Synod to meet

The Synod of the Diocese of Grahamstown is to meet in East London from 20-23 April 2010.

Bishop Ebenezer will be sending summonses to clergy, parishes and organisations.

Holy Cross Monastery opens school

By Brother John Forbis OHC

On 13 January, as all the other children in the nation were heading back to school, the Order of the Holy Cross opened a pre-school on the monastery property. The Brothers are both thrilled and awed by the unimaginable opportunity this will provide for our young people in the rural area surrounding the monastery.

      Twelve children came in cold, rainy, foggy weather in their uniforms of red t-shirts and blue jeans, with wide eyes. One of them wept when her mother left her. But Ntombekaya Myeki, the school’s experienced teacher, wasted no time in welcoming them warmly and introducing them to the Brothers in their habits.

An official from the Department of Education in Bhisho visited them on 15 January, the third morning of classes, and said that she was very excited by what she saw. She would report favourably to the Department, recommending that the school be allowed to register once the application has been completed.

The Brothers had been planning to be ready by January 2011. But Ntombekaya, who has expertise with young pre-schoolers, was all ready to go. Wonderfully generous gifts had arrived from many, who shared the Brothers’ vision of giving poor rural children the best education they can have. The After-School building was available in the mornings. So they thought, “Why wait?”

The long history of the Order has involved the establishment of schools in Connecticut and Tennessee in the United States and in Bolahun, Liberia. Some of the monks have taught or provided spiritual direction for students at seminaries and schools in New York, California, Ghana and Canada as well. So, the OHC here is continuing the Order’s tradition of sowing more seeds of learning here in Grahamstown.

In their experience with the After-School Programme and with the children supported by their Scholarship Fund, they thought that it was important to offer children a good, solid learning foundation early. Children who do not have that foundation struggle a great deal when they are older.

More funding will be needed, both for maintenance and for future building. The hope is to add a grade each year up to Grade 3. Each time a grade is added, more space and facilities will be needed.

The Brothers ask you to pray for the little ones, for Ntombekaya and for them, as they continue their plans for the school and the next steps forward.

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Ukhahlamba Diocese fails to elect bishop:

8 Feb Synod of Bishops to decide

The Elective Assembly for the Diocese of Ukhahlamba, which met in Queenstown on 21 January, failed to agree on a person to be the first Bishop of the new Diocese. The Assembly agreed to ask the Synod of Bishops of the ACSA, which meets on 8 February, to make the decision.

The last time an Elective Assembly in the Diocese of Grahamstown failed to elect a Bishop was at the end of 2001, when a new Suffragan Bishop was sought, to take special responsibility for the Northern Region (now Ukhahlamba). The Synod of Bishops chose Thabo Makgoba, who went on to become Bishop of Grahamstown, and is now Archbishop of Cape Town.

Prayers are asked for the Bishops as they take responsibility for this important decision, and for the Diocese of Ukhahlamba as they wait for the result. 

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Bishop Ebenezer writes...

Epiphany in 2010

Dear People of God

Greetings from God, who is our Creator, our Redeemer and our Sustainer!

     By the time you read this, we will have entered 2010, the year the whole of Africa has been looking forward to! The Soccer World Cup is coming to Africa and therefore the World Cup will be leading the rest of the world to us with all its joys and challenges.

     How things have changed, since the time “a star led the wise men to an Infant who is the Light of the world” (APB Collect:159), indicating the epiphany of our Lord.

This season of Epiphany is the time we celebrate the fact that Jesus was revealed to the world through the interaction of the wise men, who brought gifts to the Infant, Jesus. These wise men travelled far to acknowledge the birth of a King, “whose star they have seen in the east” (Matt 2:2). They understood the sign and knew that Jesus was indeed a king and therefore they “bowed down and worshipped him” (Matt 2:11). Through this action, they were the first of the wider world to be introduced to Jesus, the incarnate Christ.

We are therefore called to share Jesus Christ with the world – share the way of Jesus with others. The way of Jesus is unconditional love and acceptance – being in relationship with others. As people of Africa, we come from a tradition of connectedness, and therefore Christians in Africa could teach the rest of the world about caring for each other and also for our planet. It comes naturally for us to care about each other. As the world prepares to visit Africa for the World Cup, let us grab this opportunity to teach the rest of the world about caring, and taking care of others.

