• Die gemeente het mooi saamgewerk en ʼn gemiddeld van 45-50 het elke aand bygewoon.
• Die gehoor het gegroei van 40 na 106 en gemiddeld het 48 elke aand gekom.
• Die laaste aand het ons 130 mense gehad
• Drie persone uit die rookstaak het bygewoon en hulle was ook verlede Sabbat in die kerk.
• 38 Gaste het verlede sabbat die kerkdiens bygewoon.
• 48 Soek verdere inligting, 39 soek verdere gesprek en 27 soek ʼn  besoek by hulle huis.
• ʼn Nasorgspan is saamgestel om die opvolgwerk te doen en opleiding sal die week afgehandel wees.
• ʼn Pastoor en sy gesin het ook die sabbat aanvaar en was deel van die wat verlede Sabbat in die kerk was.

In Ploeg se kort bestaan het hy al verskeie suksesvolle projekte geloots waarby baie mense gebaat het. Die projekte sluit in: Gratis Rookstaak klinieke, huwelik seminare, gesondheid bewusmakings ekspo’s waaronder een op die “Cansa relay for life” aangebied is.

Ploeg maak gebruik van donasies en vrywillige werk van sy lede en die gemeenskap om die gemeenskap se geestelike, verstandelike en fisiese welstand op te bou. Al ploeg se lede stel belang om ʼn verskil te maak in ons eie gemeenskap en op so wyse Jesus se liefde oor te dra.

Beautiful table set for communion in the shape of a cross.

Pastors celebrate communion together

The pastors had the privilege of participating in communion at the beginning of the Workers meeting on the 3 February 2013. Dr Derek Morris officiated and asked the question Jesus asked of his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” After a special foot-washing ceremony, all sat around a table and partook of the symbols of Christ’s broken body and spilt blood.

Dr Derek Morris

TC Ministerial Director Kobus Beukes washing the feet of Ps Paul Mabena

SAU Ministerial Director Eddie Baron and Elize, sitting alongside Bodil Morri

Pastors with spouses

Dr Derek Morris – teaching the art of preaching

Many lay preachers were blessed. For some, it was the first preaching seminar. Some church leaders said, that the training was simple, clear and practical. In order for the church to grow it needs good solid Biblical preaching, that comes from a thorough exposition of the text, and not from a fanciful imagination,  a favourite hobby horse, or even a private agenda.

Church members and leaders engrossed in preaching seminar

The attendance was very good, those who attended came  from a wide variety of Transvaal Conference Congregations. Dr Morris currently serves as the editor of Ministry magazine, an adventist journal for clergy, and is stationed in Washington D.C. as associate Ministerial Director. Dr Derek Morris can be seen on Hope Channel presenting  Hope Sabbath School.

Preaching seminar – Sabbath Afternoon session

Preaching seminar – We are reminded that the church is a training center

March With a Serious Message

By Lynn Rossouw, Marlene Johnson & Riaan Van Zyl

Florida Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church, situated on Ibis Street, Florida Lake – On Sabbath 25 August, 2012 Pastor Denzil Fourie, the current church pastor, the  Women’s Ministries leader, Sis Marlene Johnson and the Transvaal Conference, AWM leader, Sis Lynn Rossouw took to the streets of Florida. They were followed by a singing and smiling crowd from Bosmont, Riverlea, Westbury, Davidsonville, and SDA Churches.

Lynn Rossouw, Ps Denzil Fourie and Marlene Johnson the main organisers

The police escorted marchers, carrying banners with the slogan enditnow, and posters with messages denouncing violence against women. It had a very serious message and mission: to make the public aware of gender violence.

Violence against women is perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today. Violence against women devastates lives, fractures communities and stalls development. It takes many forms and occurs in many places—domestic violence in the home, sexual abuse of girls in schools, sexual harassment at work, rape by husbands or strangers, in refugee camps or as a tactic of war.

The enditnow campaign seeks to extend God’s vision of love and compassion for all His children. It is an international initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and aims to also strengthen community networks to protect women who suffer violence and create platforms for groups and individuals to lobby government to generate policies against such violence.

By the time marchers reached Florida police station chanting their slogan, they were ready to handover a petition with just under a thousand signatures, advocating their commitment and part to ending violence against women and girls in the community.

They were warmly received by Captain Lydia Dikolomela to whom the memorandum and petition were handed over. She commenced to give the women a speech about the problem of Domestic Abuse, followed by a brief tour of the prison cells. To view a video clip of the march visit www.look-local.co.za

Contrary to the view of the family as a haven of love and support, data from around the world suggest that girls and women are at greater risk of violence in their homes than anywhere else (Violence Against Women: the Hidden Health Burden, World Bank 1994).

Violence against women and girls has become a problem of pandemic proportions. In South Africa a woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner (Unifem fact sheet). South Africa has some of the highest incidences of child and baby rape in the world with more than 67,000 cases of rape and sexual assaults against children reported in 2000. It is estimated that a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read.

