A two-day training of lay leaders in Zomba Diocese has ended at Thondwe Pastoral Centre in the Diocese.
In his closing remarks after the training, Bishop of Zomba Diocese, Rt. Rev. Alfred Mateyu Chaima, said high impact leadership is a catalyst for achieving tangible pastoral and social economic development in the Church.
He said that being a leader in the Church is a sacrifice and that the leaders need to be deep-rooted in faith for them to discharge their duties effectively.
Bishop Chaima also encouraged the leaders to share whatever they have learned at the training with their colleagues when they return to their respective parishes and institutions so that they can be on the same page in terms of leadership knowledge and skills acquisition.
“It was not possible for everyone to attend this training, instead, we just chose you to represent different groups in the Church. Make sure that you share whatever you have grasped here,” said Bishop Chaima.
Bishop Chaima addressing participants after the training
At this juncture, the Local Ordinary challenged the leaders to be visionary and strive to leave a legacy at the expiry of their tenure of office.
In his speech, the National Pastoral Coordinator, Fr. Joseph Sikwese, said the National Pastoral Office, under the Episcopal Conference of Malawi-ECM, organised the training with an aim of adding value to the leadership skills among the lay leaders in the Church.
Training in progress
According to Fr. Sikwese, some of the key highlight of the training included, but not limited to, the importance of Small Christian Communities, as the Church commemorates Golden Jubilee for Small Christian Communities in the AMECEA region, pastoral corporation among lay leaders and pastoral agents in the Church, resource mobilization for a self-reliant Church, environmental conservation to mitigate the negative impact of climate change, financial management, and many more areas.
Participants listening attentively to a presentation
The training brought together leaderships of Catholic Women Organisation, Catholic Men Organisation, Youth Forum, Events Committee, Catechists Association, Catholic Family Movement and many more.
Similar trainings are also expected to be conducted in all the eight dioceses of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi.