July 2011 - Community and Nation Building

Dear Friends

30 Years in Reflection

Our 30^th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday 19 June 2011 was a truly wonderful occasion. It has to have been the best attended event in our history! A special “thank you” to Lex Jackson and Steve Verryn for giving leadership to the organising committee, and to the Catering Committee for the great food. We had some wonderful speeches, our Youth surpassed themselves with the entertainment they provided for us, and it was a joy to welcome back a number of past parishioners and clergy. Our Family Eucharist was also blessed, and set the day off on a good note. Thank you to you all for participating and making our 30^th an event to remember!

Family Cross

The Corpus Christi Family Cross was blessed as part of our 30^th Celebrations, and began its journey around the parish with the Ndlovu family. Queen and her daughters have used the Cross’s presence in their home to draw them together in family prayer, and we look forward to their testimony in Church on Sunday as to how the Cross’s “visit” has reminded them of God’s presence in their lives. The idea is that the Cross is returned each Sunday and handed over to the next parish family. Members of the parish ministry team (clergy and layministers) will visit during the week for a short time of prayer with the family and (hopefully) a cup of tea. If you would like to have the Family Cross in your home, please contact the parish office to find an available week.

Community and Nation Building

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, in his recent “Ad Laos”, had the following to say:

 I returned [from a visit to the Diocese of Niassa – Mozambique] to find the press full of Julius Malema’s statements on reforming land, mines and the whole economy.  What he has raised is not new and we should not be alarmed.  We need to engage him, and all young people, on what it means to make democracy work.  As I discussed in a telephone conference with SACC church leaders, we must have educated public debate on today’s very different sort of ‘struggle’ – the commitment to rightly-focussed hard work that delivers economic justice, and tackles the needs of poverty, education and opportunity which (and Malema is right on this) particularly affects young people so adversely.  There is hope, but we must not be afraid of rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty.  As my visit to Niassa showed, dedication and perseverance, even in very difficult and uncertain times, can deliver new life.  So we must go forward with joy and resolve, and speak up for the poor, the fearful, the despairing, in the true hope of Jesus Christ.

There can be no doubt that we continue to live in precarious political, social and economic times. The recent deaths of Albertina  Sisulu, and now also Kadar Asmal – especially in parallel to the recent re-election of Julius Malema as ANC Youth League president – mark a profound loss to South African society of individuals whose positive personal values helped build the foundation for the growth of democracy in South Africa. Personally, I struggle to see what value Malema adds to South African society, and wonder what hope there may be for our country if such a person is the voice of this generation’s young people. Archbishop Thabo’s response (above) is helpful in that he reminds us that despite the advent of democracy in our land, there is still a “struggle” – different to that waged against Apartheid – that impacts on the hopes of our youth in particular; that the Malema’s of this world give voice to the reality that the advent of democracy, and the manner in which democracy is practised, has not yet dealt with socio-economic issues that impact on our people, and that our young people do not see much hope in what our government’s socio-economic policies will offer them in the future. A wise priest under whom I trained taught me the importance of searching out the truth, no matter how small, in the words and actions of people with whom I disagree, or suspect to be fools. The Archbishop’s comments echo this wise advice.

I have just returned, along with other stipendiary clergy of the Diocese, from a three day course on Poverty and Development run by Hope Africa, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa’s social development arm. The course has been helpful in giving me some insight into why the struggle for economic justice continues despite huge steps being taken to build democracy since 1994. Our government’s economic policies are aligned with those of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, whose policies are directed by Neo-Liberal economic thinking that believes all economies should grow through production and trade. While there may be nothing essentially wrong with this thinking, in the African context it is not helping everyone achieve a satisfactory standard of living. Some would argue that even in the West the Neo-Liberal approach to economics is unsuccessful and that the disparity between rich and poor continues to increase. There is a fundamental inequality that these policies will never bridge, and thus issues of poverty – and poverty itself – will never be effectively dealt with in our society. And the Malema’s of this world will continue to have grist for their discomforting rhetoric.

As part of the Poverty and Development course, we were offered a different economic model better suited to the developmental needs of the African continent, and one which is practically implementable by churches in our efforts to deal with communities caught in cycles of poverty.  This model is known as the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and places people at the centre of development, thereby increasing the effectiveness of developmental assistance. This approach is a way of thinking about the objectives, scope and priorities for development that produces goods and services needed to better the lives of people while also being environmentally-friendly, minimising waste and using renewable resources. It is a model that creates meaningful purchasing power, as well as greater economic and social equity.

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) asks the seemingly strange question, “What is the wealth of the poor?” In essence, what are people already doing to survive and how are they maintaining this? SLA is a comprehensive model that looks to build on these strengths, seeking to bring together all relevant aspects of people’s lives and livelihoods in developmental planning, implementation and evaluation. It is also a model that is able to respond quickly to changing circumstances.  In terms of poverty financial resources are often negligible, and so SLA takes natural, human, social and physical resources of poverty stricken people and communities into account. This makes it a relevant model for development across society, and a workable alternative to models that presently drive our South African socio-economic policies via our link to the IMF and World Bank.

This course on Poverty and Development raises issues about the role of the Church in society. And about how we “do Church” in Garsfontein. Perhaps on my return from the UK we can explore what this may mean?

Blessings

Mark

March 2009

Dear friends

Highveld Election

Thank you all for your sincere prayers leading up to the Elective Assembly. I was deeply disappointed to not be elected, but am at peace and accept this as God’s will at this time. The process has been a deeply affirming experience, both in terms of the process itself, and in the overt joy in the parish that I remain with you for the time-being! It does my soul good to know that I am loved by you all.

Deeper Communion: Gracious Restraint

I commend to you the March 2009 ‘Ad Laos’ (To the People’) communication from our Archbishop, Thabo Makgoba, and enclose it in place of my normal letter to you.

Blessings

Mark

To the People of God – To the Laos

March 2009

Dear People of God

In my last letter, I promised to share reflections on the February meeting of the Anglican Primates (the leaders of our 38 churches around the world).

It was remarkable coming together in Alexandria, a cradle of African Christianity enjoying a tremendously rich Christian heritage though today it lies in a Muslim country.  While there we participated in the dedication of St Mark’s, the Anglican Pro-Cathedral.  In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury reminded us of the need to see Christ in one another, recognising that Christ alone is the foundation of our building and our work, the one who prays in and through us.

By the grace of God, and encouraged by this message, we found we were able to be very frank together about our continuing disagreements over human sexuality, and about the way we handle those disagreements.  We prayed, worshipped God, and studied Scripture together, seeking to be faithful to the call of God in Christ, and to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading.  We felt that at heart we shared a common concern for the Anglican Communion and a strong desire to see it flourish and remain united.  I offered our experiences of holding on to one another in continuing fellowship through all the pains of Southern Africa’s past, as an example of hope and encouragement in our current traumatic divisions. (The Synod of Bishops reaffirmed this message later in February.  I hope you have seen the Pastoral Letter which we issued to record our meeting.  If not, it is online at www.anglicanchurchsa.org.za. Please pray for Dean David Bannerman as he prepares to be consecrated Bishop of the Highveld.)

At the Primates meeting, we found a fresh spirit of open, respectful dialogue, engaging at a new and deeper level, and we unanimously agreed that our Communiqué should be entitled ‘Deeper Communion:  Gracious Restraint’.  We approved various measures for going forward, including professionally mediated conversations to try to heal our most painful divisions.  We also affirmed the continuing development of an Anglican Covenant through which we can better express our mutual commitment to the ‘bonds of affection’ between us.  To sum up – our differences remain, and are serious, but we are determined to tackle them together as far as we can.

We also discussed many other issues that concern the life of Anglicans within our world, among them the situations in Sudan and Gaza, coordination of Anglican relief and development bodies, and the importance of good theological education that helps us live faithfully to the gospel in our many different cultures and circumstances.  But at the top of the agenda was Zimbabwe.  We issued a strong statement in support of the people and churches there, and urged President Robert Mugabe to respect the outcome of the elections of 2008 and to step down. We called for the implementation of the rule of law and the restoration of democratic processes.  We decided a special Representative should travel to Zimbabwe to exercise a ministry of presence and show solidarity. We also proposed various ways of engaging politically with SADC and the African Union.

The world-wide Anglican Communion joined our Province in observing Ash Wednesday as a special day of prayer for Zimbabwe.  Thank you for sharing in this.  The Archbishop of Canterbury has also launched a worldwide appeal to facilitate aid for Zimbabwe.  As I said in Alexandria at the time, ‘If we don't intervene we will be failing God in terms of “when I was hungry you fed me and when I was poor you cared for my needs”.’ (See Mt 25:31-46.)

These verses from Matthew’s gospel were also in my heart when I visited the scenes of fatal flooding in Soweto, and met some of those whose lives had been turned upside down.  Flooding has also caused deaths in KwaZulu Natal – and who knows what other disasters may occur before this reaches you.  As I said in my messages of support to the Bishops of the affected areas, those who can give practical assistance must do so in response to Jesus’ command;  and all of us must pray.  We must also take responsibility – as democracy invites us to do – to hold our governments to account in pursuing policies that are environmentally sensitive, and which do not exacerbate the effects of bad weather (for example, through the draining of wetlands, or allowing inadequate urban development);  as well as on wider issues of preventing global warming.  God gives us the gift of free will in choosing how we treat our world.  We must do so wisely, and hold it in trust for the generations that will come after us.

Here in South Africa, we pray for ‘gracious restraint’ as we approach April’s General Election.  Across the country, encouraged by civil society groups in which the churches play a leading role, political parties are signing codes of conduct:  a promise of respectful behaviour towards one another, in word and action.  I hope that Anglicans in South Africa will do what you can to help promote political tolerance and a better understanding of democracy.  And may the whole Province join in praying that these elections will be free, fair and peaceful; and that we will elect true and honest individuals, who will dedicate their lives in the service of everyone who lives in this land.  We pray also for Mozambique, which is preparing for elections later this year.

‘Deeper Communion:  Gracious Restraint’ would also be a good slogan for our Lent and Easter observances!  Through ‘restraint’ – stepping back from distractions and complications into a simpler way of being – we can make more space for God in our lives.  Penitence and fasting (from anything from food to television!) can help us recognise with greater honesty, and with greater discontentment, how bad it is for us to live without God.  For then we have a greater appreciation of, and desire for, how good it is to live with God!  And in this way we can be drawn into deeper Communion with him.  So may I encourage you to ‘press on’ towards Easter, ‘with eager faith and love’.  I pray that you may all be caught up more fully into God’s love for us, shown in Christ’s self-giving on the cross for the sin of the world, as we look forward to celebrating the joy of his resurrection and triumph over evil and death.  

Yours in the service of Christ,

+Thabo Cape Town