Row over hijab sparks violence in Malawi

From Malawi-

Blantyre - An ongoing dispute over the hijab - a scarf worn by Muslim women and girls - took a violent turn in eastern Malawi leaving three people injured and property damaged, police confirmed on Tuesday.

"Windows at a mosque and the local priest's home were smashed and three people were hurt during the incident," regional police spokesman Joseph Sauka told dpa.

The clashes - between members of the Anglican church and their Muslim counterparts - erupted on Monday after young men, reportedly from the church, snatched hijabs off the heads of pupils on their way to school in M'manga, about 100 kilometres from the city of Blantyre, he said.

Parish priest Mphatso Bango told dpa that he was living in fear.

"I did not sleep at home as the people destroyed windows of my house," he said, adding that the tense situation was not normal and schools would remain shut.

More here-

https://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/row-over-hijab-sparks-violence-in-malawi-36706031

Three Malawians to receive Province of Central Africa’s highest lay honour

From ACNS-

Three women from the Diocese of the Upper Shire in Malawi are to receive the Order of the Epiphany – the highest lay honour of the Anglican Church of Central Africa. The awards will be presented tomorrow (Saturday) at a large service at the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul in Mangochi. Bishop Brighton Malasa has invited everybody associated with the diocese – including clergy, members of the Mothers’ Union and youth organisations, as well as school students – to attend the service, which will be presided over by Archbishop Albert Chama, the Primate of Central Africa.

The Order of the Epiphany will be conferred upon Esther Khancha from Magomero Parish, Agnes Chinkhata of Mwanza Parish, and Rose Nasoro from the Cathedral. A fourth proposed-recipient, Chief Chilombo, died last month.

“These are people who have contributed to the wellbeing of the Church for quite a long time,” Bishop Brighton said. “They have advanced the mission of the Church including church planting to those areas [where] the Anglican Church was non-existent.”

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/10/three-malawians-to-receive-province-of-central-africas-highest-lay-honour.aspx

(Anglican) Church Responds as Millions Face Starvation in Southern Africa

From Charisma-

The Anglican mission agency USPG has launched an emergency appeal to support Anglican churches in southern Africa as they reach out to communities facing famine and loss of life.

Erratic weather, drought and crop failures have resulted in chronic food shortages in Madagascar, Malawi and Zimbabwe, with hundreds of lives lost due to malnutrition.

In Madagascar, The Ret. Rev. Dr Todd McGregor, bishop of Toliara, reported that during a confirmation service, a young person collapsed in his arms due to dehydration.

And the diocese of Toliara's development co-ordinator, Gasthé Alphonse, told USPG: "People are weak and listless and sleeping every day without eating. Children have started to drop out of school through weakness or because they've got to walk further to collect water.
More here-

http://www.charismanews.com/world/61315-church-responds-as-millions-face-starvation-in-southern-africa

Anglican Bishop Tengatenga bids farewell Sunday as resignation notice draws this month in Malawi

From Malawi-

The Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi has set Sunday December 8 2013 as the day His Lordship Dr. James Tengatenga will bid farewell to the Anglican Communion which he led for the past 15 years as a Bishop.

The Synod Elective Assembly witnessed the nomination process of Reverend Canon Alinafe Kalemba on August 24 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Blantyre before going the process of confirmation on October 4 at the St. Michael’s and All Angels Cathedral in Zambia, and finally allowing the Provincial Bishop to preside over the consecration on October 27 at Country Club Limbe, Malawi.
But the process is not yet over for Reverend Alinafe Lawrence Kalemba to assume the office of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi, News Time Africa can report.

Under the Canon law, there can never be two Bishops in an Anglican Diocese at a time and since Bishop Dr. James Tengatenga officially steps down this month, the outgoing Bishop is this Sunday bidding farewell at his Pastoral office at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The enthronement of his replacement, the Right Reverend Kalemba is scheduled for December 22 2013, Newstime Africa has learnt.

More here-

http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/33565

Bp Tengatenga named presidential fellow of Episcopal Divinity School

From ENS-

Citing a strong record of human rights activism and pastoral leadership, Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) announced Nov. 18 that the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, bishop of Southern Malawi, will serve as a presidential fellow for six months beginning January 2014. The fellowship was made possible with the support of the Episcopal dioceses of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“I am very pleased to offer Bishop Tengatenga this presidential fellowship,” said EDS president and dean, the Very Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale. “His dynamic faith, moral leadership, and commitment to justice are values that have long defined EDS. We look forward to his work and witness among us and are delighted that our students will have the opportunity to learn from his wisdom and experience. We are thankful to the dioceses of Connecticut and Massachusetts as well for their support and counsel in helping to facilitate Bishop Tengatenga’s appointment as a presidential fellow.”

The presidential fellowship comes just three months after Dartmouth College rescinded Tengatenga’s appointment as dean of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation, after a student group alleged he was homophobic. In an open letter to Dartmouth, Ragsdale, along with other Episcopal Church leaders, academics, LGBTQ advocacy groups in Malawi, and other human rights advocates, disputed the student group’s claim and described Dartmouth’s actions as “a gross injustice to an individual who would have made an ideal person to provide moral and ethical leadership at the college.”

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/11/18/bishop-tengatenga-named-presidential-fellow-of-episcopal-divinity-school/

Diversity’s Limits at Dartmouth

From The Living Church (A must read) Written by a member of the call committee,

James Tengatenga, the Anglican bishop of Southern Malawi, will not be the next chaplain and dean of the Tucker Foundation at Dartmouth College; the offer was extended and then later rescinded this summer. What does this unfortunate episode tell us about the limits of diversity at an elite liberal arts college?

When the provost’s office asked me to serve on the search committee for a new dean of the Tucker Foundation, I sought (and received) assurances that this would be a true search, not another anointing of an inside candidate. I quickly learned that the William Jewett Tucker Foundation, founded in 1951 and named for the last preacher-president of Dartmouth, was “charged with supporting and furthering the moral and spiritual work of the College.” Indeed, the Tucker Foundation occupies a unique niche; its very existence attests to the belief that a liberal arts education has a moral purpose beyond the mere aggregation of knowledge.

More (much more) here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/diversity-limits-dartmouth

Gay Rights Stance Pushes Dartmouth to Un-Hire Anglican Bishop

From Charisma News-

Dartmouth College has rescinded the appointment of Bishop James Tengatenga of Malawi as dean of a foundation at the Ivy League school in New Hampshire over his past comments about homosexuality.

Reached by e-mail on Thursday, Tengatenga said he was "disappointed" by the decision.

Dartmouth President Philip Hanlon said the school revoked the appointment because "the controversy (Tengatenga's comments) created have compromised his ability to serve effectively."

Tengatenga had been named as dean of the school's William Jewett Tucker Foundation, which seeks to educate Dartmouth students "for lives of purpose and ethical leadership, rooted in service, spirituality and social justice," according to the college's website.

The appointment drew criticism after it was announced last month because of Tengatenga's leadership of an Anglican church in Africa that opposed gay rights. He served as diocesan bishop of Southern Malawi and chair of the Worldwide Anglican Communion's Anglican Consultative Council, a network of 44 churches.

More here-

http://www.charismanews.com/us/40654-gay-rights-stance-pushes-dartmouth-to-un-hire-anglican-bishop

also here-

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2013/08/16/dartmouth-nixes-hire-of-african-bishop-on-past-gay-rights-stance/

Dartmouth Rescinds an Appointment Over Past Comments on Homosexuality

From The Chronicle of Higher Education-

Dartmouth College has withdrawn the appointment of the dean of its William Jewett Tucker Foundation, after revelations of his past comments on homosexuality caused a controversy on the campus.

The college announced last month that it had appointed the Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, the Anglican bishop of Southern Malawi, to serve as the dean of the Tucker Foundation, which, according to its mission statement, “educates Dartmouth students for lives of purpose and ethical leadership, rooted in service, spirituality, and social justice.”

Some critics took issue with Bishop Tengatenga’s opposition in 2003 to the consecration of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, according to The Valley News.

After his appointment as the Tucker foundation’s dean was announced, Bishop Tengatenga issued a written statement pledging that he “unequivocally and categorically” considered all people equal “regardless of their sexual orientation.”

Philip J. Hanlon, Dartmouth’s president, said in a statement released on Wednesday that he had recently met with Bishop Tengatenga and asked him “tough questions” about his earlier statements. Mr. Hanlon said Bishop Tengatenga had described in “passionate terms” his commitment to gay rights.


More here-

http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/dartmouth-rescinds-an-appointment-over-past-comments-on-homosexuality/64649

Also here-

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-14/dartmouth-president-pulls-dean-s-appointment-for-remarks-on-gays.html

Dartmouth Appointee Causes Stir

From New Hampshire-

Hanover — The new dean of Dartmouth College’s Tucker Foundation is not set to start his job until the spring, but he is already facing criticism about his views on homosexuality.

Dartmouth announced James Tengatenga’s appointment on Tuesday to the foundation, which is the religious hub at Dartmouth that works to further the moral and spiritual work of the college.

Tengatenga is currently the diocesan bishop of southern Malawi. As a member of the Anglican church, he has sided publicly with the church’s position against homosexuality.

In a letter released Thursday by Dartmouth’s office of public affairs, Tengatenga wrote, “So, let me be clear. I support marriage equality and equal rights for everyone, and I look forward to working with everyone at Dartmouth — everyone. I believe that discrimination of any kind is sinful.”

Tengatenga has come under fire by the Dartmouth chapter of the NAACP and Dartblog, which is run by Dartmouth alumnus and prominent college critic Joe Asch.

More here-

http://www.vnews.com/news/7634298-95/dartmouth-appointee-causes-stir

Malawi Anglican Church backs JB: ‘Malawians should stop whingeing’

From Malawi-

The Anglican Church in Malawi, despite the prevalent discontent among many citizens over President Joyce Banda’s style of administration, has deposited its weight behind her policies and governance.

The Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi, in a statement  issued at the end of its Seventh Synod Meeting held from April 13 to 14, asked Malawians to stop complaining and practicing cheap politics.

“We believe that as Malawians instead of complaining and throwing cheap political shots at each other we need to find solutions to this situation. It is not the president alone, the government alone nor outsiders who can help us out. It is all of us together,” reads the statement, produced by the bishop, priests and the laity in the diocese.

The England-originated church observes that given the existing circumstances President Banda had no choice but to devalue and float the kwacha, among other decisions, that it believes is important to embrace a managed float which is variation on the free float mechanism.

More here-

http://www.nyasatimes.com/2013/04/24/malawi-anglican-church-backs-jb-malawians-should-stop-whingeing/

Texas churches give Malawi Water Well funds to visiting bishop

From Texas and ENS-

The Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, bishop of Southern Malawi, arrived in Texas on June 13 and immediately began an extensive tour of churches and ministries. As the partner diocese of the Diocese of Texas, many churches work on projects and mission trips to Southern Malawi, especially in building water wells across the country.

Upon arrival, Bishop Tengatenga first stopped at St. Andrew’s, Pearland where the Rev. Jim Liberatore presented him with a check for $8,669 to be used to build a water well in Malawi. Liberatore and Bishop Tengatenga attended seminary together at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. Tengatenga and his wife, Jocelyn, lived in an apartment above Liberatore’s house. The two have remained connected over the years, and St. Andrew’s has worked on several mission projects in Southern Malawi.

“Clean readily available water is critical to support community life in Malawi,” Liberatore said. The money was raised through a joint effort from St. Andrew’s and St. George’s, Texas City. St. Andrew’s also donated $2500 to form a reserve for micro-loans for women to start businesses in Malawi.
St. Mary’s, Cypress, also welcomed Bishop Tengatenga on the morning of Thursday, June 14 at their vacation bible school. Every year, the children at VBS raise money to help build wells in Malawi. Last year, they raised $1900, and this year, they have already compiled more than $500 through Wednesday.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/06/15/texas-churches-give-malawi-water-well-funds-to-visiting-bishop/

Donated gowns support African employment

From Michigan (I think)

St. John's Episcopal Church in Howell sends a huge thank-you to each of you who donated a wedding gown to our project of Wedding Gowns for Malawi.

We thanked you individually when we had a name and address. Some gave one gown, some two, some included veils and shoes, and some gave cash or a check to help with transportation costs. Some left no name with their donation; so this letter is addressed especially to you.

These gowns will be the basis for a woman's microbusiness of readying the gowns for girls and women in a community in this small central African country. It has been found that when women are the entrepreneurs, they put profits back into their home and community providing funds for education, health care, food and transportation. Their business also provides much-needed employment for girls.

More here-

http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20110706/OPINION03/107060314/Donated-gowns-support-African-employment?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cs

Ex-ODU player on a mission of hoops - and hope

From Virginia-

The children raised their arms as high as they could reach. At the Embangweni School for the Deaf in Embangweni, Malawi, the sign name for Keyon Carter was "very tall."

The 6-foot-8 Carter, who finished his Old Dominion basketball career in March, spent 16 days in the African nation last month, distributing toothbrushes, T-shirts and basketball instruction in one of the least-developed countries in the world.

An hour from the nearest paved road, in a village where most people don't have electricity or running water, Carter was surprised by what he saw and what he took away from the trip, he said.

"To say we don't have opportunities to do things in this country is blasphemy, when you look at those people who are literally imprisoned by poverty.

"You have to be a genius to get out of Malawi."

A chance meeting got Carter in. ODU director of athletics Wood Selig ran into the Rev. Robert Davenport, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, an Episcopal parish in Norfolk.

