Umbuliso
The Greeting
Newsletter of the Diocese
of Grahamstown
June-July 2006: Vol 29 No. 3
Stewardship &
Giving decade launched
Bishop Thabo writes:
Worship, Song and the Eucharist
New Rectory for St John
& St Chad Zwelitsha
DSR, AIDS Ministries to
join forces
Calling men of prayer:
Enquirers’ Week at OHC Monastery
Patronal/ Mothering Sunday/ Harvest Festival!
Self-supporting clergy
report published
The Wind of the Spirit (Ilinge
Children’s Project)
Umbuliso Uyakubulisa (short
news items and greetings)
Lady Grey Church
Centenary
No need
to beat the door down! Archdeacon of Aliwal North Chris Kokoali knows the Bishop will receive
an enthusiastic welcome at the celebrations for the 100th birthday of
By Ewart Collett,
Rector of Barkly East
On the last Sunday of April the Church of
the Ascension in Lady Grey celebrated its centenary, with Bishop Thabo Makgoba
presiding.
Research in the Cory Library in Grahamstown reveal that the foundation
stone (still visible) was laid on March 31st 1906 by the Revd Charles Usher
Wilson, rector of Aliwal North.
£550
was needed to build and furnish the church, and by the time of the dedication
service on 25 August 1906, most of this had been collected. A notable feature
of the foundation of the Church of the Ascension was the contribution of the
local Dutch Reformed Church: the plot on which the church stands was given by a
Mr and Mrs Coenraad Potgieter, and other contributions came from this source,
indeed “from all quarters”. The building includes two vestries, the second
intended as an overnight bedroom, complete with fireplace, for the use of
visiting clergy.
The
dedication service referred to above was presided over by
(Adapted from an article first published in the
Barkly East Reporter.)
Stewardship
& Giving decade launched
By
Ebenezer Ntlali
The
Diocesan Council meeting on 21 February endorsed a Decade of Stewardship and
Giving in the Diocese, with a focus on teaching and training in the
archdeaconries and parishes.
Why a Stewardship and Giving programme?
The
financial situation in our Diocese, of deficits and overdrafts, required the introduction
of a spiritual programme.
As members of the body of Christ, we are expected to be
stewards of God’s creation.
As stewards we have a responsibility to give a tithe to God.
Stewardship and Giving is a spiritual concept. We respond to
God’s grace by surrendering our lives, our time, our talents and our material
possessions to God and to one another.
The Stewardship and Giving
programme will run for a period of ten years, 2006 – 2016. A bible study
booklet will be launched at the Diocesan Family Day at St Saviour,
Diocesan Family Days
The
Stewardship and Giving Committee has recommended a target system for fund
raising. The Diocesan Family Day was therefore established, endorsed by the
Diocesan Council. At the Family Day the whole Diocesan family will come
together and express their unity in the form of joyful worship and fellowship.
In our thanksgiving to God we bring ‘love gifts’, to improve the diocesan
finances, and move away from deficits, arrears and overdrafts to self
sufficiency and prosperity for the extension of the
Without
Stewardship, Giving and Family days
Without the
programme of Stewardship and Giving the result will be spiritual poverty and
poor assessments. In this situation the Diocese will be unable to maintain
clergy stipends and run effective administration. Without a Ministry Endowment
Fund we will not be able to train clergy and may be faced with no full time staff
complement. In our Diocesan budget 2006 it is expected that contributions from
the Family Day 2006 will realise an amount of R354,600.
Failure to get this amount will take us back to deficits and overdrafts.
We, the
Stewardship and Giving Committee, together with the Diocesan Bishop and the
Diocesan Council pray with you that God may give us the necessary strength as
we journey together in love to make our Diocese a healthy one. We hope to meet
you at the Diocesan Family in
Van der Merwe new East London Archdeacon
George van der Merwe, who has been Rector of St
John’s
Bishop
Thabo writes: Worship, Song and the Eucharist
Dear People of God
We believe that Anglican identity is
expressed and formed through our liturgical tradition of corporate worship and
private prayer, holding in balance both word and sacramental celebrations.
My recent visits and worship at Canterbury
Cathedral and with the Synod of Bishops affirmed the
Each time the President of the Mass said “Draw near and receive the
body...” we felt this invitation to God’s grace, to be “in solidarity with
Christ” and to have his paschal meal, uniting us with all Christians all over
the world, drawn to this invitation. We felt nurtured and ready to go into the
world to be Christ’s ambassadors of justice, reconciliation, mercy, love and
peace.
Key to these worship celebrations was a high degree of order,
preparedness and a sense of awe and reverence, as well as joyous singing.
Bishop Quinlan captures this succinctly, and says: “Anglican worship
should be attractive, not because of the gimmicks used in the service, but
because something of the wonder of God’s presence is communicated in the service
itself. God, after all, is supremely attractive.” Does your worship,
celebration of the Word and Sacrament, convey God’s attractiveness?
