OCTOBER 2008

To God's saints ,

May I begin my letter to you by calling for deep and fervent prayer to be offered for our Assistant Priest, Revd Nicolette Leonard, as she departs for Cape Town to be prepared for a bone marrow transplant in the very near future. Nicolette and Myron are a couple with amazing faith and trust in the Lord and they go knowing that they are enfolded in his love and care. Nevertheless, the process that Nicolette faces is pretty invasive and she will need to be held up in prayer to sustain her through weeks of utter isolation and discomfort. Nicolette will be in Cape Town at Groote Schuur for three months for the procedure and will be out of ministry for a further 3 to 6 months after that. To understand more about her disease you might like to check out “bone marrow transplant” and “ Myelofibrosis ” under Wikipedia.

I would also ask you to lift Sylvia and Vincent Mdidimba up in prayer as Sylvia's father passed way on the 30 th September 2008. He will be buried from Grahamstown on Saturday 11 th October 2008. Please keep their extended family in prayer as they mourn the loss of a faithful father and grand-father.

In my August newsletter - which was posted onto our web site ( www.stjohnswalmer.org.za ) – I began by mentioning that it is an awesome privilege to be part of a dynamically growing and changing community and one of the changes that I mentioned was that the Bishop had decided to place the Church of St Augustine, Quebera (the better name for the Walmer Township) under our care. As things turned out he actually decided to leave them as an independent parish and this means that I will also act as Rector of that parish while they will function independently to us. Nevertheless, it is my hope that as our ministry grows in Quebera so our relationship will increase and we will begin to enjoy the privilege of learning from each other and growing closer together as sister churches which are just a couple of kilometers apart.

These new responsibilities, together with those that we already exercise at Holy Trinity, Thornhill, will mean an increased workload for some of us. Vincent and I will share this ministry together and we are looking forward to this new era in our own experience and opportunity. Once again, please keep us in prayer. Our ministry at St Augustine 's will be reviewed annually by the Bishop and the Bishop's Consultative Council.

Another exciting dynamic in our infrastructure is the appointment of Mrs Carla Stindt as a Pastoral Assistant. Many of you will know Carla and her husband, Dr Werner Stindt, as faithful members of the evening congregation. Carla will assist in filling the gap that has been left in our pastoral care process through Nicolette's illness and the previous loss of carers like Barry and Zola. We are so grateful that Carla responded to the call of the Lord to serve here at St John's .

Now to give thanks for recent joys in our community.

Firstly, I would like to thank the Lord for the safe return from Egypt and the Sudan of our two outreach teams. It was so good to welcome them back at the airport and to hear how wonderfully God had worked through them to His glory. This outreach ministry is an important part of our obedience as a parish to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and I am so grateful for the sacrifice of the team members who had to pay for most of the trip out of their own pockets. I have no doubt that we will have an opportunity to hear of the Lord's hand over them and how He used them to reach out as letters of love to the persecuted Christians of the areas they visited.

Secondly, I would like to give thanks for the privilege of being invited by Sharon to help her lead the Teen Camp which was held at Landela Christian Campsite. 16 young people showed me how easy it is to have lots and lots of fun together as Christians. Sharon held the camp together beautifully and it was a precious time to get to know some really lovely young people. I even participated in a gauntlet through a barrage of wet sponges and apparently there is a photo of me biting the dirt in spectacular fashion as I fell after a successful pass between the wet spongy missiles! I want to state categorically that this has nothing to do with age as I am sure there was a wet patch just at the point where I slipped!!!

May I close this letter with a verse from Paul which encourages us to watch our lives and community life carefully so that we may be seen to be the family of God and to shine so that we may glorify our Father…

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit. Ephesians 4:1-4

 Yours in the Love of Christ,

Rob and Gay Penrith

Rob's contact details.
42 Brookside Village
Diana Road
Brymore
Port Elizabeth, 6025

Phone: (041) 3605943
Rob Cell: 0832709942
Gay Cell: 0832471877

Home email: robpenrith@iafrica.com
Work email: rob@stjohnswalmer.org.za
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	MY PERSONAL PRAYER BOOK by Bishop Geoff Quinlan of Cape Town This wonderful book of Prayers is now available at a cost of R25.00. Makes a lovely gift for various occasions and so valuable for own prayer time ! Get your copies from St John’s, Walmer, or the Diocesan Office For more information: barry@stjohnswalmer.org.za or 581 2162