More here-

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/exodu-player-mission-hoops-and-hope

Ladies of St. Stephens make pillowcase dresses for Malawi

From Texas-

The Ladies of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church heard an inspiring presentation during their Spring Salad Luncheon Sat., April 30 on how their handiwork helps children in Malawi.

Rev. Debbie Daigle. of Conroe and Madinsonville, told of her mission trip to Malawi, where the children typically have no shoes and are eager for the new clothing in their villages. The dresses made by the ladies are cut from pillowcases. Arm holes are tailored and trimmed, which make the garment no longer look like a pillowcase at all. Each one is unique. Daigle said their next project is short pants for the boys.

Daigle explained the sewing projects are taking place throughout the nation via the Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) Program.

AIDS kills many women in Malawi. When a woman dies, her children will end up on the streets, unless someone helps them. Many are taken in by older women. The pillowcase dresses fill a need for these orphans.

Another relief project supported by the Episcopal Diocese is "Nets for Life", which provides new mosquito nets to families.

According to Daigle, 3,000 children die every day in sub-Saharan Africa. The three factors that make "Nets for Life" effective are: education, insecticide-treated nets, and follow-up with the recipient families to make sure they continue to properly use the nets.

More here-

http://www.thevindicator.com/news/article_a8205bde-76a4-11e0-96a9-001cc4c002e0.html

Malawi bishop rateful for aid Calgarians sent supplies to African country

From Canada (The headline editor needs to be more careful)

On his first trip to Calgary and o Canada, Anglican Bishop anuel Magangani of Malawi had one immediate impression.

The cold weather.

But the bishop also received a warm reception and he was here for one special purpose.

"I'm only here for one reason and this is to thank our brothers and sisters here in Canada. I thank them for the support they've been giving us in many ways. Because without their support we can't do what we do," said Magangani, while visiting St. Paul's Anglican Church in the city.

The support began in December 2009 when Deer Park United Church and St. John's the Evangelist Anglican Church, both of Calgary, put together a 13-metre container of humanitarian supplies for the people of Malawi.

Support from Calgarians has also come in the form of medical supplies, water filters and donations.

Everything Calgarians have done for the people of Malawi has had a huge impact on their lives, said Magangani -something he is very grateful for.

"Our spiritual lives. We had about 10 priests by 2002. Now we are 27. We've been able to train them.

Read more:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Malawi+bishop+rateful/4429086/story.html#ixzz1GOIp5CeI

Texas, Malawi Episcopal dioceses pledge cooperation

From Texas-

About 1,000 clergy and lay delegates from throughout the state ended the 161st annual council of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas at midafternoon Saturday in what the Rev. Paul Moore, rector of the host St. Christopher's Episcopal Church of Killeen, called the most efficiently-run council he had ever seen.

"It's just unheard of to get through with our business and adjourn this early," he said as delegates were exiting the Killeen Civic and Conference Center, which had been filled up with official activities and display booths. "And I hardly did anything. I just turned it over to Don (event chairman Don Christian) and his volunteers and got out of the way."

Possibly the highlight of the two-day council was the signing of an agreement of partnership between the Texas diocese and the Diocese of Southern Malawi in Africa by the dioceses' bishops, C. Andrew Doyle of Texas and James Tengatenga of Malawi, Saturday afternoon. All the delegates stood for the ceremony.

The dioceses have elaborate plans for cooperation in several ways, including helping the people of Malawi to grow food, mutual visits between the dioceses, malaria control, partnering in prayer and fostering "pen pal" projects for children, gifts to care for AIDS orphans and helping to develop safe water sources in the African country.

Addressing the convocation before the signing, Tengatenga drew chuckles when he said, "Praise to God for y'all."

More here-

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=39193

Malawi elects Bishops

From Anglican Communion News Service-

Northern Malawi

The Electoral College which sat at St Peter’s, Lilongwe, Malawi on Saturday 1st August 2009 elected the Revd Canon Fr Leslie Richard Mtekateka as the Bishop of Northern Malawi. The See fell vacant after Bishop Christopher Boyle resigned to take up a new post of Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Leicester in the UK.

Canon Mtekateka is presently serving as a parish priest in Karonga District, Malawi. He is one of the long serving priests in the Diocese having worked with the first Bishop of the Diocese Jack Biggers as his Chaplain, Diocesan Secretary and Archdeacon. He also served under Bishop Christopher Boyle.

Lake Malawi

The Venerable Fr Francis Kaulanda, Archdeacon of Lilongwe, was elected as Bishop to the vacant See of Lake Malawi by the Electoral College that met at St Peter’s, Lilongwe, Malawi on Saturday 1st August 2009.

