Hundreds of people packed into tiny Ambodifasika United Methodist Church to experience a series of firsts: the church’s first visit from a United Methodist bishop and its first baptisms, Holy Communion and confirmations.
The island’s first United Methodist church also celebrated its inaugural church council and organizational conference during the visit of Bishop Joaquina Filipe Nhanala, resident bishop of the Mozambique Area, who also has been assigned to oversee the Madagascar Mission Field.
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Ambodifasika United Methodist Church began in 2018 under the leadership of Ratovohery Jean Aime, a local citizen who learned about the denomination during leadership training in the United States.
Over the past five years, the church has been growing steadily, but during the bishop’s late February visit, the membership rolls jumped to about 500 with the confirmation of nearly 100 new members and the baptisms of 65 children and 28 adults.
“What we are experiencing here is very encouraging and promising,” said Nhanala during the historic visit. “I feel very blessed to be here.”
Nhanala spent eight days in the country overseeing church ceremonies and business. Madagascar is an island located in the southwestern Indian Ocean — separated from the African coast by the 250-mile-wide Mozambique Channel. The country has an estimated 29 million inhabitants.
Before leading Sunday worship, Bishop Nhanala oversaw the inauguration of a church sign along one of the busy roads in the Ambodifasika neighborhood, some 300 meters away from the church. Ambodifasika is on the outskirts of Madagascar's capital Antananarivo.
While the church has been holding worship services and conducting other ministries, without an ordained pastor, the congregation hasn’t been able to receive sacraments.
During the Feb. 26 services, many people came to receive Holy Communion for the first time under Methodist auspices.
The bishop baptized 93 people and confirmed 98 as members of The United Methodist Church. She said she was pleased by the turnout.
Those who received the sacraments were trained by a trio of United Methodist pastors from the Mozambique Episcopal Area who visited Madagascar on three separate occasions.
Both baptism and confirmation candidates were eager to receive the ordinances.
Parents and sponsors brought their children to the altar for Bishop Nhanala to baptize them.
Toward the end of the Sunday service, Bishop Nhanala invited those who would like to join the ordained ministry, and eight candidates responded positively.
About 480 people attended the Sunday service, including a few guests from the local government and members of churches within the same neighborhood.
Bishop Nhanala also presided over the first meeting of the church council with members representing the church’s various classes, including preaching points, women, youth and other ministries, such as finances and Sunday school.
Priorities of the church include capacity building, church planting, poverty fighting and assisting the many needy who come to the church’s doorsteps.
In assessing the visit as a whole, Nhanala called it a fruitful experience.
“What I foresee in Madagascar is a rapid church growth that has to be accompanied with the good leadership,” she said. “We therefore need to equip the leadership and the church members who come to our church.”
excerpt by Alvin Makunike and the Rev. João Filimone Sambo, Africa Lusophone correspondent for UM News and Makunike is director of communications for the South Africa Conference of The United Methodist Church. News
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