A new brother and a new ecclesia!!

Bro Swedi Kaluta Sumahili was baptized last night (Sunday 29 August) in the pool at Bro. Mickey Scheepers' house in Pretoria. Swedi gave a good confession of his faith and we were all delighted to have gained a new brother. We were again reminded of how God works in the lives of people seeking him. Swedi got to know of the Gospel in the Congo but the war made him lose contact with Christadelphians there. When he moved to South Africa he met Bro. Paul from the Congolese satellite meeting in Pretoria. He was surprised and happy to find Christadelphians close to where he was staying and resumed his studies with us.

More good news is that the six brethren and two sisters that form the satellite ecclesia in Pretoria have decided to formally establish their ecclesia quite a while ago and this has now taken place last night as well. The PRETORIA CENTRAL ecclesia is thus now a reality with 8 members. Bro Paul Kizunguluka was chosen to be recording brother and bro. Paderi Shabani will be the finance brother. We will continue to support the new ecclesia, especially on Sundays as different members of the Kempton Park ecclesia will visit them to share fellowship.

With abiding love in Jesus

The 2010 team - Kempton Park 

Changing Lives...

Things in Clermont are really happening! There are now several weekly events that have been started since the open day and braai just a few weeks ago. There’s a Gogo’s (Grannies) coffee morning, a ‘Mum’s and Tots’ afternoon and an after-school club, as well as Sunday school every Sunday morning. There is also an adult English class every Wednesday morning, which myself, Jude, Ellie, Christy and a few others have had the privilege of running and teaching.

Three weeks ago a lady called Jabulile came in – she’s probably in her mid-to-late 40s and she works for the council as a street cleaner near the Good News Centre. When she came in, we asked her to write her name down, but she just shrugged her shoulders – she didn’t know how to. So I sat with her and we started from scratch, learning the alphabet letter by letter. She doesn’t find it easy, but each week she goes home and practices the letters we have learnt in the lesson and comes back with pages and pages of them written out! When she sees us pull up in the car, she just abandons her work to come into the Good News Centre to learn to read, write and speak English - she’s clearly very motivated to change her life and to work hard to give herself better opportunities in life. Working with this one lady is now one of the things I look forward to most each week.

It’s just so awesome to see the smile and the expression of pride on her face as she makes progress – and all we’re doing is learning letters of the alphabet! It’s a God-given skill we have all learnt when we are very young and we probably now can’t remember a time when we couldn’t read or write, it’s completely normal for us. But for this woman, this is life-changing, and I always leave Clermont after the class feeling so uplifted and thinking : “How awesome! For me, that’s what this is all about!” It’s not teaching her the Bible or preaching in a conventional sense, but it’s using our time and skills that God has given us to help other people and hopefully make a difference in their lives.

Esther Abson

Camp Braambos

We were privileged to again have over 55 people at our annuals weekend away at Camp Braambos. 59 people (children included) eventually found their way to Camp Braambos in the Hekpoort valley for the weekend of 13,14 and 15th August. We were particularly thanks full that quite a few Bible students from Tembisa could also join us

As usual the food was great and there were lots of time to enjoy good fellowship. The talks were given by four local brethren on the theme of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22).

Sisters Liezl Scheepers and Trudy Clark organized the camp and everything ran very smoothly. We enjoyed the chant that we were taught - the words of which was specially designed so that we would remember the fruits of the Spirit and the importance of cultivating and practicing them. Saturday night around a huge bon fire while singing a variety of songs was very relaxing and it was great to see that different cultures can appreciate each other and enjoy spending time together. 

The camp was held earlier this year because of the Family Bible Conference that will be held in September. It was thus a little colder than previous years but everyone still got some warm sleep. Sunday afternoon arrived far to quickly and we all said goodbyes after a solid lunch. The drive home was somewhat serene as one felt you just got away from the world for a day or two.