A study by Interpol, the international police agency, has revealed that South Africa leads the world in rapes. A woman was raped in South Africa every 17 seconds (Crime Statistics for South Africa 2010). This did not include the number of child rape victims. It was estimated that one in every two women would be raped. This means that on average approximately one thousand three hundred women can be expected to be raped a day in South Africa. These are the cold facts and realities that face women and girls in South Africa.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT?

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31:8, 9 (NKJ)

The Institute of Security Studies did a research project in 1999 and updated it in 2011. They found that:

• 90% of the women interviewed had experienced emotional abuse: being humiliated in front of others was most commonly reported.
• 90% had also experienced physical abuse: being pushed or shoved and being slapped or hit were highlighted.
• 71% had experienced sexual abuse: attempts to kiss or touch followed by forced sexual intercourse occurred most often.
• 58% experienced economic abuse: money taken without consent was most common.
• 42.5% of women had experienced all forms of abuse.
• 60% of all cases of abuse were committed by partners, lovers or spouses.
• -Emotional abuse-either as a category on its own or in combination with other types of abuse was referred to by 63% of women as being the most serious.

The Adventist Home – Coming closer to home, domestic violence has been documented as a major issue within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Research is showing that incidences of abuse in some Adventist homes follow trends documented in non-Adventist populations. This is why “enditnow” seeks to increase personal awareness, responsibility, and involvement to effectively help end violence against women and girls in every Adventist family and community.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY, and what does God require of us?

“Learn to do good; devote yourselves to justice, aid the wronged, uphold the rights of the orphan, defend the cause of the widow.”  Isaiah 1:17 (Tanak – Jewish Scripture)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10 ( NKJ)

“I’m God and I act in loyal love.  I do what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.”   Jeremiah 9:24 (The Message)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  1 John 4:7-9   (NKJ)

Let our PRAYER BE…

Gracious God, We know you are a God who is able. But today we come before you with heavy hearts.  We will no longer ignore the abuses perpetrated against women. Empower us to help end violence against women. Give us the wisdom and the courage to end abuse—in our church and in our community. Remembering the immense value you, our Creator and Redeemer, place on each one of us, may we reflect your love.   Give us knowledge, courage, wisdom, strength, and understanding.  We ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.  

Enditnow is the boldest stand the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever taken regarding violence against women and girls.

For more information on the enditnow campaign contact: Lynn Rossouw at tc.chmin.dir@sdachurch.co.za

Ivy Peterson Veteran Educator and Church Leader

hen we look back we can certainly see how God has led us in the past, yes there have been sorrows, but there have also been joys.

Praise God that when we look back with the eye of faith, we can be inspired with hope, and we can draw from the commitment and dedication of those who have gone before.

It was a packed-program, with members from many of the Gauteng Regional Council churches that were in attendance. Many of these have a history, somewhere along the line, with Kliptown. Ivy Peterson(from Cape Town), certainly one of the oldest along with Sis Maconi(Snr). The Sabbath School kicked off with some interviews by Neville Mandy, Br Wright(snr), Julian Filies. Neville Mandy was baptized in Kliptown many years ago, at that time a man without direction, and God turned his life around. Br Wright recounted some history that many would not be aware of because of his age. Julian Filies an elder in Kliptown became and Adventist because of friends in the Kliptown church.

The main speaker on Sabbath morning was Ps D Fourie, who also, has a long history with the Kliptown church being a member there for many years, and whose spirituality was largely shaped there. He, reportedly, shared many precious memories, and focused on how God was with the church through the ups and downs. Kliptown a historically coloured township can certainly be considered as one of the pioneering churches of the coloured community over the years. Today Kliptown church is one of the strongest evangelistically minded churches in the traditional GRC territory, it has also groomed and mentored many strong leaders that are spread all over the conference, and perhaps further afield. The afternoon had senior members share photo’s of years gone by, that caused many to shed a tear. Names were scrolled of those who had served the church in various capacities, many of whom are now deceased. It was wonderful to see the old music group ‘Asaph’ singing good old fashioned gospel men’s groups songs.

Sis Ivy Peterson a former teacher in the Kliptown school for 15 years,and pioneer of women’s ministries in the SAU territory, shared a part of the history many youngsters would know nothing about. Believe it or not, the Kliptown church housed a school from sub A(grade 1) to Std 8(1954). She still still demonstrated a keen sense of wit and humour, especially when she said, “If you were very clever you could have finished four standards in one year”, since the four classes were seperated by head-height dividers and you could hear all the teachers speaking at the same time. At that time(1950′s) Kliptown was the only coloured church building and school, all the rest worshipped in schools. Some of our senior clergy were present; Ps H R Coombs and Sis Coombs and vice-president Ps E Ishmail and Sis Ishmail, who have laboured faithfully for many years. Dr Laguna from the SID was present in the morning, to share in the celebration of history. It was a heart warming experience to listen to all those memories, and to draw strength for the future. We were all reminded of a better and bigger homecoming, not too far away now. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father house, and the fulfilment is already prefigured for us in Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God”.