Sunday Morning

Church here in Malawi is a very different experience than going to church in the US. Don’t get me wrong, some aspects are the same; there is singing, and a sermon, occasionally Communion, announcements, praying and an offering. Just because the bones are similar doesn’t mean the body is the same. Each Sunday St. Andrews CCAP (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) has two Celebrations of Worship, a 7 a.m. English service and a 10 a.m. Chichewa service. In case you are wondering what happens between the two services, think again. The English service takes up the entire three hours each week. So by my calculations, by the end of the year I will have put in enough church time to cover me for a few Sunday morning sleep-ins. 

Church starts promptly at 7-ish. Malawians never seem to be on time for anything, so when I walk into the sanctuary at 6:59 like a good Presbyterian, I am one of a handful of people in the building. By the end of the service, every pew in the entire church is filled to the max, sometimes with people even standing in the back, or children sitting up front on mats. Worship starts with multiple choirs performing different songs. I used the word performing because there is usually choreography, or hand motions that go with almost all of the songs. There are a lot of different choirs in the church, some are all women, some all men, some young people, some older, anyone and everyone can be and is in a choir, and let me tell you; they can ALL sing and dance. It is so beautiful to watch these people sing their hearts out for their Lord and Savior. 

After the choirs, it is time for church announcements. The announcements are a little different from the ones I am used to hearing my Dad give on a typical Sunday. Things that are announced in church each Sunday are: the offering amount from the week before, who is in the hospital, deaths the previous week, upcoming marriages, where and when church meetings are to be held the coming week, where and when choir practices will be and if there are any visitors in the congregation today. Can you imagine if we had visitors come forward each week and greet the entire congregation … no one would ever come back to that church! Here it is very common and people really enjoy greeting the congregation they are visiting with. I am always entertained by the weekly announcements and realize it is really how information is shared with the church members. (No weekly e-mail blasts here.)

After the announcements there is usually a hymn and then the Bible reading. After both of those it is time for the sermon. Unlike in the US, it is not uncommon to see someone who is not a minister in the pulpit. This is because there are not enough pastors for all the churches in Malawi, so Pastors are assigned to multiple churches and prayer houses (smaller churches), that they travel to on various Sundays. In their absence, it is the responsibility of the elders and leaders of the church to preach. They do a wonderful job. Sermons usually last about 30-35 minutes (sorry if I ever thought you were long winded, Dad). Multiple times throughout the sermon the preacher will say, “The Lord is good!” to which the entire congregation responds enthusiastically, “All the time”. It is a treat to see the entire congregation engaged and really feeding on what is being preached.

After the sermon, it is time for the offering (after the offering there is one more hymn then worship is over, so when we reach this point I know we are in the home stretch).  The offering is something that I have always found inspiring in Malawi. Every single person in the church gives something during the offering, including children. If someone does not have money for the offering, those around them make sure they give that person some of their money so they have something to give. Everyone walks to the front of the church and puts their offering in a basket. These are people who compared to most Americans, have so little. Yet every week they march forward in that church giving a portion of what they have back to the Lord. They don’t do this with a frown on their face either; they often do it while singing and dancing, giving joyfully.

I have learned so much from going to church weekly here in Malawi, and most of what I have learned has not been from any sermon. A packed church every Sunday reminds me that even when circumstances are not what we would like, there is always, always, a reason to praise God. When I see people far less fortunate than anyone I have ever met in the States standing there praising God with everything they have, I am humbly reminded just how blessed we are. Seeing these same people, who may be struggling to put food on the table, or pay their children’s school fees, giving some of what they have to the church so the church can continue to do its works is so humbling. I challenge you today to try to find the same joy I see on their faces, even when the circumstances aren’t ideal. I also challenge you to give more in whatever that capacity is (time, talents, financially) because we are a blessed people, and I am reminded of that every day here, and even more so on Sunday mornings.