Evangelism Event
On October 28, we organized a large-scale evangelism event in Phulanya. It was a special day. We interviewed our fieldworker Janien Banda about the event:
Why are we organizing a large-scale evangelism event in Phulanya?
There are many Christians in Malawi; about 80% of the population is Christian. Over time, many different churches have emerged that do not, or hardly, cooperate with each other. In the area of Phulanya there are about 50 small churches. The event aims to bring together as many churches as possible, in order to create more unity among Christians in and around Phulanya. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge about the Bible. Many ‘own interpretations’ are used and many things are also related to local beliefs about witchcraft. This event is therefore also intended to convey reliable, Biblically based knowledge during the children's activities and the main event. It was very special that we were able to do this in Phulanya. And in particular, that more than twenty churches and two mosques from the area were represented!
How did the event go?
The children's activities went very well. We had more than 1000 children participating in the activities, divided into different age groups from 2 – 18+ years, with age appropriate activities. The day started with the Bible story about the calling of the first disciples. This was followed by creative and sporting activities based on the Bible story. The children received a meal at the end of the day. The young people aged 15 -18+ had a Bible study on the same Bible passage, then they joined the main event.
The main event had the theme: “Follow me!”. There were two sermons about God calling us to follow Him and another sermon about what following God actually means for our lives. In between, prayers were said by pastors from the various local churches. There was a lot of singing, especially songs that were known to all participating churches. At the end of the event we had dinner together. The elderly (about 400 people) were picked up by vans and taken home again at the end of the event. Without this transportation service they would not have been able to participate in the event.
What is your fondest memory of the event?
It was wonderful to see that all participating churches and two mosques received a Bible at the end of the event to use in their churches. It was special to see that the sheikhs also wanted to receive the Bible. Who knows, God will use it for good!
Janien Banda – Founder One Hope Malawi
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