Pentecost 2009

Dear friends

Religion & Philosophy

In our last magazine I reflected on “The Nature of our Easter God”. I sense that some found it a little esoteric. Our Clergy Retreat director had focused on Meister Eckhart (1260-1328), a Dominican, who obtained his Magister in Theologia in Paris. Towards the end of his life he was accused by his Archbishop of heresy, for which he seems to have been largely exonerated, except for a few statements that it appears he recanted. His writings have influenced some of the major German philosophers and he is considered one of the foremost Christian Neo-Platonists of the 14^th century. The challenge of the retreat – for me – became a call to allow God to truly be God, and not to limit him with my own humanity.

Leave

It was wonderful to have a full three weeks off! Parish Council informed me it was time to stop taking little bits of time off and get serious about recreating! We spent a wonderful ten days in Pringle Bay in the Cape followed by a weekend in Cape Town with very good friends from our Nelspruit days (the Cape weather was idyllic!). We came back via Bloemfontein so Dawn could put in two days work. Time off is always good, so good in fact that I will be taking some time off in July to go to Botswana with Dawn’s Dad.

Our time was not without its trauma. Just before we left, during a wedding reception on the Friday at which I had officiated, the Groom’s uncle was shot dead during an attempted hijacking, which rather threw the proceedings into some chaos. As the Groom’s family are part of our friendship group going back twenty years, and I’d spent the evening talking to the victim, the whole event was deeply traumatic. It appears the victim taunted the hijackers, and that he may have been shot with a weapon stolen from the hotel room of one of the guests at the wedding: sometimes we South Africans are our own worst enemies.

While we were in Cape Town our two children were involved in a very early morning car accident here in Pretoria: fortunately only a shoulder dislocation (from not wearing a seatbelt in the back) and bad bruising (from wearing a seatbelt in the front). It was a friend’s car, and not their fault, fortunately. On our way into Bloemfontein – thanks to the GPS – we ended up in the taxi-rank at 5pm, and looking like sitting ducks (two ‘Whities’ with GP registration and luggage on the back seat) we became the focus of a Smash&Grab in which Dawn lost her handbag … with I.D. … and Drivers License … and Bank Cards … !

Politics & our Future

The last month has been dominated by the elections, the inauguration of our new State President, the announcement of a new Cabinet, and a somewhat immature interaction between Helen Zille of the DA and the ANC Youth League and MK Military Veterans Association. Despite my qualms about Zuma I agree with Zapiro that the “shower head” should be suspended, and both Zuma and the new Cabinet be given time to prove their worth. Zuma’s inauguration speech and new Cabinet show some reflection of Obama’s inclusiveness, and I look forward to a possible new era for South Africa … time will tell! On an economic front it has been interesting to see the Rand strengthen on the news of a free and fair election process, and on the announcement of the new Cabinet. COSATU’s attempt to block the listing of Vodacom on the JSE has seen the first bump in the Rand’s value; and one wonders what the true agenda of COSATU is in this action – perhaps testing their strength under the new political dispensation?

Life – what fun!

In rereading the above, it strikes me that life, especially in South Africa – and probably Africa as a whole – is never dull! And we need to reflect on where God fits into it all. We carry misconceptions of God’s purpose as God, and often these are driven not by incorrect teaching but by our own need as human beings. We ask the question “Why?” of God, and become distrustful of God because God appears to be rather diffident to our need. God chose in Jesus to become incarnate in our world: Emmanuel – God with us. He remains incarnate through the presence of the Holy Spirit. And God’s purpose is just that: to be present. God is with us through the power of the Holy Spirit; not to save us from hardship, trauma, difficulty; but to walk beside us, with us, as a companion and friend, as a helper, as one from whom we can draw strength, comfort, and hope.

As Christians we are called to live this out, to be ourselves this presence in the world and in the lives of others. We are called to involve ourselves in human development, to give of ourselves and our resources; to make a difference that is different because it is part of us, not separate from us. Too often we involve ourselves in acts of charity, and not in self-giving. Charity too often equates to hand-outs; self-giving brings about transformation.

This is our country, our Nation, our society, our community: we have responsibility. How is God’s presence visible through us, God’s Body, God’s community, God’s Church?

