My dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Many thanks for your hard work, by which you allow God in His Son Jesus
Christ to work through you in the power of the Holy Spirit. May you always
be strengthened and given courage to do God’s work in joy, love and peace.
We urge you always to read continuously our Diocesan Vision, Mission and
Strategic Goals while you follow your own in your Parishes so as to avoid
conflicting interest and to promote harmony. It is always said that unity is
strength, and our Diocesan Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals unite us as
we minister together in God’s Vineyard.
Stewardship and Giving has been our own programme which we adopted following
our Diocesan Vision through our Strategic Goals to fix the Diocesan finances
in order to be able to do God’s Mission.
Family Day on 25th July 2009
We are expecting all parishes to come and worship together to express our
love for God and for each other as members of the Diocesan Family. How
wonderful it is for the brethren to dwell together in God’s love. Thus
worshipping together as a Diocese we give generously through our Parish
targets which are love gifts in order to endow our Ministry Endowment Fund.
We want to assure you your contributions are well used towards Jesus’
ministry. It has been helpful to have three ordinands and four
self-supporting clergy in the College of Transfiguration so that our
parishes may get well trained leaders.
We are also grateful for the funds that we get from Biko Bowcott Trust and
the gift from the Diocesan Bishop of Toronto, Bishop + Colin Johnson that
also helps to educate our Ordinands at the College of Transfiguration, and
bequests that we get from our dedicated parishioners towards Theological
Education are very helpful. We pray that Family Day as it is an expression
of our unity may be taken seriously by all of us and through our love gifts
we may reach our budget of R280,000.00.
Gala Dinner: 18th September 2009
We need to be reminded that we agreed in one of our meetings to expand our
income stream besides assessment so as to avoid deficits. We know that
whilst we are doing the programme of Stewardship and Giving which is
encouraging us to take and to do generosity giving, that has not yet assisted
us to meet the Diocesan needs for God’s mission. Therefore the Gala Dinner’s
income will be able to assist us to do God’s mission especially our Social
Responsibility towards God’s People. Secondly, it will assist us to stop
borrowing Trust Funds in doing God’s Mission. Thirdly, In the Gala Dinner we
will be launching our new Diocesan Company that will enable us through
highly skilled people to refocus us as the Diocese in doing the following
programmes:
· In using our own heritage for food production
· Education and training support
· Heritage sites Conservation and Restoration
· Support of the clergy in its outreach programmes
· Tourism and heritage promotion
· Agriculture and Rural Development
· Health and Welfare
· Generally undertake programmes aimed at employment creation and poverty
reduction within the community through our Mothers’ Union, Bernard Mizeki,
AWF, Youth and Junior Church in God’s Mission.
We humbly request that each parish may sell ten (10) tickets in order to
have a table that will be seating ten people for your parish. Each parish is
allowed to use its own creativity to fundraise the R15,000.00 in buying and
selling of ten tickets. It can also use the model of “Umjikelo”. This will
also assist us in meeting the costs of the dinner. Be encouraged to buy more
than one table and extra tickets. Feel free to invite and sell the tickets
to your friends in order that we achieve our objectives in meeting our
Diocesan needs in serving the people of God.
In the Gala Dinner we will also be piloting a project of acknowledging our
own achievers. We will be writing a letter to all parishes to give us a list
of the people whom they think need to be acknowledged and affirmed for their
hard work in serving God in their parishes, Diocese and also to think about
other people in our community who need to be acknowledged and affirmed by
the church for their hard work in serving God’s people. Whilst you are
waiting for our letter, could you start brainstorming about such people.
Important dates
Diocese of Grahamstown
1. Family day – 25th July 2009 at St Alban’s EL
2. Gala Dinner on 18th September 2009 at Abbotsford EL Christian Centre at
17h00 for 18h00
3. Retreat
a. Weekday retreat:
8-11 September 2009
b. Weekend
retreat: 9-11 October 2009
We are calling upon all clergy to take these retreats very seriously with
their spouses as we also need spiritual feeding as we feed others.
Do make a choice of date with your spouse. Attendance is compulsory.
Submit your names to our Secretary, Nobuntu in the Bishop’s Office before
the end of August. That will enable us to arrange accommodation timeously.
4. Pray for the Synod of Bishops which will be on the 07 – 09 September 2009
and 10 - 12 September 2009 will be the PSC
Newly proposed Diocese of Ukhahlamba
1.Classic Dinner on 28th August 2009
2. Family day on 29th August 2009
3. Inauguration of Diocese of Ukhahlamba on 3rd October 2009
4. Elective Assembly on 21st January 2010
Election of Lay Canons and Clergy Canons
This is to remind you, in our May Month Ad Clerum, we included the letter of
the Dean in which we as Chapter mandated him, together with our Cathedral
Chancellor Canon Bill Domeris, to write to all parishes to nominate people
whom they have prayed for to be the Canons of the Cathedral of our Diocese.
We continue to invite Parish and Archdeaconry Council to nominate suitable
communicant lay persons for the two seats available. Kindly forward these
names to Nobuntu in the Bishop’s Office so that our Dean may forward these
nominations to Chapter in order to finish the process.
