Rural-based pastors get motorcycles

The Blantyre CCAP Synod on Thursday handed over motorcycles to six pastors who are ministering in rural areas in Phalombe, Mangochi, Thyolo, Mulanje, Chikwawa and Neno.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Blantyre, general secretary of the synod Reverend Alex Maulana said this is part of the motorcycle project the synod has introduced to ease problems of mobility among ministers based in rural areas.
Maulana said pastors working in rural and hard-to-reach areas are facing serious challenges to execute their duties due to lack of reliable means of transport.
He said the transport problems prompted Christians at St Columba CCAP Church in Blantyre to raise money for three motorcycles for female pastors while the synod bought those for the male ministers.
“Part of the money the synod used to acquire these three motorcycles came from our partners in Canada. This is just a pilot project; we intend to scale it up to ensure more rural-based pastors have reliable means of transport,” he said.
The synod bought each motorcycle at K530 000 and beneficiaries will have to shoulder half of the costs over a period of five years.
The ministers will also have to commit themselves to serve their respective parishes for five years after which the motorcycles will become theirs, according to Maulana.