. In between time, the mvano (ladies of the church) would clean the house.



Truck loaded with katundu



By the time I arrived at the manse at 8:15 a.m. the Synod truck was half loaded, the emptying of the house of boxes and furniture almost complete, everything not yet loaded sitting on the porch for packing. It took a bit more time than expected to fit all the household items on the truck and accompanying vehicles and to securely cover them against the rains with a tarp. There were plenty of church members, especially the youth, there to assist. They climbed on the top of the load, passing ropes from one side to the other, being certain that everything was secure. About 10 a.m., we all gathered in the empty manse living room for final farewell speeches and a sending prayer. After hugs and private goodbyes, the family got into the vehicles that had been arranged. A car and two pickup trucks loaded with fragile items and with people, the Bona family and elders and youth to help unload, led the convoy, with the large truck with all the “katundu” (luggage, stuff) bringing up the rear. The first three vehicles pulled out of the parking lot but before the big truck could move, the elder who was directing traffic waved it to stop. A truck loaded with the new pastor’s katundu was arriving. After that truck pulled into the parking lot, the Bona’s truck was flagged to leave and join the convoy.

The ladies were in a bit of a panic. Since they were not expecting the new pastor’s things until 2 p.m., they felt they had plenty of time to sweep and scrub the manse and cook food in preparation for the new residents. As the truck moved into place to begin the unloading, the women’s coordinator gave instructions for the katundu to be placed on the porch while the house was cleaned. The ladies moved into action, sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing at lightning speed. By the time the truck returned with a second load, the house was clean and the women had moved all the katundu into the designated rooms to await unpacking. As the second load was being dispatched, the Kampondas arrived, escorted by elders, youth and mvano from St Michaels, just as the group from Limbe had gone with the Bonas to assist them. The session clerk and mvano from Limbe greeted the new pastor and family with singing and dancing. The St. Michael’s mvano joined in as they escorted everyone into the living room, now strewn with boxes and unplaced furniture, for welcoming speeches and a prayer for blessing on the house and the occupants. After saying farewell to the St. Michael’s delegation, the women disappeared to the kitchen at the mvano house just next to the manse to finish preparations of lunch for the new arrivals. They would feed the family and then help with the unpacking, staying until the family was settled. They would prepare dinner for them and then leave for their own homes.

As they were doing this in Limbe, the same thing was happening in Liwonde for the Bona family. The transfer had been complete and the Body of Christ was functioning well, caring for the pastors who would care for them for the next several years.

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.

The Flies

Flies are universal pests that can carry over 100 types of diseases, including typhoid, cholera, salmanellosis, and dysentery. So while we may shoo flies, they are dangerous pests. We all know that, but what can we do about them?

That has been a challenge for Chigodi Women’s Center. Behind the hill on which Chigodi sits, Blantyre City has positioned its waste dump. It is uncovered and added to daily. It is a great breeding place for flies and flies know no boundaries. They do not stay at the dump site but come over the hill when anyone is cooking at Chigodi. They invite their fly friends and come in swarms. They swim in open bottles of soda; they dive for open plates; they settle on the covered dishes, just waiting for the tops to be lifted. We have petitioned the City Assembly about the dump and they have assured us they know it is a health hazard and they are addressing the issue, but with no evidence to this point. The trucks continue to come and the flies continue to swarm. The major concern is the disease these pests carry. We don’t want our guests becoming ill because of the flies.

I began to pray about this and God answered. As I was cleaning the window screens in my house one day, it dawned on me that while we can’t eliminate the flies, we can at least keep them out of the kitchen and dining room. We only needed to screen the rooms. This is not something that is commonly done here because of the cost. I inherited the screens for my house. As I was thinking about how to progress with this, given the cost, a church in Pittsburgh sent an undesignated gift to Chigodi, more than enough to screen both rooms, windows and doors. God had provided before I even asked for the money.



Screen protection



The next challenge was to find a carpenter who understood the vision of screened windows. I tried one and we just did not communicate. He didn’t get the concept (not his fault; it was a foreign notion). I found another and when I showed him how mine worked, he knew just what to do. Within a week we had screens in the kitchen and dining room at Chigodi.

What a delight to have a meal and not have flies dive bombing at the food. The staff at Chigodi is delighted and is working to keep the screen doors closed, a new concept, but one that is catching on quickly. We are deeply grateful to our friends in Pittsburgh and to a cleaver carpenter. The pests are barred (or in this case screened) from eating with us. Praise God and pass the nsima.

