Eastern Hub PALCON
From 1-4 August 2024, approximately 500 delegates from across Africa came together at the Clarence Matheny Leadership Training Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, for the much-anticipated Pastors and Leaders Conference (PALCON) for the Eastern Hub of the Africa Region. The Eastern Hub represents the Africa East Field and Africa Central Field. This event brought together representatives from over 30 countries, including Burundi, Ethiopia. Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Garbon, Sao Tome and Principe and several others.
The conference theme was “Growth in Relevance and Interdependence” which aimed to address the need for growth and relevance in leadership during a transformative period. The Church is in a pivotal time of transition and change thus we need to enlarge the place of our tent and our horison to continue being relevant and interdependent. We strive to continue making Christlike disciples and bringing peace, healing and restoration into the nations of Africa. With a rich programme including 27 workshops and 5 plenary sessions, attendees had the opportunity to dive deep into various aspects of leadership, missions and evangelism.
A highlight of the conference was the engaging plenary sessions led by notable speakers such as General Superintendent Dr Gustavo Crocker, who covered topics including making Christlike disciples, holiness and leadership. Other speakers included Regional Director, Dr Daniel Gomis, Rev Solomon Ndlovu, Dr Gift Mtukwa, Dr Fredrick Amolo and Rev Stanley Ushe. Each session reinforced the importance of intentional leadership and equipping local and district leaders involved in education, leadership, missions and evangelism to uphold the mission of the Church of the Nazarene and teach others the things they learnt throughout the conference. The workshops covered a diverse range of topics related to the auxiliaries of NYI (Nazarene Youth International), NMI (Nazarene Missions International) and NDI (Nazarene Discipleship International), all aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of participants.
The conference emphasised the importance of being authentic and loving one another in a spirit of unity, encapsulated in the phrase “Tuko Pamoja” which is Swahili for “We are together,” something that lies at the heart of the regional strategy shared by Dr Gomis. This sentiment was also further highlighted during the final day of the conference, which concluded with a powerful ordination service led by Dr Crocker where ministers from across the Eastern Hub were ordained. It was a special service which marked a moment of spiritual renewal and commitment.
The conference left participants inspired and ready to return to their homes with a renewed sense of energy and a deeper commitment to making Christlike disciples. Their shared experiences and learning will undoubtedly have a ripple effect across Africa, helping the Church of the Nazarene to continue growing in relevance and interdependence.
