Kaponda Forever: The Peoria Congregation Adopts a Church in Malawi

Matthew Lucio
3 days ago
3 min read

Matthew J. Lucio

Assistant to the President for Communication

People adopt dogs and cats and sometimes other people. In this case, people adopted a church.

Two years ago, Janet Zintambila wrote to her church board in Peoria, Illinois, with a simple but extraordinary request: to adopt the Kaponda Seventh-day Adventist Church in Malawi as a mission project.

Janet wasn’t spinning the globe to adopt a random congregation. Kaponda had been planted years earlier by her father-in-law, Evison Jonas (E.J.) Zintambila. Janet's husband, Henry, had looked after the church. After Henry’s passing, Janet and her son, Chiko—E.J.’s grandson—wanted their Peoria church family to join them in continuing that care.

Kaponda’s roots reach into a larger story: the remarkable growth of Adventism in Malawi. The first Seventh-day Adventist missionary arrived there in 1893, and Western missionaries managed the church there until the 1960s, when leadership was turned over to Malawian believers like E.J. Zintambila.

After completing a year-long leadership program at Solusi College (now Solusi University) in Zimbabwe, Zintambila went on to serve as president of the Ruo and Central Lake Fields through the 1960s and 1970s. When he retired in 1980, he was serving as executive secretary of the Southeast Africa Union, according to his family.

Pastor E.J. Zintambila once wrote: "There is one supreme goal which inspires the heart of every Seventh-day Adventist believer: The goal is to 'finish the work of the gospel.'"

In retirement, E.J. looked for a place to settle and found a remote location between Neno Trading Center, a commercial hub, and the Adventist mission at Matandani. There, E.J. and his son Henry built a house, along with a small prayer hut nearby. To make its purpose unmistakable, E.J. put up a sign depicting three angels. Soon, people began traveling from across the region to worship there. Over time, the hut became a church, and the church became a community.

On May 19, 2023, Janet and Chiko visited the Kaponda congregation and found more than 300 people gathered for worship, with many sitting on the floor due to a shortage of seating. Kaponda’s story is one note in an anthem: in 1970, when Pastor E.J. was serving in leadership, Malawi had about 29,000 Seventh-day Adventists. Just over 50 years later, the membership has grown to 732,611.

This rapid growth is both inspiring and demanding, as it has strained the physical infrastructure of churches like Kaponda. The church also needs a new roof, a new well, and multiple facility updates to support the large number of members who call Kaponda their spiritual home.

When Janet and Chiko returned to Peoria, she brought this story to the church board and asked them to adopt Kaponda as a sister church. The church voted unanimously to do so. Soon after, members created a display board in the Welcome Center, highlighting Kaponda and inviting others to participate through prayer and giving. Two of the Peoria's children’s offerings each month are dedicated for Kaponda. Plans are also underway for a mission trip to visit Kaponda in person. Progress is steady: so far, a sound system was purchased for the church and a children’s chapel is under construction.

The white building is the old children's chapel. It has been rebuilt with funds raised by members in Peoria

The old children's chapel platform, which was crumbling and lacked electricity.

The new children's chapel platform (still under construction)

Ben Mitzelfelt, a Peoria member, explained why partnering with Kaponda makes sense:

“Partnering with Kaponda matters to us because it transforms our understanding of mission from something abstract into something deeply personal. Global mission work can sometimes feel distant. While the relationship began through Janet’s leadership, it has grown well beyond a single connection into a lasting partnership that enriches both Kaponda and our church in Peoria. In that sense, this isn’t charity or a favor, it’s shared ministry that shapes us as much as it serves others.”

E.J. Zintambila’s legacy reflects a lifetime devoted to strengthening the church, but it is especially fitting that the congregation he built in retirement has now become a living mission connection for the Illinois Conference.

Harry Zintambila, one of E.J.’s sons, captured that spirit clearly: “It’s not about honoring our father, but about a church that helps people know about Jesus. It was not my father’s church; it is a church for God.”

NEXT STEPS

Please keep both the Peoria church family and the Kaponda Seventh-day Adventist Church in your prayers.

Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.