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.

Christmas Letter

The following letter has been sent out to all the ministers and congregations within the UPCSA:

Good Friends in Christ                                                                                                 

I greet you in the name of the “peace child”, Jesus Christ.

Over these last three months, I have had the privilege of meeting with many members of the UPCSA. I have had one-on-one meetings with the Moderators and Clerks of a third of the Presbyteries, visited two congregations on invitation, attended countless meetings and opened an annual conference of the IYZAs.  The Church is alive and strong, healthy but not without profound challenges.  Every now and then, when the challenges seem almost overwhelming, I find myself longing for a bit of “peace and quiet”. I don’t think that the UPCSA is any less healthy than it was at union. I don’t believe that the challenges we face are any larger or smaller than at any other time in our history but often this does not seem like the case.  Sometimes our burdens seem too heavy!

Recently I came across this extract of what someone had written about what it would be like to live in a perfect world:

“In a perfect world a person should feel as good at 50 as he did at 17 and he would actually be as smart at 50 as he thought he was at 17.  In a perfect world you could give away a baby pram without getting pregnant.  In a perfect world, professional soccer players would complain about teachers being paid contracts worth millions of Rand.  In a perfect world the mail would always be early, the cheque would always be in the mail and it would be written for more than expected.  In a perfect world potato chips might have calories but if you ate them with dip, the calories would be neutralized.  In a perfect world every once in a while at least, a child who always closed the door softly would be told, “Go back and slam the door.” ”

What do you hope for?

Our sister church in Korea is hoping for peace. In a recent press release, the National Council of Churches in Korea called upon North Korea to stop “using powerful weapons against the civilian community on Yeonpyeong island” but also called upon the government of South Korea and the USA to stop their provocative “war games”. Our sister churches in East Asia are collaborating in a programme to that seeks to address the huge prevalence of teen suicide. I suppose that is a kind of peace making too.  In the Pacific, it is really our ‘war’ with nature that is the issue.  The people of the islands of Tuvalu believe that they will become the world’s first ever ‘environmental refugees’. Pretty soon, because of the rise of the sea level, their home will be uninhabitable.

The world seems pretty hopeless, doesn’t it?

But it wasn’t very different for God’s child: born under Roman occupation, an enforced census, terrible poverty, no safety, Herod’s infanticide and danger all around.  The world into which the Saviour was born was not in harmony but a world at war!

The people of Israel hoped for a Messiah and they hoped for release from the Roman occupying power. When Jesus came, he was far more interested in the condition of their hearts that in the Roman occupation.

Israel hoped for peace. We hope for peace. Peace – just a little peace. That’s our perfect world – no more mourning or crying or pain … No more violence! The perfect world we seek has a name.  It is called the “Kingdom of God”.

Christmas is the hope of all ages born among us.

I once read about a missionary called Don Richardson who served for many years among the primitive tribes in Papua New Guinea. He  wrote a book entitled “The Peace Child”. He wrote about how in translating the Scriptures into the native tribal language, he could find no words to express how Jesus Christ came to give his life that we might have peace with God. In his book he relates how he finally found the answer in the culture of the native people themselves. He tells the story of two tribes in Papua New Guinea who maintained a blood feud between themselves for several generations. Each generation fought and nursed their wounds only to fight again killing and maiming more and more people. Finally after years of struggle the two tribes realized that they must stop fighting or nothing would be left of their people. But what could they do to end years of warring between the two tribes? Don Richardson goes on to tell that the chiefs of the two tribes came together and brought with them a child they called “the Peace Child”. This child was the son of one of the chiefs which was then adopted into the family of the opposing chief. They made an agreement that as long as that child lived, the two chiefs promised to cease their fighting so that all could live. Don Richardson had finally found a perfect picture of God’s love for us in sending us His Son, the Prince of Peace to die for us.

Jesus, our peace child has been born to us. At Christmas, we remember.

