Celebrations, U2 and Inappropriateness

Dear Friends

This past weekend was a wonderful weekend for me, full of lovely experiences. First,  I spent time with a much loved aunt in Durban. We reminisced and looked at old photos. She cooked and I ate.

Then, on Saturday night, I met all the elders of Berea and Stella Presbyterian Churches at the Durban Country Club where we shared a wonderful meal together.  On Sunday morning, Berea held its 125^th Anniversary service and I preached.  The service was recorded for SAFM (to be broadcast on Sunday 27^th February at 11am).  Afterward, I was presented with a beautifully inscribed and framed picture of their Ascension widow commemorating the occasion.  What a wonderful time spent together.

Rev William Pool, Mrs Lizette Pool, George & Edie Christian 

I boarded a plane destined for Jo’burg at 2 and arrived just after three.  By 5pm, just about our whole Bible Study was parking outside the U2 Concert at Soccer City in Soweto.  I like Bono (the lead singer) for two very good reasons: One, he’s a Presbyterian (I don’t care who disputes it but its true!) and Two, he is a brave man who speaks out against injustice and puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to the poor and marginalised of the world.  And so, even if his songs are sometimes a bit loud for my conservative old Presbyterian ears (By the way, I think I’m the very first Moderator of the General Assembly to attend a U2 Concert while in office! How’s that?), I listen because he can change hearts.  I also hope for a different world. Don’t you?  Bono’s themes often overlap with the Christian story.  Compare the following song to some of the Psalms of Lament (e.g. Psalm 90)

Bono and Madiba

Heaven on Earth

We need it now

I'm sick of all of this

Hanging around

Sick of sorrow

Sick of pain

Sick of hearing again and again

That there's gonna be

Peace on Earth

Where I grew up

There weren't many trees

Where there was we'd tear them down

And use them on our enemies

They say that what you mock

Will surely overtake you

And you become a monster

So the monster will not break you

And it's already gone too far

Who said that if you go in hard

You won't get hurt

Jesus could you take the time

To throw a drowning man a line

Peace on Earth

Tell the ones who hear no sound

Whose sons are living in the ground

Peace on Earth

No who’s or whys

No-one cries like a mother cries

For peace on Earth

She never got to say goodbye

To see the colour in his eyes

Now he's in the dirt

That's peace on Earth

They're reading names out over the radio

All the folks the rest of us won't get to know

Sean and Julia, Gareth, Anne and Breda

Their lives are bigger, than any big idea

Jesus can you take the time

To throw a drowning man a line

Peace on Earth

To tell the ones who hear no sound

Whose sons are living in the ground

Peace on Earth

Jesus this song you wrote

The words are sticking in my throat

Peace on Earth

Hear it every Christmas time

But hope and history won't rhyme

So what's it worth?

This peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth

There are hard words for us to hear.  But they are no harder than the words spoken by the Psalmist as he cried out to God to come and bring peace to this old war torn world of ours. Bono inspires me to speak up and speak out. He makes me want to stand up for what I (we, all us Christians) believe. He makes me want to be a prophet, an activist, a brave speaker for Jesus and I hope you find moments of wanting to be that too.

Almost two weeks ago, President Zuma said (speaking in Zulu): “When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork, who cooks people. When you are carrying an ANC membership card, you are blessed. When you get up there, there are different cards used but when you have an ANC card, you will be let through to go to heaven.”

Three Presbyteries have written, asking the UPCSA to respond. The South African Council of Churches has responded as follows:

The President of the SACC, Bishop Jo Seoka, labelled the statement made by Pres Zuma as "blasphemous". "Equating a vote for the ANC with going to heaven is problematic. Adding that in heaven people are wearing the colours of the ANC only adds to the problem", warned Bishop Jo.

Seoka further reiterates that "in previous election campaigns we have called on all our political leaders to mind their tongues. What the South African electorate requires is assurances that their lives will be improved through service delivery, provision of jobs and security. Our government and political leaders must address the genuine and legitimate needs of poor people".

