At the synod on 6-7 July, Pastors C. Ijalasi and H. Nyambo were elected as respectively General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary, and S. Mphamba and W. Banda as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of ZEC Malawi. These are vital roles for the future of ZEC and we thought you’d like to know more about the new General Secretary and Chairman.

Pastor Connex Ijalasi
The new General Secretary of ZEC Malawi, Connex Ijalasi, has been Deputy General Secretary for the last four years. During this time, he has also been Coordinator of the Fellowship of Youth, with which he has been connected since it began in 1983. Pastor Ijalasi gave this information about himself for our readers:

“I was the fifth born in a family of ten, five men and five women. Five of them went to be with the Lord but five of us are still alive. I am married to my lovely, supportive wife, Synolia, and we are blessed with two daughters and one adopted son. The girls’ names are Talandira (meaning “we have received”), and Abigail, and the boy’s name is Blessings…I committed my life to Jesus as my Lord and Saviour in 1981”.

Connex lists amongst his priorities as General Secretary:

• To promote spiritual maturity in the lives of ZEC members;
• to advocate transparency and accountability in ZEC;
• and to advocate the Spirit of Unity in ZEC.

Amongst his greatest challenges he lists:

• ZEC’s financial difficulties;
• Malawi’s poverty;
• the spreading of Islam in Malawi;
• the lack of trained teachers of the Word of God.

One further priority Pastor Ijalasi identifies is “to promote ZEC’s relationship with its mission agencies” and by the grace of God and with the help of our faithful supporters, we in Zambesi Mission look forward to continuing and extending our partnership in the Gospel with these new leaders. These are exciting times.

Pastor Sadweck Mphamba
Pastor Mphamba has been ZEC Northern Regional Superintendent for the last year. In this time, ZEC’s evangelism, church planting and all its work in the north has greatly advanced. Pastor Mphamba recently gave this testimony to a ZM visitor: “When I was at school a visiting preacher came from the local ZEC church. He read from 1 John 1:8-10. This was a challenging message to me. Even though I was leading a choir, I was not in the line of God. As he preached, I trembled and there were many tears in my eyes. When he had an altar call, I was the first to go forward. Since then I have been in Jesus. Even though there have been many difficulties, I still stand because I know whom I have believed.”

Please pray for Sadweck and his wife Margaret and their family, as he takes up his new role.