There are thousands of orphans and vulnerable children who need to feel that they belong somewhere and that there are people who care. We are a church which is infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and have many families who are in need of support and care. May 2010 be the year for us to show that we are people who believe that we are all connected to each other – we are the “Body of Christ” and we can work together for all people to feel loved and accepted.

In order for us to take care of ourselves and support those who are desperate, we need to give to God the little we have and God will bless it and multiply it so that the multitudes can be fed just as Jesus did in Matthew 14:13-18. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled…” (Matt 14:19-20). May 2010 be a year where we first give to God and God’s church in order for the work of God to be done.

The star, a light in the darkness led the wise men to Jesus, the light of the world. May 2010 be a year where as a Diocese we all strive to follow the way of Jesus and love and accept all, so that we will become lights to this world. If we all start this year with Jesus as our Saviour and Redeemer, and we all stand together side by side, we together with the other people of the continent will be able light up all of Africa. When the rest of the world then starts moving to us (Africa) for the Soccer World Cup, they will be able to share in the light of Christ and feel the accepting love of God.

May God bless us all during this time of Epiphany and throughout 2010.

Grace and Peace

+Ebenezer 

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Sun and fun for kids at East London Archdeaconries' HIV-AIDS Programme party

By Zanele Ngubo

The East London Archdeaconries HIV & AIDS Programme hosted an enjoyable, sunny and fun Christmas party for kids in the East London area on 12 December at Orient Beach.

In the photograph we see some of the 190 children with Archdeacon Mpumlwana, the Revd and Mrs Matshaya and one of the sponsors.

In addition to the donations made by each congregation, this  event was sponsored by:

Beares, Ideal Butchery, Star Bread, Mandrin  Parlour in Buffalo Flats, Jumpin Castle, and by members of the committee who donated drinks, and face painting.

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Lent appeal 2010: Theological Education and Training

The Bishop of Grahamstown, Ebenezer Ntlali, has announced that the Lent Appeal of 2010 is to be for Theological Education and Training. He writes:

“Theological Education is a priority in our Diocese, which includes the training of Priests and Deacons, and placing self-supporting clergy at the College of the Transfiguration for spiritual formation. We urge parishes to be generous towards this appeal.”

Above: the Chapel at the College of the Transfiguration; Mzikazi Mfenyana (r, then a self-supporting priest) and other students assigned  to the Cathedral, at the blessing of a church garden.

Below: Noluthando Gixana (front) with fellow students while training at COTT. Zweni Nqoko being ordained by Bishop Ebenezer.

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St Saviour's Choir comes of age 

By Bill Gould

Sunday, 29 November 2009 saw the choir of St Saviour’s Church, East London, perform a challenging Christmas Carol service after deciding, just three months earlier, that it should see what it was capable of. Weekly practices became daily ones as the deadline inexorably approached.

From the early Church plainsong “Of the Father’s love begotten” to the Xhosa “Zithunywa zanga-phezulu” (“Angels from the realms of glory”) including well-known and lesser known English and isiXhosa hymns, involving a solo, a double quartet, separate male and female voices as well as exciting four-part harmonies, the choir challenged itself, singing unaccompanied, to make a statement that it was a legitimate choir, not just a group who sat and sang together during the weekly Sunday service.

While originally the vision of choir leaders Mike Mangisa and Zuki Ngani, achievement demanded the buy-in and commitment over several months of the 26 choristers who performed to a level to which they had not previously aspired.

As in any maiden performance, nervousness and anxiety were apparent. But these increasingly gave way to excitement and realization that we were performing as well as we had dared hope.

Sharing an afternoon tea with the audience/congregation afterwards, choir members beamed at each other knowing that the answer to the question that had exercised our minds since we had embarked on this venture was “Yes, we can”.

We did it: St Saviour’s choir after the Carol Service

Bill Gould, with one of the choir leaders Zuki Ngani, Rector Cynthia Webbstock, and organist Bobby Thomson.

