Andrew Palau Love Malawi Festival rolls out with ministry outreach
Renowned international evangelist Andrew Palau has arrived in the country for his second Love Malawi Festival, whose climax will be held from Friday to Sunday, October 1-3 but his Ministry Week outreach started yesterday (Monday).
The outreach ministry includes free distribution of reading glasses; sports clinics as well visits to prisons, primary and secondary schools, orphanages and interaction with vulnerable street kids.
He is accompanied by his wife Wendy, who is expected to host dinner for women and there will also be a business dinner with professional and civic leaders.
The eye clinics are being held at Chemusa Assemblies of God in Mbayani; Apostolic Faith Mission in Ndirande; Chilumba CCAP in Bangwe and Mount Olive Church in Chilobwe.
The sports clinics will involve interaction with Nyasa Big Bullets at Blantyre Sports Club (today, Tuesday); Mighty Wanderers and Ntopwa FC at Kamuzu Stadium on Wednesday (10-11am); Tigers FC at Chiwembe on Thursday (also from 10-11am) while primary schools in Chirimba, Machinjiri, Mbayani and Ndirande will have netball and football tournaments.
There will also be some BMX bike displays by stuntmen in for secondary and primary schools — all to create hype ahead of Andrew Palau’s main ministry at College of Medicine of sharing the Gospel that will be spiced up with music performances by international star Don Moen supported by local artists — Skeffa; Faith Mussa; Kamuzu Barracks Choir; Anglican Voices; Shammah Vocals and Zenzo Matoga.
Also on menu at College of Medicine from Friday to Sunday will be stuntmen’s performance using BMX bikes and also flying with motorbikes which are extras in the combination of the Gospel and the talents God gave mankind.
Kids have also been considered as they will be provided with jumping castles to play on and other entertainment treats while Palau will be preaching as they need to be committed to God while having fun.
This is Palau’ second visit to Malawi for his Love Festivals having had the largest crowd in the country’s history of Christian gatherings during his last visit in 2016 held in Lilongwe.
The world renowned evangelist, who preaches in 6-8 cities in US and across the world every year — that include Africa where he has reached out in 14 cities — said it was such an honour for him and his wife to be back to the Warm Heart of Africa — the only country he has visited twice.
“These festivals are for everyone — not just for Christians,” he said at a press briefing at Ryalls Hotel on Tuesday. “They are for the transformation of people’s lives and we urge people to attend and have the chance to change their lives.”
In his remarks, Rev. Francis Mkandawire, general secretary of the organisers, Evangelical Association of Malawi, said Malawi is going through social decay in the form of corruption, defilement, theft of public funds, fraud, rising cases of suicides and others that include CoVID-19 and Palau will preach and pray for God’s intervention in these challenges being faced.
“The Malawi Festival is the stage to share the Gospel through the word and deed — thus having to involve physical needs of the underprivileged, prisoners, learners and bringing kids on board in the ministry.
“Evangelical Association of Malawi is honoured that Evangelist Andrew Palau and his Love Festival Association have decided to make their second visit and we don’t take it for granted as we are privileged to be accorded a second visit.
The African countries Palau has visited include Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia including Egypt.
During the 2016 Love Malawi Festival, the venue was close to a football game that was taking place between crowd pullers, Mighty Wanderers and Big Bullets, but Palau still managed to pull out the largest crowd in Malawi’s history of Christian gatherings.
Rev. Mkandawire added that Evangelical Association of Malawi decided to invite Palau again because he is a “sound Bible preacher”.
According to his resume on Luis Palau Association, evangelist Andrew Palau is son to world evangelist and author Luis Palau and though he grew up in a strong Christian home, he chose his own way and did not make an early commitment to Jesus Christ.
He attended the University of Oregon where the party life was a large part of his studies and after graduating with a degree in English literature, he moved to Boston where he worked in retail for five years at the May Company.
In 1993, Andrew took vacation time to join his parents for Luis Palau’s evangelistic outreach in Kingston, Jamaica where the father preached the same Gospel message he had heard him share hundreds of times, but this time was different.
Having witnessed God’s presence in the lives of some Jamaicans he met, including Wendy Levy whom he later married, Andrew gave his heart to the Lord after 27 years of living apart from Him.
Not long after the Jamaica trip, Andrew returned to Portland, Oregon, to serve as Luis’ personal assistant while he determined which direction to take his career.
He found he didn’t have far to go — he thrived when involved with his father’s outreach events and was instrumental in crafting the content of the first Palau festivals that marked a key shift away from the crusade model for evangelism.
The first two festivals were staged in the Palaus’ home base of Portland, Oregon, in 1999 and 2000. Before moving across the country to direct Washington DC’s event in the National Mall in 2005, Andrew directed festivals in Boise, Idaho, and South Florida.
He now preaches at his own festivals around the world, from the United States to Africa, Mexico, India, Poland and Jamaica and has shared the Gospel with millions of people, and at every opportunity he demonstrates his father’s same passion and love for Christ and for evangelism.
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