We also invite licensed Clergy in Priest Orders to nominate suitable priests
to serve as Canons. Once the nominations have been received, a postal
election will be held as to choose our new Canons.
We will be praying for the whole process that through you and your support,
God may give us suitable Lay Canons and Priest Canons. Treat this
prayerfully and as urgent.
Clergy leave
Be reminded that clergy leave must be arranged with your Archdeacon through
the office of the Bishop. Could you fill in your leave forms which you will
get from the Diocesan Administrator in consultation with the Archdeacon and
send them to the Bishop for approval. Do read the Acts of the Diocese so as
to see how much time are you allowed in your leave. This will assist us in
such a way that our parishes are not neglected without arrangements.
Archdeacons must arrange their leave with the Bishop.
Clergy Moves
We want to congratulate Archdeacon Moses Thozamile Madywabe who has been
appointed by Bishop in chapter to be responsible for development and
training in the new proposed Diocese of Ukhahlamba. He will also be Rector
of St David Queenstown with St Cuthbert Molteno with effect 1st August 2009.
Nevertheless the actual move will be 1st December 2009 in the meantime he
will do Alice, St David and Ukhahlamba. We know that Archdeacon Moses with
his vast experience, love, humility and commitment will make him a gift and
a blessing to St David and Ukhahlamba as well.
In consultation with Archdeacon Mark Spyker, the churchwardens and council
of St Johns Parish East London, we have placed Fr. William Nkomo SSM as
Acting Rector of St John's East London in the interregnum. We pray that God
may bless Fr. Nkomo in the new ministry he has begun.
Licensing of Archdeacons
We give thanks to God for the advice of chapter that Archdeacons may be
licensed in their archdeaconries and this is working out very well.
On the 24th May 2009 we instituted Archdeacon Mzoxolo Doda as Rector of St
John and St Chad Zwelitsha and also licensed him as Archdeacon of King
Williams’ town.
We have licensed Archdeacon Robin Murray as Archdeacon of Albany on the 14th
June 2009 in St Paul’s church Port Alfred.
On 12th July 2009 in St Francis Mdantsane, Archdeacon Mpumlwana was also
licensed as Archdeacon of East London central.
In all these services it was good to witness the vibrancy, joy, peace, love,
fellowship, warm welcome and hospitality as well as excellent attendance.
Chaplaincies
This is to inform you that in our last Chapter meeting we have made the
following appointments:
§ The Reverend Themba Phillip as Diocesan Youth Chaplain
§ Reverend S. Magxwalisa as AWF Diocesan Chaplain
§ Reverend W.Fobosi as Mothers’ Union Diocesan Chaplain
All with effect 14th May 2009. We thank God for the ministry performed by
various guilds in our Diocese. We hope and pray that these chaplains will
represent God's love in Christ as they minister in the mentioned guilds.
Gender Desk
Be informed that we have appointed the Reverend Mzikazi Mfenyana as the
Diocesan Coordinator for Gender Desk. We pray that God may endow Mzikazi
with the necessary wisdom as she leads this desk in our Diocese.
Theological Education Sunday - 16th August 2009
The College of the Transfiguration is the only seminary we have in the
Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It is doing an excellent work by
training future leaders of our church. We humbly ask you donate all your
offerings on the above mentioned date into the College of the
Transfiguration account with thanksgiving for the gift of theology. For bank
details click here
Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals
We call upon all our parishes to submit their vision, mission and strategic
goals statement to the Bishop's office in order that we may consolidate them
with that of the Diocese and send them to the Archbishop's office in Cape
Town. Our closing date is the 25thAugust 2009.
News from St Andrew's College
We are pleased to inform you that the Headmaster (Mr. Paul Eddy) and his
council have done renovations to one of their residences called ‘Graham
House’ and restored it to its former glory. May the Lord's name be praised
for such a leadership.
Appointments
We in Chapter have appointed the Reverend Canon Louis Flint to be the
Archdeacon of East London East in consultation with the clergy of East
London East. We pray that God may bless Louis in the new ministry as he
assists us as we share the Episcopate.
Lent
This is to remind you that we agreed as the Diocese to support Bernard
Mizeki Scenery Park for the building of their church. At the moment they are
worshipping in a tent which is very cold especially this winter. Could you
pay all your Lent contributions into the Diocese so that we are able to pay
it out to the church at Scenery Park for their building construction.
National Arts Festival
It was a great blessing to witness how the Very Reverend Andrew Hunter
together with his team, the manner in which they participated with their
SpiritFest programmes in the National Arts Festival; they had excellent
programmes that in the midst of the festival activities God is glorified. It
also provided a space for prayer, worship, listening to God's word in
services which results in spiritual strengthening. We were blessed by the
presence of Archbishop Thabo, Lungi, Paballo and Nyakallo, who came to
Grahamstown to spend part of their annual leave at the National Arts
Festival. In one of the programmes that we attended, we were touched by some
of the items that were sung by the Cathedral Choir which are sung in the
Eucharist service. It was superior to listen to the history of each item
that was sung.
