September 2011 - Family

Dear Friends

Diocesan Family Day

The Diocese will come together for a Diocesan Family Day on Sunday 11 September 2011. The last Family Day was held in 2008, and was a great occasion. It is not often that we have the opportunity to remind ourselves that we belong to the wider Anglican family, and so really do encourage you to make this pilgrimage. The outdoor service will begin at 09:30 at St Alban’s College (Clearwater Road, Lynnwood Glen) on the Cricket Field below the Pavilion. There will also be access to parking on the field from Maldon Road. We are asked to be “seated” by 09:15 – please bring a blanket to sit on, or a garden/camping chair and something to protect yourself from the sun. The Archbishop of Sudan, the Most Revd Dr Daniel Deng Bul, will be the preacher.  We are encouraged to stay on after the service and enjoy a picnic together. Please note that braai-fires are not allowed and alcohol is discouraged. Also, there will be no services at Corpus Christi on 11 September 2011.

Please pray for Diocesan Synod that takes place on the Thursday to Saturday  prior to the Family Day. It is the most prominent decision making body of the Diocese, and will set our direction as Anglicans in Pretoria for the next three years.

Family Cross

The Corpus Christi Family Cross is continuing its journey around the Parish. It is wonderful how the Cross has been welcomed. It is also proving  a joy for the Clergy and Layministers to be able to visit the family hosting the cross for family prayers on a Wednesday evening. If you would like to have the Family Cross in your home, please contact the parish office to find an available week. And while we encourage the family to give testimony when they return the Cross on a Sunday, there is freedom to just hand it back without testimony, too.

Family

As many of you have been aware, Dawn and I spent July in the UK meeting “new” family, and catching up with “old” family on my side. It has been quite a journey, and has stirred many emotions for both of us. Dawn’s comment, just before we landed in Manchester, was pertinent: “This is like going to meet the future in-laws, except you haven’t met them yet!” Contact via email and contact via Skype before we left meant that we weren’t travelling into the complete unknown, but I was apprehensive as we walked through the airport doors to meet the family for the first time. I find it very difficult to find the words that fit the moment or the feelings that accompanied our meeting, and the time that we spent together. I began, during our time with my father and step-mother, brothers and their families, as well as the wider family, to realise that I have carried an empty space in my being for them all my life. To have that space filled is truly amazing.

Joyce Rupp, in her book Open the Door speaks of “The Power of the Threshold” and says that “A threshold contains the power of transformation.” Our visit to the UK has been in many ways a threshold experience, a doorway that has opened up the reality of new relationships unfolding into the future. And we embrace those relationships, the welcome and the love we are given, the home that is made ours. We are eager to explore this new space together. There is so much to celebrate.

Joyce Rupp also speaks of the threshold as a “bleak in-between place”, which may sound strange and paradoxical to the goodness of our visit, but is – I think – a place that we find ourselves in as we return home. In being embraced by a new family we embrace a new narrative, and a new history. But there remains an existing narrative that is my and Dawn’s experienced history, and is a narrative I can’t lay aside. Rather it needs to become a transformative process for us all, old and new family alike. The threshold is, in Joyce Rupp’s words, a space where we lose a sense of clear identity, question what seems to be a dissolving relationship with our self and, perhaps, with our God; a space in which we are cleansed of false perceptions and weaned from feeding on what no longer nurtures us.

The process of building a narrative that embraces who I am, who I might have been, with emerging possibilities of who I want to be, has begun. The journey of building a transformed identity has begun. My journey through the threshold, its impact on my identity and clear sense of self, is costly. Dawn walks a similar path as we walk it in concert, transforming the narratives that impact on the life we share together.

Blessings

Mark

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

June 2011 - Celebration

Dear Friends

30th Anniversary Celebration

June marks our Patronal Festival and we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of our Dedication on Sunday, June 19th. Our organising and catering committee have been very busy getting everything in place, and we are looking forward to a truly awesome event! If you haven’t indicated you are attending, there is still time! The 19th is also Fathers’ Day, so we are hoping you will use this as an opportunity to give “Dad” a good lunch—it is a Spit-Braai! There will be a wonderful bottle of wine on auction, so bring a bit of extra cash to ensure your “Dad” gets an extra gift!

Easter Offering

Thank you so much to all who contributed to the generous Easter Offering that I received—it is clear that you love and appreciate me!

Budget Deficit

As you have all been aware, the budgeted deficit for 2011 has been of concern to Annual Vestry and an ongoing concern for Parish Council. There is good news, and a presentation will be given during both Services on Sunday 5 June 2011. The April Financial Report indicates that we have dropped the deficit from just under R80,000 to around R10,000. This is an amount Council feels we can manage. A BIG thank you to everyone for responding generously as you have done, and for taking seriously the financial needs of the Parish. However, let us not be tempted to relax on our laurels at this stage as the wider economic context in which we find ourselves still appears quite volatile.

