Gule Wamkulu

A few days ago, a Presbyterian pastor received threats from members of Malawi’s Gule Wamkulu secret society and complaints from the head of the Chewa Heritage Foundation (CHEFO). The pastor, known for broadcasting his sermons and stirring up people, was caught on video saying that God brings rain to the righteous and the unrighteous, even to the Gule Wamkulu cult members as they dress in their shrines. He was speaking to say that church members should act likewise and bless those who are in the church as well as those who are not, but his message was interpreted by Gule Wamkulu members as slander against their cultural practices. Of course, people were not happy that the cult members were labeled as “oipa” which means not only unrighteous, but has additional meanings of evil or bad. But they also felt that the sermon illustration was an attack on their culture. The dance of the Gule Wamkulu is one of the most important cultural dances for the Chewa tribe. Those who practice it believe that they are connecting with souls of the dead through the dance, that they fish out the souls as they transform in their shrines prior to the dance.

Many people in Malawi do not see why cultural witchcraft practices would be troubling for Christians in Malawi. One newspaper highlighted how the church had been present in Malawi for a few hundred years, but the Gule Wamkulu were practicing for thousands of years. The head of CHEFO, a leader and spokesman for the Gule Wamkulu, reported that he was also a church leader in his Presbyterian church, and he saw no reason why Christianity and cultural practices could not co-exist.

Of course, Christians should respect culture, and one of the commendable features of Christianity is that it can transform communities while maintaining and redeeming the best parts of cultural practices. But there are certain practices associated with traditional Gule Wamkulu activities – witchcraft, curses, abduction, assault, and rape, which are not consistent with Christianity and which these pastors, at their own risk, took a stand to show had no place in a God-honoring church. Amidst the threats and the meetings, the delegations and the goats demanded for restitution these past few days, it has been encouraging to see the church leaders take a stand and say that some practices, while important for culture and heritage, are not part of Christianity or the church.

It is especially hard to draw lines in Malawi, because many people are culturally Chewa but also culturally Christian, without always knowing the religious and social implications of either group. Greg brings up these issues with students in his Church History class. “Christianity is more than just religious beliefs” on student said at the end of a leading class discussion, “Christianity is a community of believers, followers of Christ, who do the will of God.” Another student concluded, “Christianity is a community that comes together to worship and serve.” And we are seeing the results of some of that mindset change as pastors we know start leading their communities towards food security, improved family relationships, and health. We pray that we may see more and more Christian leaders transforming their communities from within their own culture and relationships.

February 2022 Details

Teaching and Healing in the Community:

Training and Development: Over 60 pastors, spouses, chiefs, and community members attended the follow-up training by Namikango Mission in Mngwangwa village. Women attending the training said that they see now that they should have a say in family finances, and they are motivated to start their own businesses and savings groups. The community Conservation Farming garden is growing well and the drainage of the lake has reduced malaria cases this year. Thoko’s chicken business is bringing protein to the community and some supplemental income to the church.

Networking – Greg has connected with trainers in Theological Education by Extension and Pathways as he searches for ways to bring theology training to pastors in the villages. He continues to work with The Word Transforms and is planning strategies for following up on development projects in the Mphewa area. Christina is planning to speak at a women’s conference in March and is discussing possibilities of students and residents coming for internship experiences.

Equipping - Generous donations from our partners this month allowed us to assist local pastors in a number of ways including funding a couples mini-retreat for village pastors to get away from their hectic ministries and reconnect with each other and repairing of a pastor’s motorcycle to improve mobility and connection. We have also partnered with 3 local church leaders and sponsored fees so that they can attend formal training programs in community development, program planning, and public health.

Sustainability – Christina continues to advise on sustainability and grant writing. Last month she assisted the local nonprofit Alinafe in their drive to fundraise to help vulnerable individuals in their community over the next year. This month, she is looking into some grant funding to improve health disparities in California. She continues to spend 10 hours/week assisting with a Preventive Medicine fellowship in Loma Linda, which is supplementing our income and offsetting our living expenses.

Heart Healthy: February Update 2022

I was introduced to the group as a teacher, a doctor here to discuss health for one hour during the 3-day Pastors’ Wives conference. But I wanted these women to see that health is important to God, and that the church has a key role of bringing healing to their communities. So we started with a prayer, and then I asked the group about the greatest commandment. The college principal’s wife stepped up and recited for us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” I acknowledged that the women showed incredible ways to love God with their

souls and hearts at this conference, with their beautiful singing and well￾choreographed choirs. Then I said “today as we open our minds for learning, I want to share with you ways that you can love God with all your strength. And we will talk about how you can love God with a healthier heart in your physical body.” I tapped the left side of my chest, did a happy little skip, and dove in.

“How many of you have someone with high BP in your family?” I asked. Only a few of the hundred women raised their hands. “We know that one in three people in Malawi has high blood pressure,” I continued, “but we also now that very few people who feel healthy ever get their pressure checked. So if nobody in your family knows that they have high BP, you might want to

encourage them to get their pressure checked.” We went on to discuss the high global mortality of heart disease, and the role of blood pressure as a silent but powerful first warning sign. We talked about keeping hearts healthy through diet, exercise, and rest. The women took my advice about decreasing salt and increasing dietary vegetables graciously, many had heard that before from doctors and perhaps my reputation as a healthy eating stickler preceded me. But when I

came to the part about stress, about sleeping 8 hours per night and releasing anxiety, most women chuckled awkwardly and averted their eyes.

I knew these women carried a lot on their backs, in their hearts, and on their minds. Even I had

experienced a very stressful week and hadn’t been sleeping much recently. But I wasn’t about to let us off the hook, I wanted to remind us the women we should and could be. I grabbed Thoko’s Bible and turned it to Philippeans 4:6, which she read in Chichewa to the group as I explained it in English. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” I thought that these pastors’ wives had surely heard this verse before, but maybe they had never allowed themselves to try living it out, because

whether from novelty or concern, at least a dozen conference participants took out their notebooks right then and wrote down the verse, while the few with Bibles opened them up and checked for themselves.

We finished our time together with plenty of questions and discussions, about things that can be changed by lifestyle and things that remain risk factors no matter what. As we finished up, I left them with a final verse: “Whether, then, you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I prayed a prayer of blessing for the group, a prayer for health and peace and strength. And in my heart I prayed that I could live out that verse, even as I was calling these colleagues to do so.

This month, please join us in prayer for:

- Sorting out immigration status which is coming up for renewal

- Organizing a training for pastors next weekend

- Submitting some important reports and proposals for Christina’s

work in California

- Deciding whether to keep a stray dog that came to our house last week