More than 800 African Nazarenes gathered at the Goodnews Convention Centre outside of Johannesburg, South Africa, from 8-12 November 2023 for the Pastors and Leaders Conference (PALCON) for the Southern Hub of the Africa Region. 

The Southern Hub represents three fields, the Lusophone Field, the Southeast Field, and the South Field, which encompass the countries of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

This conference aimed to "Bridge the GAP" (Growth in Authenticity and Presence) through building transformative leadership. There was particular emphasis on training local and district leaders involved in education, leadership, missions, and evangelism with the goal of these leaders returning to their homes and sharing what they had seen and learned. 

This conference focused on the mission of the church of the Nazarene, “to make Christlike disciples in the nations," as well as the four core values of the Africa Region: authenticity, presence, relevance, and interdependence,

The conference also featured 30 workshops on topics related to the ministries of Nazarene Youth International, Nazarene Missions International, and Nazarene Discipleship International presented by field and regional ministry leaders, as well as workshops explicitly geared toward treasurers, secretaries, and local pastors as they care for themselves and their flock. 

Additionally, there were nine plenary sessions with speakers such as Daniel Gomis (Africa regional director), Reuel Khoza, Professor Maria Kanjere, Stanley Bhebhe (vice chancellor of Africa Nazarene University), Gift Mtukwa, Herman Mvula, and others.
It is essential for the church to intentionally encourage and equip leadership from various districts and local churches so that they continue to uphold the mission.

In the evening services, Jurisdictional General Superintendent Fili Chambo encouraged the leadership to experience growth in authenticity, especially as they live a life of holiness and service to God as described in the Great Commission. He encouraged the leadership to constantly experience and acknowledge the presence of God in their lives and continuously surrender their lives to God.

Furthermore, Gomis had the opportunity on the first day to share the strategy of the African region. Emphasis was given primarily to the need to be authentic in all we do and to love each other truthfully in the context of "Tuko Pamoja," a Swahili saying meaning "We are together."

The conference ended on Sunday morning with Chambo ordaining ministers from across the Southern Hub. Everyone who attended the conference returned to their homes with great excitement, revived and ready to go and serve.