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Bishop appeals for generous gifts to aid Haiti

Bishop Ebenezer Ntlali is urging parishioners in the Diocese of Grahamstown to support relief efforts in the Caribbean island state, Haiti, suffering devastation after a massive earthquake on 12 January. He writes: “The Diocese of Grahamstown is adopting the stand of ACSA to support the people of Haiti with reconstruction of the island as well as the restoration of people physically and emotionally.”

Donations can be sent to:

Account:   Bishop’s Discretionary Fund
Bank: First National Bank
Branch:    Grahamstown
Branch IBT Code: 210 717
Account number: 6201 2966828

The donations will be forwarded to the Episcopal Bishop of Haiti.

Collapsed: Even the three-storey National Palace in Port-au-Prince, official residence of Haiti’s President, was destroyed in the 12 January earthquake, along with thousands of more humble buildings, with huge loss of life. Photo: Agência Brasil.

Source of this picture: http://www.agenciabrasil.gov.br/media/imagens/2010/01/19/1901mc1032.jpg/view

In a letter to members of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa dated January 18, 2010, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba wrote:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus reminds us that anyone and everyone is our neighbour, especially those in need.

We have all watched in horror at the scenes on our television screens of the devastation suffered by the people of Haiti following the massive earthquake on 12th January. They are our neighbours in great need now. 

There are two important ways in which we can help our sisters and brothers there. 

We can continue to pray for them – for those who have died and their families and friends, for those who have lost their homes and their livelihood, for those who are still missing or trapped, and for the injured and those who are caring for them.

And we can share our resources with them – however large or small...

The tiny country of Haiti is only just recovering from a deadly hurricane which hit the island in 2008, leaving 800 people dead and 150,000 displaced. The current estimates of the human tragedy there now are much worse – possibly 200,000 dead and 3 million people, almost a third of the population, directly affected.

Haiti is by far the poorest and least-developed country in the western hemisphere, with more than half of its people living on less than $1 per day, and 80% living on less than $2 per day. One-third of its children are malnourished and 500,000 cannot go to school. The unemployment rate is estimated to be 60 percent.

The Diocese of Haiti (which is part of the Episcopal Church) serves between 100,000 and 150,000 people in 168 congregations. There are less than 40 active clergy, most of whom serve multiple congregations in urban and rural areas. We have had news that the Bishop and his wife are safe, though she suffered some injuries when their home collapsed. The Cathedral, nearby convent and other diocesan buildings suffered major damage, as well as some outlying schools and churches. Several people were killed while taking part in a church service when the earthquake struck...

I would ask you to be as generous as possible as we reach out to our sisters and brothers in this time of their great need. Through our prayers and our giving, we can make a difference.

God bless..

Yours in the service of Christ,

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From the Department of Spirituality:

Finding Jesus in the Temple

Counted, then mysteriously  unaccounted for,
Deus obsconditus!
already hidden in our humanity,
lost child playing at double hide-and-seek,
hiding still today, who would have thought,
in the Temple heart
of the least of his brethren.

Here, there, everywhere and nowhere,
where wisdom whispers
in an ever questing world
that cannot hear, that searches
in all the wrong
none-of-your-business places.

Learning to rhyme and play again
with prayer, seeing around
and between the legs of adults, creeping
on all fours, behind doors
and under stairs where cobwebs
monopolize the air, and he
holding icon-still his breath,
for once the light at one with darkness,
eludes our searching
which we did not distinguish
from the finding, having lost
ourselves most blessedly in play.

Anon

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Ordination of three deacons, five priests 

On 16 December 2009 Bishop Ebenezer ordained three deacons (two of them from the Diocese of Ukhahlamba) and five priests in the Cathedral of St Michael & St George Grahamstown. Family and friends gathered from the Dioceses of Grahamstown and Ukhahlamba and further afield.

Those ordained for the Diocese of Grahamstown were: Deacon: Nokulunga Smaile (Zwelitsha).

Priests: Fanele Simanga (Zwelitsha), Simphiwe Mnukiso (St Augustine Grahamstown), Noluthando Gixana (the Cathedral), Vanessa Murray (St Paul’s Port Alfred and Bathurst) and Randall Gallant (King William’s Town).