We thank our heavenly father for new friendships made, old ones rekindled, the fellowship we enjoyed and the spiritual upliftment , encouragement and resolve we received. 

The 2010 team in KMP   

God Moment

In my "Hamba Ministries" activities (walking the streets of Durban and sharing God's Master Plan course) I have met several people who are pursuing the course diligently.  One of them, Stella, has completed God's Master Plan and is currently working on our "Learn Your Bible" course.  I met Stella and about 5 other students at a hairdressers at the edge of Durban Town Center, as it was on my path into town.  About 3 weeks ago, Stella quite working at the hairdressers at the edge of town and I haven't seen her since until last Thursday.  On Thursday, I heard a little commotion inside the BEC and then Mary Wilondja came to the study room in the back and brought Stella in with her.  Stella very excitedly told me that she and her husband both know Mary and Boniface, that they are friends, and are completely surprised that they are part of our church.  I then asked the Very Excited Stella how her studies are coming and how she is enjoying what she is learning of the Bible.  Stella was VERY excited to tell me how much she was enjoying and benefitting from what she has learned and how much she values the courses that she has taken so far.  Then I asked her if she would like to come to church and she said she would really like that, and that she plans on coming with her husband and kids on Sunday the 22nd of August.  She was totally pumped!!

And after this, so was I.  Think of it.  3 Million people m/l in the Durban area.  What are the odds that I would have 12 students actively working on the God's Master Plan and Learn Your Bible courses, and of those 12 students, at least 2 of them know Mary Wilondja who goes to the Durban Ecclesia?  Incredible!

Much Love,

Cam

Lamontville youth at Camp Braambos in Gauteng

17^th August 2010

This past weekend we took 12 of the Lamontville youth to Braambos in Gauteng, thanks to the generosity of the Cambridge Ecclessia. Some of the members sponsored a child each and helped toward petrol and tolls. For this we are very thankful! The youth were so excited to go that when I arrived there 30 minutes earlier than the arranged time, they were all waiting with their bags. Every mother was also there to see us off! Even younger siblings had come too! Before we left we had an uBuntu prayer for a safe journey and a spiritually uplifting camp. We arrived with no hassles except for the youngest being sick all over the person next to her. The camp was indeed very uplifting. The youth all sat in at every talk and listened earnestly to every speaker! During free times they interacted with the youth from other parts of the country and when it was time to leave I noticed quite a few meaningful friendships had been made. Most of them didn’t want to leave on Sunday! It was a great weekend and they all seemed to really enjoy themselves!

God Moments

Last week was an interesting week, especially considering it was the last week for Julie and Laura and they have had such an influence since their arrival in Spring of 2009 (Southern Hemisphere).  On Friday, Julie, Laura and the whole crew came out to the Bible Education Center to share the Gospel message in Song to those walking by.  These are always amazing events, but this one was different.

The day had been cool, cloudy and a lightly drizzly from time to time.  Not too bad, but not quite comfy either.  We started singing, and the more the group sang, the better they sounded.  We started collecting a little crowd towards the end of the singing.  We had gone through most of our songs and were trying to remember what was left to sing, and suddenly Laura & Julie remembered to sing "Walk in the Light".  The whole group started singing, and just as we started, the sun broke through the clouds and it was sunny for the rest of our singing.  What an echo of all of the efforts of the volunteers - when we step out and become "doers" of the word, not just hearers, then His word becomes the Light to the Path we Walk on.  Time after time I see God speaking to us; sometimes in small ways and sometimes in obvious ones.  Hallelujah!

Much Love,
Cam

Sowing and reaping

Weekly we go to the hospital to sing and chat to the patients. Last week when we were singing there was one lady who had her eyes closed and was praising God as a result of hearing us sing. Straight away I thought that it’s amazing how God uses people - here He was using us volunteers as a team and using our voices to sing Zulu songs that we had learnt in South Africa and as a result others were praising Him and being spiritually uplifted. But from seeing this, I realised that I wasn't feeling spiritually uplifted by what I was doing. Even though I could see God working through us, it wasn't through the song I was feeling uplifted but I wished I could have been. I guess it’s because we sing these songs so regularly on a daily basis. But that’s awful because we were meant to be singing praises to God!

