Lilongwe, June 14: Vice President Saulos Chilima has appealed to church leaders and preachers to spread the message of love, saying Malawi is currently suffering from love deficiency.
Chilima made the appeal Saturday at Lilongwe’s Civil Stadium during celebrations of Seventh Day Adventist’s (SAD) from being Malawi Union Mission to Malawi Union Conference where the Vice President was Guest of Honour.
Appealing to the SDA leaders as well as Malawian church leaders at large, Chilima said “A lot of problems and challenges facing our country could be avoided if only we had love for one another.’’
“We would not even need to buy guns for our Police Officers if we had love. We would rather have used the money to buy food and invest in development projects,” lamented Chilima.
The Vice President also inspected the guard of honour by the SDA youth army where he said he got inspired by a song the youths were singing.
He said; “As I walked around when inspecting the guard of honour, I heard the youths sing ‘we the youth have the power to change the future of Africa’ I wish the message, important as it is for Africa, was narrowed down to Malawi because we desperately need the message.”
On the church’s elevation to independence, Chilima lauded SAD saying the independence was a symbol of the church’s focus, growth and maturity in faith, worship and spirituality.
On a rather different but equally important note, the VP appreciated SDA contribution to Government’s policy and the country’s development saying “One cannot talk health and education without mentioning Adventist.”
He particularly also appreciated the church’s response with compensatory items, through its Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), to the floods that affected most districts in the Southern Region.
The celebrations which were under the theme “WE HAVE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH,” were also graced by the presence of SDA President of Southern Africa, Indian Ocean Division (S.I.D), Rev, Dr. Paul Ratsara, in whose sermon urged the SDA clergy to pray for the success of Conference’s leadership.
He also dedicated a special service later that afternoon, specifically for the church’s leadership.
As a Conference, Malawi’s SDA now has the independence to run activities as separate but still part of the world wide community unlike before where as a Mission, it was under the control of Southern Africa.
In his remarks, newly elected President for Malawi Union Conference, Pastor Clarkson Kuyama appreciated Government’s respect of the freedom of worship saying “We are happy and appreciative to have God fearing leaders.”