Holiday—Meet the Parents

Excitingly, Dawn and I will be on holiday in the UK for the whole of July! As many of you are aware my whole family lives there, with my parents Tim and Kirstie being the most recent of the clan to move over to the UK earlier this year. What most of you have not been aware of is that I have a second set of parents and an additional set of siblings also living in the UK. I have been a “Long” since the age of four when my mother remarried. My last contact with my birth-father was in 1968 and as I was just two years old the memories are very hazy. So the main purpose of the visit is to “meet the parents”, and we will be immersing ourselves with the “Moore” clan for most of our time there, with a week or so in the south to catch up with the “Longs”. Please pray for Dawn and I as we make this pilgrimage. It is daunting, yet exciting, in so many ways. My birth-father, Tony, made contact some three years ago, and email and Skype have helped us develop an emerging relationship. Our visit will cement what has already begun, and enable us to build meaningful relationships going forward.  I worked out the other day that—between parents, siblings, spouses, nephews and nieces—I have twenty-seven close members of the family in the UK, many of whom we will meet for the first time!

A blessed Winter season to you all!

Mark

May 2011 - Rejoice Always

Dear Friends

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4 (TNIV)

2011 marks our 30th Anniversary  as the Parish of Corpus Christi in Garsfontein.  From our humble beginnings in 1981 we have grown into a fully fledged Anglican parish, and are able to hold our heads high in the Diocese and in the Pretoria East Archdeaconry. Paul’s words to the Philippians (above) echo the nature of Christian life at Corpus Christi, and I pray will be words that enfold us during our celebrations next month. The Message translates this verse as,

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!”

What do we celebrate?

Firstly, we celebrate that we have been called by God to be a part of the Missio Dei (the Mission of God) in this part of Pretoria, and to make a difference for God in the communities we serve. Secondly, we celebrate those who had the courage to step out in faith, trusting God, to give birth and nurture this community in the early days. Thirdly, we give thanks for everyone who is presently part of the life and mission of Corpus Christi Anglican Church in Garsfontein!

As we look back in thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness to us over 30 years, it is equally important to look forward and ensure that we have a life-giving and creative vision for our future. A vision is built on what we believe in, on what is important to us.

Our parish survey during 2010 highlighted that “belonging” and “family” are important to us at Corpus Christi, along with our “intra-cultural harmony”. It is critical that we build these three values into the foundation of our present and any future vision.

The survey also affirmed that our parish life offers significant opportunities for meaningful caring and worship.

The survey highlighted that we are being true to  our present “Statement of Purpose”, the core of which is being a place where others meet Christ. The “Statement of Purpose” also affirms that we value friendship, youth participation and broad-based parishioner involvement. These create that sense of belonging , family and intra-cultural harmony that the survey highlights.

Vision is all about creating a worldview that is compelling, truthful and motivating. The challenge that lies ahead for us is that the context that defined us in 1981 no longer defines us  or the communities we serve in 2011. Physically, in 1981, we were on the very eastern outskirts of Pretoria; not so in 2011!

Our present “Statement of Purpose” has carried us through a significant few years of transition, and it is important that we review our vision, our sense of purpose, our values, our mission as we look forward into our next decade.

How do you see our future?

                            Resurrection Blessings

Mark

April 2011 - Life in Christ

Dear Friends

Life in Christ

The service of Admission of Catechumens (adult candidates for Baptism and Confirmation) asks the important question, “Friends, what do you seek?” The bold reply is, “We seek life in Christ!” – it is a brief response that holds an eternity of implication. Each Lent and Holy Week journey asks this question of us anew, and we respond anew.

What is it that you seek this Lent, this Holy Week? What are your expectations of resurrection and new life this Easter?

New life, resurrected life, life in Christ: what are the implications? And what are the foundations on which it is built?

Jesus says in Matthew 5:17 (CJB), “Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete”. Most English translations follow the Greek by translating the Hebrew word Torah as Law. However, Torah is better translated as Teaching. This gives us a possible different perspective on the 10 Commandments: rather than being Law it is Teaching. The 10 Commandments teach the principles on which we build our community as God’s people, and they become the foundation of our “Life in Christ”.

The 10 Commandments are a teaching given in the context of God’s call to his people to be different from the society that surrounds them. Moses encourages the Israelites to observe the Commandments as they are about to enter into the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, so that, “... this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:5-6; TNIV). The call to be different is highlighted by phrase in the Commandments, “You shall not ...”. You shall not be like the people around you, you shall not steal like them, you shall not give false evidence like them. BE DIFFERENT!

The question of wrong-doing, breaking the teachings, comes to mind. In today’s world sin has become equated with being caught out, rather than wrong-doing; it is often equated with sex. However, in terms of the 10 Commandments, sin is conforming to a society where wrong-doing is acceptable, deforming ourselves from the principles of Godly community. The 10 Commandments say little about stealing in and of itself; the Commandments highlight that what is wrong is that someone claiming to be a member of God’s people, God’s community, is allowing themselves to be formed and shaped by a society in which stealing (or corruption, or ...) is the norm.

The journey of Lent and Holy Week becomes a journey of re-alignment. We renounce our formation by a society that seeks to deform us from the principles of a God-focused community. We return to the norms of the Christian faith community, responding to the call to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;’ and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Luke 10:27; TNIV). This is a journey of re-alignment, not removal. We are not called to extract ourselves from society, but to reform and recreate ourselves within society, and to respond differently: compelled not by the norms of society, but by the norms of the Christian faith and the principles of God-focused community. Our “life in Christ” becomes a new centre, for ourselves, our communities, our society and our world. We become, again, the light and the hope that we are called by God to be.

Friends, what do you seek?

                Blessings,

                                Mark               

March 2011 - Life is a Gift

Dear Friends

“Life is a gift. When you receive it as a gift you begin to give yourself as a gift”

– Erwin McManus.

