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Your letters
News from NZ and Tristan da Cunha
The editor has received a lovely long letter from
Chris and Gill Bell. They are very happy in NZ as are Richard and
Cathy MacGregor who are in the same Parish. They mention having seen
John Hughes and Gary Griffith-Smith too. If any readers would like a
copy of the letter, please let me know. Also available is the latest
letter from Ambrose and Doreen van der Merwe.
Greetings from Tanzania
Dear Editor of our favoured newspaper Iindaba,
Merry Christmas and happy New Year (2002), to you and all believers
in Christ Jesus of South Africa. Praise the Lord!
On behalf of all the students of St Philip’s
Theological College, located at Kongwa, Dodoma, Tanzania, especially
those of Diploma Two and Three, I would like to use our dear Iindaba,
to express our enormous gratitude to our heavenly Father God who so
kindly sent us his ever existent humble family of the Revd Fr
Johnathin Pieterse to stay with us for a short period, which has been
an extremely challenging experience to our contemporary Christianity
and ministry. During his stay with us, everyone’s life has been
challenged in all domains, that we later said it was God’s very
plan to send him to our college. Frankly speaking it is too hard to
forget that Godly exemplary Pastor, for he left very worthy things in
our memory, for our forthcoming ministry. Among those, I can cite for
instance, some of many wise sayings he used to mention to us whenever
he was to say something about today’s mission and ministry; such
as “ In mission, say every mass as if it’s your last
mass!” and also, “Never ever be the cause of the problem,
but always be part of solution.” and so forth. We really
insisted that he should stay longer, but as God had called him to
serve somewhere else, we could not interfere with God’s plans.
Thus, although we found it so difficult to be separated, we have been
obliged by circumstances to let him go, and we concluded by saying
that the Episcopal Church of South Africa should always feel proud of
the treasure which is hidden in that Godly faithful servant. May
almighty God bless all the Episcopal Church of South-African Clergy
members, now and forever, Amen!
I am Phocas Nshimiyimana, a Rwandese doing the
Diploma course at St Philip’s Theological College at Kongwa in Tanzania.
PS: I beseech you, dear editor, please do accept
our gratitude to the Episcopal Church of South Africa, and do allow
this to appear in our favoured news paper “Iindaba”.
Then at last we say, ”all God’s
Blessings upon you in his Ministry”
Note from the Editor: Various areas of the
world use the term Episcopal for the Anglican Church.
Palestinian issue
The Bishop’s letter in the December issue
was particularly good. I’m sure I am not the only one who
desires to thank him for it.
In our thoughts and prayers about the Middle East
there is an important point, often missed, that needs to be kept in
mind, and that is that many Palestinians are Christians. Sadly, not
as many as there used to be. I think I read somewhere that before the
present troubles started Christians made up 20% of the population,
and now this is down to 2%. The decline is attributed partly to the
fact that the so-called Christian West has been so very neglectful
and uncaring about Palestine. I wish I knew more about the recent
history, but the media tell us very little. Perhaps you could prevail
on someone from one of the universities or someone like that to write
us an informative article.
We are certainly faced with tremendous
difficulties in bearing, loyally and lovingly, witness to the Muslim
world about the Lord Jesus Christ when, as the Bishop reminds us, in
countries where Muslims are in the majority, Christians are harassed
and persecuted. The task is not made any easier by the memories they
have of the cruelties inflicted on them by the Crusaders, and other
Christians, of which recent bombings and military campaigns, and the
way the west exploited those countries, and imposed its will on them,
seem to them to be merely an extension.
According to a recent TV interview, every town
and city in Palestine is completely surrounded, and the West does
nothing to secure its independence. I have no means of verifying the
details, but it certainly suggests there is more to the picture than
is normally presented by the media, and that whatever the ins and
outs of the service in St George’s Cathedral, the instinct that
prompted it was a sound and Christian one.
- Ted Smithers
CTK had strange Christmas visitors
Danielle George writes that Christ the King
(CTK), Gelvandale, had a widespread range of visitors this year -
Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Clayderman, skeptical Aunty Sally from
Hillbrow and two green women from Mars.
What a treat the Carol Service was this year.
Archdeacon Leon Foster had asked the "Four Classics", (Owen
Hill, Lawence Africa, Kobus Kruger and organist Charles Jantjies) to
lend their voice and playing playing talents to the combined choirs
of CTK and St Luke's. Sitting on the wooden pews, I felt that the
real Three Tenors and Claydeman could not have moved me more, even if
they had been singing and playing at Carnegie Hall. They started the
evening by singing "You'll never walk alone" and "I'll
walk with God" and ended with "The Holy City". The
combined choirs held their own superbly, even in such illustrious
company. Noel Saffir sang a solo and proved that the young guns can
sing songs other than Rap-Rock. Reynold Sauls and Lance Roberts both
protégés of Charles Jantjies played voluntaries on the
piano and on the pipe organ. Everyone agreed that it was worth going
to church twice that Sunday.
