20/08/2026
๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต
BLANTYRE, Malawi โ The Malawi Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists held a two-day Public Affairs & Religious Liberty Advisory Meeting from 16 to 18 August 2026 at Mo & Mic Lodge in Namiwawa, Blantyre, Malawi's commercial city, with a strong call to establish PARL leadership structures in every local church across the country.
The meeting brought together Public Affairs and Religious Liberty leaders from the union's five conferences: South East Malawi Conference, Eastern Malawi Conference, Central Malawi Conference, South West Malawi Conference, and North Malawi Conference, to strategize on how the church can work amicably with communities and government stakeholders while safeguarding the church's beliefs and liberty of conscience.
The main facilitator was Pastor Dr. Pako Mokgwane, Public Affairs & Religious Liberty Director for the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. He was joined by Pastor Dr. Luke Limbithu, PARL Director for Malawi Union Conference.
Dr. Mokgwane challenged conference PARL directors to move beyond office work and build intentional relationships in their communities. "Making friendship is not compromising faith. It makes God's work easier," he told the gathering. "As PARL leaders, we should not be distracted by any other voice. We must listen only to the voice of the Holy Spirit as we represent the church in our communities."
He emphasized that the Adventist Church can collaborate with civic and security institutions on issues of common concern such as peace, justice, youth development, and human dignity, without diluting Adventist identity.
In his closing remarks, Pastor Dr. Luke Limbithu thanked the SID PARL Director for facilitating the meeting, describing it as a benchmark for conference leaders in strengthening the church's public engagement and religious liberty work in Malawi.
As part of the practical component of the advisory, the church leadership engaged key stakeholders in Blantyre. Barely a day after the meeting opened, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to South West Region Police Commissioner Mr. Lovemore Mwabumba. Church leaders outlined programs that align with police efforts to serve communities, including the Enditnow initiative to eliminate abuse, and Youth Alive programs that teach young people about the dangers of drug and substance abuse.
On Wednesday, 19 August, Dr. Mokgwane together with a Malawi Union Conference delegation visited Blantyre City Council Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Costly Chanza. Dr. Mokgwane said the visit was aimed at building a strong foundation of collaboration between the church and civic authorities. He explained that the church and the City Council share the same mandate of serving the people and improving community welfare. He further shared key community service initiatives the Adventist Church is implementing across Malawi. Dr. Mokgwane was quick to emphasize that such partnerships are done in a way that does not compromise the faith and liberty of conscience of church members.
Mr. Chanza welcomed the delegation and commended the church for its continued role in supporting development and service delivery in Blantyre and beyond. The delegation also posed for group photos with council officials outside the City Council offices.
Speaking during the workshop, conference leaders were urged to establish dedicated PARL leadership in local churches. Pastor Lubani, Eastern Malawi Conference President, who also serves as Eastern Malawi Conference PARL Director, described the advisory as an "eye opener" that will help the church work amicably with the community while also defending liberty of conscience. "Every local church needs someone who understands how to engage government, community leaders, and other faith groups on behalf of the church," he said.
Dr. Mokgwane was in Malawi to facilitate the Malawi Union Conference PARL Advisory Meeting at Mo & Mic Lodge. His visit forms part of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division's ongoing efforts to strengthen public relations, religious liberty advocacy, and communications capacity across the division territory.
By McAllan Mapinda
MUC Communications