Straight after the hospital visit we had to drive to the other side of town to Mariannhill Bible Class. After the class in true Mariannhill style, there was a blasting out of songs. The third or fourth one was "Jerusalem". It goes something like this:

"Jerusalem is the city, the city in the name of the Lord

Oh Lord I want to be there, I want to be there, I want to be there

To be there for evermore"

It’s such a powerful song, we all felt it and we proceeded to walk around the table whilst singing and pointing up into the air "I want to be there". Whilst singing, I could see on everybody’s face: the expressions of "I want to be there" as they sang it. Everybody sang it with their whole heart. The energy in the room was so great! I did want to be there and I do want to be there, and I want to be there with all the brothers and sisters in Mariannhill. That was a kingdom vision. A vision of happiness. 3 years ago there was no such thing as Mariannhill ecclesia and for that crowd of people to be meeting up in that room singing that song was so awesome! They have found God.

On the way to bible class I told God that I didn't want to sing to Him and me not feel it. I wanted to feel it just like the lady did in the hospital. God answered my prayer in a matter of an hour!

Then when I was lying in bed thinking about what happened the verse "Whoever sows generously shall also reap generously" (2 Cor 9v6) popped into my head. The effect that the sowing had in the hospital, I also reaped in Mariannhill. 

Naomi Midgley

Annual Report - Eternal Blessings

It is hard to express in words the abundant blessings we have received from our Father over the past year. Wherever we look, wherever we sow, wherever we plough we are presented with opportunities, with blessings, and with growth. As human custodians of the 2010 project we are consistently over-awed by the progress here in South Africa – each day there is a new story to be told. Surely this is one of the most exciting places for preaching, fellowship and innovation in all the brotherhood today. Who would have thought!

We are pleased to make available the Annual Report for the 2010 project for the period ending February 2010. Please download the report from the link provided below. Please share the report. It represents a summary of the multitude of blessings our Father has rained upon us over the past year.

Thank you to our Father and Jesus. Thank you to all of you who make 2010 a living vision.

Download 2010 Annual Report for Period to February 2010 - Click on Link: https://www.sugarsync.com/share/bq5i9exxmiboa

- Matthew Blewett

CUDDLE work at Julia's crèche.

We were privileged to upgrade Julia's crèche (THUTONG day care) with the help of some local volunteers and funds raised by the Serengeti Golf Club. It was wonderful to see Julia's crèche transform from a empty garage to a fairly well equipped and functional crèche. Julia was very delighted with the end result and the children enjoy their new environment. The desks especially are used a lot.

Two days work turned out to be great fun and very rewarding. The work that we are doing under the CUDDLE project is getting more recognition in the community and they are full of goodwill towards us and there are at least 8 teachers that are now involved with our Bible courses and/or Bible classes.

We praise and thank God and Jesus for the opportunities we receive and the miracles happening ever so often to enable us to help the community

With abiding love in Jesus

The Kempton Park 2010 team  

Good news centre in cleremont

Our good news centre in Cleremont is growing! After having a couple of hard days labour work clearing the grounds of the place of rubbish and levelling out an area at the front we had a bbq for the community as an opening ceremony. The good news centre now offers, sunday school, gogo's coffee morning, after school club, mum's and tots coffee mornings and english classes. Once we establish some relationships we pray that there will be enough interest to start a church.

The bbq was incredible! We had about 50 kids singing songs they had been taught in sunday school to attract attention and we wandered up and down the streets handing out leaflets inviting everyone we met to the bbq. We fed around 300 people! It was so awesome to see everybody working together, brothers and sisters from marianhill, westville and lamontville.