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From Sharing Maize to Shaping Generous Citizens: Water of Life International Church, STUM, and GTP
I have pastored at the Water of Life International Church, located in the Kasungu District of the Central Region of Malawi, since 2014. In June 2021, our church connected with the Sunday School Teachers United Movement (STUM) through the Kasungu Pastors Fraternal. STUM introduced me to the vision of Palmful of Maize.
Bishop John Msowoya, STUM co-founder and GTP Country Coordinator for Malawi, invited me to a Palmful of Maize training session in Lilongwe. During the presentation, they showed a video of believers in Mizoram, India offering handfuls of rice as an act of worship and generosity. This deeply inspired me and helped me realize that we could adapt this meaningful practice in Malawi by using the abundant maize we grow locally.
Bishop Austin among the participants who attended the Palmful of Maize event in Kasungu, October 2022
When GTP and STUM visited us in Kasungu in October 2022, I learned something invaluable from Dr. Gary Hoag (GTP President & CEO). As he talked about Palmful of Maize, he emphasized that we need to create a generation of givers to see real lasting change in our communities and that this shift in mindset and behavior must begin now.
This vision for my country touched me. I saw it as a powerful opportunity for pastors, bishops, and believers across Malawi to express God’s generosity by responding to Him as the first giver through this simple yet profound act of offering a palmful of our staple crop.
Sunday school children at Water of Life International Church bring their palmful of maize
With this in mind, I started thinking about how I could involve children in this ministry. I invited the Sunday school children at the church where I paster and began teaching them the concept of generosity by giving to God what they had. I encouraged each child to bring a palmful of maize as their response to His love and provision for them. The response was incredible! Together, the children contributed 1,050 kg of maize.
After selling some of it, we used the funds to purchase chairs, which we donated to our local police station in 2023. I remember the police officers’ shock and amazement when they received the chairs, all donated by Palmful of Maize Sunday school children. This inspired the police-in-charge to start teaching his own children to give what they have too. This experience made me realize that we can achieve great things together by coaching children on how to obey God and participate in their country’s development.
Through Palmful of Maize, children gifted chairs to the police station in Kasungu
The Palmful of Maize curriculum also changed how I view giving. Before, I thought only adults could give. But when I saw Sunday school children joyfully giving, I realized that anyone can give regardless of their age. It transformed my family's life too. We stopped waiting for more before giving. Instead, we began giving what we had, even if it seemed small.
My wife, Matrida, and I now teach our two sons, Divine and Adonai, that we give not because we have plenty, but because giving blesses God, blesses us, and blesses others. Our children quickly learned to share. One Sunday, my son gave his shoes to a friend. This demonstrated that he truly understood the joy of giving. Our whole family now gives freely to neighbors, hoping that as we model generosity, we can build stronger churches and communities.
Bishop Austin, Matrida, and their two sons, Divine and Adonai
I now include the Palmful of Maize message in my ministry and share these lessons about generosity whenever I teach God's Word, thus transforming the church I pastor. Our congregation now actively uses available resources to develop the church and support people in our community.
In fact, the impact has reached beyond our church walls! Local traditional chiefs have pledged to share the Palmful of Maize vision with their people, encouraging every family to give to God. This simple yet powerful approach to giving truly has the potential to change how communities view and practice generosity.
People from Kasungu joined the generosity movement through Palmful of Maize
We see how this act of sharing creates positive changes around us. Palmful of Maize taught us that when we teach children to give early, they grow up wanting to help others. This creates a ripple effect that improves our entire community.
We must spread the Palmful of Maize vision throughout our local churches and communities and throughout our entire country. When we teach children biblical generosity through hands-on activities like giving a palmful of maize or other items they have, we shape them into the generous stewards and citizens we hope they will become.