For a while now I have been struggling to get out of bed in the morning. I could bore you with the details, but I won’t. Very simply, I had forgotten that my life is God’s gift to me and God’s gift to others. We all live very busy and stressed lives, and living is complicated and relationships are complex. Sometimes the complexity is just too much to face, and our problems and the problems of others become overwhelming. We get caught in the maelstrom and are overcome. And we forget whose and who we are.

Erwin McManus’ words reminded me that I had become too involved in myself, and that I needed to look beyond myself and my own need, and regain a sense of purpose and be reminded of my potential: “You ... need to be able to go to bed at night and know that based on who you are and who God has made you to be, you’ve contributed the greatest good that you can for the good of others. And that when you get up in the morning you can’t wait to get out of bed because there is this eager anticipation that your life can be a gift to the world.”

I am not a gift to the world, my life is. My life is God’s gift to me, and it is also God’s gift to others. It is not about me, it is about the gift God has made me to be. It is about the potential God has placed within me to make a tangible difference both to my own life and also to the lives of others. And as I turn off the morning alarm, and turn over to hide under the duvet from the world, I remember that my life is a gift. I begin to wonder how God will use this gift this day, what opportunities will arise, and what God will do. It is not long before I throw back the duvet and head for the shower.

The day is rarely perfect, often fractured and chaotic, crisis-filled and full of frustration. But it is different, because at vague moments I remember and seek again to give myself as a gift. In these moments the sun shines again, and I discover an energy within, God within. And strangely, the fracturing, the chaos, the crisis and the frustration also become God’s gift. They become God-given opportunities to interact and engage with life itself, with issues, with people, with God. There is peace to be found in the chaos and the struggle, and hope.

Yes, my life is a gift. So is yours. It is a gift given to be given away, not thoughtlessly but shared. And the strange part is that in sharing, in giving and in giving away, we find wholeness and renewal. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 NRSV).

There is a need for us to reflect on whom or what is stealing our lives. What are real boundaries, and what are false ones? Who or what is defining us? Who or what is controlling us? Where is God in our journey?

The Church season of Lent, leading up to our Easter celebrations, is an opportunity to explore these questions; to reflect on how we are living the gift of life God has given us; to seek God’s guidance and leadership afresh. There are a number of resources offered to us during this season: a Diocesan booklet of daily meditations for personal use, or family discussion; a Lent course “Growing the Church”; weekly meditations on the cross; a healing Service on the first Sunday in Lent; our Holy Week and Good Friday programme; Baptism and Confirmation preparation classes.

Friends, what do you seek?

Blessings,

Mark

Quotations from Erwin McManus are taken from Master Leaders: Revealing conversations with 30 leadership greats by George Bana with Bill Dallas (2010).

Rector's Report to Annual Vestry - Corpus Christi, Garsfontein (30 January 2011)

Introduction

Craig van Gelder, in his book the ministry of the missional church: a community led by the spirit (2007) says that there are three important questions a congregation needs to ask, “What has God done? What is God doing? What does God want to do?” The first question is another way of asking “Why are we here?” The second question is about faith and discernment. The third question is about wisdom and planning.

In light of the above, today is about telling more of our story, adding to our history. We are here to review in particular what it is that God has done in our midst during the last twelve months: we are not only to reflect on our actions, but importantly on the meaning of these activities within the broader call to serve the kingdom of God in the wider world. We are also here to apply our wisdom and give the incoming parish council some direction in their planning for 2011.

Personal

On a personal note the past year has been a challenging one, the second half in particular. I became acting archdeacon of Madibeng, a missionary area to the west of Pretoria, and was asked by the Bishop to investigate its viability for the future. It is my hope that the work I have done will enable the Bishop to appoint a full-time archdeacon during this year, and I will get back to being a Canon. During this time I was one of two candidates for Dean of Kimberly and Kuruman, and a final interviewing candidate for Dean of Cape Town. Both positions went to locally known people. In between all this Dawn and I have completed the Jesuit Institute’s Prayer Guide Course, and Dawn will go on to complete the Spiritual Director's course over the next two years. In February I will complete my post-graduate certificate in Congregational Leadership through the University of Pretoria. This certificate counts as the course-work for a Master’s Degree, which I will hopefully complete during the course of 2011/2012.

Parish

My strong impression is that 2010 has been a year in which we as a parish have caught our breath. The previous year (2009) had been a busy one, and many of us entered 2010 needing to draw breath and recollect ourselves. The impact of the Soccer World Cup, and the demands it made on us as a society, has also had its impact. This was evident in that our Patronal Festival and Christmas events were celebrated with teas, not lunches; and one of our fund-raising events was cancelled.

This said, the 2010 was not uneventful! Isobel Holden once again organised a wonderful Parish Fete that raised in the region of R30,000; our Confirmation candidates enjoyed a spiritually nourishing camp; attendance at the Men’s Fishing Weekend was its largest in its eleven year history, and the clergy spouses hosted a very successful “Ladies Spiritual Spar Day”; our Confirmation Service, with Bishop Jo present, was one of our worship highlights for the year; we managed to produce a Children’s Church Nativity play for the first time in a number of years, and its contemporary format was a definite hit with our teenagers and younger children; attendance at our occasional Youth Fusion events was up, and our Children and Teen Church numbers were high; all of which suggests we are doing something right!

