“Vir baie jare is sendelinge na Afrika en die res van die Majority World (sien foto hieronder) gestuur, maar ‘n merkwaardige verskuiwing het oor die afgelope dekades plaasgevind: Afrika is nie meer die sogenaamde ‘sendingveld’ nie, maar het nou die ‘sturende kontinent’ geword. Afrika het van harvest field to harvest force ontwikkel; ‘n kontinent wat sendelinge nie net na lande binne-in Afrika stuur nie, maar ook na die uithoeke van die wêreld.” So sê Marina Prins, direkteur van Member Care Southern Africa (MCSA).
Die tyd het aangebreek dat meer kerke in Afrika sendelinge uitstuur. Daar moet egter toegesien word dat hierdie sendelinge doeltreffend versorg word, ‘n deurslaggewende aspek om te verseker dat sendelinge effektief hul bediening sal kan doen en in staat sal wees om in die veld te bly om voortydige terugkeer te voorkom.
Gedurende 2015 en 2016 het Marina Prins navorsing gedoen oor die Member Care-behoeftes van Malawiese sendelinge as deel van haar nagraadse studie. Sy was die afgelope twee jaar betrokke by die ontwikkeling van gekontekstualiseerde Member Care-materiaal (Sendelingversorgingsmateriaal) vir die Mission Campaign Network (MCN) in Kenia. As ‘n uitvloeisel van haar navorsing in Malawi en die werk in Kenia, is ‘n Member Care-werkswinkel ontwikkel.
Die goeie nuus is dat Marina vanaf 18 tot 22 Maart ‘n Member Care-werkswinkel in Lilongwe, Malawi, sal fasiliteer. Ds Paul Mawaya, die Nasionale Voorsitter van die Malawi Mission Initiative (MMI) gee meer inligting: “MMI under the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) in collaboration with the Society for International Ministries (SIM) in Malawi and Member Care Southern Africa (MCSA) has organized an exceptional missional event as the MMI celebrates 10 years of mission work.
The MMI, in partnership with the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), the Society for International Ministries (SIM) in Malawi, and Member Care Southern Africa (MCSA), is orchestrating a remarkable missional event to commemorate a decade of impactful mission work.
“The MMI was established in 2013 in order to facilitate the sending and supporting of Malawian missionaries across the border (foreign mission) with the vision of establishing Malawian mission-minded churches that are engaged in sending and supporting Malawian missionaries in external missions (foreign mission) and in order to fulfil the Great Commission. As a network and fellowship forum for the emerging mission movement in Malawi, it is comprised of churches, mission agencies and like-minded organisations who come together under one umbrella to foster the work of missions in and out of Malawi.
“Through this consultative workshop, MMI will be celebrating the achievements realized in the past 10 years of its existence and collect feedback from participants as it reviews its strategic plans of expanding its base and network in order to reach the whole Malawi. The workshop is designed to equip those that are already sending missionaries from one culture to another culture (cross-culture missions) and from Malawi to other countries (foreign missions) and to the unreached people groups (frontier missions). However, the focus of the workshop will be on member care of the sent missionaries.”
Ons gebede is dat hierdie werkswinkel sal bydra tot die proses om effektiewe en volhoubare Member Care vir Malawiese sendelinge te vestig. Wat ‘n voorreg is dit om deel te wees van hierdie strategiese ontwikkeling in sending en Member Care in Malawi! Mag ons getrou wees in die versorging van hierdie sendelinge.
Marina Prins
Direkteur: Member Care Southern Africa
membercaremc@gmail.com
Indien u ds Paul Mawaya, die nasionale voorsitter van MMI wil skakel, kan u hom kontak by paul.mawaya@sim.org of by +265 884 077 993 (WhatsApp, Signal & Telegram)