Youth Work in Lilongwe

The Youth Hostel in Lilongwe used to accommodate, at a small fee, young men employed or seeking employment within the municipality. It was my father's responsibility to ensure that the young men were living peacefully and to provide spiritual guidance to them. Where necessary, he would engage some of them in one-on-one counseling sessions.

His main mandate, however, was to look after the CCAP faithfuls in post-primary educational institutions. These included all secondary schools in and around Lilongwe, plus the Lilongwe Technical School situated close to the Youth Hostel.

Later, Rev Dr Chingota (at the time of writing Moderator of St. Columba CCAP in Blantyre) testified to the fact that he had received so much spiritual assistance and guidance from Rev Chienda while he (Chingota) was a student at Mtendere Secondary School in Dedza district. His interaction with the Reverend had the effect of making him decide to go into full time ministry, according to his testimony.

While in Lilongwe, Yeremiah sold his motorcycle with the intention of buying a car. He looked around and eventually one became available from Miss Obbi, who was a South African missionary. It was a Ford Anglia, the one whose rear windshield slants in the opposite direction to other vehicles. In those days, Japanese vehicles had not yet infiltrated the African market.

On 14th November, 1967, the Anglia was deployed to take my mum to hospital at Nkhoma. It came back without her. We learnt that she had been hospitalised. The following day we got news of baby girl having arrived. We were all intensely excited with this news. Mother and child came back two or three days later, and the baby was name Annie Zione, the fifth child in the family.

During his stay at the Youth Hostel, Rev Chienda used to help out at a a prayer house a stone's throw away. The name of the prayer house, which was an arm of Lilongwe CCAP some 5 kilometres away, was Msonkhamanja. Today, Msonkhamanja is one of the big CCAP congregations in the city of Lilongwe.

In 1968, the Synod resolved to move Rev Chienda to Nkhoma to become the General Secretary, succeeding Rev Killion Mgawi, who would take Rev Chienda's post as Youth Worker. In other words, the two gentlemen were to swap positions.

Rev Killion Mgawi was a young, bespectacled minister, originally from Chauwa village on the eastern slopes of the Chilenje mountain close to Nkhoma. He had a great passion for the work of Nkhoma Synod; and for the Volkswagen beetle! During his tenure as General Secretary, he owned several VW bettles, one after another.

In 1962, the CCAP Nkhoma Synod decided to Africanise its operations, and handed over the running of Synod affairs to the first Malawian General Secretary, the youthful Rev Mgawi. Mgawi's predecessor was Rev Hugo, a South African. The 1968 handover of the mantle to the second Malawian General Secretary of Nkhoma Synod was the beginning of a long and passionate association between the Reverends Mgawi and Chienda.