Introduction
Craig van Gelder, in his book the ministry of the missional church: a
community led by the spirit (2007) – from which I quoted in my report last year
– gives a useful definition of vision and mission: Spirit-led congregations
look to the Bible to define their purpose; Spirit-led congregations look to
their context to discern their vision. What we do in terms of worship, care and
fellowship, education and discipleship, service and witness, should not be goals
in themselves but rather the instruments through which we live out our mission
and reach towards our vision.
As we prepare to look forward
into 2012, it is important to look back in thanksgiving and acknowledge that
God has brought us to this place in time and history. 2011 marked an important
watershed in our history as an Anglican community in the east of Pretoria: our
30th Anniversary! We importantly took time to celebrate this, and Council
allowed other priorities – which we will now pick up – to sit on the
back-burner. The Churchwardens’ Report, to be made available at our Annual
Vestry meeting later this morning, chronicles the activities and events that
make 2011 and our 30th Anniversary a valuable marker in our history.
Without attempting to steal the Wardens’ lime-light, it is worth noting that
the institution of the Corpus Christi Family Cross in June, and the
installation of environmentally friendly and electrically efficient lighting towards
the end of last year, have been two major and important highlights of our
celebrations. The Family Cross, as it travels from one parish family to
another, is a constant call to deeper communal prayer and spirituality; the
lighting is a major step to becoming environmentally aware and more caring of
the world God has given us.
Parish
Having celebrated 30 years in
Garsfontein, along with the growth of our community over this time, we now need
to reflect on our purpose (“purpose” being another word for “mission”) and
vision as we move into the future. Our present “Statement of Purpose” has
carried us through a transitional stage as we have moved from being a so-called
“White” parish founded during the late stages of Apartheid to a parish that today
reflects the diversity of our 21st century South African and African
society. It was deeply gratifying – in the survey we completed in 2010 – to
have parishioners comment that our intra-cultural harmony is an important
factor in sustaining their involvement and membership of Corpus Christi. This
is not to say we have “made it” in terms of the transformation agenda, but that
we have begun to journey together in exploring what it is to be an
intra-cultural community and a truly New South African community. We are, I
believe, committed to affirming each other’s humanity, and able to acknowledge
that we are all, each one, made in the image of God.
The challenge in building a
vision for the future is not marked by race or culture, but is one of
worldview. We live in an age of discontinuous, fast-paced change. This is not
just in terms of technology or information, but also in the manner in which
people see and understand the world. While not necessarily age-specific, there
are emerging worldviews that differ substantially from the Church’s formative
world view, a world view that understood the world to be governed by timeless
principles and eternal absolutes, driven by a commitment to transcendent truth
and principle. As was highlighted by the 2010 parish survey I mentioned above,
many parishioners – especially those over 40 – still hold to this particular
perspective of the world. The growing crisis is that those under 40, and
especially those in their late teens and early 20’s, hold to a world view that
is discontinuous and potentially conflictual, certainly paradoxical, to the predominant
outlook of more senior members of our community.
Looking forward, if we want to
take younger people seriously and if we have any interest in the Church being
relevant to our young people and to coming generations, we need to increasingly
take account of perspectives on the world that emphasise egalitarianism, ecology,
systemic health, holistic identity and convergence (and I can see you all
mentally scratching your heads as you wonder what these terms mean, let alone
what such worldviews may look like!). Michael Armour and Don Browning in their
book Systems-Sensitive Leadership (2000) indicate that it is relatively
easy to understand worldviews that have contributed to the one you now hold,
and very difficult to understand newer worldviews that are built on the one
that presently defines your perspective of the world.
And so the challenge I have put
to our new Council for 2012 is that while we seek to sustain what is important
– and has been important to us at Corpus Christi for 30 years – we need to have
the courage to embrace paradox, to think creatively, to experiment, and not to
fear failure. In other words, we need to keep the baby while having the courage
to change the bath water! And there is no space or time to take the baby out
the bath while we change the water; and therein lies the challenge to
ingenuity. It brings me back to Craig van Gelder’s comment that I quoted
earlier, that our purpose as a Christian community is to be found in Scripture
(and as an Anglican I wish to add, “in Tradition and Reason, too”) and our
vision is to be found in our context. Scripture, Tradition, Reason is our life-line;
the paradox of worldview is our context ... along with the social, political
and economic challenges of our time. My hope is that if our 30th
Anniversary is truly a watershed event in our community life, then 2012 marks
the beginning of a new journey of transformation and spiritual growth. My prayer
is that our 2012 Churchwardens and Council will have your full support,
involvement and participation as we begin this journey together.
We have faced challenges in 2011,
and will continue to do so in 2012, especially as the social, political and
economic context of our country continues to be taxing on a number of levels. As
you are aware, we began 2011 with a deficit parish budget in the region of
R60,000. You will be pleased to hear, when we receive the audited accounts
later this morning, that with the concerted effort you have all put in we have
managed to meet all our financial commitments for the year. While addressing
the parish deficit during 2011 Council identified that, while we spend a lot of
time helping the poor through Tumelong, there are people in our own community
struggling financially to put food on the table while meeting the financial
demand of education for their children. This has led to the addition of what we
are calling “Inreach” to our Pastoral Care portfolio for 2012, together with a
budget item, in an attempt to be able to help parish families in crisis.
“Inreach” is not just about financial crisis, but it is designed to focus on
meeting the wider needs of our parish community and includes focusing on new
members, the Corpus Christi Family Cross, practical support, meals, as well as financial
assistance.