And our remembering must surely propel us to be peacemakers in this warring world (denomination, congregation, family) of ours. Peace is made. Peace is work. Peace requires forgiveness. Peace is hard but the Prince of Peace propels us to become peace makers.

“The peace of God,

which is beyond all understanding

guard your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus”. (Phil 4:7)

George Marchinkowski

Moderator of the General Assembly

Visit with the Moderator & Clerk of Thukela Presbytery

Good Friends in Christ

On Wednesday 8^th December 2010, I took a drive from Johannesburg to Vryheid in Northern Kwazulu Natal to meet with the Revs Dumisani Mchunu (Moderator) and Shona van der Lingen (Clerk) of the Presbytery of Thukela.                    

Thukela is a Presbytery covering northern KZN. It stretches from Paulpietersburg and Newcastle in the north to Ulundi and Mathubathuba on the East. The Presbytery of Thekwini is its neighbour on the Indian Ocean, stretching from Richard’s Bay southwards. It’s western border is the provincial border from Newcastle southwards to Ladysmith and down to Colenso and Weenen. In the south, it borders Drakensberg Presbytery and in the West, Free State.  The Presbytery is very rural and all Presbytery meetings take place in Dundee which is about the centre of the Presbytery. The Presbytery has 15 congregations with 9 ministers, 1 probationer, 2 stated supply appointments and 3 vacant congregations.

Recently,the General Secretary, the Rev Dr Jerry Pillay conducted a workshop for the Presbytery which was very well attended. The Presbytery identified that it had committed and competent people, the benefit of a convenient meeting venue, a good spread of ages among Presbytery members and no conflict in its associations. Challenges include vast distances between congregations, poor communication within the Presbytery and poverty. Knowledge of the procedures of the UPCSA and the possibility of sharing a court/ARP with Thekwini and/or Drakensberg are also in the Presbytery’s thinking. We spoke about various matters including the possibility of having probationers in the vacant congregations next year.

I am grateful for the work of these two servants of the Church.

IYZA Conference

Dear Friends

On Friday 3^rd December, I travelled to Limpopo university in Turfloop, just north of Polokoane to officially open the annual IYZA Conference. The IYZAs are the Association of young women of the Church. The service for the opening of the Conference took place at 09h30 in one of the university auditoriums and I preached on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15.  The ladies kindly presented me with a beautiful cross which I will put up in my Vestry in Edenvale.  I don’t know who told them but I collect crosses and I don’t have one similar to the one they gave me. What a lovely gift!

Thank you to “the flower of the Church” (Rev. Obose’s words) for this lovely opportunity and lovely gift.

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, And sae the Lord be thankit. Robert Burns

Good Friends in Christ

A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in the St Andrew’s Day services at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hillside, Bulawayo.  This congregation chooses to celebrate its anniversary and its connection to Scotland on the Sunday nearest to 30^th November, the feast of St Andrew.  St Andrew was, of course, one of the first disciples Jesus called (John 1: 40) and the brother of St Peter the fisherman. Andrew was the one who brought the boy with the fish and bread to Jesus so that he could feed the 5000 (John 6: 8) and when the Greeks came to see Jesus (John 12: 22), it was Andrew who together with Phillip brought them to Jesus.

What a wonderful celebration we had on Sunday 28^th November! It began with a service at 9am at which I was invited to preach and then, at 3pm, a celebration including good food and Scottish country dancing. 

The Very Rev. John Miller, a retired minister (and former Moderator) of the Church of Scotland was present, as was Margaret Fogie and Bill Wishart, members of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley.

Many members of the congregation came in Scottish traditional dress, including the minister, the Rev Stan Chatikobo who wore a kilt. When asked why I was not wearing a kilt, I explained that sadly, the ‘Marchinkowski tartan’ had never been found! Bill Wishart ‘addressed’ the haggis in true Robbie Burns fashion and a wonderful afternoon was enjoyed by all.

                                                 

Victoria Chatikobo & Sascha

George and Stan Chatikobo

Thank you St Andrew’s for a lovely experience.