? The “warm heart of Africa:” it’s a nickname fitting for the people and gorgeous landscapes of Malawi.
It’s also a picture of the body of Christ there, where believers are passionate about Him and are doing what they can to take the Gospel to those who have not heard it.
For Grace Ministries International, they’re seeing a rewarding change as a result of their team’s approach. According to Titus and Kristy Lloyd, God has been using the children’s ministry at Grace Church in Malawi to begin bringing both children and parents to Christ.
According to the Lloyds, working with children is seen as a punishment, culturally. Typically, leaders will get sent to work with children when they have done something wrong. Yet this age group is the focus of the 4/14 Window. The age when a person is most likely to come to Christ is between the ages of four and 14 years old. Changing this mindset has been a big challenge among the leadership at the church, and while there has been some success, there is still a ways to go.
The ministry is still fairly young. GMI began work in Malawi 11 years ago. Two Zambian Bible School graduates were sent as short-term missionaries. In January 2005, Rev. and Mrs. Kennedy Simtowe, GMI missionaries to Zambia, moved to Malawi to strengthen the work by establishing a training center and expanding the evangelistic outreach and church-planting ministries.
The Lloyds joined the team not long after and are working with the newly-formed National Council of Grace Churches in the areas of administration, finances and children’s ministries. Titus is working to establish the head office for the All Africa Grace Fellowship and Harvest Time Missions, as well as starting a computer school and Internet Cafe. Kristy is focused on home schooling their children and administration of the school in Senga Bay.
Several churches have been planted in Lilongwe and several elsewhere, plus 20 preaching points which will eventually become church plants.
Keep praying for wisdom for the teams as they encounter cultural issues that interfere with outreach. Pray for vision and mission to move the church forward.
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