Diocese of Grahamstown

Ad Clerum

May 25, 2008   No. 05/09

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our baptism reminds us that “Our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself to death on cross and was raised again for the salvation of human kind. Baptism is the sacrament in which, by repentance and faith, we enter into this salvation: we are united in Christ in his death; we are granted the forgiveness of sins; we are made members of his Body and we are raised with him to new life in the Spirit” (AB page 380). It is indeed a great privilege to be a child of God through baptism.

We are living in the post – resurrection period which is crucial in our understanding of new life. According to the scriptures Jesus appeared ten times to the people in different contexts, until he extends the Great commission (Acts 1:8) and ascended into heaven. Then, on the day of Pentecost “a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house with tongues of fire and rested on each one of the apostles. All were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Good news Bible Acts 2). This is where the new life in the Spirit began, and today we are empowered by the same Spirit to live out our faith.

State of the Nation
The post-election period in our country brings a new government with new beginnings and challenges. Archbishop Thabo in his message to the Laos correctly states that politicians should uphold the demands of the Constitution. The national life of the country should be influenced by our mission and ministry; therefore the healing process must begin with the new leadership so that they may be able to bring hope to our communities. We therefore bring the message that in the spirit of uncertainties there is hope and, as the prayer of St Francis reminds us that love is stronger than hatred.

Interregnums
Please continue to pray for the following pastoral charges without permanent clergy: St Martin Gonubie, St Alban’s East London, St John’s East London, St Clement’s Grahamstown, St Michael’s Herschel and St Philip’s Gompo.
There is also the awareness that parishes with interregnums have the opportunity to prayerfully reflect on their pastoral needs as they face new beginnings and possibilities for further spiritual growth as well as adequate financial planning for incoming incumbents. Be reminded that clergy within our diocese and those from other dioceses can apply.

Archdeacons’ Training
Please pray for the Archdeacons who will attend a second workshop through Rhodes University Business School in Grahamstown from 25th – 29th May 2009.

News from the Proposed Diocese of Ukhahlamba
This is to inform you that we are progressing in preparations for the inauguration of the proposed Diocese of Ukhahlamba. We must emphasise that it is the Diocese of Grahamstown that is multiplying and is about to give birth to the new Diocese following our Synodical decisions and that of ACSA. We are pleased to inform you that:
1. We have bought the vehicle for the Bishop to be elected at Ukhahlamba and it is presently being used by the Bishop’s Vicar.
2. We are in a process of buying accommodation for Diocesan Office
3. We are pleased to inform you that in a meeting that was attended by all churchwardens, Executive of all Guilds, Clergy and Archdeacons of the new proposed Diocese unanimously agreed that St Michael’s Queenstown to be their Cathedral.
4. We have the Bishop’s house which you know, called Emmaus that is in good order.
5. The Coat of Arms for the new proposed Diocese is towards its finality.
6. All parishioners in Ukhahlamba are faced with:
6.1 The budget for the inauguration on the 3rd October 2009 is estimated at ± R80 000. 00. We humbly ask the parishioners of the proposed diocese to donate generously towards these costs.
6.2 The furniture for the Bishop’s office and Diocesan Office is about ± R120 000. 00. We are grateful to the parishioners of the new proposed Diocese of Ukhahlamba that they have pledged to meet these costs.
NB: please deposit the donations to the following account and fax the deposit slip to the acting administrator Revd Themba Mdedelwa.

Bank: FNB
Account name: Diocese of Grahamstown Northern Region
Account No. 62102920768
Branch: Queenstown
Branch code: 210920
Ref: Your parish name.
If you are an individual, use your full name and surname as the reference.
Fax No: 045 838 3996

We humbly ask that all donations may be in by the 21st August 2009 and they will be mentioned in the Fundraising Dinner of the North.

6.3 As a Diocese we are still faced by two challenges namely ± R120 000.00 for the fencing of the new Diocesan Offices, and the partitioning of the new Diocesan Office building which is ± R300 000. 00.

We humbly request all parishes in the Southern part of our Diocese to donate generously towards these costs. All donations should be deposited into the following bank account and fax your deposit slip to the Bishop’s secretary Nobuntu:

    Bank: FNB
    Account name: Diocese of Grahamstown Bishops Discretionary Account
    Account No. 6201 2966 828
    Branch: 210 717
    Ref: Your name/ (6.3)
    Fax No: 046 6225231

We welcome all donations by individuals, parishes and Guilds.

