Outstations

Outstations in Malawi are Anglican communities that meet for prayers on Sunday.  If the community has been meeting for a while they gather in a simple brick structure and pray Matins. The service is led by a layperson who is often a catechist.  An outstation is attached to an established parish, and is under the pastoral and sacramental care of the priest.  A parish priest will have three to five outstations.   In the past, the Diocese of Southern Malawi has assigned as many as ten outstations to a priest.  When the outstation community matures in faith, the host parish helps the outstation build a church.  If they are ready to receive a priest, the host parish might also help the community build a house for the priest. 

The priests in the parish make a commitment to visit each outstation weekly, and every couple of months they provide Eucharist on a Sunday.  It is not practical for members of the outstations to come to the parent church for Eucharist—it is too far and expensive to make the journey.

I recently visited St. Phillip, which is an outstation of St. Paul’s Cathedral where I serve.  St. Phillip is only a few kilometers from the center of Blantyre, which is Malawi’s second largest city and the commercial capital of the country.  The Dean went to St. Phillip to not only celebrate the Eucharist, but also to announce to the congregation that a transitional deacon will be assigned to the parish in August.  He also held the annual elections for the Parish Council.  

The sacred cup of the place
from which we were sent

The simplicity of the credence table
at the place to which we were sent

Voting for Parish Council members. 

The elections are done between the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist.  Wardens, officers and members of the Council are nominated from the floor and immediately following, the congregation votes.  This is the second time I experienced this voting process, and originally it seemed strange to me to mix the business of the church with worship.   This time, however, I found myself wondering if it was perhaps a good place to contemplate who should help lead the body of Christ. 

Malawi has four dioceses, and the Diocese of Southern Malawi has 23 parishes, over 100 outstations, and has plans to plant more outstations.  They are trying to serve a vast area with little resources.  There is a shortage of priests, but the diocese currently has seven postulants in seminary with two about to graduate.  I stopped by the theological college yesterday and will post a story shortly.