By Steve Chirombo
Pastors in Malawi under Chikwawa Pastors Fraternal has asked government and well wishers to financially support pastors amid calls that they need to suspend church congregation services as one of the COVID-19 preventive measures.
Chairperson for the fraternal, Pastor Wilson Kachenje who heads Christian Pentecostal Church made the call in an interview on Tuesday when he was presenting COVID-19 preventive materials to 120 Christians around Chikwawa boma worth K1 million.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) Kachenje said most pastors were reluctant to suspend congregating as most of them fully depend on follower’s offerings and gifts for survival.
A visit to various churches around Chikwawa Boma on Sunday revealed that it was only the Catholic Church which had completely closed down while almost all other churches were open.
“A lot of us as pastors depend on offerings and gifts from Christians for survival; hence most of us are reluctant to close our churches. However, let me call upon my fellow men of collar to please follow all the preventive measures to contain the disease” said Pastor Kachenje.
He has since asked people especially those in rural communities to observe social distancing and regular hand washing with soap.
Malawi has so far recorded 41 COVID-19 cases, with three deaths and nine recoveries.