Day's Diary
March 19 , 2007 ~ Farewell to PTT
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We officially closed Parallel Theological Training (PTT) on Friday evening. It was a deeply moving time. I say “we” because I was privileged to be included in the ceremony even though I had never taught at the site.
Some of you may remember that the original plan in my coming to Malawi was to teach with Silas Ncozana in a program that Blantyre Synod had developed to prepare ministers for the churches in the Synod. Zomba Theological College only had room to take six students a year, and that was not enough to meet the pressing need for pastors in the Synod. The plan was to run a theological program that was exactly parallel to the program offered at Zomba, offering the same courses and meeting the same requirements and thereby, producing 20 additional pastors at the end of the three years.
Pittsburgh Presbytery was instrumental in helping to fund this program at the invitation of the Synod. The Synod made the additional request that I be sent to teach, for at least one year. That was the plan. Silas got things started. He was the principal and primary teacher. The facility was on the Zomba Presbytery property, which is where Silas was living and is just across the road from ZTC. Storage buildings were converted to classrooms and dormitory rooms and the program opened in January of 2006 with the desired 20 students. The students and Silas and Margaret became a community. They studied together and ate together and worked together. Margaret became “mummy” to all 20 of the students, regardless of their ages. When ZTC said they could not use the library at the college, Silas found other resources for them to use to be able to do academic work successfully. He provided practical ministry opportunities for them that exceeded what their counterparts at ZCT were experiencing. They not only worked in churches but they did practical evangelism in town and engaged in compassionate ministries as well. I was eager to join them in January for the second year.
But in late November, after the first year’s work was completed, the Synod decided to close PTT and merge the students from there with the students at ZTC. ZTC had come on very hard financial times because two of the other Synods were not paying their apportionments. This made financial sense for Blantyre Synod, but it was disruptive for the students. They were getting a good education at PTT and they were a community. They were not certain of how they would be accepted by the students at ZTC, but they had no choice in the matter. The Synod had decided. So they began the new year at ZTC and so did Silas, no longer as principal but as a lecturer, and so did I. Silas does not teach any of the classes they have. I have them, along with 25 other students in Theology 2.
Silas continued to live across the road and walk to ZTC, but when Dr. and Mrs. Paas left last month, their house on the campus became available and it was determined that the Ncozanas should move to the campus. They have been packing and preparing to do that for the last few weeks. Friday night was their last night in that house and the former PTT students went to say goodbye to their campus and to thank the Ncozanas for all they had done for them. It was touching.
This is Malawi, and so it was done in grand Malawian style. After loading my truck absolutely full of suitcases and boxes for delivery to the new house, everyone filed into the house, moving carefully around the remaining packing boxes and into the living room to find seating. They reserved seats of honor for Silas and Margaret and me. There was a designated mistress of ceremony, who made the opening speech and directed all further activity. The program included prayer, remembering and thanks. Several students reminded everyone of some of the highlights of their year, including Silas’s counsel and Margaret’s “shop,” where for five kwacha they could get homemade snacks and the necessities of life. (Five kwacha is less than a penny.) They remembered the chapel services and some of the messages, the visits beyond their campus to do ministry, and guest lecturer who came to support the program, but mostly, they remembered Silas’ and Margaret’s care for them. They sang a hymn together that had become something of a theme song for them, #222, “Ye gates, lift up your heads on high,” and Silas conducted the singing in style. Then they presented the Ncozanas with a Noah’s ark, a favorite wood carving here in Malawi. They had chosen that because of part of the Old Testament teaching they had had and because the animals went in and were protected and came out to repopulate the world and they felt that reflected some of their time on the PTT campus. The speeches with all of this were deep and heart felt. Silas served soft drinks and rolls and then the farewell speeches followed, with the formal thanks and a closing prayer of thanksgiving. Silas and Margaret stood as the door and said farewell to each student.
Saturday many of those same students went back to help load the truck Silas had hired and move the Ncozanas across the road and they helped them unpack and get settled in their new home on the campus
This was the closing of a chapter of life for the Ncozanas and for the students. We are all together at ZTC, seeing each other every day, but the roles and the relationships are different. The sense of community is different. Life changes, but it is important to take time to give thanks for the phases of life and mark the changes. Malawians do that well. Those students certainly did on Friday evening.