Our outreach has again been a highlight of parish life. We have maintained our relationship with Louis Botha Homes, and our “Shrove Sunday” event with them was life-giving. We donated just over two-thirds of the proceeds of our fete to Tumelong, and have maintained our monthly provision of over 30 food parcels. The Tumelong Maboloka Christmas Party was well-supported, and it was great to see a larger contingent of parishioners involved on the day. Council has also committed to a monthly financial pledge to Tumelong. Irene Homes and WAR continue to get our attention, and I hope we will give better support to our Tea Table at the Irene Homes Fete this year.

Our parish facilities (hall and barn) play an increasingly important local community role: a senior-citizens exercise class takes place every Monday morning; Taekwondo classes are offered twice a week in the afternoon and Jujitsu classes twice a week in the evening; the Cake Icing Guild meets once a month in the hall, and a branch of Alcoholics’ Anonymous uses the Barn on Wednesdays and Saturdays; the local residents security association (GarsB3) uses our hall on a monthly basis for residents meetings and the barn for a committee meeting.

Money is always a difficult subject. We have done well in 2010, all things considered. The effects of the global economic crisis continued to affect our pockets last year, and this was seen in our income from Generosity Giving remaining at 2008 levels; and commitments for this year appear unchanged. There is a limit to how much we can control expenditure increases, and your cooperation is needed to reach our commitments for 2011. I realise we are all more inclined to give to people and to specific projects rather than to a general operational budget, but while our budget looks like electricity, petrol, and other consumables, it is actually focused around people: our staff, parishioners and strangers. Craig van Gelder (quoted above) notes that our financial giving reflects the degree to which we recognise our calling to be a part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in bringing about changed lives, transformed communities, and redemptive ministry in the world.

Our parish has become increasingly intra-cultural over the last few years, something I believe we need to celebrate more often. In particular we need to find ways for our music to reflect this: music is one of the few areas of parish life where we struggle to find ourselves on the same page; we are a little out of tune with each other in this aspect of our worship, and we need to discover a melody that reflects our diversity more fully.

There is need, too, to review our Parish vision and our sense of purpose. This need was noted at our November Council meeting, and some time was spent at the Council Planning Day last week reflecting on leadership, the changes taking place in our society, and a possible model to help take us forward. Craig van Gelder (quoted above) offers a useful model that the incoming Council has agreed to interact with. It is a model that offers an open-systems perspective on congregational life, taking our religious heritage (Biblical and Confessional values), our denominational history (core ministry values), our facilities and location into account. Being an open-systems perspective it acknowledges that the church’s boundaries are porous, that the world affects us and that we impact on the world. In essence, van Gelder’s model asks us to focus on Scripture in defining our purpose (mission) and on our context in discerning our vision. Our core practices (worship, evangelism, education, social responsibility, pastoral care and community needs) become the primary manner in which we carry out our purpose and minister meaningfully in our context. The model also takes sincerely the need for strategic structures, and our programs, people, communication, facilities and finances are all taken seriously. It is a holistic model that recognises the importance of the Church being a transforming community, with the Holy Spirit being the prime guiding agent. At the heart of this model is the understanding that the Church is called, gathered, and sent into the world to participate fully in God’s mission.

Archdeaconry, Diocese and Province

My appointment as acting Archdeacon of Madibeng necessitated the handing over of responsibility for St Anne (Equestria) and St Agnes (Stanza Bopape) to other clergy in the Archdeaconry. Excitingly, the new home for St Anne in Equestria has been completed and dedicated. Frustratingly, it is taking some time to get the water connected, and the community is still worshipping at Willow Ridge High School. There is good a good possibility that St Anne should be able to take full occupation of the new Church in time for Lent. This will mark a new step in their journey, and our child has flown the nest. Thank you to all here who in some form have contributed to seeing this vision of a new Anglican Community in the East take root.

The Bishop is calling the 83^rd session of Diocesan Synod to meet in September this year. This will bring to an end the present Diocesan theme focused on family life. I was encouraged by how many parishioners here at Corpus Christi noted in response to the survey we held last year that it is the strong sense of family that drew them to join this parish, and remains one of the major reasons they stay.

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa adopted a new mission and vision statement, along with eight priority areas for focus, at the Provincial Synod last year: a call for us to ACT, to be Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s mission, and Transformed by the Holy Spirit. This is a pivotal step that the Province has taken, and it is important that we find ways at Diocesan, Archdeaconry and Parish level to incorporate these principles into our common life.

Society and Nation Building

We live in a broken and hurting world. As God’s people we are called to be a light to the nations. Leonard Sweet, in his book So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church, says, “When it comes to culture, we are to be in-but-not-of-but-not-out-of-it-either.” He goes on to say that, “to live in the twenty-first century you have to come to terms with paradox, whether you are a disciple or not.” I believe we often experience these challenges as we seek to live out our lives in the midst of family, work, community involvement, as well as in our friendship circles.

Our national life seems to remain chaotic, and Government continues to give the impression of incompetence and corruption at many levels. We need to remain positive, and highlight positives when we find them, and support those who do live out their values in our often compromised social, economic and political society. There are a number of our parishioners working at various levels of Government, and we need to hear the success stories from you, and also hear how we can better support you.