"We work on a daily basis with scores of people who are hungry, unemployed and homeless. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ who look at political leaders with great expectations" said Bishop Jo. "Offering heaven to these people while their suffering continues here on earth is escapist. We (as Church and government) are expected to transform the livelihoods of all (and especially the poor) for the better", he concludes

The SACC is mindful of the subsequent statement from Mr Jackson Mthembu as spokesperson of the ANC. Calling the statement a metaphor does not take away from its essence. Calling it a way of speaking does not help either. Instead it demonstrates the concern of the SACC that "political leaders and parties use unacceptable language" during election campaigns.

Mr Eddie Makue, the SACC General Secretary, indicates that approaches have been made to secure a meeting with Pres Zuma where this and other important concerns of the SACC will be discussed.

I don’t think anger is an appropriate response to this inappropriateness on the part of the President. Perhaps disappointment (without the paternalism that often accompanies that feeling) is what we should feel. It was not so long ago (2007) that the Honourable President was ordained a “pastor” by some Independent Church. As a fellow pastor, I would have hoped that he would be more careful with his words. It has the taste of cheap political tricks that one would think unbecoming of the President. I think the President should say sorry and retract the unfortunate statement so we can see that his office stands above party politics.

For what its worth – these are my own thoughts and not those of the UPCSA.

The Presbyteries of Tshwane and eGoli

Good Friends in Christ

They are like two sisters, sitting side-by-side up here to the north (in the ‘neck of the UPCSA’). I am referring to Tshwane and eGoli Presbyteries, of course.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending some time with Graham Duncan (Moderator) and Zwai Mtyhobile (Clerk) of Tshwane Presbytery.  The Presbytery extends, ‘like a ribbon’, in a narrow band across the top of Gauteng and bottom of Limpopo from Rustenberg and the old Bophuthatswana in the west to Nelspruit and White River in the east up to the Mozambique border. There are about 28 congregations and the majority are centred around the Tshwane metropole. The Presbytery meets quarterly, on the second Saturday of February, May, August and November. Our main centre for training ministers in South Africa, the University of Pretoria, is in the heart of this Presbytery and our students for the ministry studying there are attached to congregations in the Presbytery. Several ministers of the Presbytery are seconded to the SANDF or Police or Correctional Services. Graham Duncan is the UPCSA appointed academic at the university. The Sedibeng House of Studies, where our students for the ministry are housed, is in Menlo Park, near the university.

A few years ago, then Moderator and Clerk, Glynnis Goyns and Theo Groeneveld organised a cycle rally across the breadth of the Presbytery which raised about R500 000, the interest of which is still being used for the growth of small congregations and church development. Sadly, the Presbytery is struggling with the consequence of disunity in the Church Associations with some congregations being split by members belonging to different groups.

I am very grateful to my two colleagues for a frank discussion of the Presbytery’s life and work and for their commitment to build a strong Presbytery.

The Presbytery that has been my home for the last ‘more than nine years’ is the Presbytery of eGoli. Geographically, it is small – covering a circular area with Krugersdorp and Randfontein in the north West, Midrand in the North, Edenvale in the East and Mulbarton and Soweto in the South. It has 31 congregations in full status and three or four which are transitional or nuclear. It includes suburban, inner city and township Churches. Kingsley Dale (St Mungo’s, Bryanston) is the Moderator and John McKane (Linden) is the Clerk. Our Central Office (in Park town, Johannesburg) is located within the bounds. The Ministry Secretary is a member, as are Prof Maake Masango (Pretoria University) and the Rev Ndoda Mbuyisa (SANDF).

It was my privilege to serve as eGoli’s Moderator for two terms (2006 – 2010) and to visit every church building, preaching in many. eGoli has five of the largest (in terms of infrastructure) congregations in the UPCSA. It also has a full time mission enabler, the Rev Vusi Mkhungo. In recent years, it has seen decline in many of the smaller congregations. Two (St Ninian’s, Roodepoort and St George’s, Joubertpark) have been closed and one (Krugersdorp) has been relocated. Several of the township churches and a significant number of the suburban congregations are struggling and cannot afford the stipend of a minister.

eGoli also has its Association struggles with the majority of congregations (who are former PCSA) opting for membership in the MF and the aggrieved group of the UPWF.