Visitors from Mars
The night before Christmas Hillbrow living Aunty
Sally paid us a visit and proved that just because you say you are a
Christian does not make you one. She had our green Martian friends
quite confused when she said that the reason the shepherds were
around the crib was because they had lost their sheep. You see, Green
Women from Mars came knocking at the door of the home of Heather and
John to ask what Christmas was all about because they had seen that
there was much celebration going on. Aunty Sally, who was visiting
from Gauteng where she lived a wild lifestyle, and who had quite
forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, let alone the proper
Christmas story, tried to explain but got it all mixed up. It was
then up to Heather and John to tell both Aunty Sally and our Martian
visitors about the Saviour of Mankind who was born so many years ago.
After many erroneous interjections by Aunt Sally, like, "Wise
Guys arrived with presents", the green people finally had the
true story of Jesus. So, once again the CTK Sunday School reminded us
parents and other older folk that Christmas is also about being with
family and friends. However, some people just don't get it, no matter
how hard you try, like my nineteen year old cousin who said straight
after the service, "Hey, Neenie, whatchagettingmefor-christmas?"
Haven benefits from concert
What a pity the Haven Benefit Concert
presented by the the New Apostolic Church (NAC) chamber choir and
orchestra of the Cape Peninsula clashed with the presentation of
Handel’s “Messiah” on 1 December.
Despite the clash, over 400 people attended the
concert at which R8 000 was collected for the House of Resurrection Haven.
The audience thrilled to the beautiful renditions
of "Lacrimosa (Requiem)", "Open Thou mine eyes",
"Missa Brevis in C (Sparrow Mass)", Hear my prayer and many
more. The soloists were Lyn Julius, Angela Turner, Oriel Arendse,
Lyle Grever and Angelo Samuels with John Rodriques on organ and Peter
Lambert conducing the orchestra. All the members are volunteers and
participate in the activities of the choir and orchestra on a
part-time basis. With one or two exceptions, all of them are amateur
singers and instrumentalists who are engaged full-time in a variety
of occupations.
Maggie Williams thanked the NAC on behalf of the Haven.
Books
The Pink Agenda Sexual Revolution in South
Africa and the Ruin of the Family (ISBN 0-9583983-4-8) by
Christine McCafferty with Peter Hammond. Published by Christian
Liberty Books for Africa Christian Action. Cost R58. Reviewed by
Jacqui Brill.
This book is timely with government currently
working on a bill that will redefine the family and marriage by
instituting ‘partnerships’ and homosexual pseudo-marriage,
and with us, the public, expected to give comment. We need an open
and intelligent debate on the homosexual agenda, and this book
provides that. It exposes the myth that people who get involved in
homosexuality are born that way and cannot change. With over 400
references and meticulous examination of studies across the world and
in South Africa, The Pink Agenda reveals the links between homosexual
behaviour, violence, crime, suicide, depression, drug abuse,
paedophilia and disease. The book shows how Grade 6’s are being
taught about lesbian oral sex, guided to militant homosexual
organisations by the schools and how videos like “Telling
Parents you are Gay” and others that deal with ‘coming out,
cruising, relationships, sex work (male prostitution)’ etc are
being distributed to high school kids, behind their parents’ backs.
South Africa is the only country in the world
with a constitution that specifically protects “sexual
orientation”. The question of what this means for our country,
legally and politically, is carefully considered. The homosexual
activists’ own writings make it abundantly clear that, as part
of the vast social engineering project, the Pink Agenda will not
settle for the deviant being declared normal. They insist that the
normal must be declared deviant. The problem is, where will it all
end if we don’t stop the tidal wave? The Pink Agenda will equip
you with ways to ensure that we not only resist the homosexualisation
of the future generation, but that we turn back the tide of the
sexual revolution in our country.
Organist wanted By St
Paul’s Church, 16 Tucker Street, Parsons Hill.
The church boasts a good pipe organ and piano and
a small but keen choir. This is a paid position. For further
information please contact the Revd Ben Durham on telephone 041 374
3124 or 082 622 8023. Or e-mail to bdurham@iafrica.com.
Time to be quiet Centre of Spirituality Quiet day
To be led by Archdeacon Leon Foster at St
Alban's, Draaifontein on Sat 16 February 2002. For information
regarding times, directions on how to get there, and possibilities of
sharing transport contact: Elizabeth Shier at 041 581 4129. There
will be no fee but we would like to give St Alban's a donation.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those
of the Bishop nor the editor. Articles may be reproduced but credit
must be given to Iindaba.
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