Walking through Woolworths in La Lucia Mall while on leave I was struck by posters up in the store: one read, “We’re destined for great things: the future is SA” and another, “I’m so looking forward to tomorrow: the future is SA.” South Africa remains a land of great opportunity and possibility, and the success of the Soccer World Cup last year demonstrated this in many ways. What I particularly enjoyed is that we shared a common language for the duration, and suddenly had something to talk about whether it was to the petrol attendant or till worker, CEO or shop-floor assistant. It was a wonderful time of unity, and we need more of these moments in our national life. Our future lies in our hands, and we must not be afraid to stand up and claim it.

Conclusion

In my earlier reports to Vestry as Rector I note that I thanked various groups and people for their support and leadership. It is testimony to our growth that I am no longer sure where to start with such a list. I hope it will suffice to say thank you to you all for all that you have contributed this past year. Big or small, your actions and contributions have made a meaningful difference to our parish life. My special thanks to my wife, Dawn, for her ongoing support and love in what has been a challenging year for us personally. Cheryl Rogers has proved a power-house in the office and my sincere thanks to her for what she has done both in and beyond the call of duty. To our outgoing Churchwardens and active members of Council: thank you for your support and contribution to the leadership of the parish. To the Ministry Team and supportive ministries, thank you for your dedication in keeping our worship and pastoral care alive and well.

Bless you!

MARK R D LONG

Rector

November/December 2010 - What is God doing?

Dear Friends

What is God doing?

Our identity as Christians is profoundly locked into this question, “What is God doing?” I have begun asking this question as we draw together in worship, and particularly as we reflect on the lectionary readings for the day. What is it that draws us together as God’s people, the Body of Christ? Is it an interest in what God is doing? Is it also a desire to be a part of what God is doing?

“The Lord be with you!” “AND ALSO WITH YOU!”

What has struck me as I’ve asked people to turn to each other and share what God is doing is the brevity of the discussion. It is not long before the room is quiet again.

When Jesus is asked the question, “Who gives you authority to do what you are doing?” his answer is to reflect that he does what he sees the Father doing. What is our answer? Why are we doing what we are doing? ... and what is it that we are doing?

It is not long before the room is quiet again.

“What is God doing?” is profound because it asks us to focus on God; it asks us to disengage from our self-focus. Suddenly it presents me with a new reality: life is not about me. And I am challenged – we are challenged – by a simple question that has wide-ranging implications; and seemingly no easy answers. We are quiet as we watch and wait and reflect. “What is it that God is doing?” – in my life, in yours; in our diverse daily communities, in our society? Where does God place us daily, in the morning, afternoon and evening? Is it our homes, our workplace, our schools, our friendship circles? What is God doing in these places? What is God doing in these relationships?

It is not long before the room is quiet again.

We ask this seemingly simple, innocent question. We ask it as we reflect on the Scriptures of the day, as we reflect on what God has done as he interacted with ancient generations of people. We ask it as we reflect on our own situation, our own context. We ask it as we draw ancient Scriptures together with the realities of today, the here and now. And tomorrow.

And the room is no longer so quiet.

The room is no longer so quiet because, perhaps – just perhaps – the God who interacted with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with Moses and the Prophets, with King Saul and King David, with Jesus, with the early Apostles and with Paul, also wants to interact with us. And the hum and buzz in the room reflects a growing awareness, a growing expectation; an expectation that perhaps – just perhaps – we too may be part of what God is doing?

And the room is no longer so quiet.

Our time of worship begins to become a time of celebration: God is doing something. God is alive. God is present. God is relevant. Deep within we begin to realise that we want to be a part of what God is doing. And so we enter into the liturgy: receiving God’s forgiveness, reflecting on his Word, sharing the needs of our world in prayer, encouraging each other that we are not alone as we share in the peace, receiving the very life of God as we share in the sacramental bread and wine, reminded of God’s blessing as we prepare to return to our lives in the wider world. We reflect on where we will be as we return from this time of worship – this experience of celebration – into the fullness of our lives beyond the walls of our meeting place. And we begin to ask an equally profound question, “What is God wanting to do?”

And the room is quiet no longer.

As the Deacon’s call rings out, “Go into the world to love and serve the Lord!” we respond, excitedly, noisily, “IN THE NAME OF CHRIST! AMEN!”

And the room is silent. The Church has dispersed into the world, to do what God is doing, to do what God is wanting to do.

Blessings

Mark

October 2010 - On Being Anglican

Dear Friends

On being Anglican

Many of us grew up with grandparents who were born Anglican (or Methodist, or Catholic, or ...), lived their entire lives as Anglicans (or ...) and died as Anglicans (or ...). They probably also worked for the same company their entire working lives and were proud of the gold watch this commitment earned them.

I am struck, every time we present teenagers to the Bishop for Confirmation, at how diverse these young people’s denomination of origin is. This points to the increasing trend for our generation to use different criteria in choosing the church we commit to. We rarely hold any long term commitment to any one denomination, choosing rather to find a faith community that meets our specific needs at a specific time in our lives.

And so what draws us to be Anglican in 2010?

The short answer is probably the vision and mission of the local Anglican congregation (in our case Corpus Christi in Garsfontein), and we will remain involved for as long as this congregation meets our family needs ... and then we will move on. But what keeps us involved in the here and now, and does the focus of the wider Anglican denomination have any impact on our present involvement? Do we know what the focus of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa is?

