Here are some photos from the farewell occasion at Makeni Centre in 2020, when Mrs Wenda Dil was leaving. We also have a long video, unfortunately too long to upload here.
Bishop Andrew Jonathan Mukuyamba was born on the 22nd of May 1953 in Mufulira, where he spent his childhood and youth.
His parents were Chewa, and his father was a miner at the Kansanshi mine. They came originally from the island of Likoma, which is in the north-eastern part of Lake Malawi and is the site of one of the earliest Anglican mission stations in central Africa, founded in 1885, where the beautiful and impressive St Peter’s cathedral can be found. Given this long association with the Church of England, the inhabitants of Likoma island are extremely proud of their Anglican roots. His parents were devout Christians, starting every day with family prayers.
Prospects would have been limited on the island and Andrew’s parents moved to the copper mining town of Mufulira in Northern Rhodesia, where Andrew was born. Mufulira is a Bemba area and so Andrew spoke three languages fluently: Chewa, Bemba, and English. He was an industrious student and obtained excellent grades throughout his school years.
Andrew was baptized in his family church of St Cyprian’s by Fr Adams and confirmed in 1965 by archbishop Oliver Green Wilkinson. He was as an altar server and chairperson for the church club.
In later years when encouraging his flock to celebrate the church patronal festival he would recall taking part as a soldier in a play celebrating the life of St Cyprian. He said that his participation in that play taught him to appreciate the lives and sacrifices of the saints that had gone before him and that this inspired him to try and follow their good examples.
After completing high school, he went to work for Zambia Broadcasting Services in 1973 as a maintenance engineer, then continued studying electronic technology at Zambia Institute of Technology and obtained his Diploma in 1976.
It was while studying at ZIT that he met Prudence Musaba, a junior student in the same facility which would lead to Andrew and Prudence being married on the 30th of June 1979 in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.
It was in November 1985, while participating as an active member of St Andrew’s Anglican church in Livingstone, that Andrew heard the call to full time ministry. Three years of seminary training at St John’s Anglican seminary followed, resulting in a diploma from the college in 1989.
He was made a deacon in September 1989 at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Lusaka and ordained priest in 1990, working under Dean Pierre Dil.
By January 1991 Fr Andrew was overseeing ten congregations. He served as the Girls’ Brigade Chaplain from 1990 to 1997 and was appointed diocesan tutor at the cathedral theology school from 1994 to 1996. Sponsored by the Anglican Cathedral, Fr Andrew received a Master of Arts Degree in Mission Studies from Birmingham University, England, in 1995.
Father Andrew never stopped studying: he received certificates in Leadership Training, Church growth, Praise and Worship, Church Administration, Church Planting and Scripture Distribution, amongst others.
Fr Andrew was regional tutor for Theology Education and served as secretary for the Christian Broadcaster Association (radio and television) from 1994 to 1996, besides being Chairman for the Zambia Institute for Church growth from 1992 to 1998.
Fr Andrew also served as Vicar General of the Continuing Anglican Communion in Zambia (CACZ) from 2005 to 2015, leading to his appointment as Bishop of the CACZ Diocese of Zambia in October 2015, until his untimely death on the 24th of June 2021, from Covid. The CACZ remembers Bishop Andrew in this linked article. http://traditionalanglicanchurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AD-CLERUM-4.21.pdf
It is obvious from all his appointments that he was born to be a leader. Coupled with his vibrant faith and love for his Lord he worked tirelessly for the Church and for Makeni Ecumenical Centre. He was a gentle man with a big loving heart, adored by his wife, children and eight grandchildren, Jonathan, Joana, Elizabeth, Emmanuel, John, Andrew, Faith and Michael. He is lovingly remembered by his grateful flock and sadly missed by all who knew him. May his beloved soul rest in peace.
We are pleased to announce that our acting CEO is Mrs Prudence Mukuyamba, widow of the late Bishop Andrew Mukuyamba.
Mrs Mukuyamba was asked by the board of MEC to take over after the Bishop’s untimely passing from COVID in June 2021.
Mrs Mukuyamba has a varied technical background, having studied Telecommunications at the Zambia Institute of Technology and, sponsored by the British Council, in Scotland, where she obtained a diploma in Colour TV Engineering at the time that Zambia was transitioning from black and white to colour television broadcasts. This was followed by on-the-job training in England, with PYE, the BBC and ITN, leading to her becoming Zambia’s first female engineer in the broadcasting field, leading to her assisting in managing a project with the Japan International Cooperation Agency as they installed equipment for ZNBC in Lusaka. She also did courses in administration and project management, and later became maintenance engineer in charge of television studios and ZNBC’s outside broadcast department.
In 1990 Mrs Mukuyamba joined her husband at Birmingham University in England, where she was awarded a diploma having studied church administration, women’s leadership and sociology. She followed this up with diplomas in theology and Bible studies in Zambia, which led to her teaching at three Bible schools, where she specialised in church history, pastoral counseling and church planting.
Mrs Mukuyamba has been a Social Coordinator at Mwomboshi Settlement Village, where she also has a 10 acre plot of land and has worked with the Pearl Foundation as director of Chisomo Disabled Club.
For the past 16 years as wife of our CEO Bishop Andrew Mukuyamba Prudence has been able to closely observe the day to day running of the Centre, and work alongside donors and visitors in visiting our agricultural projects, and helping in the Orphanage. She has also taken courses in agriculture, poultry farming, pig rearing, food production and others at MEC and elsewhere. In 2016 she was elected to the board of trustees of MEC.
We warmly welcome Mrs Mukuyamba into her interim role, and wish her every success as she continues the work begun by her late husband.
We are very sad to report that our dear colleague, father and friend, Bishop Andrew Mukuyamba, chairman of Makeni Ecumenical Centre, passed away after being admitted to hospital on Thursday the 24th of June in the early hours of the morning, having been diagnosed with Covid. The funeral took pace on Sunday the 27th of June. We will update this page with more details soon.