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By Joseph Kaipa, John Nyadaufe and Drepantine Chipofya*

2:00 P.M. EDT September 1, 2011

Esther Kaunda, pastor’s wife and mother of a child at the new Galilea Nursery School in Mpenya, enjoys a moment with the children. UMNS web-only photos courtesy of Lanecia Rouse.

The first United Methodist church in the east African nation of Malawi was established in 1987. There are now 150 United Methodist congregations with 19,000 members in this nation of almost 16 million people. The country has 24 United Methodist pastors, of which three are ordained. Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa is the leader of the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area and the Malawi Missionary Conference. The Rev. Daniel Mhone is the conference superintendant.

The 2008 General Conference designated the then-Malawi district as its own “missionary conference.” When the 2012 General Conference convenes, two delegates from Malawi Missionary Conference will join the 986 others from throughout the world at the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly.

Though a young conference, United Methodists in Malawi already are helping to minister to the country’s many needs by providing early childhood education, bestowing scholarships, ministering to those with AIDS and fighting malaria. Here are examples of the church’s transforming work.

Galilea opens a nursery school

Galilea United Methodist Church in Mpenya is preparing children younger than 5 for primary school.

In March 2011, the church started its Galilea Nursery School, a full-day, English-only school that provides hot meals to the children each day.

There are a number of nursery schools near Galilea Nursery School with qualified teachers and good facilities, but these schools are too expensive for the children in the community.

The school’s funding comes from the fees that parents pay, the members of the church and United Methodists in Germany. The school also received cooking pots, mats and chairs from the conference women’s organization.

Its two teachers are both trained educators and devoted Christians, said missionary Kara Oliver, Galilea’s assistant pastor.

“The teachers are not just providing a service,” she said, “but they are giving a testimony to the community by using their gifts and talents in the service of the church.”

The school lacks enough facilities to accommodate the demand. Thirty-six children are enrolled, and another 23 are on the waiting list. The school also faces a challenge in paying its bills and staff.

Still, the school is already making a difference. “This is a special school,” said Hope Kanguwo proudly. She is the mother of one of the first students and a member of Galilea United Methodist Church. “At the school, my child is learning English, and each day she tells me the things she learns at the school.”

Members of the Malawi Mission Pilgrimage are embraced outside a United Methodist church in Malawi.

Scholarships for higher education

Since Malawi is a developing country and most families are poor, many parents aren’t able to pay high school and college fees.

That’s where the church comes in.

Daniel Kabunduli Nkhata, a self-described “pioneer Methodist Christian,” credits a scholarship from his congregation of Mzuzu United Methodist Church for enabling him to graduate from United Methodist-related Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe

“Now I am a lecturer at Catholic University,” he said. “The church with educated youth gains a brighter future.”

Christopher Hamera, an accounting student at Africa University, said the scholarships play a role in church growth. He cited the United Methodist churches in Zimbabwe where most members are well educated and able to support their church.

Malawi church helps those with AIDS

The church in Malawi is not just shaping minds but also healing bodies.

One way is through Malawi United Methodists’ support for a HIV/AIDS home-based care organization.

Missionary Kara Oliver, (green shirt and skirt) joins hands with friends and family in Malawi. Jeff and Kara Oliver’s blog spurred St. Joseph United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., to raise money for mosquito nets , which in turn gave rise to the Galilea Hospital Ministry.

Tiwasunge HIV/AIDS Organization, which began in Blantyre, Malawi, in September 2003, works to give hope to people living with HIV/AIDS and to orphans when their parents pass away.

Ester Changa, financial controller of Tiwasunge Home Based Care Organization, said the group has 59 adults and 48 orphans.

‘‘Due to food support provided by (The United Methodist Church), we are able to have food in our homes, and our bodies are stronger than before,’’ said Changa, who tested positive in 2001.

Modesta Mdeza, the secretary of Tiwasunge, said the group, with help from missionary Jeff Oliver, has obtained a machine to manufacture wooden rings. The rings are sold outside Malawi and provide a major source of income. The organization also sells crops grown in its garden and recently started to raise chickens.

Mdeza said she appreciated Jeff and Kara Oliver for providing transportation to the hospital and parental care to members of the organization when they fall sick.

Statistics indicate almost 1million people in Malawi live with HIV/AIDS. The disease is the leading cause of death among adults in Malawi and is a major factor in the country’s life expectancy of just 51 years.

In addition to providing food, the Malawi Missionary Conference health office provides nutritional counseling. Coordinator Mercy Nyirongo said good nutrition helps Tiwasunge patients improve their immunity and delay the progression of HIV to AIDS.

Joining the malaria fight

Galilea United Methodist Church in Blantyre, Malawi, is joining the campaign to eradicate malaria, with help from Indiana United Methodists.

The congregation at St. Joseph United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., learned about the situation through Jeff and Kara Oliver’s blog — Our Journey, — and began raising money for mosquito nets. With their donation, the Galilea Hospital Ministry was born.

Members of Galilea United Methodist Church bought 75 mosquito nets, 50 blankets and baby hats and delivered them to the malnutrition ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre in April 2010. The Rev. Collings Kaunda said, “The hospital ministry was born from the words of Matthew 25:36 that says, ‘I was sick and you took care of me.’”

Members of Galilea United Methodist Church hope to visit the sick in the hospitals and in their homes, providing mosquito nets and encouraging them spiritually. They also want to teach communities to take preventive measures and encourage testing for malaria as soon as symptoms appear.

A young girl in central Malawi listens to a lesson. There are now 150 United Methodist Churches in this East Africa nation.

United Methodist youth grows

Malawi United Methodists do not just address serious challenges like disease and poverty. They also engage in ministry that would be familiar in any U.S. suburb. The Malawi United Methodist Youth Organization was established in 2009 in Dedza.

The youth ministry in Malawi encourages youth to participate actively and equips them with basic leadership skills to serve effectively as leaders in the church. They also aim to develop programs to educate youth about United Methodism.

More than 200 youth attended a revival and youth training seminars in Balaka at a new church.

The youth president, Daniel Kabunduli Nkhata, says he is proud of the Malawi youth organization’s progress. “If this action continues,” he said, “we are going to build strong leaders in the Malawi United Methodist Church.”

*Kaipa, Nyadaufe, and Chipofya are communicators for the Malawi Missionary Conference.