Thank You

Thank you to all who contributed to the very generous Easter Offering that I received this year. It is a demonstration of your love, and is enhanced with your care and friendship. Thank you so much!

Mark

June 2007

Dear Friends

Mission, Ministry & Evangelism

Willow Glen has been our parish growth focus since January, and it is wonderful to see the growth that is happening. May saw the introduction of worship services for that community, and the initial service had great support – thank you! In terms of the Diocesan 3-year programme I have been disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm to visit, but understand the time pressures on many of us, along with genuine fears of travelling the roads at night. However, please consider being brave: Jeanne Jackson (012 348 3505) is coordinating the visiting programme and is looking for further support. Our “Friendship Meals” kicked off with Isobel Holden hosting a meal for some of the single women in the parish, and this was a great success.

The next phase begins in Trinity Tide (now!) and includes a Diocesan Convention on Ministry & Evangelism to be held on 10 June 2007 at 14:00 where we will tell our stories and hear from others. I encourage you to make the effort to attend as it is always encouraging to hear what is happening in other parts of God’s vineyard! As part of this next phase we are encouraged to examine issues of enculturation and liturgy, and our Patronal Festival’s “Cultural Dinner” begins this journey for us – I hope we will see many of you there!

Building

A special parish Vestry meeting has agreed to our plans to do some major maintenance and minor extension to our Church building, as well as erect a bell tower to house the magnificent bell that was recently donated by one of our parish families. Parish Council is finalising our fundraising approach, and we await Diocesan approval, which we hope to have by mid-June. Concept plans are in the parish office, and you are welcome to come and view them.

Youth Fusion (13-18 year olds)

Kerry MacGregor and her team have been working hard to build up our youth, and we held a most successful camp just after Easter (see the April Magazine). After comments last year that our more ad hoc approach was not sufficient, Kerry has committed to holding two Youth events a month during school time. Sadly, attendance is erratic and apart from the first event, has not been well attended despite exciting programmes. We are aware that young people are somewhat fickle and change their minds at the last moment, but I suspect that parent commitment to getting their teenagers to the venue is also an issue. Unless numbers pick up substantially, we may need to review what we can offer our youth outside of Sundays – please, Friends, your support is required!

Please take note that Youth Fusion is for Teenagers (13-18 years) – younger children prove disruptive and are not catered for. There may be a need for a “Tweens” youth group, but we are not able to staff one at this stage.

Visiting

On an irregularly regular basis I put a reminder in the Pewleaflet that I (and other clergy) are available to visit in your homes. It has been a recent pleasure to have been invited in to meet two families. I spend a lot of time meeting people on the Church property around various personal crises or preparation needs, but it is always a pleasure to build relationship in your homes. High walls, security arrangements, and an increasingly busy urban lifestyle make it very difficult to just “pop in” as one perhaps still can in more rural environments, and used to “in the old days”: an invitation – even for a cup of tea – is always welcome!

Information & the Office

I am aware that Church on Sunday is a good time to catch the Rector or Administrator to deal with various issues, and to float various ideas. Please be aware that any “Yes” obtained from me is agreement in principle, but that if any follow-up action is required it is wise to contact the office during the week to follow up on detail or any other action required: yours is not my only conversation, and by Monday morning has become a vague awareness of a mixture of memories from Sunday’s many interactions!

Please also respect our Administrator’s personal space – on Sundays she is just Gwen, a parishioner of the Parish. On Monday morning she reverts to Administrator! Again, please phone in during the week to deal with “Church Matters”. Please also note the office is closed for administrative purposes on Thursdays – the answering machine will direct you to members of the clergy if you have a crisis that needs urgent intervention.

Crime Prayer Summit

Sadly, it appears that while the crime situation is often part of our conversations, sacrificing a Sunday afternoon to join other Christians to reflect prayerfully on crime is not, and raises the question as to whether we are really serious about dealing with crime and corruption, or just concerned for our own skins. My personal thanks to Nan Muir, Gill Condy and Paul Pretorius for representing Corpus Christi and Willow Glen. As part of the proceedings, those gathered were called to make a commitment to refrain from the purchase of stolen goods as a personal contribution to fighting crime, which was overwhelmingly received. Paul Pretorius will be coordinating this in the parish, and I ask for your support for “Smack Attack”.

Blessings

Mark