Further Training in America

During the Internatioanl Congress on World Evangelisation in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974, Rev Chienda had the opportunity of meeting one of Africa's leading evangelical intellectuals, Dr Byang Kato. Kato was among the keynote speakers at the conference.

Nigerian by origin, Kato received his ThD degree in May, 1974 from Dallas Theological Seminary. His doctoral dissertation was titled "Universalism and Syncretism in Christianity in Africa", and it was later published by Evangel Publishing House in Nairobi, Kenya under the title "Theological Pitfalls in Africa."

Kato had great passion for promoting and encouraging theological scholarship and debate among African evangelicals. It was his desire to see a purely African theological discourse develop and flourish in the evangelical circles. He repeatedly charged African evangelicalism with "theological anaemia" and deliberately sought out and encouraged young African evangelical scholars in their studies and work.

Noticing Rev Chienda's dedication to God's work and seeing potential in him, Dr Kato suggested that he (Rev Chienda) should seek further theological education abroad. He went further, in the ensuing months, to find a suitable college, where Rev Chienda could pursue undergraduate and postgraduate programs. It was Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, in the United States of America.

In December, 1975, a few months before Rev Chienda left for California, Dr Kato and his family took a vacation in Mombasa, Kenya. The learned doctor disappeared from their lodging place on December 18, and his body was found the following day in Mombasa river. It has never been clear what the cause of death was: whether he had drowned or had been attacked and subsequently placed in the river. One thing that is clearly known is that Africa was robbed of one of its celebrated theologians through this tragic death. He was 39 at the time of his death.

Rev Chienda left for California, USA in 1976. It pleased Nkhoma Synod to appoint Rev EE Katsuluka Acting General Secretary, pending Rev Chienda's completion of his academic work and his return to Malawi. In 1977, Mrs Chienda and the two youngest children, Annie and Tertia, followed Rev Chienda to America. The family returned home in 1978 after the Reverend had obtained a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Missiology.

While Rev and Mrs Chienda were away to America, the older children that stayed behind were being ably looked after by well wishing parents. Chief among these were Rev KJ Mgawi and Mr Nelson Chikusa. The latter was a tutor at the William Murray Teacher Training College.

On his return, Rev Chienda resumed his work as General Secretary of Nkhoma Synod, working for close to a year before moving to Blantyre to take up a new post at the Bible Society in Malawi.