Some years ago, the Presbytery decided to ‘turn its world upside down’ by choosing to take a close interest in the life and work of its congregations. Presbytery resolved to no longer have ‘a life of its own’ but to consider the life of its congregations to be its core business. We meet 6 times a year, every time in a different congregation (with the exception of August which is in the Moderator’s Church) and the congregation gets to tell us of its life and work.  So we share the stories and network among congregations to help each other. eGoli considers itself the ‘golden heart’ of the UPCSA.

Warm greetings to all of you who read these blogs

Flying tour through Zambia

Good Friends in Christ

I have not written in over a month.  The year seems to have started too quickly for me. I was in the office on 3^rd January after a short break in the Eastern Cape and the week gave me a chance to plan.

On Monday 10^th January, I flew to Lusaka, Zambia to commence a four day visit, including  meetings with the Executives of Munali, M’Chinga and Copperbelt Presbyteries. I also met with the office bearers of the Synod.

The Synod’s boundaries are the sovereign borders of the Republic of Zambia and it supervises the work of the three Presbyteries. Synod is also the instrument by which the Zambian Church relates to the state. The Synod meets twice a year in June and December (with its Executive meeting twice a year also in between meetings). It consists of all the ministers and probationers in Zambia and all Presbytery Commissioners (about 60 people in all). It meets at St Columba’s Presbyterian Church in Kabwe. The Moderator of the Synod is the Rev Thomson Mkandawire, the Clerk is the Rev. Sauros Phaika and the Treasurer is Elder George Muthali.

Map of Zambia painted on the wall of
TwinkleStar School in Lusaka

Myself, Rev Petson Kabala
 & Rev Chunky Young

The Office bearers of Munali Presbytery were the first group I met with on Monday 10^th January. The Presbytery covers the areas of Lusaka West and South West and then runs southward to the Victoria Falls covering Western and Southern provinces of Zambia including Mumbwa and Kafue. The Rev. Petson Kabala  is the Moderator, The Rev Lazarus Chirwa the Clerk and Elder Webster Ngulube is the Treasurer.  There are 11 congregations in Munale, the most well known ones are Kabwata congregation in Lusaka and David Livingstone Memorial Church beside the Victoria Falls. The Presbytery has an office in the Kabwata buildings and has 7 active Church Development Evangelists. The Presbytery recently had a very successful evangelistic campaign in Kolomo which resulted in the planting of a congregation there. The Presbytery believes that one of its greatest strengths is the harmony among its members which results in teamwork.  Sustainability of ministry remains its greatest challenge. If only every congregation had a manse, then it could spend its money on augmenting stipends instead of having to pay rentals.

The Copperbelt Presbytery was next on my itinerary. It is geographically the largest of the three but in terms of ministers, the smallest. The boundaries are: North Western, Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern provinces of Zambia. It has four ministers – the Revs Godfrey Msiska (Moderator), Chala Habasila (Clerk), Abraham Nkata (Treasurer) and Richard Mkandawire. Mr Amos Nyirenda is a Post Academic Trainee in the Presbytery.  All told, there are 19 congregations, some are transitional and others nuclear though. The minimum Stipend is very low (ZK 1 500 000 which is about R 3 000!) The ministers are young and dynamic. The vision they have for the Copperbelt is inspirational. Their priorities are: to purchase property for income generation, the establishment of a Presbytery office and the purchase of vehicles for transport. 

Office Bearers of Copperbelt Presbytery

My last stop was with the Presbytery of M’Chinga.  The Presbytery was established in 2006 (with Munali) when Central Zambia Presbytery was split in two. The boundaries are Lusaka East and North West, the Great East road covering Eastern province, north east and Luangwa and Chongwe towns. Edward Chirwa is the Moderator, Elder Lawrence Makani is the Clerk and Elder Herbert Mvula is the Presbytery Treasurer. They have 15 Church Development Evangelists!!! Last February, the Convener of Church Development  & Planning, Chris Judelsohn, and I toured the Eastern province churches. The Eastern province is very rural with many village churches. It was a wonderful experience of God’s grace in the lives of ordinary Zambians who love Him.  There are 11 congregations in M’Chinga, with four in the Eastern province. The office bearers presented an exciting programme for the year.

A warm Thank you to the Zambian Church for hosting me. I have carried many questions from them to various committees of the Church.