The Rev. Canon Makweya Chanzah has established a new church in the East Bank of the Shire River in Southern Malawi. His grant work included identifying and training lay and ordained leaders and working with them to facilitate a crusade. The location is of deep historical significance to the Diocese, but is geographically difficult to access.
The training was based on Evangelism for Church Planting, and included church planting, church building and church leadership. The daily worship was instructive for the lay leaders, on whom the ongoing success of the new church will depend. Canon Chanzah reflects that it was difficult to identify former Anglicans in the community, and that clergy transfers challenged the leadership of the project. But he is most grateful for the leadership that emerged, and for the commitment of those who are serving the new community. He reports that the chief has been most welcoming and that the project attracted the attention of various groups in the Diocese.
Canon Chanzah is now serving as Dean of Leonard Kamungu Theological College, the only seminary of the Anglican Church in Malawi. He plans to integrate evangelistic teaching for church development and growth into every aspect of the curriculum, with a focus on sharing the gospel in ordinary conversations, discipleship, and building a healthy church.
