by Katharine Fleming, with Patrick Kidd and St. James’ Church Epistles
In October, seven members of St. James’ Church, including Patrick Kidd and me, both Church Club members, traveled to southern Malawi to explore possible mission projects. We were escorted around the diocese by the Bishop of Southern Malawi, James Tengatenga, a most charismatic and visionary bishop in the Anglican Communion, or by one of his priests. You may have been privileged to hear Bishop James speak at the Church of the Incarnation at a Church Club event in the fall of 2004. His talk, “The Spirit of African Anglicanism: A View from the Ground,” offered an overview of the history of Anglicanism in Malawi, from the earliest missionary efforts during the colonial period to the global impact of the Lambeth Conference in 1998.
For most of our time in Malawi, we were lodged in Blantyre, the commercial center of the country. During the day, we traveled over bumpy dirt roads to visit communities in the bishop’s diocese, all poor. We always saw people walking along the dusty roads of this densely populated country, often a woman with a baby on her back carrying water or just enough food for the next meal. We seldom saw cars. In the small villages, smiling children who loved having their pictures taken greeted us, along with some young men, and women—often members of the Mothers’ Union. The frail and sick stay inside the thatched roofed huts that leak in the rainy season. The average life span in Malawi is only 39 years. 14% or more of the population has HIV/AIDS. Malaria and TB are rampant. There have been drought conditions for two years in a row. Even though the country is beautiful, with mountains rising dramatically in the east, most of the people are too busy cultivating their meager farms, chasing their goats or taking care of their children to notice.
Bishop James leads the applauseWe were struck by the strong Christian faith of the people, grateful just to be alive. The government is ineffectual, so churches and NGOs take up the slack and try to provide rudimentary health care, schooling, etc. There aren’t enough priests for all the churches in Malawi, so each priest has to walk or perhaps ride a bicycle or motor bike to visit his five or more parishes. Priests are paid very little and have no pensions.
Partners In Mission –Africa is one of three mission initiatives at St. James’ made possible by a generous gift of two parishioners. This initiative has two purposes, for members of St. James’ to serve those in need by working alongside them, and to provide volunteer experience for St. James’ members with the intent that those experiences will spiritually transform the individual and collective lives of the community.
PIM-Africa decided to do its mission initiative in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Although English is the official language, many speak only their tribal language. Fortunately, the country is stable, perhaps because it is a country without natural resources. It has an agricultural economy, generally underdeveloped.
I sit at my desk now, Thanksgiving is tomorrow, “holiday” decorations are up and the stores full of expensive gifts to buy. But what I see is the little girl greeting me and shaking my hand in a small village, the young priest Daniel with his hand bandaged up because he fell off his motor bike, or beautiful Lake Malawi with poor people camped along the shore. And then I see Bishop James Tengatenga quietly working miracles in this beautiful God-filled country.
On Tuesday, November 29, 2005, St. James' Church (865 Madison Avenue at 71st Street) will present, "Partners in Mission--Africa: The Recent Mission Trip to Malawi and Plans for Future Work." The event is free and will be held at 6:30 in Sunderland Hall.
