Newsletter of the Diocese of Grahamstown
Easter 2006: Vol 29 No. 2
Farewell to Diocesan Secretary
Bishop
Thabo writes: the cleansing waves
Women’s
World Day of Prayer in Cathcart
St
Andrew’s MU visit adopted Ward
St
Mark’s and Christ Church East London MU branch
Umbuliso
Uyakubulisa (short news items and greetings)
Farewell
to Diocesan Secretary
Colleagues
at the Diocesan Office gathered on 10 February to say goodbye to the
former
Diocesan Secretary Ruth Loots over lunch in the
The search continues for a new
Diocesan Secretary. In the meantime, a former Diocesan Secretary Canon
James
Hoyle is acting as Diocesan Secretary, with the assistance of Zoleka
Maqwili.
James Hoyle appointed Acting Diocesan
Secretary
James
Hoyle was Diocesan
Secretary from October 1992 to the end of 1996, after which he was
Rector of Christ
Church Grahamstown. He retired at the end of 2001, but has returned to
the
Diocesan Office at the Bishop's request as Acting Diocesan
Secretary.
Dioce$an Finance$
From
the Acting Diocesan Secretary, Canon James Hoyle
As the audit for 2005
has not been completed, we are not able to report on the final figures.
As
far as one can see the picture looks very bright. Thank you to the
parishes who have paid, and more than paid
their assessments. You are
wonderful, and help the work of the Church to go forward.
If
your parish has fallen behind with the Assessment, think of God’s work
being
held up.
Keep
trying, as with God's help we can only succeed.
New lay member of Chapter
The Chapter
of the Diocese has elected Mrs Nontsikelelo
Elizabeth
Lubelwana from among names submitted by the
parishes,
to join Chapter as one of four lay members.
Nontsikelelo Lubelwana
has spent
a lifetime in the nursing profession, mostly with children, but more
recently
specialising in occupational health and safety. Even now when she is
officially
retired, she works part-time in this field for Dow Agro Sciences. She
has five
adult children.
She
lives in Ginsberg, near King William's Town, and is a member of the
parish of
Bishop Thabo writes…. The cleansing
waves
Dear People
of God
Greetings!
The waves at
On
this Sunday, the Third Sunday in Lent, we read from St John’s Gospel (Jn 2:13-25) about the cleansing of the Temple
(or the
Gentile section of the Temple) by Jesus Christ, who felt that the abuse
in the
name of religion and the Law that was happening in the Temple was not
in order.
The lesson further reminded us of the need at a personal level for our
own
cleansing, as we too are temples wherein God's Holy Spirit dwells.
So,
the sea cleansing itself, and Jesus, the new Temple, cleansing the "defiled" Temple, speak to us of our
need during Lent as the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says,
to look
clearly at ourselves and in penitence evaluate how far we are, in the
light of
God’s holiness and justice. Archbishop Rowan implores us to use the
time of
Lent as an opportunity to move more deeply and permanently in the areas
of our
lives that still resist God’s grace and this cleansing.
As
I write this article, sitting at
But
this article will be published in our Easter edition of Umbuliso,
and so
my prayer is that we will use Lent for our own cleansing, and to bring
to the
foot of the Cross our individual pain, the pain of those that are going
through
divorce at this time, or a breakdown in family life, the pain of those
who are
poor, and the pain of those who are unemployed; the pain of those who
have a
lot of material wealth but are unable to share adequately with those
that do
not have.
It
is my earnest prayer that when we bring to the foot of the Cross the
pain of
the people of Darfur, the pain of the people in the Middle East, the
pain of
the people in our rural areas, the pain of our environment suffering
from
global warming, we will resolve to make this world as God intends it to
be.
It
is my earnest wish also that as we celebrate the resurrection hope this
year,
we will celebrate this important milestone in our lives and in the life
of the
Church as people who are cleansed of our fears, and of our burdens, for
we
shall have brought our fears, our burdens, the needs of the world,
before the
foot of the Cross, and in penitence and repentance have prayed that God
in his
infinite mercy, through his grace, may empower us and renew us.
So,
Happy Easter to you all! I pray that we may live, act and point others
to the
Good News of Jesus Christ, who has overcome evil, darkness, fear and
death, and
is calling us his followers to imitate him in our daily walks of life,
to long
for holiness, to thirst for justice, and to call others to do likewise.
I pray
that his victory over death will break forcefully like the waves at
+Thabo
Kidds Beach
By
Aïda Esprey
The church was built in 1956 as a result
of the
amalgamation of two small farming congregations, St Andrew's Chalumna
and St Mary's Gulu,
when the surrounding farms had been
expropriated in early moves towards the formation of what became the "Ciskei Homeland". Ground was acquired in
the seaside village to build a replacement
church. After much sweat and tears the work was completed, at a cost of
£4,000.
The first wedding took place in an incomplete building.
Over the years the church has developed,
and
has been a focal point in a community which, as a holiday resort, fills
with
visitors from far-flung places. The congregation is grateful to all the
rectors
who, over the years, drew Christians together in worship, praise and
fellowship. "To God be the Glory."
