A working trip of the delegation of the Spiritual and Educational Center of the Apostle Mark (DOC) of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa to the countries of East Africa has begun. The group will visit three countries, the first of which was Malawi. 
On August 11, 2026, a delegation led by the head of the center, Archpriest Tigri Khachatryan, arrived in Malawi. The group included members of the Orthodox Church, Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov and Priest Anatoly Trushin.
On August 13, Archpriest Tigri celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the building of a private secondary school in Nguludi village (Chiradzulu district). He was assisted by Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov, the dean of parishes in Malawi, Priest Joachim Bakali, and local clerics. The Liturgy was followed in the Russian liturgical tradition under the guidance of the staff of the Spiritual and Educational Center.
For the first time, a new version of the service book in the Chichev language, prepared by the forces of the Orthodox Church, was used during the divine service. Archpriest Tigri delivered a sermon, emphasizing the importance of unity in prayer. Reverend Priest Joachim Bakali was presented with a Eucharistic set.
Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov conducted a training seminar for pastors on the preparation and storage of the Holy Gifts, giving practical recommendations for the communion of believers at home and in medical institutions.
After the Liturgy, Archpriest Tigri Khachatryan held a meeting with the clergy of the deanery, where the participants discussed current challenges of our time, issues of maintaining fidelity to canonical Orthodoxy and the pastoral practice of counseling. Portable tabernacles were presented to all the clergy. A new textbook for Sunday schools, developed by the staff of the center, was presented.
Priest Anatoly Slobodchikov also held a seminar for catechists, where modern methods of catechesis and organizational issues were discussed in a lively discussion format. The students received an educational and methodical manual on the study of the parables of Christ, prepared by the staff of the Spiritual and Educational Center of the Apostle Mark together with the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis.