CFCM’s vision is to bring CFCM’s Sunday School teacher training to all of the 28 districts of Malawi. Currently there are CFCM trainers actively training the Sunday school teachers in 10 of those districts, including Karonga in the far north, and on the islands of Likoma and Chizumulu. In November training took place to equip trainers in more districts.
From 17th – 21st November, 18 participants from Mponera, Mangochi, Ntchisi, Mchinji, Salima, Nkhotakota, Ntcheu, Tchoda and Mozambique gathered at Nkhotakota. They went through the entire CFCM syllabus, learning how to deliver the training, and how to motivate and evaluate others. Elevate reported, “We saw God’s care and protection during our training. We had a good team very ready to learn.”
There were practical sessions, where each participant had to demonstrate delivering training on preparing Bible lessons, explaining the Gospel using the Wordless Book, teaching a memory verse and child protection.
The training was very intense, so halfway through the programme everyone spent a few hours of recreation by Lake Malawi. Aron, a young teacher from Tchoda, had never seen the lake before in his life, and was delighted that children’s ministry had brought him to the lake.
At the end of the course, each participant received a certificate to show they had attended the training. But now they have been commissioned to establish Bible clubs in their areas and set up a training seminar. CFCM staff will visit the seminar and assess the new trainers in a real training situation. If they do well, they will be certified as CFCM trainers. Others, although they may be very effective at teaching children, will require further training before they will qualify as CFCM trainers and train adults.
The feedback from the participants was very helpful in recognising the areas where they felt adequately prepared, and the areas where they wanted to know more. For example, the new trainers wanted to learn more about how they could help children with disabilities hear the Gospel, and how they could help those affected by abuse. Most felt they would have loved to have had more time together, and they look forward to keeping in contact with the CFCM staff for inspiration and encouragement, and to coming together again for a refresher course.
Thank God for the desire he has put on the hearts of these men and women to bring the Gospel to the children of Malawi. Joseph concluded, “The training has come at the right time with the right people who were very much eager to do the work. The mixture of different cultures and professions among our students made our teaching easy. Our hope and prayer is to see the Holy Spirit finish the work as the newly trained trainers are going to implement what they have learnt.”
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