Therefore, the next time you prepare to lead worship, pray, read a
lesson, sing and celebrate the Eucharist, remember that you are not only
expressing our (Christian) Anglican identity, but helping others to catch a
glimpse of the wonder and awe of God, to pledge solidarity with God, to
celebrate the Paschal Mystery. So do these well, and don’t be sloppy, rushed or too casual.
Useful tips
do not be anxious, but allow God
through the power of the Spirit, to use you in worship as in Ps 91:9, Matt
25:34.
be audible, as Peter was in Acts 2:14.
be prepared. Jesus was always prepared
(Luke 18:31 ff).
be still before service (plus/ minus
25 minutes). Jesus always created time to be quiet before any ministry.
pray and bring to God the needs of his
broken world (Phil 2:10-11).
May God bless you as you worship him in the
beauty of his holiness, and as you break the bread together.
New
Rectory for St John and St Chad
Beautiful
surroundings: The
new Rectory which was blessed by Bishop Thabo on Maundy Thursday. The
parishioners also arrived to take a tour for the first time.
By Ayanda Patela
The
Parish Council approved this purchase with the consent of the Diocesan Trust
Board. The old rectory in Zwelitsha is
in a bad state, particularly the electricity. Power surges were damaging the
household appliances and it needs rewiring. There are frequent and long water
cuts. The
*Place of
DSR
supports rape survivors
The trial
for rape of former Deputy State President Jacob Zuma
in
In the
statement, the Committee expressed "deep concern at the conduct of
the defence in the Zuma trial", and went on
to condemn "the detailed examination of the accuser with regard to
her life prior to the events of the trial and the minute medical detail."
The Committee was deeply concerned at "the conduct of those outside the
court building whose actions further humiliated the accuser, breached her right
to privacy and dignity, and was an affront to those who were present to
highlight injustice." The Committee warned that "the processes at
work within this trial are in real danger of closing the door on other people
in similar situations coming forward to access justice and report incidences of
abuse and rape." It condemned "the massive silence of the
political parties of the land, some youth Organisations, the HIV/AIDS
Organisations, many women’s Organisations and indeed most faith communities of
For full text of document click
here
While Jacob
Zuma stood trial for rape in
AIDS
Ministries, DSR to join forces
A unified and
better resourced diocesan initiative against HIV/ AIDS should be the result of
a decision of the Executive of Diocesan Council on 2 May.
Bishop
Thabo Makgoba described the decision to amalgamate the HIV/ AIDS work of the
Department of Social Responsibility, and the Diocesan AIDS Ministry committee,
as “good news”. This will bring together the strong AIDS Ministry Committee and
the established DSR structures which are well placed for fund-raising. Sharing
resources will avoid wastage and duplication.
Calling
men of prayer: October 3-8 Enquirers Week at the OHC Monastery
Br John OHC writes:
Have you noticed young men in your parish who seem to pray deeply or who have a particularly strong interest in their
spiritual development? Do they ask soul-searching questions about themselves?
Do you know of a young man who has a longing to seek a deeper knowledge of
himself and of God? Perhaps this man has a vocation to the monastic life.
We would like to alert all of you to
a special programme
that the monastery is hosting in October.
We invite all single men who are seeking a life of prayer to come to
Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery in Grahamstown for a week of exploration of the
Benedictine monastic life. The dates of
the programme are the 3rd to the 8th of October.
The participants will experience the
daily round of prayers
of the community as well as its work and ministry. The participants will learn some
of the wisdom offered by St. Benedict as expressed in his Rule. The
participants will also have opportunities to speak to the members of the
community getting first hand accounts about monastic life and how it is lived
today. And perhaps one young man will find his vocation as a monk of the Order
of the Holy Cross at Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery.
There is no fee for the week.
Three meals a day and all accommodation are provided by the monastery.
All one has to bring is comfortable and work clothes, a Bible and one’s desire
for God. We will provide the rest.
For more
information, visit the Monastery Web Site: http://www.umaria.co.za
News from
our Link Diocese, Toronto
See
Reporting
from Henrieta Paukov,
St James’
Cathedral Toronto became the first Anglican church in
As Stuart Mann, communications manager for the
Anglican Diocese of Toronto, said, “Many who want to attend Easter Sunday
service will be unable to, for a variety of reasons. That’s why we’re providing
this web cast, and making it available on our web site 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, for several weeks.”
The
service at St James’, which has been a place of worship since 1797, features
music by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Michael Bloss.
Colin Johnson, the Bishop of Toronto, presided, and Douglas Stoute,
the Dean of Toronto, preached.
The
web cast includes a ringing of the Bells of Old York, the only full set of 12
change-ringing bells in
See: http://events.onlinebroadcasting.com/anglican/041606/index.php
Patronal/
Mothering Sunday/ Harvest Festival!
By Kathy
Hardnick
St David’s Queenstown
combined the church’s Patronal Festival with Mothering Sunday and a Harvest
Festival on 23 March. This was the second time these festivals were combined.
There was great excitement as on Saturday the tables were laid and set out with
everything from a mop to veggies and fruit plus tinned stuff and cleaning
materials for the church. What a joy to give back to God out of the much that
he blesses us with. During the service the Sunday School
children and their teachers graced the mothers with beautiful posies made by
them all.
The Oldest
Parishioner at St
David’s, Mrs Sarah Adonis, celebrated her 98th birthday on 18 March with all
her children, grandchildren and the youngest great-grandchild whose father and
granny are also members at St David’s.
Plenty: Members of St David’s Queenstown
with some of the generous offerings at the Harvest Festival service on 23
March. They were joined by Elaine Harck from De Aar
and Hilda August from the
Self-supporting
clergy: causes for hope and concern in Harper Commission Report
A Bishop’s Commission chaired by Christopher
Harper has now completed the task given to it at Diocesan Synod last year,
looking into the needs and concerns of the many self-supporting clergy in the
Diocese of Grahamstown.
Nearly
all the 53 self-supporting clergy of the diocese filled in the carefully worded
questionnaire, or answered questions put to them over the telephone. After
meticulous scientific analysis of their responses, the Commission produced a
report, which is being circulated to all clergy and members of Diocesan
Council, and is available on the diocesan web site.
Joys and frustrations
The Commission found that “The primary attitude
of self-supporting clergy towards their ordination … was one of service and
joy”. However, they also experience frustrations, not only in some cases at
being denied the opportunity for full-time stipendiary ministry, but also in a
perception that there are paid clergy who consider the non-stipendiary clergy
“second-class”. These feelings are at times made worse by issues of gender and/
or race.
“The
importance placed on being trained at a theological college was puzzling to
some self-supporting clergy” the Report found, although those who had spent
some time in full-time training “believed that this was an invaluable learning
ground … about growing into their calling as clergy persons.”
Relationships
between self-supporting assistants and their rectors or priests-in-charge are
not always good. Some assistants claim they are denied the opportunity to
minister, and asked “why are you trying to take over the parish?” On the other
hand, there are those who feel they are overworked. “Unhealthy hierarchical
relationships within parish life remain an obstacle to development of all
clergy and the ability to fully minister to the needs of God’s people.
Team-based approaches to parish life were not common”.
The cost of ministry
A claim made at the 2005 Diocesan Synod that
stipendiary clergy sacrifice more than the non-stipendiary, was greeted by the
respondents to the questionnaire with reactions ranging from amusement at such
“ignorance” to anger. Although the low levels of stipends are a constant cause
for concern when compared to the salaries paid by other professions, the
Commission revealed that in this diocese 75% of the self-supporting clergy earn
less than the R7,000 per month which would be
equivalent to a stipend plus car allowance, and 14% of them have no income at
all.
Recommendations
Recognition and Validation of Ministry: Self-supporting clergy need the assurance
that they are recognised as persons called by God to
the ordained ministry. The role of the Diocesan Bishop is vital in this.
Challenging Stereotypes: God's Call; Gender; and Racism: The Diocese needs
to act to challenge the many stereotypes that both stipendiary and
self-supporting clergy hold about each other and the Diocese.
Support for the Self-Supporting: It is proposed that the Diocese appoint a
person to act as a link between the Diocese and the self-supporting clergy. The
person would be responsible for bringing the self-supporting clergy together, organising times of training and spiritual development in
conjunction with other Diocesan bodies and for hearing the needs of the
self-supporting clergy and providing advice and support where necessary.
Greater
care should be given to:
The placement and roles of self-supporting clergy
Their training, including ongoing training, which should include
correspondence courses to be developed by the Department of Training for
Ministries and the use of the diocesan web site.
Full-time Self-Supporting Clergy
should receive special attention. The Report suggests that where
self-supporting clergy are working full-time within a parish setting and their
income is less than the minimum stipend paid, then
this income should be topped-up to the level of the stipendiary clergy. These
clergy would become known as Partially-Supported Clergy. Parish assessments
would be increased to meet this cost. This would be administered by the Diocese
and their inclusion in such a programme would be
based on documentation provided on an annual basis by self-supporting clergy
concerning their financial position.
In conclusion the authors of the report say that their findings give them “both cause for hope and for concern. There
are issues that the Diocese needs to take forward and address. There is a need
for unity, understanding and commitment to each other's ministry amongst
stipendiary and self-supporting clergy.”
For full text of the
Report,
Click here
Congratulations
Lesley Ann Foster of Masimanyane
Women’s Support Centre was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Fort Hare at their recent graduation ceremony, in
recognition of the wonderful work done with women in the
Richard and Nomthunzi Jolobe celebrated their
25th wedding anniversary with a ceremony at St Philip’s Grahamstown on 14 May. Lindile Somandi, Bishop Thabo and
Canon Peter Mtuze were among the guests.