Those ordained deacon for Ukhahlamba Diocese were: Mlungisi Sihoyi (St David Queenstown) and Zweni Nqoko, who will serve at St Michael Queenstown and St Alban Cathcart. Nqoko is pictured above with his daughters Isibuyisele (l) and Siyasanga.

Go into all the world and make disciples… must be the motto of St John & St Chad’s Zwelitsha, a parish which has produced many clergy in recent years. Among them are Mzikazi Mfenyana (left), now Rector of St Philip’s in East London, and newly ordained priests Fanele Simanga (back, at the Bishop’s right), and Noluthando Gixana (right). They posed after the service with Zwelitsha parishioners and Bishop Ebenezer, the immediate past Rector of St John & St Chad’s.

Happy new Priests: Randall Gallant, Assistant Priest at Holy Trinity King William’s Town and Noluthando Gixana from the Cathedral, after their ordination.

More Ordination photos

A full portfolio of Ordination photos taken by Chris Walwyn may be viewed at Kodak Express, High Street, Grahamstown, and copies may be ordered for printing. Part of the proceeds will go to Cathedral funds.

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PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND - ISRAEL / EGYPT

13 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER 2010

(exact dates to be confirmed)

Come and be part of this exciting experience, walking in the footsteps of Jesus!

Contact Desrae Lazarus
Tel: 082 851 7325 (cell)
043 733 9775 (home)
043 726 4891 (work)
Email: desrae_L@yahoo.co.uk

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AIDS Ministries

Nahoon parishioners bring good cheer to Isibindis

Four parishioners from St Michael’s Nahoon visited the Isibindis at Ilinge and Ezibeleni on 5 December. They travelled in two vehicles loaded with some R6,000 worth of goods donated by the parish and by the Interact Club of Hudson Park High School. In these extracts from articles written for the parish magazine, Alida Batty and Shirley Baxter give their impressions of the visits.

Alida Batty wrote ...

We were warmly received by Monica and Heidi, their caregivers and some of the children. Others trickled in during the course of the morning to join in the activities. I was most encouraged to see that all activities were well-managed and supervised and that everything was functioning like a “well-oiled machine”.

The children were so well cared for and I was most impressed with their self-discipline. Many of them have been emotionally scarred due to their home circumstances. Some, therefore, would require some kind of psychological intervention. The care-givers would identify the children and then send them to suitably trained professionals or organisations. Dealing with such a large group of children can be a very challenging task!

All of us at St Michael’s and Hudson Park High School can be reassured that our contributions were very gratefully received and would be used wherever needed the most.

Shirley Baxter wrote ...

Both Isibindis we visited are on church land. At Ezibeleni the Parish Council donated the Rectory which serves as an office, kitchen, school rooms, etc. The double garage was doubled in size for a big class room. Each Isibindi cares for some 600 children. There were about 60 at each establishment to greet us. As it was a Saturday the children have chores to do. They are both disciplined and older than I expected.   

The children sang, recited, danced (gumboot dances too) played the drums and also marimbas. Two of the bigger boys go to school at Adelaide and one has had lessons in marimba and musical instrument making at a workshop in Grahamstown. The children at Ezibileni were playing with a colourful circular sheet bouncing a plastic ball.

The child-care workers explained to us how they were trained and how they come alongside orphan families teaching them life skills, relationships, and setting them on a path for schooling and careers. The diminished nuclear family is retained rather than adoption or institutions. The villagers get together and help too. There is a most caring, loving, dedicated atmosphere altogether.

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Grahamstown Churches help the needy and vulnerable children

By the St Augustine’s Churchwardens

The Sinikithemba Project, which is run and administered jointly by women from St Augustine’s and St Philip’s Churches, is doing a sterling job in helping orphans, the needy and vulnerable children around Grahamstown, regardless of faith or religious affiliation. These women, led by Mesdames Klaas, Jela, Gojela, Mahamehlala and Mageza from St Augustine’s, and Mesdames Hashe and Nqweniso from St Philip’s, source and organise food and school uniforms, and other necessities, for identified needy children in the area.

