By Mercy Matonga:
President Lazarus Chakwera has applauded the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) for its efforts in providing checks and balances to the government.
Chakwera was speaking Sunday during the synod’s centenary celebrations, which took place at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.
He said the church had worked hard to uplift the lives of people by building infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.
- Advertisement -
“The church has been here since the colonial era, providing advice to the government on how it can better serve its people without abusing their rights. Since I took office in 2020, I have been meeting with church leaders, who have been offering advice on governance issues,” Chakwera said.
- Advertisement -
He added that apart from spreading the word of God, the church supports the government in various aspects.
“If you look at infrastructure development, you will find that the church has been at the forefront in building hospitals and schools, which greatly benefit the citizens,” Chakwera said.
CCAP General Assembly Moderator Reverend Bizwick Nkhoma said the church would continue to serve people with dedication.
Nkhoma said without unity, lives of people cannot improve.
- Advertisement -
The cleric added that CCAP would continue to promote unity regardless of religious and political differences in the country.
“Therefore, I can comfortably say that we are heirs to a rich legacy. The stories of our founders are filled with courage, sacrifice and unshakeable faith in God’s promises. They faced many challenges such as colonialism, world wars, economic hardships, tribalism and many others. But in all these, they held firmly to the belief that the church would stand as a witness to God’s glory in Central Africa and beyond,” Nkhoma said.
The celebrations were held under the theme ‘The Lord Has Done Great Things for Us’, which was drawn from Psalm 126:3.
CCAP traces its origins to the work of missionaries from the United Free Church of Scotland, the Established Church of Scotland and the Western Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa.
It was established on September 17 1924 at Kondowe in Rumphi District.
At the second synodical meeting held in Blantyre in 1926, the Council of Congregations established by the Dutch Reformed Church officially joined the CCAP and became Nkhoma Presbytery.
By this time, CCAP had three presbyteries: Blantyre, Livingstonia and Nkhoma.
In 1956, these presbyteries graduated into synods known as Blantyre Synod, Synod of Livingstonia and Nkhoma Synod.
