Vacancy: Pastors are needed at pubs

It is Friday night at Kachere Trading Centre in Blantyre along Limbe-Zomba Road. Big speakers are vomiting sizzling music and people are enjoying themselves by guzzling beer. Elsewhere, sex work is thriving too.

As expected, some of the men who are busy with sex workers here have wives and have sneaked out to this place on pretext that they are on night shift at their work places.

In short, sinful activities are the order of the day at these drinking joints. It is not only at Kachere, but also in other leisure centres such as Mponela in Dowa, Liwonde in Machinga, Dwangwa in Nkhotakota, Luchenza in Thyolo and Luwinga in Mzuzu.

From a religious point of view, one wonders why pastors, reverends or prophets do not invade these drinking joints to preach so that those that patronise these should repent and receive Jesus Christ to be their Saviour.

One sex worker, Maria (not her real name) based at Kachere Trading Centre, a Catholic faithful says it is important for ‘men of God’ to also visit pubs to spread the word of God.

“I see many pastors preaching to congregations which already know God. Many people in the church have Jesus Christ in their hearts, but you will see that almost all the pastors continue preaching to these people. They don’t consider going to drinking joints, where there is a likelihood of patrons engaging in sinful activities,” says Maria who has been patronising pubs for six years.

Maria accuses pastors of being biased against people who are obvious sinners. She argues that if pastors can preach at the market place, they can as well do the same in leisure centres such as drinking joints.

But Pastor Francis Kapheni of Dedza Assemblies of God laughs off Maria’s argument and accusation. He defends fellow pastors for not taking the word of God to entertainment joints.

He explains: “We fear that when we visit these drinking joints our reputation will be dented. These are wrong place; hence, we can tarnish our image.”

Kapheni’s response brings worries whether drunkards and sex workers will receive Jesus Christ and have a place in Heaven.

But the pastor sticks to his guns: “Such places are more tempting to us pastors. They can lead some of us to abandon our spiritual mission and start drinking beer and hook these sex workers.”

However, he says there is still a possibility of pastors visiting pubs, but on condition that every pastor who wants to preach in the pubs should be accompanied by their spouse.

Another Christian, Fredrick Chirwa, of Area 25 in Lilongwe, faults Pastor Kapheni’s argument, especially on the a pastor’s condition of going to preach at a pub together with a spouse.

“If pastors should only go and preach at the pub accompanied by their spouse, what does this mean to unmarried pastors? We have many pastors who are not yet married, so does it mean they should not preach at such joints? I now suspect spiritual bias in Christianity,” says Chirwa.

Pastor Kapheni says another problem is spiritual dilemma among pastors because it is doubtful if drunkards can get the Gospel during preaching.

“I also find it difficult for drunkards to make sound decisions on genuinely accepting Jesus Christ. Instead, they can eventually convert you to sin,” he says.

For, Pastor Forbes Msiska, who is executive director of Badilika Foundation, there is nothing wrong with pastors preaching at drinking joints because God wants every person to receive Jesus Christ. Pastor Msiska’s organisation looks after the welfare of sex workers in the country.

“Pastors should extend their religious services to drinking joints because patrons at these drinking joints are our friends, sisters, brothers, uncles and aunties.

“As pastors, let us reach out to these people. In my case, I regularly interact with sex workers in my capacity as executive director of Badilika Foundation. Since, I am also a pastor, I extend my services by giving them a word of God so that they should receive Jesus Christ,” says Msiska.

In Luke 19:7, people accused Jesus of associating with sinners. But Jesus replied: “The Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.” This Jesus’ response neutralises pastors’ fear that they cannot preach at drinking joints.

“Therefore, I am longing for a day when here at a drinking joint, we will see a pastor preaching to us. Some of us sex workers will definitely change spiritually because of the word of God. As of now, there is a vacancy here at the pub in as far as being visited by a pastor is concerned,” says Maria.