A church garden produces food which they cook for the poor and needy. Recently, through the assistance of NGOs, they have managed to distribute school uniforms for needy children from different schools in the area. Mrs Donyeli from Fingo Village commented, “I am over the moon over what Mrs Klaas of St Augustine’s has done for my two kids by giving them school uniforms. Thanks to St Augustine’s for this initiative”.

Thanks to the help of Umthathi Training Project, these capable mothers have secured big water tanks for the supply of water to the church gardens. They also secured land from the neighbouring school, N V Cewu Senior Primary, for an extra garden which is also bearing fruit for the vulnerable. “May this partnership and relationship grow from strength to strength” said N V Cewu Principal, Mr A A Ndyolashe. The garden was blessed on Sunday morning 15 November 2009 by St Augustine’s priest Mluleki Mize, in the presence of church parishioners. The Revd Mize praised Mrs Klaas and her team for the wonderful work they do, in providing for these downtrodden communities. The churchwardens of St Augustine’s Church extended their word of heartfelt gratitude to all involved. “Yeyele mawethu!”

Bless this garden… Mluleki Mize, then priest at St Augustine’s Grahamstown, blessed a food garden started by the Sinikithemba Project to help feed AIDS orphans and the needy.

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Umbuliso uyakubulisa...

For prayer:

Death of Malcolm Summers

The husband of Sharon Summers, one of the priests at St Alban East London, died on 9 September 2009. Malcolm, a plumber for many years with Nestlé, took early retirement due to his failing health. He bore his long last illness bravely, and inspired those who visited him by praying for them. He loyally supported Sharon in her ministry, and was much loved in the parishes where she served. Prayers are asked for Sharon, their two sons, daughter-in-law and grandson.

Chris Dano’s son dies

Please pray for Chris Dano, retired former Rector of Peddie, and his wife Noluntu, on the death of their son Mzamo Welcome. Please pray also for Mzamo’s wife Cwayita and their three children.

Priest’s killer sentenced

Bongani Paulos, convicted of murdering the Revd Clive Newman at the College of the Transfiguration last November, was sentenced in the Grahamstown High Court on 8 December to 12 years in prison for the murder, and a further four years, (not concurrent) for the theft of Newman’s car and other goods. Continue to pray for Clive’s family.

Link Diocese Bishop elected an Archbishop

Colin Johnson, the bishop of our Link Diocese of Toronto in Canada, was elected in October to be Metropolitan (senior bishop) of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, an area which includes seven dioceses.

Archbishop Johnson will remain the chief pastor of the Diocese of Toronto, with additional duties for the Province. Unlike in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, in the Province of Ontario the Metropolitan serves for a period of six years but is eligible for re-election.

Archbishop Johnson, who has been Bishop of Toronto since 2004, has visited the Diocese of Grahamstown twice, first in August 2005 to sign the agreement which sealed the Link between his diocese and this one, and then for the installation of Bishop Ebenezer Ntlali in September 2008.

Clergy move

Lawrence Nzwana, formerly Bishop’s Vicar of Ukhahlamba, has been appointed Rector of St Augustine Grahamstown, and took up his duties on 24 January. Pray for him and his wife Nosipho.

Congratulations to our graduates

Graduated: Many families throughout the diocese are rejoicing as the hard work of their young people is crowned with academic success. One such is the family of Bishop’s Chaplain George van der Merwe, seen here with his son Deon, who obtained a degree in accounting science from UNISA. From left the van der Merwes are: George, Deon, Danielle (Deon’s wife) and his mother Maria.

London Choir visits Cathedral

On 10 January in the Cathedral there were large congregations at morning and evening services when the singing was led by the Choir of the Chapel Royal from the Tower of London. The visit of this premier British choir was made possible by David Stout, one of their number who is the son of the Cathedral organist and music director, Wilf and Barbara Stout. The choir, which sang exquisitely, travelled with their own organist Andy Arthur and Director Colm Carey, as well as the Chaplain of the Chapel Royal Roger Hart, who preached at the evening service.

Beefeater: The most colourful member of the touring party was Richard Sands, Senior Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London, wearing his historic black and red regalia (Yeoman Warders are commonly known as “Beefeaters”.)

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