This month, our featured graduate is Fletcher Matandika, who graduated this past May. Fletcher is from Malawi and prior to coming  to study at WSC, for five years he served as the Director of the Ministry of Hope (MOH), an organization created to serve orphaned children in Malawi.

 

Why did you originally choose to attend WSC?
I chose to attend WSC for a number of reasons. First of all, it was because I sensed the call of God upon my life to serve as a preacher and pastor in His Church wherever He might choose to use me. With this call came the need and desire to go to seminary. I already had an undergraduate degree in biblical/theological training, but I felt the need to get higher education and better equip myself for the ministry to which the Lord was calling me. It was at this time that WSC came into the picture. A friend of mine shared with me about WSC. I was drawn to WSC mainly because of its commitment to the historic Reformed faith and secondly because of its commitment to academic excellence. The Lord used the combination of these two things in addition to my own sense of call to the pastoral ministry to lead me to WSC.

What are the most important things you’ve learned/gained during your time at WSC?
During my time here one of the most important things that I have learned is the ability to get along with people who are very different from me. Through my interactions with fellow students on campus and through my involvement in the churches where I have been interning over the years, I have learnt to appreciate the diversity as well as the unity of the body of Christ (the Church) which is a representation of the kingdom of God. As a result of this, my passion for missions has grown tremendously. I desire to take the gospel of God's grace to the nations and partner with the Lord as He draws people from every tribe, kindred, nation and tongue into His kingdom.

What are your future plans?
Lord willing, I plan to serve as a missionary pastor for away from home for a while. I am praying about this and trust that the Lord will lead me to the right place wherever He wants me to go.

How has your education at WSC equipped/prepared you for your future roles/responsibilities?
I think that WSC has prepared me to preach well. I have not arrived yet, there is much more learning to be done, but I consider myself blessed to have had the training that I have had here in preaching and pastoral ministry from the professors on campus.

What is your most memorable WSC moment?
One thing that I will always remember about my time at WSC is sitting in chapel on Tuesdays and listening to Dr. Hywel Jones powerfully, clearly and passionately proclaim God's Word. The preaching of Dr. Hywel Jones is by far one of the greatest blessings that I have received as a result of my time here. He is definitely a great model in that regard. It would be wonderful to be able to preach like him and clearly communicate the wonderful truth of the Gospel of God's grace to the nations.

What advice would you give to prospective students?
Be in much prayer! Pray a lot about your sense of call to the ministry and to WSC. Pray that the Lord will give you clarity on that and then trust Him to carry you through the rigorous years of study during your time here at WSC and afterwards into the ministry upon your graduation. Be open to His leading at every step of the way! May the Lord richly bless you!!