At our recent Provincial Synod (the chief Governing body of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa) held in Benoni we spent substantial time reflecting on the nature of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa with all the wealth of its diversity from the three Portuguese speaking Dioceses in Angola and Mozambique, to the English language-oriented Dioceses stretching from Namibia through South Africa to Lesotho and Swaziland (and don’t forget the island of St Helena). Despite the breadth of this vast diversity, we were able to agree on a common vision and mission, along with eight key priority areas that we all need to address. This is an exciting step that I pray will unite us as Anglicans in Southern Africa in a new way. It has the potential to cement our identity and our willingness to identify with the Anglican Church beyond just our congregational involvement. We need to be part of a comprehensive response to the many inter-related social-economic challenges we face in the Southern African region. The nature of the Anglican Church is that we are Diocesan rather than congregational, and although we may worship with a specific group of people, we are called to align ourselves with other Anglicans in the region (ours is Pretoria, stretching through to Rustenburg and beyond in the West and to the Mpumalanga Provincial boundary in the East).

And so to be Anglican in Southern Africa is now to be aligned with the following; we are called to ACT:

Vision

Anchored in the love of Christ

Committed to God’s mission

Transformed by the Holy Spirit

Mission

To honour of God in worship that feeds and empowers us for faithful witness and service

To embody and proclaim the message of God’s redemptive hope and healing for people and creation

To grow communities of faith that form, inform and transform those who fellow Christ

Priorities

Liturgical renewal for transformative worship

Theological education

Leadership formation

Health: HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis

The environment

Women and gender

Protection and nurture of children and young people

Public advocacy

Going forward

Together, we can make a valuable difference. The challenge for us at both Diocese and Parish level will be to align our own vision and mission with those of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Going into 2011 we will be exploring how we as Corpus Christi can contribute to reaching this vision. Provincial Synod did not expect any “quick fix” solutions, but rather saw this new alignment as an ongoing process over the next couple of decades. The eight identified priorities are there to guide us over the next five years.

If you are interested in helping guide this process – or any of its aspects – at Parish level, please let me know.

                Blessings

                                Mark

September 2010 - Journeying with Jesus

Dear Friends

Journeying with Jesus

The Christian life is a call to journey with Jesus. Over the last ten weeks our Sunday readings from Luke’s Gospel have given us an insight into an important aspect of this journey, primarily that as disciples of Christ we are called to proclaim to the people we meet that the Kingdom of God is upon us. “Proclamation” is more than just an announcement: it is to live out a message. This means that our actions and attitudes are more important than our words; and that our relationship with God is visible even in the hidden moments of our lives: a somewhat daunting thought!

What is the “Kingdom of God”? None of the Gospel writers, including Luke, give us a clear, unequivocal description. Instead they portray Jesus as the visible sign of the Kingdom, and through his life – particularly in his interaction with others – we are afforded glimpses of what the Kingdom is. We begin to see that the Kingdom is about love-filled relationships that build justice and true hope in our world. The Kingdom is created through relationships that value love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, pg 144). By incorporating these values into our relationships our lives become glimpses of the Kingdom both for ourselves and for others. This journey with Jesus is one of continual discovery.

What does our journey with Jesus mean for the various other journeys we are on with ourselves and also with others? Jesus’ comment in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (TNIV) makes us fear that we will have to leave these other journeys behind. Journeys that conflict with the values of the Kingdom need to be abandoned. However, many – if not most – of our journeys are complementary, and if we are committed and available to Jesus, God draws the journeys of our life together, interweaving them with the Kingdom journey that we are called to.

Too often we forget to make our Kingdom journey the priory of our lives, and we find ourselves pulled in conflicting directions. Rather than this being a conflict in values, it is a conflict of priority. As we increasingly permit our journey with Jesus to become the umbrella under which all our other journeys are allowed to shelter, we will gradually discover over time that the various journeys of our lives are redirected and are progressively guided by our Kingdom journey. The question always is, “How?”

We need to make time to reflect upon our lives, review our priorities, allow the Spirit of God to transform us. This is the call of Christian Stewardship: a call to review our relationship with God, and to reflect upon how we give leadership to our time, our gifting and talents, to our treasure. Our use of time says a great deal about our priorities; the manner in which we deal with our relationships and utilise our belongings says a great deal about our values; our approach to life says a great deal about our relationship with our Creator, Restorer and Sustainer.

Where are you in your journey with Jesus?

                Blessings

                                Mark

August 2010 - New Challenges

Dear Friends

New Challenges

The noonday hour in the Bishop’s office appears to be a bewitching one, if tales are true. Bishop Jo requested to see me in person on my return from leave in June, and as I left the parish office I mentioned to Cheryl that I was either in deep trouble or in line for more responsibility. As it turns out, it was more responsibility: I left the Bishop’s office just after the noonday hour an acting Archdeacon. I now carry responsibility for the Archdeaconry of Madibeng, which is centred around Brits and Hartbeespoort Dam, including Pretoria North. My initial focus is to review the mission and ministry imperatives of this area, which was set up at our 2005 Diocesan Synod as a missionary Archdeaconry. The challenges of Madibeng are great: it is staffed with only one full-time clergyperson and five self-supporting priests. Much of the area is made up of small villages, some around the mines, others with rural roots. It is an exciting new venture for me, even though at this point it remains a temporary appointment.

