Archive for the ‘RECTOR'S NEWS & VIEWS.’ Category
The Rector’s Page with NEWS!!
Dear Parishioners of St John’s and visitors to our web site,
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I have been remiss in keeping my letters on the web page up to date and apologize that every time you open the web site it is the same as, same as. Please don’t put up with this slackness and let me know when I am appearing a little lazy on this front. In fact, I would be delighted with any comments on our web site because I am not even sure if anyone ever visits us!! Let’s hear your comments and suggestions on content and style so that we can improve our communications with one another and the world around us.
“What is happening around the place?” This was the question that a parishioner asked me recently and I was shocked to hear that someone who comes to church Sunday after Sunday could be so uninformed about the life of the family at St John’s. After all we have notices on a Sunday – in the pew slip, on the overhead projector before the service and pronounced by me from the top before the start of the service. Yet they didn’t know about the latest fabulous evening billed as the “auction of Promises” which was a fund raising venture towards funds to send a team of missioners to Egypt and the Sudan in the month of September. Great bids were made and approximately R18000 was raised towards ministry towards the persecuted churches in those lands.
Good communication is crucial in the family and in the church and I would truly value assistance from those skilled in marketing and advertising to take up the ministry of working with our web site, our Facebook site, our notice boards, our pew slips, our weekly notices. Help us to get the message across and increase our “branding” as the experts call it. By our “branding” I mean the message of the Kingdom of God and the person of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
But – now – let me try to answer the questions posed above – “What is happening around the place?”
We are in the midst of interesting times – both exciting and yet also disturbing in some respects.
Over the past week we have had to commend to God’s mercy and love the souls of three real saints who have died. Maggie du Plessis, Karen von Vollenstee and Albert du Toit. Maggie was surely the matriarch figure of our family. She was an absolute darling whom we all loved dearly. Strong of faith and full of compassion. Albert, too, had been a member of this congregation for decades and decades and, together with his beloved wife, Ursula, were among the faithfull who have been part of every stage of this parishes life. A gentle giant full of faith and gentleness, integrity and purpose in Christ.
Last week I opened the news papers to the ghastly news that the Diocese of George had been charged with maladministration to the tune of some R6 000,000.00. The Bishop has had to take early retirement and there are charges pending against individuals within the Diocese there. My, what a wake-up call that we, as a Parish, are called to be good and faithful stewards of the money that is entrusted to us by you, the faithful people of God. I want to assure you sincerely that the checks and balances that we have in place here at St John’s will ensure that such mal-administration cannot take place. We are also taking our responsibility, as a Parish Council and as aParish Executive, very seriously in ensuring that the finances and fiscal policies of the Diocese, of which we are part, are also correctly managed and disbursed. Please pray for our Bishop and Diocesan Secretary/Treasurer as they prepare to present the next Diocesan Budget on the 21st August 2010. Pray, too, that the wider Diocesan family will be gifted with wisdom and insight as we approve that budget.
But now to exciting things in the pipeline:-
The Parish Council, on the invitation of the Diocese, have appointed a new Assistant Priest, Robin Behrens, to our staff. Robin and his wife, Lucille, and his sons, will be joining us from the 1st October 2010. Robin has previously served in the Methodist Church and more recently as Chaplain to Woodridge . He served at Holy Trinity, Thornhill, a few years ago before we took on the care of that specific community. In the past years he has been serving at St Nicholas, Charlo under the Revd Andrew Watt. Watch this space for further details on how Robins gifts will be used here in our parishes.
By now you must be aware of the groundswell of excitement gathering around our building plans to extend the back of the church to provide a entrance foyer and gathering area. We are planning to include adequate toilets, baby changing areas and disabled facilities in that plan together with other necessary meeting rooms. This will further increase the capacity of the inside of the church by 50 which will really help with those Sunday mornings when the services are really full. Once again, please watch this space for further details of the process that we will need to go through with you and the Diocese before can begin to build.
I mentioned the “Auction of promises” that was so successful in raising funds for mission. Please pray for the team that will be heading off to Egypt on the 3rd September and returning of about the 15th September. It will be wonderful to once again be with the saint’s of Egypt and spending time with them in prayer, in worship and in mutual encouragement. The second team leaves for Sudan later in the month. While on the subject of mission I must mention the joy that we have in announcing that one of our missioners out there, Nicky Bragg, will soon be leaving YWAM in Muizenberg to be married and to start a new life in the USA. Please pray for her and her fiancée, Brian.
Gay and I, and a number of others from the parish will travelling to Carmel – just above Victoria Bay, outside George – for the annual Celtic Retreat under the teaching of Bishop Eric Pike and his wife Joyce, who have just returned from a 850km pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We are looking forward to a deep time with the Lord under the guidance of Eric and his team. I have had the privilege of being part of that team for many years now and I can highly recommend this retreat for those who have not yet heard of it.
May I close this letter with a call on you, the people of God, to be faithful to our Lord and God, through Jesus Christ. This world is a tough place to live and in which to witness but God never leaves us alone and has poured out his Spirit upon us that in our weakness He may be strong and mighty to His glory. To God be the glory, Amen!
Yours in the love of Christ,
Rob and Gay