A day prior to my first Sunday in Canada, I was shown the nearest church, which is walking distance from my apartment. Upon inquiry about the services, I learned that there is only one service which starts at 10:30 in the morning. I wondered how it could be possible for such a seemingly heavily populated area to have only one service, considering that the church building was not vast enough to accommodate the large congregation I expected to see on my first Sunday. I visualized a large gathering of worshippers coming from all directions.
The saying that “an early bird catches the worm” made me leave the apartment earlier with an aim of giving myself enough time to walk to the church and find myself somewhere to sit. My calculation or miscalculation was based on the fact that the church building looked small in comparison to the size of the neighbourhood. Of course, I took into consideration the fact that not everyone was a member of this church and that not all members would be able to avail themselves of worship on this particular Sunday .
When I approached the church building, I was filled with surprise. In Malawi it is common that you find many people gathered in groups outside the church either greeting each other or cracking jokes as they wait for time to get into the house of worship.
Upon entry into the building, I received a very cheerful welcome from church members who were at what I assumed was the vestry picking up their name badges. The atmosphere at the church indicated that anytime the service would be on. As a visitor, I was made to sign in the visitor’s book and straight I went to join others in the pews. The minister followed me and the two of us whispered for a little while before the service was on. Each moment of the service was of much interest to me. The liturgy was was too brief; quite different from ours in Malawi. Even the singing was different.
In my church back home, announcements take a long time, sometimes close to an hour, and usually it is the session clerk, vestry secretary or a church elder or deacon assigned to the ask. However, I was surprised when announcements took not more than five minutes and were done by the minister himself.
He introduced me to the congregation and my presence was felt as almost everyone wanted to talk to me at the end of the service. Unlike in Malawian churches, where the youth are in the majority, I was astonished to see only a handful of youthful faces in the house of the Most High. I thought there was a need for evangelizing through initiatives like “back to church” Sundays and many others using the good technology available.
There was coffee served at the end of the service, a thing which took me back to my village church where people keep yawning one after another during services, since most of them go to services on empty stomachs. No wonder the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer is so relevant, especially the part which says “Give us this day our daily bread.” This part has its significance in the lives of many poor Malawians, most of whom are subsistence farmers who cannot grow enough to feed themselves for the rest of the year. They wake up without knowing what they are going to eat on that particular day. It is believed that more than 40% of the population live below poverty line; however the plight on the actual ground looks more severe.
While enjoying my coffee at church, a rare opportunity of course, I discussed so many issues with the minister. He was so open that he bemoaned the effects of secularism on the church, which he said sometime enjoyed large membership. He shared with me that people are so busy with other things out there, going to church seems not to be on the priority list.
This made me think aloud. I recalled having seen household items put along the streets, not for sale, but free for anyone who needs them. I saw a nice mattress along the road which the owner no longer needs. I sobbed at the thought that in my country most of us (including me) can not afford it or not even dare inquire its price. I saw myself lost in my thoughts for a while and later my body, mind and soul reconciled and I realized that these people have everything they need, and even surpluses; therefore they found no good reason to be on the pews every Sunday. I wondered if this could be one of the reasons for them to stay away.
My thoughts went back home to people in villages who have never slept on a mattress, let alone had a good meal with all the necessary nutrients. Yet there hope is always on the Lord. In times of acute problems they open their old torn, soiled Bibles. Most of have lived and read Romans 8:35 where the Apostle Paul says, “What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril or sword?” And verse 37 of the same chapter assures them that none of the above has the potential or ability to separate them from Christ’s love. Hence life goes on amidst of acute hardships like diseases and hunger, among others.
Photograph by SimonP (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons
