By Christopher Hamera

Christ is the center of my life and I would like to thank God for the great opportunity He gave me to attend the United Methodist Young Leaders Summit in Ndola, Zambia in May 2015.

The theme for the Summit was “Young Leaders exploring their potential for effective leadership.”

The Summit really had a great, outstanding and divine impact in my life in the following ways:

The Summit equipped me with great leadership skills which instilled the potential to be an effective leader in the United Methodist Church of Malawi provisional Annual Conference. The passage in 1 Timothy 4:12 “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith and purity” came true in my life, and I was empowered to rise up and serve God for the transformation of the world.

Christopher Hamera, left, welcomed by a UMC member when he arrived in Davao City, Philippines.
The Summit helped me connect with many young people from all over Africa and hear what God is doing in their respective conferences through their leadership. Through this exposure, I was challenged and I dedicated my life to be an agent of change in my Conference, and Africa as a whole.

The Summit opened a lot of opportunities in my life. Through the knowledge I gained through participation in the Summit, I was able to apply as a Global Mission Fellow program of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. I am glad to state that I am a GMF serving in Davao, Philippines with Initiative for peace in Mindanao (2015 -2017 Class).

I am making a difference wherever I go because my public speaking, leadership, and management skills were shaped and advanced during the Young leaders’ Summit.

In my mission, apart from working for my organization, I am also teaching at a college where people in the community are complimented me on my leadership skills.

Christ is the center of my life and the Summit helped me to grow in faith through spiritual teachings, and grow in knowledge through the amazing teachings presented. I can confidently say that the Summit was an instrument for the enrichment and development of strong and effective leadership skills in me.