In June we had an opportunity to mark the appointment of our new Mission Director Mike McCabe (see https://zambesimission.org/welcome-mike-mccabe/) and also say thank you to our outgoing director Mike Beresford. There was a service of welcome for Mike McCabe at York Baptist Church which also marked Mike Beresford’s upcoming departure. On the next day the mission’s Executive Committee meeting was followed by a thanksgiving lunch which was attended by many friends of the mission: former staff, trustees and Executive Committee members. After lunch Mike was given several very generous gifts and then the trustees read out the following statement of thanks.
“We want to place on record our recognition that over the past 12 years, you have poured your life into the role of Mission Director. You have taken the people of Malawi to your heart and they have responded by respecting and loving you as a dear brother in the Lord. We are not going to attempt to list your many achievements; it is sufficient to say that the Lord knows how through your labours for Him you have been a wonderful blessing to the people of Malawi, northern Mozambique and also here in the UK as you have so diligently visited the churches and attended conferences. Each of our lives has also been enriched by the fellowship we have shared together. May God continue to bless you as you step into a new sphere of His service.”
Mike responded by thanking everyone involved with the mission, speaking from Colossians 1: 1-14. He said:
“The faith I have in Christ has been my bedrock over the years; I have been supported and upheld by the prayers of others; and I pay tribute to all those who have walked beside me in my role in the mission. People who have opened up their homes and their hearts to me. Some of these brothers and sisters in Christ have gone on to be with the Lord. Some are still with us, and their gracious support through their letters, prayers and gifts have been such an encouragement to me over the years. I am so thankful to God for every one of them.”
Mike retires at the end of August. He is hoping to train for ordination in the Church of England with a particular focus on rural parish ministry. We pray that one of the gifts he was given, a uniquely designed Malawian stole, will help him in the future.
Let’s give thanks to God for Mike’s ministry as Mission Director since 2012. Let’s pray that the Lord guides him, grants him wisdom and uses him to glorify His name in the years to come.