Archdeaconry, Diocese and Province
Diocesan Synod was held during
2011, and as usual was a wonderful experience for many as representatives from
all over the Diocese, together with stipendiary and self-supporting Clergy,
came together to consider the state of mission and ministry in the Diocese. A
key focus was numerous changes to our Diocesan rules, bringing them into line
with common practice at both Provincial and Diocesan level, and updating them
to meet the needs of the Church in the 21st century.
The theme proposed by the Bishop
Seoka and accepted by Synod for the next three years is:
Renewed and Empowered through Baptism to be “Servants of God
and Stewards of the Mysteries of
God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).
The Bishop, in his Charge to
Synod, highlighted the need for us to understand that the Church is all about
community rather than buildings; the need for us to implement integrated
ministry rather than just being a community where the Clergy do it all; and, the
need for us to go beyond denominationalism by working together with other
churches at grass-root level in the communities we serve. We are asked to
revisit our vision and mission as a Diocese, to focus on teaching about mission
and ministry, and to build small faith communities in people’s homes.
Synod was marred by attempts from
the Cathedral Archdeaconry to undermine the authority and leadership of the
Bishop, which led to Synod unequivocally demonstrating the Diocese’s support
for Bishop Seoka and his leadership. These attempts, together with other
issues, have led to the Dean being brought before a Diocesan Tribunal, which is
presently adjourned and will reconvene at the end of February. Please continue
to pray for the Dean and his family, the Cathedral Parish, the Bishop and the
Diocese, during this difficult and uncomfortable period in our Diocesan
history.
Society and Nation Building
Our National environment remains
a difficult and challenging context. We await the outcome of Julius Malema’s
appeal on his suspension from the ANC, and the ANC’s elective Conference
towards the end of this year. Corruption, mismanagement and incompetence
continue to mar Government at every level, and hinder the provision of services
to the poorest of the poor. We pray for the rise of ethical and courageous
leaders, and commend and pray for those – a number of whom are part of our
community at Corpus Christi – who seek to serve our country and people with diligence
and integrity.
Personal
2011 has been an interesting year
for the Long family. July saw Dawn and I visiting the U.K. to meet my
birth-father – and family – for the first time since my last contact with him around
the age of two. This was an exciting and deeply meaningful event, and a journey
we are both pleased to have undertaken. Through this contact my family of
origin has doubled, and while it is a joy to have gained three extra brothers,
it continues to prove a little daunting for us both as my family now consists
of twenty-seven close relatives, not to mention an extra aunt and uncle or two
or three (or four!) all in the U.K. Combined with my parents move to the U.K.
in March, and my Grandmother’s death in 2010, it has substantially shifted my
“magnetic North”. I do not adjust to change easily, and I am hugely
appreciative of Dawn’s willingness to stick by me as I settle into a new space
of self and family.
Dawn started working for a new
employer in August, and has had to do a lot of travelling, which will continue.
She is home most weekends, which we look forward to with longing all week, and
are often either too exhausted or too busy to truly enjoy. We had some time
together in Pretoria over Christmas and enjoyed New Year together in Cape Town.
We enjoyed a day and good food in the Cape Point Nature Reserve on New Year’s
Eve (the Two Oceans Restaurant has a wonderful view over False Bay), and a long
walk down the beach at Pater Noster up the West Coast on New Year’s Day. It was
wonderful to have continuous and uninterrupted time together where we could
talk and share our lives. As I write, I look forward to Dawn’s return tomorrow
(Friday) from East London where she has spent the last ten days.
Our son, Nathan, and his
girl-friend, Megan, announced in September that we are to be Grandparents in
early June this year. Needless to say, rather a surprise to all concerned! Their
relationship had developed out of friendship, and so has a strong foundation,
and is one in which Dawn and I have confidence. They moved to Durban just
before Christmas so that Megan could be closer to her family. We miss them
already, and the house is very quiet! The most recent scan shows the baby to be
a girl, so we look forward excitedly to welcoming little Rebecca into our lives
and family in a few months.
Our daughter, Cassie, has had a
difficult two years health-wise, eventually being diagnosed eighteen months ago
with an under-active thyroid. We chose to go the slower, Homeopathic route in
dealing with it, and she has at last regained her energy and is back to the
daughter we remember! She has begun working part-time, and is beginning to
think seriously about her future, all of which is hugely positive.
Conclusion
Thank you to you all for your
involvement and commitment to parish life during 2011. Once again – big or
small – your contributions of time, talents and resources, have made a
meaningful difference. My special thanks to my wife, Dawn, for her ongoing
support and love in what has been another challenging year for us personally;
to Cheryl Rogers who has continued to be a power-house of organisation in the
office and my sincere thanks to Cheryl for what she does both in and beyond the
call of duty; to our outgoing Churchwardens and Council, thank you for your
support and contribution to the leadership of the parish during 2011, and as a
smaller group than usual for carrying a heavier load; to the Ministry Team and
support ministries, thank you for your ongoing dedication in keeping our worship
and pastoral care alive and well; to Julian Kok and Danny Adonis, for your help
particularly with Sunday services in my absences due to Archdeaconry duties or
leave; to Steve Verryn, thank you for your unflagging support and friendship,
and for your commitment to Corpus Christi as our resident Deacon over a number
of years. Steve, we wish you well and pray for you as you prepare for your
ordination next month.
Bless you!
MARK R D LONG
Rector