Travel Adventures

Travel is never easy in Malawi, but sometimes it is a greater adventure than others. Only about 10% of the roads are tarmac, leaving 90% to dirt. All the roads suffer from the rains. The tarmac roads develop potholes that resemble craters. The dirt roads become rutted mud or washed out paths. Vehicles take a beating on these roads. Some can’t make it. Travel to villages this time of year must be done in sturdy 4-wheel drive vehicles. It is an adventure.

This past weekend I was invited to participate in elders’ training for a parish in rural Chiuta Presbytery. The parish is about four hours from Blantyre, an hour of that drive on dirt roads, now mud, due to the rainy season. I figured that my Honda was not up to the task, so I asked my friend Sam Ncozana if he could assist me with transportation. He said his Land Rover was just the vehicle for the trip, so we agreed that I would pay for fuel and a driver and we would be set. But nothing is ever that easy.  The Land Rover takes diesel, and that is scarce right now. Sam finally found some on Wednesday. Thursday he needed to use the Land Rover for a trip to one of his worksites, but there would be plenty of fuel. What he didn’t bank on was the Land Rover breaking down. It had to be towed back to Blantyre and we had to rethink our travel plans for Friday. Resourceful Sam called his father, Silas, to ask if we could borrow his Land Rover. Silas said yes, but his had no fuel, so we would have to source fuel. Sam’s Land Rover was almost full, but wouldn’t move. So Sam drained the fuel from his Land Rover into Jerry cans, loaded them in the back of my car and we headed off at 5 a.m. Friday. We went to Silas’ in Zomba, emptied the Jerry cans into his Land Rover, left my car for him and headed to Chiuta. The muddy road was a bit rough, but not as bad as I had expected. Except for one place that was a bit rough, my Honda could have made the trip. I was feeling guilty for all the trouble we had had to go to arranging for the Land Rover when it didn’t seem necessary. But the trip wasn’t over.



Silas and his Land Rover



Sam dropped me at the church where the training was being held and headed back to Blantyre, via Zomba, exchanging vehicles on the way. He would be back to pick me up on Sunday afternoon. I was on my own, walking with the rest of the village. This was no problem. It rained heavily Friday night, but we were already in for the night, so we didn’t have to walk in the rain. Saturday brought scattered showers, but nothing too heavy. Sunday dawned bright but during the morning, the clouds rolled in. Thunder and lightning ignited all around us, but we did not have rain. Sam was due to be at the manse at 1:30 to pick me up. I called about 2:30 when he hadn’t come, to check on him. He said he was at the bottom of the mountain at Liwonde, looking of diesel so his father could make a trip on Monday, but the Land Rover was on the way with his driver Zander and should be there by 3 p.m. Zander arrived about 4 p.m., the Land Rover splashed with mud. Zander said he had encountered heavy rains on the way. We quickly loaded up and headed out, since the threat of more rain was all around us. We had only driven a short distance when I was deeply grateful for the Land Rover. The rains had created small rivers along each side of the road. Only the crown of the road was above water, so we had to splash through. Further down the road, the rains had washed away the right side of the road, leaving a difference of about 10 inches between the original surface of the road and the washed out area. This lopsided road ran for about 2 kilometers. The Land Rover straddled it easily. The Honda would not have made it. As we approached a wooden bridge, Zander stopped to assess the best way to proceed. The small creek under the bridge had become a rushing river over the middle of the bridge and the road on the other side of the bridge had been partially washed away. A bicyclist who had just crossed the new river assured us that the bridge was sturdy and the road only slightly damaged. Zander proceeded carefully, parting the newly formed river as we drove over the bridge and carefully veering to the right, away for the collapsed portion of the road. When we crested the hill above the river, we paused to praise God for his care, for Zander’s driving and for the Land Rover’s ability. The rest of the road was muddy and rutted but the worst was behind us. Once on the tarmac road, we breathed more easily.

We called Sam to check on his progress. He had failed to get diesel in Liwonde and had returned to Zomba, to try there. We found him in a line with my car, hoping we would get there with the Land Rover before his turn came. We had. We quickly switched places, positioning the Land Rover to be refueled and took my car to Silas’ to await Sam’s return with the Land Rover, so we could collect the rest of our passengers and head  back to Blantyre in the Honda. The hard part was behind us. All that lie ahead were the potholes

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.