Branch Operations Resumed

On September 1, 1995, the office in Malawi once again became a branch, operating under the direction of the Governing Body. This time, the office was in Lilongwe. There were 542 congregations and more than 30,000 publishers, so there was much to do.

Now things really got moving! The ten Bethelites were hard-pressed at first to cope with the volume of work. Since then, more Bethelites and other brothers volunteering their support have been brought in to help. The Chichewa and Tumbuka translation teams have also transferred from Zambia back to the “home” of those languages.

The branch has been busy helping the brothers to cope with new situations that test their loyalty. These include flag saluting, immorality, drug abuse, and bad associations. The Hospital Information Services desk has been established in order to help those who are confronted with issues involving blood transfusion.

More recently, on March 20, 1997, another exciting event occurred. During the lunchtime radio news, Witnesses throughout Malawi were delighted to hear that the government was returning the former branch property to the Society. It had been confiscated in 1967 by the former government and had been used as Southern Regional Headquarters of the Malawi Congress Party. But now it was back in the hands of its rightful owners—after a break of some 30 years. What a witness it was to the entire country when this news was repeated in every news broadcast in every major language throughout the day! Now this building is again being used as a place for regular Christian meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses.