 IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
What is Mission ? The ministry of spreading the Christian Gospel throughout the world.
What is Commission? - The authority to perform the task.
The Great Commission of Jesus in Matt 28 vs19-20 tells us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. The empowering grace of this Commission is found in Acts1 v 8b and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem , and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth!!!
Notice how Jesus uses the words "will be" it isn't a request it is a command!! There is no choice as to which area we can choose as He says Jerusalem AND all Judea AND Samaria AND to the ends of the earth!! He does not say OR anywhere in that command. We all know that we as individuals can't practically do all of that - God knew this so He formed Churches also known as the Body of Christ so that we could have different teams that would carry out His work here on earth.
At St John's we believe that through our Centre of Concern we are being witnesses in our town and the surrounding areas, these are our Jerusalem and Judea . We also support churches and mission outreaches in our province, our Samaria .
As far as the ENDS OF THE EARTH are concerned we have committed ourselves to ministry in Egypt and Sudan where we have been able to sow into the lives of the Christians and their ministries so that they would be effective in a very hostile environment.
OUTREACHES
We have taken a team on outreach to North Africa every year since 1999 and are planning two outreaches this year of between 10 and 12 days leaving together on the 12 th September 2008, one to Egypt and one to Sudan . While the purpose of these outreaches is to sow into the lives of Christians and their ministries, those who go are blessed in many ways. Should you feel called to be a letter of love to our brothers and sisters in these areas please contact:
Lynne Axon (041) 583-4522
lynnaxon@mweb.co.za
or Kirsten Roux (041) 365-0000
or Allan Anderson at the parish office (041) 581-2162.
INVESTING IN HIS KINGDOM As we move forward in our involvement in the lives of the Christians in North Africa and the Middle East we are called to support them in various ways to make them more effective in spreading the Gospel. With this aim in mind St John's has introduced two initiatives to give the people of God in South Africa the opportunity to be involved.
ST JOHN 'S GIFT CERTIFICATES
The ideal gift for the person who has everything the St John's gift voucher comes in four different denominations and colours together with an envelope. The words on the voucher will tell the recipient that you have donated money in their honour to one of the programmes we support, depending on the value of the voucher. The cost of the vouchers is R30, R50, R100 and R150 and can be obtained from the parish office Monday to Friday mornings only.
MONTHLY DEBIT ORDER
We have introduced a system so that people can make a donation on a monthly basis via debit order towards one or more of our programmes.
SCHOOL IN SUDAN
A team of Christians serve a refugee community outside Khartoum , where they run a church and a school, teaching about 400 children from junior to senior school level. The teachers aren't paid as the pupils' families cannot afford the required R10 per month per child. The children, some of whom learn in classrooms constructed of grass, say they dream of being teachers, doctors and lawyers. Your support will ensure that these eager and ambitious children will be given a fair chance in life. With a Christian education, they may also be instrumental in bringing peaceful solutions to this war-torn land. Just R30 will pay for 1 child for 3 months or 3 children for a month .
CHURCH BUILDING IN SUDAN
There is a huge need to build churches in Sudan . Our persecuted friends persevere in building of churches in very dangerous and remote areas of Sudan - despite the threat of death. With your help, they can ensure that more and more people will have access to a church
NICKY BRAGG
Nicky Bragg has been involved in full-time missionary work for the past five years, working and studying at the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) base in Muizenberg, Cape Town . She has now completed the School of Biblical Studies and will be going to teach at YWAM bases in the rest of Africa , as well as other parts of the world. Part of her responsibilities in Cape Town involve reaching out to the people in areas like Khayelitsha and Guguletu She does not receive a salary and has to raise her own support, to cover all her expenses.
YWAM (YOUTH WITH A MISSION )
YWAM has an enormous ministry in Sudan and Egypt , which includes running Discipleship Training Schools and School of Biblical Studies ministries, as well as some local outreach programmes. YWAM's main objective, however, is to grow the Kingdom of God in those dark, harsh places by training local people to be beacons of light. Your support will also ensure that the self-supporting leaders and their families in those countries can continue this vital ministry. 
CHURCH SUPPORTED BY YWAM.
Should you feel called to be involved in this debit order facility or for more information please contact the parish office or:
Lynne Axon at lynnaxon@mweb.co.za |