On 18 March Bishop Thabo Makgoba and his
family, Archdeacon Colin Leslie and his wife, gathered with community
members for
a celebratory meal. The Eucharist service the next morning was presided
over by
Bishop Thabo and included members of All Saints, Greenfields.
What is the GTFS Mission
Area? Update
on exciting inter-diocesan initiative
By
Noreen Burton
At Diocesan
Synods in 2005, the dioceses of Grahamstown (GT) and the Free State
(FS) agreed
to undertake an exciting joint venture, to revitalise and minister to
the
Northern Region of Grahamstown Diocese and the Southern Region of Free
State
Diocese.
The
next step will be to find the right people as Canon Missioners, but
first the
financial situation had to be clarified, and three priests appointed.
Until the
parishes are in a position to support these priests, the two dioceses
need to
ensure that they can pay the stipends.
Free
State Diocese has appointed one priest, and hopefully will appoint a second by the
middle of this year. Free State Bishop Paddy Glover reports that there
is a
growing feeling of excitement in their Southern Region.
Grahamstown
Diocese has appointed the Revd Ruth Brandt (Loots) to Queenstown with
the
specific task of helping the parishes to get their finances in order,
by
teaching about stewardship and giving. She also has the job of
separating the
Northern Region's finances from the rest of
diocese.
The
body driving this process on behalf of the two dioceses is the Burton
Commission. Its meetings are founded on faith-sharing and prayer. At
the most
recent meeting in January it was agreed:
2006 will
be used for introductions, growth and development. In 2007 the Canon
Missioners
will be appointed.
The job
description for Canon Missioners should be finalised once the GTFS Area
has
grown and become more responsible – i.e. once the 'soil has been tilled' and we know what kind of 'farmer' is needed.
The budget
for the missionary area (which has been drawn up) will be revised once
a Canon Missioner is appointed. The area
will need sponsoring for a
while. Link Diocese funding is also being sought.
Workshops
on giving and financial management as well as on modern ministries are
being
planned.
Women’s World Day of Prayer in Cathcart
By
Monica Hobongwana
St Alban's Church was the venue
for the Women’s World Day of Prayer in Cathcart,
on 3 March.
The
service for the Woman’s World Day of Prayer is prepared by various
countries,
and this year it was done by
The
theme for the service was, 'Signs of the Times'. The service rotates round the various
denominations in Cathcart and it was the Anglican Church’s turn. The
church was
fairly full, with about 70 people attending, and it was wonderful to
hear the
singing of so many voices, and to know that they were joining the
millions of
others round the world, raised in song, worship and intercession.
What’s
going on at Tshwaranang?
The
Tshwaranang Northern Region Resource Centre is based at St Michael’s
Queenstown.
Typical
activities at the Centre are:
Workshops:
Organisations from around the diocese use the Library at the Centre for
workshops.
Computer
training:
Poverty
alleviation, especially relief to those affected by HIV/ AIDS
Library:
This was revamped last year and is used by computer and TEE students
among
others.
St
Mark’s
& Christ Church EL start MU branch
By B J Maselwa
Sunday the 5th of
March saw the opening of a new MU branch for St Mark’s
In
a solemn service, the congregation was challenged to spring-clean their
hearts.
The occasion was graced by the presence of MU members from different
parishes
in the archdeaconry, together with Diocesan President Noluthando Lucas
and
Deputy President Orie Pule.
Cultural activities were performed by various groups, with music
provided by
Thandi Mosotoane and Cikizwa
Mashologu, Lawrence Tutu and Lyn Wittstock.
In
welcoming the branch at Archdeaconry Level Maureen Dabula
commented about this historic event with its diversity in membership.
She
encouraged the members about the importance of praying which is the only weapon to
change the world. The President gave the background of MU and the unit
committees. She emphasised the beauty of a woman thus looking after
herself
properly, cleanliness and health consciousness.
The
Vision of the new Branch is, “To uphold Christian teachings in their
spiritual
journey, worshipping and praying together for families, communities and
the
less fortunate.” Their outreach
programme is already in place: Adoption of Mzokhanyo
High School,
Church shares land
Bholothwa
locals benefit from transfer of 100 hectares
Bholothwa agricultural
land is now in the final stages of transfer to local
beneficiaries.
On 18 January 2006 the 24 beneficiaries signed the agreed
Constitution in
the presence of Mr Ruiters, the regional
head of the
Department of Land Affairs.
The
transfer of 100 ha of land, which was donated to the diocese as
part of
the missionary settlement of
The
final signing of the Transfer is expected to take place in March in the
presence of Bishop Thabo as Chairperson of the Diocesan Trustees.
Anglican Youth, we are Called
By Sinethemba Hoshe
(St Philip’s
I think its
high time that we, as
the Youth that is already inside the house of God become more
introspective.
I
get the impression some young people come to church on Sundays to chat,
meet
friends, play with cell phones or show off their fashionable clothes.
But there
are also those who have committed themselves to Christ in a unique way.