The Diocese has been vacant since the passing on of Bishop Peter Nyanja in March 2005.
Fr Francis is a graduate of Zomba Theological College and Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe, Zambia. He is married with six children. He is currently serving as a Diocesan Youth Coordinator, Priest in Charge at Biwi and Archdeacon of Lilongwe.

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/8/20/ACNS4646

Last candidate for Bishop of Northern Malawi withdraws

From Religious Intelligence

The sole candidate standing for election as Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Malawi has withdrawn from the Aug 1 election.

However, suggestions that the Very Rev. J. Scott Wilson, SSC of the Diocese of Forth Worth withdrew from the election after questions were raised about his being a member of the breakaway diocese are unfounded, The Church of England Newspaper has learned.

On July 22 the Daily Telegraph blogger Damien Thompson published an extract of an email he received from Anglican Information---a pressure group associated with the one-time bishop-elect of Lake Malawi, Ealing vicar the Rev. Nicholas Henderson.

Anglican Information claimed that Fr. Wilson, “formerly of Fort Worth diocese in the Episcopal Church of the United States has withdrawn his candidacy. Although he was runner-up to former Bishop Christopher Boyle (now retired to England) Wilson has left the Episcopal Church and actively joined a new breakaway faction in the United States known as ACNA (Anglican Church of North America). This has a very doubtful status in the Anglican Communion or with Canterbury. Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana pointed out only last week that Wilson would not be able to subscribe to Canon 6 of the Provincial Canons as he is not in a Province in communion with Canterbury.”

On July 9 the Dean of the Church of the Province of Central Africa confirmed to CEN that Fr. Wilson was the sole candidate on the ballot in Northern Malawi. However, upon his return to Texas after a final visit in June to the diocese before the election, Fr. Wilson decided to stand down.

More here-

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4821

Texas Rector Withdraws from Episcopal Election in Malawi

Just when you thought it couldn't get any more confusing...From the Living Church.

The Very Rev. Scott Wilson, rector of All Saints’ Church, Weatherford, Texas, has withdrawn as a candidate to serve the Diocese of North Malawi in the Province of Central Africa.

Fr. Wilson, who has served as a missionary in Malawi and also was a candidate in a previous episcopal election in the African diocese, joined with others in the Diocese of Fort Worth in affiliating with the Anglican Communion in North America (ACNA). In a report published in the London Telegraph, Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana noted that Fr. Wilson would not be able to subscribe to Canon 6 of the provincial canons because the ACNA is not yet recognized as a province in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/23/texas-rector-withdraws-from-episcopal-election-in-malawi

News from the thriving Anglican Communion

From the London Telegraph-

You may have been labouring under the misapprehension that it is only in the United States and Canada that the Anglican Communion is not in communion with itself. Alas, even in Africa there are… difficulties, shall we say.

The following quotes come from an email I received from Anglicaninformation.org. I did not make them up. Though I could have.

The priests and people of North Malawi have complained that an election for their new bishop is to take place outside their diocese. In both North Malawi and Lake Malawi there are complaints that Bishop James Tengatenga of South Malawi and Albert Chama are trying to argue that candidates from previous elections may not stand …

North Malawi: The controversial Very Rev’d Scott Wilson formerly of Fort Worth diocese in the Episcopal Church of the United States has withdrawn his candidacy. Although he was runner-up to former Bishop Christopher Boyle (now retired to England) Wilson has left the Episcopal Church and actively joined a new breakaway faction in the United States known as ACNA (Anglican Church of North America). This has a very doubtful status in the Anglican Communion or with Canterbury. Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana pointed out only last week that Wilson would not be able to subscribe to Canon 6 of the Provincial Canons as he is not in a Province in communion with Canterbury …

The Diocese of Lake Malawi represents a particularly difficult case as many consider that it already has a validly elected Bishop in the person of London based priest the Rev’d Dr. Nicholas Henderson. An overwhelming majority elected Henderson bishop in July 2005 and consequently it will be difficult for any new candidates to establish an authentic mandate.

The people of Lake Malawi have fought for the last four years to have the Court of Confirmation that declared Henderson to be of ‘unsound faith’ independently examined and overturned. In November 2005 under then Archbishop Bernard Malango and with a House of Bishops including the notorious and now excommunicated Nolbert Kunonga and Elson Jakazi both of Zimbabwe, Henderson was declared of ‘unsound faith’ because of his one time membership of an academic theological society known as M.C.U. or the Modern Churchpeople’s Union.

Got that? No, nor me. And there’s lots more. What we need is an Anglican leader with a gift for summarising complex situations in a short, pithy, waffle-free précis. Over to you, Dr Williams.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100004377/news-from-the-thriving-anglican-communion/