It was a time of spiritual reflection, getting to know each other and sharing health and family tips as women from the Malawi church retreated to Zomba for the first time in the church’s history.

For three days—September 16-18, 2011—28 women from all parts of the country came together for a retreat with the theme “Making a Difference.” The retreat was opened by Gracious Mpilangwe, who is the deacon for the Blantyre church. He remarked that it is great for the women to come together, adding that women’s place in the church cannot be emphasized enough.

“There is a need for women to develop holy character. This retreat is the opportune time for that since you learn a lot from God’s word. Besides, this brings unity and interaction to increase your purpose of unity,” said Mr. Mpilangwe.

He emphasized that in God’s eyes, men and women are equal, God being no respecter of persons: “He will judge us equally. He gives us the Holy Spirit equally without regard to gender.”

During the retreat, examples of virtuous women in the Bible kept coming up. These included women like Esther, Ruth, Sarah, Tabitha and others. The women were reminded that they can make a difference in the world by emulating these women. The core scripture was Proverbs 31, which outlines the traits of a virtuous woman.

Patricia Kachali, in her talk titled “Being an Example,” explained that women have a role to play in letting their light shine.

“We are not supposed to be like the stupid virgins. We don’t have to be like Delilah, the woman who coaxed Samson to his death. Let us be a good example and show all those around that our calling is not in vain,” she said.

Jessie Nyalubwe and Nester Phiri gave a talk on the role of women in the church.
“The role of women is to reflect God’s reality. This they must do in their families and in the church. They must live the biblical principles,” they said, adding that the women must let their light shine.

On making a difference, Loney Mpilangwe said the women should be “walking sermons” like Jesus Christ was. “Christ did not tell people that He was righteous. It was evident in His works. Like a lighted torch that we shouldn’t hide, let our light shine for all to see,” she said.

In addition to these spiritual lessons, the women shared health and hygiene tips, which were presented by Stella Ngopola. Mrs. Ngopola is a nurse by profession and they also had a question and answer session.

The women agreed they had learned a lot of things during the retreat. Most importantly, they said, they had increased interaction. As they were parting ways, they agreed to continue communicating with each other.

“It was great for us to come together. Before the retreat, some of us were shackled and blind. Now our eyes are opened and we must get to living the life of a virtuous woman,” said Mary Mapinda.

“It has been fruitful. We have learned to be good examples, how to teach our children the way to grow. We have learned about love and how to bear fruits. Our torch must bring light and inspire others, whether in our families, our neighbors or in the Church,” said Chilopola.