The
main problem is with young people who are not called.
Matthew
10:1-20, makes a clear description of people who are called to the Word
of the Lord.
One thing is clear from the above scripture; one must obey the Gospel,
and
proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
Funnily enough, in some Churches young
people
act as if they are committed, and after they have been through the
Confirmation
process they leave the Church in arrears of the assessment. And some
just want
to witness how the Holy Sacrament tastes.
There are three stages that you must
consider
when you are called to the Word of the Lord. When you are called by
anyone,
you turn your attention to who is
calling you;
you attend to
what you are called for
and you listen, carefully.
And lastly
you follow the rules, conditions, you abide
by what you are told, just like Jesus’
Disciples.
In our
journey as young people, let
us be bold, not forgetting that there will be obstructions as
Shakespeare says
in his poem “let me not to the marriage of true minds”. We must at all
times
seek God to be with us, each step of the way, Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and Disciples of all nations,
baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and look I am with
you
always, even to the end of the age.”
St
Andrew’s MU visits adopted
Ward
By
B Madlingozi
St Andrew’s
Mothers’ Union Mdantsane visited patients of their adopted Ward 4 at
Easter message from the Ilinge Children’s
Project
By
Heidi Schmidt and Monica Vega, Ilinge Children’s Project
Life in the
township gives us the opportunity to experience over and over again the
Resurrection in the same way the disciples did in Emmaus.
Like
them we have our own ideas of Jesus, his message, his church. We too
are
conditioned by upbringing, early education, culture
and life experience. Jesus demolished their blindness with the
explanation of
the scriptures and a new way of reading the events that took place in
Jesus
is in the township in a special way, among the orphans who have had no
time to
mourn the death of mommy because they have to promptly assume the role
of
caregiver for younger siblings, among the grannies who struggle to feed
extended families with their minimal pension, among young and old men
who have
found in the shebeen a place to forget the
pain of no
getting a job and feel completely inadequate with no role to play… you
can fill
in the blanks with what you see wherever you minister.
But
these new eyes give us the opportunity to perceive His presence at
last. God
gives himself to us in everyone and everything even when there is no
external
triumph or glory.
Happy Easter from the children, Nomaphelo,
Xoliswa, Thabisa and the other volunteers
at the
Project.
Testimony of an English visitor
By
David Monteith, Vicar and Area Dean in
Wimbledon,
I was
blessed to be able to visit the Northern Region of the Diocese in
February. I
have known Bishop Thabo for many years. Long before we were ordained,
both of
us were youth delegates to an international Youth Lambeth Conference
held in my
home country of
I
had a wonderful programme organised by Zolile Ntlale. I am so grateful
for all
who looked after me, with abundant African hospitality, including
Themba
Mdedelwa and Fr Simphiwe Magxwalisa. During our week we managed to
visit Machibini, Fransbury,
Sada, Bholotwa and the Children’s Project
at Illinge.
In particular, my parish is very keen to support new proposals to
enable more
vegetable gardens to be planted in these rural areas using a
sustainable model
to the benefit of those most affected by poor diet.
I
was very heartened to see outreach by the churches, but I don’t think
that I
had really computed just the extent of the impact of HIV/AIDS. It was great to see that some ARVs were available but nowhere near enough.
Whilst
education and health care were available, there were still enormous
gaps in the
system. I was just around for a week but it seemed as if a more
joined-up
strategy between the different groups and organisations is something
worth consider to avoid repetition and to
foster working together
across agencies.
As
well as lots of good things I also heard teachers speak of their stress
and
difficulties, carers who were under-resourced, clergy who needed
inspiration,
and the experience of those who found the red-tape of bureaucracy
frustrating.
I was struck that although I was 14,000 km from home,
these same conversations are the ones that dominate my life as a parish
priest
in
Umbuliso uyakubulisa
Umbuliso greets Aaron and Monica
Hobongwana, deacons at Cathcart, with warm congratulations on
their Golden
Wedding Anniversary on 3 April.
Penrose
Mpumlwana, Rector of St Francis
Mdantsane,
and his wife Lungiswa, were involved in a car accident on the
way to a
family funeral in the
Well done to Godfrey
Walton,
Rector of Gonubie, on obtaining his MA, and Di Wilmot of
Sidbury parish
on her PhD!
The
Diocesan Council, meeting on 21 February, elected four new
representatives to
sit on the Diocesan Executive: Robin Murray, Rector of Port Alfred,
Annalie “Jabu” van Niekerk of the Raphael
Centre and St Bart’s
Grahamstown, MU President Noluthando Lucas and Bill Gould of St
Saviour’s
On 12 March
two priests received their Permission to Officiate
from the Dean in the Cathedral. Eric Kelly and his wife Jean,
have
retired to Grahamstown from Free State Diocese. Cynthia Webbstock
has returned to the City of
Wilson
Ntlola, the new
Rector of St Philip’s Gompo, was inducted by Bishop Thabo on Saturday 4
March.
Congratulations
to the Archbishop of Cape Town on being nominated for the Peacemaker
Award.
Also to