This change in my focus has led to some reshuffling in the Pretoria East Archdeaconry, and as from September our Archdeacon, the Ven Timothy Lowes, will take over responsibility for the mission parish of St Anne’s, Equestria; and the Chapelry of St Agnes, Stanza Bopape, will fall under the oversight of the Rev’d Madi Moshime of All Saints in Mamelodi East. Please keep these two communities, which have walked closely with us, in prayer as they find comfort in the new allegiances that are required of them. Please keep me and my family in your prayers, too, as I pick up this new Diocesan responsibility out west, while seeking to continue to serve you faithfully here at Corpus Christi in Garsfontein.

Roots

I’ve just returned from a three day retreat (a part of the Spirituality Course Dawn and I are doing through the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg) that focused on the Desert Tradition of the early Church around the third century. I’ve always appreciated that St Benedict and his Rule have substantially influenced Anglicanism as we know it, but what was eye opening was the tradition of the Desert Mothers and Fathers that influenced Benedict. At the heart is a comment from St Benedict’s Rule: “Prefer absolutely nothing to the love of Christ”. It was a huge affirmation for me of what it means not just to be Christian, but to be an Anglican Christian.

The Desert Tradition found its impetus at a place in time when Christianity suddenly found itself the religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. From being a banned and underground movement, Christianity was suddenly the flavour of the day. Many followers of Christ’s way became disillusioned by a faith that was increasingly watered down and sold short: people’s lives were no longer being changed through conversion. And so many holy and committed followers of Christ found their way into the desert, seeking not to run away from the world, but to find a place not filled by the distractions of the decadent and licentious Roman Empire. The holy men and women of the Desert Tradition recognised that the problem was not the world, but rather the inner being of every person that allows the world to be a distraction, and that leads us away from preferring “absolutely nothing to the love of Christ”. And so the Desert Tradition calls us to flee into the real world of self; we are called to face our demons and encounter both ourselves and the living God in the process.

If we are serious about our journey in God then this journey has to take precedence over everything else. We need to be continually drawn to something more; and we need to ask ourselves why we are ever ready to settle for the mediocre when it comes to our relationship with God. Joan Chittister – whom I regularly quote – reflects that the essence of the Benedictine Spirit (at whose heart is the spirit of the Desert Tradition) is a process of living in the presence of God that gives us a different perception of ourselves and of God. It is the spirit of the sacrament: to touch, to take, and to be transformed.

This, I realise, is something of what it means to be Anglican and Christian; a very special gift.

Blessings

Mark

July 2010 - Survey Results

Dear Friends

Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill in our Survey Questionnaire! We had 128 responses over two Sundays. The results confirmed a lot of what we already suspected: we are a Parish made up of people who seek a traditional church environment with a sacramental flavour; 70% of parishioners are over 40 years old; the 19-26 age group is the smallest with 3% and the 41-55 age group is the biggest with 36%.

Most parishioners joined Corpus Christi because we are the nearest Anglican Church to where they live, and most stay because of the sense of belonging and family that they experience. Our intra-cultural harmony, along with the high standard of sermons and the rector’s personality were also mentioned. Those who serve do so mainly as a way to give back to the community for what they receive in terms of care, belonging and meaningful worship.

A number of issues of concern were raised, most notably a need to stimulate the participation of young adults and encourage youth attendance. Concern was expressed about our singing (dreary!) and a need articulated for the inclusion of African hymns/songs. A number of respondents (including, interestingly, one of our 13-18 year-olds) bemoaned the disruption caused by late-comers, and some find the chatter before worship difficult to accept. Newer members expressed a need to be more fully welcomed, including a desire for a welcome visit from the clergy.

Encouraging Youth & the Future

The survey highlighted that the majority of parishioners hold to a worldview that cherishes transcendent truth and principle. This means the predominant outlook at Corpus Christi understands God as the eternal rewarder of those who stay true to their calling, and presses for a church committed to changeless truth. This outlook requires sermons that underscore accountability, and worship that is reverent, orderly, and predictable. We seek leaders of unquestioned integrity, who keep things under control and on the right path.

The majority of young people today don’t hold to this outlook, preferring to see God either as a divine mentor who calls us to our full potential, and thus seek a church that dreams and acts boldly; or they see God as the healer of an injured world and seek a church that builds healthy, close-knit relationships. They are thus drawn to either the mega-church where worship has a distinctively “contemporary” feel, or to congregations where worship has an intimate “family” feel.

Our emphasis on worship that is reverent, orderly and predictable is largely at odds with the intimacy younger people seek. As adults, we are often uncomfortable with younger people’s desire to chatter during the silences, hug and catch up during the “peace”, sing songs that appear repetitive and theologically “light”, and hold small group interactions in place of a sermon. This explains why the Teens prefer to sit in the cold under the Car-port in interactive conversation with Wonder Mutanha rather than in the warmth of the Church in a predictable and largely non-interactive environment.

It is of course easy to generalise, and we need to note that at least 17% of respondents (in the 26-70+ age group) are comfortable with the younger perspective, and are probably drawn to Corpus Christi because we manage to sustain a good sense of belonging and family. 53% of respondents (also in the same age group) are deeply uncomfortable with it. It is this deep discomfort of the majority of adults with the outlook of our youth that makes it very difficult to encourage youth attendance and young adult participation. The “generation gap” is very wide.

