For two decades years, the Innerleithen, Traquair and Walkerburn Parish Church has been twinned with Thondwe Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), fostering transformative change for Malawians, and guided by five key principles: alleviating food poverty, fostering economic growth, enhancing healthcare, improving education, and advancing their mission.

Expanding on the foundation of this twinning relationship, the Thondwe Community Partnership was established in 2016 to encourage shared learning, friendship, and development. 

In August 2024, marking the 100th anniversary of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, visited the Shire Highlands church in Malawi where the Zomba district and community of Thondwe are located. 

He was accompanied on his visit by his wife, Christine, Church of Scotland congregational engagement officer, Carol Finlay, and Innerleithen, Traquair and Walkerburn Parish Church partnership leader, Denis Robson.

Their visit reinforced the mutual benefits of this initiative, including the twinning partnership between St Ronan's Primary School in Innerleithen and a school in Thondwe, a rural village located near Zomba in southern Malawi.

Sharing his experience with the Innerleithen congregation, Dr Paterson remarked, “What impressed me the most was he [Denis Robinson] took no credit and he spoke about the contribution and support from the congregation and the community.

“He commented about the two-way process of a twinning – it’s not just about giving, it’s about receiving from Thondwe.”

One of the most impactful moments of his visit was witnessing how a £10 solar-powered light enabled children to study at night in a school with no electricity and overcrowded classrooms of up to 115 pupils. 

Driven by this experience, Dr Paterson launched the Moderator's Challenge to fund solar-powered lights for students. Since its launch in December, it has raised £22,019, also assisting PhD students at Zomba Theological University study at night.

Deeply moved by the “simple, but life-changing” solution, he expressed gratitude to the villagers for their twinning, which has enabled him to “hear God’s message”.

Quoting his spiritual calling, he said, “I thank the good people of the village for bringing me down from the lofty heights of being Moderator, bringing me down from the mountain and recognising that God has a job for me to do.

“God was saying to me ‘you've seen how lives can be enriched and opportunities opened up - you are the Moderator, use your position to make a practical difference in education,’” he added.

He concluded, "Let me assure you, you have made real not a mountain-top vision but what Jesus said: 'I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me.'"

Dr Paterson felt honoured when villagers gifted him a live chicken, which was later given to a neighbouring village as a gesture of goodwill. 

"Sharing is at the heart of the gospel," he reflected.

Another highlight of his trip was blessing a new bridge connecting Thondwe to the school, replacing one destroyed by Cyclone Freddy in 2023.

Speaking to the congregation, he remarked, “What you have enabled, what my challenge has raised, cannot really be regarded as a miracle but the difference it makes to God's children, our neighbours in Malawi, is miraculous.

"May God bless you as you continue to grow and develop your twinning."

Expressing delight for the Dr Paterson’s joint worship with his congregation on Sunday, Innerleithen minister Rev Fraser Edwards said, “It is a strong partnership between the two churches and the two village schools have a strong partnership too with life in Malawi being the subject of assemblies in Innerleithen.

"I am in regular contact with Rev James Chigoli and we share hymns and prayers - our partnership is about learning from each other and we lend support where we can.

"It expands our faith because it reminds us that we are part of a church that is bigger than the Church of Scotland."

Last year, the partnership achieved significant milestones, including rebuilding two bridges for safer school access, providing uniforms and desks, and developing a school garden and light library.

It also supported 150 girls with menstrual hygiene kits and health education, while teachers and church members received 20 pairs of spectacles. 

The church garden yielded thirty 50kg bags of maize for vulnerable families, along with seeds and fertiliser for the 2025 season.

Additionally, the Scottish church delivered Good News Bibles to Thondwe and funded local purchases of Chichewa Bibles from the Bible Society of Malawi.

This year, plans include launching a school feeding programme, planting banana and mango trees, supplying 10 corrugated iron roofs, diversifying crops, and repairing the school borehole and rainwater drainage system.