Iris Malawi
Ministry Centre
“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
— James 1:27 (NASB)
Iris Malawi was established in 1999 after Heidi & Rolland visited villages of southern Malawi and began to preach the Good News.
People’s hearts were ignited by their teachings and many hundreds began a new life in a relationship with Jesus Christ. During this time the church was awakened by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit who brought freedom through deliverances, an impartation of physical healings, and spiritual gifts upon the multitudes of rural poor.
Today, we are based in Bangula in the Nsanje district which is the most southern district in Malawi. Bangula is a three-hour drive from the commercial city of Blantyre. Southern Malawi experiences regular crop failure due to extreme high temperatures, sporadic rains, and seasonal flooding due to rain runoff from higher elevations. Food insecurity is a constant issue among the people of the Nsanje District. Most are subsistence farmers and live off less than a dollar a day. It is in this context we serve our community bringing the truth about the saving love of Jesus Christ.
Bible School
The development of Christian leadership is one of our prime objectives. We train one hundred and fifty pastoral students and several classes of women and youth leaders each year. They come from all over the country and are typically very poor subsistence farmers with only a 5th or 6th grade education. We provide each student with transport as well as money to supplement their family’s needs during the time the pastor is at school, otherwise they would not be able to attend. They come with very little, some arriving with only the clothes they are wearing. We provide them with basic needs such as soap, bed sheet, bug net, toothbrushes, as well as Bibles, notebooks and course materials.
Our prayer is that the students are transformed by God, developing into Christian parents and leaders with integrity and faithfulness.
Children’s Homes
We now have sixty precious children residing in our care. We have established seven homes at the ministry center with capacity for twelve children in each. Malawians have been recruited and trained to serve as parents and care for the children in each home. We only accept children who are most desperate, meaning, both parents have died and there are no relatives able to care for them. Each child has a valuable place in their home and look to their house parents as their new mother and father. They will have the same bed from the day they arrive until they graduate. To date, fifty-two children have graduated from the Iris base and now live in the community. Some are married and some have children. We trust that they will build their own families on the model that they have seen at the Iris base.
Children’s School
Our primary school welcomes learners from pre-school to standard 8. There are now four school buildings holding nine classrooms and teachers’ offices. There is a library, resource room, and computer lab. The school serves the children who live at the base as well as 200+ others from the surrounding villages.
Church Planting
Though the Iris base is in Nsanje District, the church ministry is nationwide. There are now four hundred and fifty churches from north to south, with as many pastors who have been trained at the Iris Bible School on the base. Outreach teams visit the different regions of Malawi regularly to encourage and strengthen the churches. Every year, there are national and regional conferences to bring the churches together for worship and teaching.
Get Involved
Contact us for more information about how you can help and to learn about current projects.
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