February 2005

Dear Friends,

Warm greetings from Malawi!

We have begun our third academic year at Livingstonia Theological College with great joy and trust in the Lord. Our students are performing well, showing signs of spiritual maturity, pastoral competency, preaching proficiency, and academic excellence. This gives us confidence that they will be prepared to serve well in the parish when they graduate this October. The daily running of the college continues to be a walk of faith with glorious surprises of God’s faithfulness through God’s faithful people.

There is much more I would like to share with you while I am in the United States for interpretation assignment from November 2005 through March 2006. If you would extend an invitation to me I would greatly enjoy being with you to tell you more about Malawi. There are many ways to fit mission interpretation into the program of your church or group. The following are some suggestions:

• Potluck dinner, prayer breakfast or luncheon, with mission presentation on Malawi. This will include a PowerPoint presentation and other visuals. Any day of the week would be fine.
• Sunday School hour mission presentation on Malawi, with PowerPoint presentation and other visuals.
• Preaching during worship with focus on Malawi.
• Minute for mission on Malawi during worship. This would hopefully be in addition to one of the other options such as a potluck dinner, Sunday school, or youth group PowerPoint mission presentation(s).
• Presbytery meeting, congregational meeting, committee meeting, or other church group gatherings (youth, Presbyterian Women, etc.) at which I could do a mission PowerPoint presentation on Malawi, with other visuals on display.
• Community organization or service group meeting, such as Kiwanis, at which I could do a mission PowerPoint presentation on Malawi, with other visuals on display.

If your church or group would like to learn more about the people of Malawi and the works of God through partnership in Malawi, you may contact me directly via email to schedule a time. My email address is debbiechaseccap@malawi.net. Or you can contact Julie Burton of Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery.

Ms. Julie Burton, Director of Congregational Resources
Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery
700 S. Boston, Suite 200
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-1629
Office phone: 1 (800) 533-1324
Home phone: (918) 342-0762
Email: julieaburton@sbcglobal.net

I will be based in Tulsa and free to travel to other areas of the United States. So far, my schedule is as follows. “Open” means these dates are still free for you to schedule a speaking engagement.

October 31 - November 6 - Travel
November 7-12 - Settle into Tulsa
November 13 - Southminster Presbyterian Church, Tulsa
November 14 - November 20 - Open
November 21- November 27 - Open
November 28 - December 4 – Open
December 5 - December 11 - Chehalis, Washington
December 12 - December 18 - West Coast - Open
December 19 - December 25 - Christmas vacation, Wisconsin
December 26 - January 1 - Christmas vacation, Wisconsin
January 2 - January 8 - Wisconsin-Michigan - Open
January 9 - January 15 - Open
January 16 - January 22 - Open
January 23 - January 29 - Open
January 30 - February 5 - Open
February 6 - February 12 - Open
February 13 - February 19 - Open
February 20 - February 26 - Open
February 27 - March 5 - Open
March 6 - March 12 - Open
March 13 - March 19 - Open
March 20 - March 26 - Vacation
March 27 - April 1 - Depart Tulsa

The host church or group is responsible for travel expenses, lodging, and meals. Auto mileage reimbursement is 40.5 cents a mile. Over two hundred miles it is often cheaper to (1) rent a car with unlimited mileage and be reimbursed for rental and fuel or (2) fly and be reimbursed for a round-trip airline ticket. If I am visiting several churches/groups in your area, the cost of travel can be shared. Please, no honorarium. I am salaried during this interpretation assignment. I look forward to being with you to renew old friendships and establish new, to share the blessings of Malawi and the blessings of being with you.

My deepest gratitude to all of you for the many ways (prayers, correspondence, visits, gifts) you share your lives in partnership with the people of Malawi.

Ucizi na Mtende (Grace and Peace),

Debbie

Rev. Deborah A. Chase
Mission co-worker in Malawi
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 337