Renewal of Vows for the North
Chrism Eucharist and Renewal of the Clergy Vows at St Andrew's Mlungisi on Corpus Christi, 11 June at 10h00.

Availability of Clergy and Appointments with the Bishop
It has become extremely difficult for the Diocesan Office to contact certain clergy by telephone or when messages are left the response is delayed. Kindly ensure that you are “contactable”, when the need arises for clergy or laity to make an appointment with the Bishop please do so via Nobuntu as she keeps the diary. This will avoid double bookings which impacts on the time of the bishop to spend sufficient time with an individual.

Mothers’ Union
Pray for the Diocese of Grahamstown Mothers’ Union as it prepares itself for the following:-
1. Election of Diocesan President on the 6th of June 2009 at the Cathedral in Grahamstown at 09h00
2. The Mothers’ Union Biannual Conference at University of Fort Hare in the Alice Archdeaconry on 2nd – 5th July 2009
3. We are pleased to inform you that Ms Nkosazana Maqoma has been appointed MU Development Officer with effect 1st June 2009. We want to congratulate the Mothers’ Union and praying that Nkosazana will make a difference in the lives of women as they strive for a better life in their families. We pray that God may pour His Grace upon Nkosazana as she prepares herself to begin such an enormous task in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Assessments
We congratulate all Parishes that pay their assessments regularly, and also many thanks to all those Parishes that are catching up with their arrears together with the current assessments.

ACSA
We are pleased to inform you that Archbishop Thabo gives us guidance as far as the new President of South Africa is concerned. Quoting his words he writes, “It is for us also to acknowledge that Jacob Zuma is ‘only human’, and affirm that, whatever his flaws, he has now been elected to the highest office in the land through a fully free and fair process (and let me here give warm congratulations to Hlope Bam and her colleagues at the IEC for a difficult and complex job well done). As our new President, he deserves our congratulations, and our prayers that he will discharge the responsibilities now entrusted to him to the very best of his abilities, and for the good of every citizen and resident of this country.” We urge you as a Diocese to pray and support our new President of South Africa Jacob Zuma as we usually do and the Premier of the Eastern Cape Noxolo Kiviet. See Archbishop Thabo’s message of May 2009. Kindly read it for information.

Arms Deal Probe
We have attached the Archbishop’s call for the Arms Deal Probe (available from the Diocesan Office). Do pray for the end of corruption in South Africa.

Africa Enterprise Leadership Training
This is to inform you that we are invited to a Revival, Renewal and Moral Regeneration in National Transformation Conference to be held in June 9th – 11th, 2009. See the attached information about the conference (available from the Diocesan Office).

World Mission Centre – Week of Bounty
We have attached information about this initiative (available from the Diocesan Office). We hope that this will be helpful in our journey of faith.

Sport Ministry Conference 22nd – 25th June 2009
See the attached information about this initiative (available from the Diocesan Office).

Notice of Events
You know as a diocese that there is a need of fundraising for God’s mission, as we are faced with the challenges of education and training to capacitate members of chapter, clergy, and Laity. On the other hand we still have parishes that struggle with their assessments which create huge arrears. Never the less Gods’ mission has to continue.

We want to move to a second stage of our stewardship and giving  programme by adding a Gala Dinner which will increase our budget for ministry endowment fund as budgeted at R480 000.00, we will also launch the new Diocesan Company and acknowledge our Anglican achievers and other people that we may identify within our community. In the Gala dinner of the 24th July 2009 we will be selling tables at R15 000.00 each and each table will seat ten people. You are free to buy the table as a parish, guilds and as individuals in a form of a donation. We will be selling tickets to Universities, Colleges, Banks, other denominations, government departments, Industries and Companies, etc. We pray that you may assist us in the selling of tickets to your friends and other places you know that can be of help.

Our guest speaker will be the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, the former Archbishop of ACSA. We will circulate the  programme to all parishes.

(a) GALA DINNER: 24 JULY at Christian Centre East London
(b) FAMILY DAY: 25 JULY at St Albans East London.
(c) GLOBAL DAY of prayer 30 May 2009 for the relaunch of the Johannesburg Transformation Movement at His people Church in Parktown North JHB
(d) Week of prayer for Christian Unity 21-31 May 2009. Information brochures were sent with last Ad Clerum.
As we move around the diocese we are amazed by your love for God, your hospitality, cleanliness (church property management), vibrancy and generosity. We pray that God may continually pour His grace upon you as we minister together in the body of Christ in our lovely diocese.

Grace and peace.

Yours in the service of Shepherd of Shepherds

Bishop Ebenezer Ntlali