Falling on grace

Zambian missionaries Elizabeth and William Chirwa have spent five years helping Jamaican congregations to find strength within, finds Kenwyn Pierce

You know, I'm not so much of a preacher Rev Elizabeth Chirwa turns to say as we drive to the Sunday morning service at Lowe River in rural Jamaica. “I prefer to spend time with people building relationships.”

Her car stops frequently as we pass people on the way to church. Some climb in, grateful for a lift to church; others go about their business.

Once in the pulpit, quietly-spoken Elizabeth undergoes a transformation. She preaches a whirlwind sermon on the theme “keep the fire burning”. The message is delivered with surprising physical power and intensity. “We must be worshippers completely given to the Lord!” she exhorts to a chorus of appreciative amens. “We must say I am your child, take me as I am!”

The highlight of the service though is a dance performance from the young people of the church. Colourful, witty, and sharply executed, the youth take the service by storm. Every part of the service is full of joyful energy.

Elizabeth and her husband, William arrived at Lowe River from Zambia as CWM missionaries five years ago. Her ministry has grown around a discipleship model, and the churches under her care have strengthened in numbers and in vitality.

Encouraging involvement works at many levels. She found that in music that the same people would play every week. Others would not touch the instruments. “Breaking that was hard,” she says. “It is a risk, yes, but there is no other way. It is a risk in the sense that the music may not be as nice, but it is ok.

“When we are given opportunities, we fall on grace.”

The ministry goes far beyond encouraging people to develop their musical talents. Omar Lewis is one of the young people that has agreed to a discipleship programme.

“We put what we have learned into practice on the street. That is what we have been commissioned to do,” he says. “It is bearing fruits because our fellowship is growing here, our youth department is growing.”

For Omar, discipleship has meant boldness in his faith. “I am not afraid to go on the street or to talk to anybody. I am not afraid to go in the bars and the clubs. I am bolder to be a disciple for Jesus Christ. “It’s a natural thing,” he explains.

“I have friends; we go reason and talk with them. It just happens day-today.”

Settling in

It is clear by the way locals speak with them that William and Elizabeth have earned the affection and respect of the community.

Their first experience of Jamaica was as visiting clergy on a CWM-sponsored exchange programme.

They left Zambia for two months to work in Webster Memorial Church – one of the larger, more influential churches in the capital, Kingston.

Moving to rural Jamaica was a different experience altogether.

Turning of the main coast highway, the road rises, every corner promising to reveal the destination. The promise remains unfulfilled for nearly an hour before Lowe River appears. It is plantation country here. When storms hit a short while before my visit the whole area was effectively cut off. Still the remains of mudslides slump over the narrow road.

Settling in too was not easy. The church had been without a minister for quite a while and had grown used to being self-sufficient. Adjusting to the appointment took effort on all sides.

Home from home

Now, William and Elizabeth look genuinely home-from-home. Their ease is demonstrated in the fact that they have opened their home for young people to stay with them. It is a response to individual circumstances, and it is an extension of their commitment to discipleship. Ashley Campbell stays with William and Elizabeth while she studies business. Her mother is in Kingston, and she was invited to the Chirwa’s household to avoid a complicated family arrangement. It is Ashley who staged the dance in church.

“Staying here, I am encouraged to read my Bible and to pray. I am very active in school too. I have a leadership club of my own there. I ask God to help me to be strong and you have to be able to balance time and to be strong.”

Ashley observes that there is often a distance between her generation and some older people. But Elizabeth has bridged this gap. “She knows our personalities. If she sees us going in the wrong direction, she will correct us.”

Seventeen year-old Annalie Reece turned to Christ recently at a church crusade. “As a young Christian I go through struggles and she is the person I can run to. She encourages me in my Christian life to keep the fire burning.

“She tells us we should serve God from an early age. We should not wait until we get older. And we are not too small to serve the Lord.

“Before I became a Christian My mother never used to come to church. Since then I have encouraged her to come to church.”

It is not just young people that are inspired to keep their faith at the very centre of their life. The eldest church member who wants to speak to me about following Jesus is already in his 10th decade.

Depending on the laity, Elizabeth says, is a necessity in the United Church of Zambia. Congregations are large, and ministers are few. “If I encourage being involved, that is the strength of the church. Especially in Zambia, you find that it is the lay people who take on a lot of the work.

We work, but we depend on the laity. We train them and they do a lot.” When they first came from Africa Elizabeth and William occasionally came across a condescending attitude. The thinking is slightly different now, Elizabeth believes. “My last church in Zambia had a membership of 2,500 people. This church is around 200. Only by working in a team ministry can you manage.”

Coming from that background, it was clearly a matter of deep concern that the attendance at the church Bible study was very poor. They introduced the idea of decentralising the Bible study so it could be close to where the people are.

In some churches it works really well, she says. “We started without training the Bible study leaders. One group is doing well with between 12 and 20 people attending.

Team work

Taking a team approach, encouraging all people at every level of church life, it may be natural to assume that as a minister Elizabeth Chirwa might take a less prominent role. The opposite appears to be true. Having been encouraged to take initiative, the people of the church now seek out their minister for support, direction and inspiration.

Since Elizabeth and William arrived, Joseph Bennett, one of the young people of the church, has decided to apply to candidate for ministry. “I have a passion to serve God,” he says simply.

“I have been a Christian for 12 years now. For the past five years my minister Rev Chirwa has been inspiring me, my role model I would say. She is an encouragement to me she is one who will pray with me and one I can talk to.”

As a role model he identifies what he would like to take from her to incorporate into his own future ministry. He has seen that availability and being there for people, listening to people really works. “She care for people”, he summarises. “She really do care about people.”