From December 2006 through December 2007, the Rev. Kay Day will be serving as a missionary to the Synod of Blantyre in Malawi, Africa. The Presbytery of Pittsburgh has her active journal (click here). Below is Kay's journal entry from Monday, September 3, 2007:
There are 43 churches in Blantyre Synod that are partnered with 43 churches in Pittsburgh. But there are 486 churches in the synod and many of those that are not partnered would love to be. They see the relationships that have been established between individuals as well as congregations; they hear of the visits back and forth; they learn of friendships and ties of ministries together and they are eager for the same experience. As I travel to the partner churches, I get requests to go to some of these non-partner churches and explain what they need to do to join in this fellowship of partnership. Time doesn’t usually allow me to make non-partnership Sunday visits, but there was one that I had to make.
St. Paul’s church has functioned within the greater partnership as if they had a partner, hoping that their faithfulness would win them a partner. I knew that St. Paul’s was not a partner and yet I kept hearing of their willingness to host visitors from Pittsburgh. When the group from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary came, they were the first to volunteer to host. When a group from Nebraska came, including Jack and Dorothea Bowers’ daughter, St. Paul’s stepped forward to host, even though they had just had some of the PTS group with them. Some of our partner churches put limits on how many people and how many times they could host. They wanted people from their partner congregations, not just people from Pittsburgh. St. Paul’s said, “Let us host them.” Again when the large group came, they willingly took someone for a Sunday visit, never asking why they couldn’t stay longer. They were pleased to have the guest. When funds were needed for the welcome dinner, they contributed as much or more than some of the partner churches. The leadership of the Partnership committee here in Blantyre told me of their involvement and I asked if there were any possibility of my visiting them. I wanted to know firsthand people so willing and eager to be partners. Fletcher Nyirenda bent the “rules” for my visits and made the arrangements. What a blessing to be with such a warm congregation.
St. Paul’s was a prayer house of Limbe, which partially explains their knowledge of partnership and their eagerness to be involved. It helps to explain their willingness to give so graciously. Their elders are well trained at Limbe. They have experienced partnership with Pleasant Hills and knew the joy of that relationship. But another component is their pastor. He is a humble man with a servant’s heart. He models servanthood for them. I met this young man five years ago, soon after he was ordained and was posted at the furthest reaches of the Synod, near the Mozambique border. He biked 35 kilometers from his manse around to his other three congregations. He, who had been raised in the city, was living with his family in a village manse without water or electricity. He carried water two kilometers every morning, before the family arose. When I commented that he was sacrificing to serve Christ, he looked at me with disbelief and asked, “Sacrifice? Compared to what? What Jesus did for me?” I was humbled by his response then and I was humbled again on the Sunday that I visited St. Paul’s when I commented on the giving of the congregation in a partnership of which they were not directly connected and he said. “Our connection is Christ, not a signed covenant.”
The first service was at 6:00 a.m. I took five students with me to the church that day and the clerk of session and the pastor turned the service over to us. They had the students do all of the leadership for worship and I preached. Between the services, we were ushered to the manse, where the pastor’s wife and the clerk’s wife had prepared breakfast for us, since we had such an early start. (We left Zomba at 4:30 a.m.) After the  second service, we were invited to meet with the partnership committee (on right). They have a full committee, functioning as any of the Partnership churches have. That was how they were able to host with such ease. They are ready for a partner whenever one comes from Pittsburgh. After the meeting, we were served a generous lunch and the elders explained about the church itself. The building they use is a community church. When we finished the second service, the Catholics came in to set up for their mass. The day before the Seventh Day Adventists worshipped in the building and Sunday afternoon a Pentecostal group meets there for fellowship. The congregation focuses on ministry rather than a building. They have several projects in the community in education and orphan care. They are working on a school that will especially meet the needs of the orphans in the area. They are partnering with a village church in the lower Shire that is economically challenged. There is energy and excitement with the work God is doing among them. It was a blessing to be with them. These are people who are committed to Jesus and to ministry. Their faith is contagious. I’m eager for them to have a partner so that a church in Pittsburgh can be encouraged and blessed by them
The truth is that there are many other congregations like St. Paul’s that are eager to join in partnership with brothers and sisters around the world, that they might be “mutually encouraged in their faith,” (Rom.1:12). Their stories are just as exciting and their ministries just as vibrant. My prayer is that there will be more congregations in Pittsburgh that are willing to take a step of faith and step into partnership with a congregation in Blantyre Synod. I hear that there may be a partner in the process for St. Paul’s. I know that church will be blessed. But I also know that there are blessings waiting for others that will join. I pray for these opportunities for our Pittsburgh churches. |