We thank God for the National Arts Festival which creates space for human
beings to express their creativity, on the other hand it also boost the
economy of Grahamstown. To the SpiritFest team, Cathedral Choir and the
Cathedral congregation we want to say “WELL DONE!!”
Trafficking of women, girls and children
This has been a world’s problem. Dr Lesley Ann Foster who worships at Good
Shepherd East London who is leading Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre is
conducting many workshops to bring awareness of this trafficking of women,
girls and children which is becoming aggressive as we approach the World Cup
of 2010. We call upon parents to join this awareness campaign and to advise
your children about this. We are pleased that the Mothers’ Union is
attending these workshops.
HIV/Aids Ministry
This is to inform you that one of our Priests, Revd Noelene Arends has been
assisted by the Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre under the able leadership
of Dr Lesley Ann Foster to go to US, Los Angeles, California to be empowered
for HIV/Aids Ministry for empowering our people in our own Diocese. Noelene
is away from 1st – 31st July 2009. Please do pray for her.
Anglican AIDS Health Care Trust, Vana Vatu (OVC) Programme
This is to inform you about the training on parenting which will be
facilitated by Fr. Desmond Lambrechts from AAHT Cape Town from the 20th to
23rd July 2009 for three Dioceses (Grahamstown, Port Elizaberth, Umzimvubu)
running the OVC programme in the Eastern Cape. The venue will be East
London, for further information: Canon Ntsiki Lubelwana: 082 323 7028 / 072
981 1953.
We give thanks to God for the ministry of Canon Ntsiki Lubelwana, together
with her team for the ministry of caring for the orphans in our Diocese.
"67 minutes for Madiba" call
We want to thank the President of South Africa to honour our former
President of South Africa Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela that from the
birthday of 18 July 2009 and his future birthdays will be honoured in South
Africa. It was amazing to see how the world has embraced this honour and it
also fascinating to see how Dr Mandela responded to this honour by asking it
not to be a holiday but a working day. Therefore it is a call that each and
every South African may work for 67 minutes to uplift human society and
environment in whatever way in South Africa. This reminds us that even in
the biblical perspective God never created us to be lazy, and we still need
to educate, train and instil the work ethic in our dear South Africans.
Our director of Tshwaranang and his team responded very well to the call
made by Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, in that response they visited Rowell
Old Age Home, Mlungisi together with their care workers, they assisted by
bathing 25 bedridden old people. They also did the cleaning and the cooking
for the day. We thank God as a Diocese for our social responsibility for
what Tshwaranang has done to the Rowell Old Age people. It is a true saying
that the “needy” need not our pity and shame but they need our help our
love, tenderness and service (“Mother Teresa of Culcutta" by Gonzaless
Balado).
Archbishop Thabo's Message …..To The People Of God - To The Laos July
2009
We are struck by Archbishop Thabos’ writing that “it is energizing to hear
reports from the communion networks which include women, families, youth
interfaith colleges and universities, peace and justice and the environment”
therefore we want to emphasize that each parish must engage with the
diocesan programmes to see to it that such a ministry is exercised.
We are also advised by Archbishop Thabo for the wonderful meeting they had
as members of the ACC. It is good for the Anglican Communion to have such
instrument that opens up a dialogue to review our common life as Anglicans.
These kinds of forums will enable us to overcome even those that divide us,
therefore let us continue to pray for the ACC and also read about its
efforts. Let us continue to pray for Archbishop Thabo as he represents us in
these various bodies of the world wide Anglican Communion.
Vacant Parishes
§ St John East London
§ St Martin-by-the-Sea East London
§ St Michael Herschel
§ St Philip Gompo
§ St Clement Grahamstown
All our clergy and those from outside the Diocese are welcomed to apply for
these vacancies; we commend all these parishes to your prayers.
Diocesan Company
This is to inform you about the progress of the establishment of the
company: we are still busy with the legal aspect of it, kindly pray for the
processes. The other thing to mention is that, Grahamstown South will have
its own company in which DSR will be part of it and Grahamstown North, we
have just learned that Tshwaranang has already been registered as section 21
company.
Ukhahlamba News
Classic Fundraising Dinner will be held on the 28th August 2009 at Hangklip
Primary School Hall at 17:30h00 and the guest speaker will be Mr. Mandisi
Mphahlwa (Economic Adviser to the President of South Africa).
Family Day will be on the 29th August 2009 at 10:00 am at the parish of St
Peter's Zibeleni. All donations for Ukhahlamba will be expected at the
Classic Gala Dinner.
Tshwaranang (A New Company)
This is to inform you that Tshwaranang had an NPO status and its board
applied for a section 21 company. In our Diocesan councils it was given the
go-ahead. The documents have now come that show that it is a section 21
company. Nevertheless the programmes that we had for the company will also
be the programmes that will be added to the Tshwaranang Company.
Congratulations to all our Diocesan people for these achievements
For us to succeed, we need to pray for these initiatives. As a Diocese let
us join hands and continue to pray that God may do His work through us in
the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Be kind to one another tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God in
Christ forgave. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. As
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4: 32-5: 2)
Grace and Peace
+Ebenezer
Diocese of Grahamstown