Aberdeen Pastor heads for Malawi with Scottish charity

Rev Andy Hayes travelled out to Malawi with Dr Jonathan Groves, the Director of The Kerusso Trust for three weeks of teaching. Picture: Contributed

He was joined by Dr Jonathan Groves, the director of The Kerusso Trust, further strengthening the links between Scotland and Malawi.

Andy and Jonathan will be teaching rural church leaders, both men and women, from many different churches, alongside a team from The Kerusso Trust’s Malawian partner, J-Life Malawi.

Dr Jonathan Groves, The Kerusso Trust’s co-founder and Mission Director, said: “For the last few years we have been working with one of our partners, J-Life Malawi, to train church leaders in rural areas.

Scots Malawi partnership still going strong after 150 years

“We work with a fantastic team of Malawians, and are delighted that Rev Andy Hayes is joining us in September as part of the teaching team.”

Andy and Jonathan travelled to Malawi on 7 September for three weeks of bible and ministry training in remote, rural locations in southern Malawi. One of these is 30 km from the end of the tarmac road, along bumpy dirt tracks.

The Kerusso Trust works in partnership with people in Malawi to train rural church leaders, and to empower some of the most vulnerable and needy in Malawi through community education and development.

In one of the poorest countries in the world and with little public welfare provision, pastors in rural Malawi have a key role as community leaders helping those who are suffer relationship breakdown, abuse, discrimination, oppression and sexual exploitation in their village communities.

Yet, because of poverty and lack of educational opportunity, over 90% have received no formal training in how to teach or give Biblical pastoral care.

Rev Andy Hayes said, “What a tremendous privilege to serve in Malawi with The Kerusso Trust and the Malawian team.

“The Bible is a tremendous resource to help church and community leaders as they speak into their own culture, about protecting the vulnerable, human rights and justice, and empowering their communities for development.”

The Kerusso Trust has been working in partnership with J-Life Malawi since 2012.

Together they share a vision to teach rural church leaders and to bring hope and transformation throughout Malawi, beginning in the southern region.

In March 2015, the Director of J-Life Malawi, Rev Connex Ijalasi, visited the UK, travelling throughout the UK with Dr Groves, speaking about their work in Malawi.

Out of this visit came the invitation to Andy Hayes to come out to Malawi to teach.

Rev Connex Ijalasi, Country Director of J-Life Malawi, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan and Andy to Malawi.

“We will learn so much from the different skills and experience that Jonathan and Andy will bring.”

But the learning will not just be one way.

“At the same time I know that the Malawians will teach me valuable lessons about community and faith in adversity, that will help me as I work passionately to bring hope and transformation in my own local community here in Aberdeen,” said Andy Hayes.

“Mutual respect, learning and trust. This is what true partnership is all about”, said Jonathan Groves, Kerusso Trust Director.

As an active member of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, The Kerusso Trust is also working in partnership with J-Life Malawi towards UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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