Lilongwe Leadership Mission: "Top Level Encounter"

African Enterprise
October 3, 2006

African Enterprise's Lilongwe Leadership Mission is focused on reaching the hearts of top leaders in the capital city of Malawi, who have the potential to alter the future of the entire country. The first phase of this mission, entitled "Top Level Encounter" (Sept 11-16), consisted of eleven leadership meetings with pastors, civil servants, politicians, doctors, high level police officers, top women officers and police wives, young leaders, and business executives. The main speakers were Michael Cassidy, AE founder, Stephen Lungu, International Team Leader, and Esme Bowers, AE South Africa Board Chair, as well as numerous AE associates and local church leaders. AE collaborated with the Pan-African Missions team, two volunteer mission teams from the US, and local churches to effectively present the gospel message to this widely varied group of leaders.

The week began with a meeting of encouragement for the pastors of Lilongwe. Michael Cassidy spoke on the importance of a healthy meditation, prayer, and family life. The following day, he addressed the heads of church denominations on the topic of church management, reminding them of the church's role in the city. Many pastors acknowledged their shortcomings and expressed a need for help in running their churches as God would want to see His work done. One of the particularly exciting things about these meetings was the incredible diversity that was there. The denominations ranged from Anglican, to Presbyterian, to Pentecostal, creating an environment of cooperation that has been the subject of prayer in Malawi for quite some time. After the meetings, the pastors continued to talk about the issues and challenges the church is facing and to discuss the way forward together.

On Wednesday there was a meeting for police wives and women officers at the suggestion of the police chaplain, and a dinner for civil servants. Over 100 women tearfully responded to Esme Bowers' message, and chose to "lay their burdens before Christ", requesting that the AE team return for follow-up and counseling. The attendance at the dinner was lower than expected, but it was obvious by the end of the meeting that God had an agenda for those who turned up. There were several top government officials in the audience that made first time commitments to Christ.

Thursday began with a luncheon at Kamuzu Central Hospital with some of the best doctors in Malawi. The room was filled to capacity. Michael Cassidy asked the audience how much time they were going to give him and one Muslim Egyptian doctor did not hesitate to limit him to 30 minutes, stressing that they were all much too busy to be there. After the message was preached, this same Muslim man remained behind to invite Michael to his house to discuss the topic further. Following this was a dinner for political leaders, at which the Speaker of the House pledged to help AE contact parliamentarians in the future "Top Level Encounter" ventures. He rededicated his life to the Lord that evening, and commented that, "This is what we need for a country like ours if we are going to make any progress".

Perhaps one of the most ground-breaking events during this mission was the Friday meeting with the high level police officers. The Police Inspector General, who was the guest of honor, had commanded all commissioners to attend the function, no matter from which district or how far. This meant that the police service had to shoulder the traveling expenses of each of these top officers, and Michael Cassidy was able to address leaders from all over Malawi. He spoke on the need for each officer to make time for himself and his family, in order to serve effectively. Steven Lungu followed with his testimony of salvation. The Inspector General expressed his excitement about the event and invited AE to involve themselves in the Service. This meeting with police officers was the first of its kind in the history of Malawi police service.

That evening there was another event solely for women leaders, in which Esme Bowers spoke on the topic of being "Women of God". Over 150 women were challenged to begin to think big for God and go out and serve. Saturday afternoon Songe Chibambo, Pan-African Missions Director, and Enoch Phiri, AE Malawi Team Leader, challenged young leaders with the topic, "Nation Malawi 2007 and Beyond". They spoke on the issues that young people in Malawi are facing and how each person can help deal with those challenges. The week finished with a dinner for business executives, at which many men and women committed themselves to be used by God in their different spheres of influence.

The three teams from the USA, Presbyterian Church, New Providence, New Jersey, First Presbyterian Church of Monrovia, California, and Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas made a huge difference. They devoted themselves to ministering to those who had just come to the Lord. Local pastors immediately began to ask when AE would organize such a platform again.

Throughout the week, God provided numerous open doors for future missions through the Speaker of the House, the Inspector General, the Egyptian doctor, and numerous local church leaders. Please continue to pray that the seeds planted will grow and bring transformation in the hearts of so many leaders that were reached with the gospel.