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Dear Friends,
I thank God in every remembrance of you because of your partnership
with us in the gospel (Phil. 1:5), and I send you greetings from
all your brothers and sisters in Christ here in Malawi. The following
is a brief update on my work. An interpretation piece will follow
soon.
My work: the Zolozolo congregation
I continue to serve part-time as a pastor of the Zolozolo congregation
of the CCAP, the Presbyterian Church of Central Africa. Rev. Chunga,
a retired Malawian pastor, has recently been appointed to serve
this congregation with me. My responsibilities include preaching
two or three Sundays each month at one of the three prayer houses
of the congregation, elder-deacon training, administration of
the sacraments, co-moderating the session, and pastoral care.
In January I was a member of a teaching team at a bi-presbytery
retreat for pastors. I taught "AIDS: The Facts, Theology,
Pastoral Care" as well as classes on Reformed theology and
Reformed church history. This included handouts for the pastors
to take home with them for use in their congregations.
Plans for the months ahead include my being a part of a team
of teachers under the direction of the Synod’s lay training
center to travel to the 16 presbyteries of the Synod within the
next ten months for a two-day continuing education event for lay
leaders in each presbytery. I will teach the course on AIDS again
and introduction to the Old Testament.
In addition to serving the Zolozolo congregation I have preached
at Katawa and St. Andrews congregations in Mzuzu. Other pastors
throughout the Synod have extended invitations to me to preach,
with dates yet to be set.
The Women’s Guild
Mrs. Martha Mwale, who was licensed to serve Engcongolweni congregation
in November, until that time was coordinator for the synod Women’s
Guild. It is only within the last month that Mrs. Chrissie Nyirongo
from Louden Presbytery arrived to serve as interim coordinator.
I will be assisting Mrs. Nyirongo with bringing new ministries
to the Women’s Guild in the various congregations. Proposed
new areas of ministry include AIDS education and various gender-sensitive
issues.
The Presbyterian Women of Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery and of
Trinity, Pryor, Yale Avenue and Hominy churches of Eastern Oklahoma
Presbytery are in communication with me. We are in the process
of developing partnership relationships between them and the Women’s
Guild of the presbyteries of the Livingstonia Synod.
Various
I am serving as editor of the newsletter published quarterly
by the Synod of Livingstonia. Also, I have been assisting with
the interpretation/progress reports of the "Office Block
Project," which is being built to generate income for the
various ministries of the Synod.
I continue Chitumbuka lessons four mornings a week. With my other
responsibilities, progress is slow but sure.
I have an office at the Synod offices, which enables me to be
very much a part of the life and work of the Synod of Livingstonia.
Temporarily I have been residing on the Synod grounds in the
home of an expatriate on furlough. This person will return in
April, and I will be moving to the house in which it had been
planned I would reside. It is located approximately 3.5 miles
from the Synod offices and is closer to the Zolozolo congregation.
Recently I attended the PC(USA) retreat at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe,
for all Presbyterian missionaries in sub-Saharan Africa. At this
event I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the Reverend
Jon Chapman, PC(USA) coordinator for southern and east Africa,
about my need for a four-wheel-drive vehicle to transport me to
the prayer houses of the Zolozolo congregation and to the churches
and presbyteries throughout the Synod. At this time PC(USA) has
funds for a non-four-wheel-drive vehicle, which I hope to buy
the second week in April. This will take me most places during
the dry season and when a four wheel drive vehicle is needed,
hopefully, I will be able to swap vehicles with the Synod to use
one of their four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Thank you for your support of my ministry with the Synod of Livingstonia.
We share with you in this partnership and in the Spirit of our
Lord.
Ucizi na Mtende (Grace and Peace),
Rev. Debbie Chase
The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 40
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