The Challenge

The challenge for the Parish leadership is to continue to meet the needs of the Parish majority, while opening up opportunities for both young people and the minority of adults whose worship and faith needs differ with the general direction that Corpus Christi is travelling. It is to find balance between the expectations of the present and the demands of the future.

This challenge is not one we face alone. It is the challenge that most Anglican and other traditional Churches face. To be an alive and growing church in the future generations we need to find the courage to step beyond the boundaries of what we know and understand, and venture into the realm of the unknown. Our great-grandchildren will stand testimony to our courage or our fear.

Blessings

Mark

June 2010

Dear Friends

The “New Thing” - Pentecost

I shared in my Pentecost sermon (http://bit.ly/aADmsh) that the “new thing” God wishes to do in our lives is for us to come to know the Lord (Hosea 2:20); and that I felt quite offended that God didn’t think I knew him; and that perhaps you might feel the same.  And then of course, with a little reflection, I began asking what does it really mean to “know the Lord” – and do I? Do we know the Lord? How is this visible in our lives?

To “know the Lord” means more than vague acquaintance or even superficial relationship: it requires immersion. It requires exploring what the Father’s purpose is for Jesus, what Jesus understood his purpose to be; and discovering our purpose in the midst of Jesus’ call. In Luke 4:18-21, using Isaiah’s words, Jesus states that his purpose – affirmed by the Spirit’s anointing – is to proclaim Good News, freedom, recovery and God’s favour; this proclamation is to be one of action, not words. It is to set the oppressed free.

The call to “know the Lord” is to invest in God’s Kingdom, in our society, and in individual lives. Our acts of proclamation, in terms of Luke 4, are to the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed.  It is a call to invest in the lives of those we perceive God to have abandoned. Too often we have diminished this call into “alleviation” and provide food parcels, clothing, sometimes money; and generally use a go-between, rarely dirtying our own hands. Does alleviation set people free, give them sight? Does alleviation set me free to “know the Lord”? Alleviation is an important and valuable starting point, an attempt to meet the symptoms of need, giving us space to address the cause. To truly invest is to address the cause, and it is often a sacrificial call to put ourselves – not just our wealth – on the line. It is a call to become the go-between, and to seek ways to invest ourselves in “knowing the Lord” as we immerse ourselves in addressing the causes of need in our society. At our peril we distance ourselves from Jesus’ anointed purpose.

What should we be addressing? Next time you find yourself complaining about some aspect of South African society, perhaps that is a place for us to start.

Easter Offering – Thank You!

Thank you to all who contributed to the Easter Offering I received this year. As always it is much appreciated! It has enabled me to pay for the many books my studies require this year, update my phone, address my wardrobe and hopefully leave something for a rainy day. I am aware that this year the financial crunch has found reality in most of our pockets, and so your gift is all the more valued.

                Blessings

Mark

May 2010

Dear Friends

A “new thing” in our midst

Last month I said “I’d love to know what your perception is of the “new thing” that God is doing in our midst.” Due to the complete lack of response I’m wondering if we have our heads firmly buried in the sand, or whether we hope that by not acknowledging “new things” they will disappear and life can continue as normal? Or perhaps God has passed us by, and we have been left in some backwater, marking time?

I’m reading a book – as part of my studies – by Ron Martoia Morph! The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow’s Church. In it he makes the following insightful comment:

“In our postmodern culture, people are looking for experiences to bring them closer to God. Why have we been so unimaginative? Postmoderns aren’t looking for principles to die for; they are looking for practices to live by” (page 58).

The challenge we face as Anglicans, along with other so-called “main-line” Churches, is that we have been shaped over centuries by a worldview that raises “principle” on a divine pedestal, and is often suspicious of “experience”. Postmodernism is a worldview that forms the outlook and expectations of many younger people (mostly those under 50) and these people are often drawn off to Christian communities that offer a more experiential faith dynamic. It is not that principle is unimportant, it is just no longer pivotal.

Rules and regulations are the pedestal that upholds principle, and Martoia comments that the postmodern perspective associates rules and regulations “leading to dull, monochrome lives” (page 58), and thus to a dull, monochrome faith. As Anglicans we are often nervous to venture too far into the experiential realm, finding our comfort and security in transcendent truth and principle. We are suspicious and critical of other denominations and many of the newer “break-away” communities that appear to reject the sense of dignity that principle engenders in worship and life. And we are nervous to let these ideas through the door: the very thought of them makes us insecure.

Another book that I have been reading – Systems-Sensitive Leadership: Empowering Diversity Without Polarizing the Church by Michael Armour and Don Browning – suggests that postmodernism encompasses at least four emerging worldviews (thinking systems and values), themselves discontinuous, that the Church increasingly needs to take cognisance of. While there is far too much detail to go into here, the key issue is that “main-line” Churches like ourselves need to begin exploring ways to incorporate and make space for people who have an increasingly different perspective and expectation from that which has shaped our Church-life over centuries. Statistics strongly suggest that in the Western world the Church as we have known it is dying, especially when attendance figures are married to population growth. Research suggests that this is not due to a decrease in interest in spirituality – which interest remains high among postmoderns – but is rather an inability (unwillingness?) to transform in order to meet the needs of a new generation, a generation whose needs are discontinuous with the past.

And so, perhaps, I got the question wrong last month, and I need to ask instead, “What new thing does God want to institute in our midst?” – do you have any thoughts?

Blessings

Mark