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Vol 16 No 3 April 2005 ONLINE The official gazette of the Diocese of Port Elizabeth: Church of the Province of Southern Africa

Quick Links: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top | Homepage PAGE 4  • Reorganisation of parishes  • Let your light shine  • Diocesan Council report  • Exodus Initiative is growing  • Thank you x 2  • NB NB to contributors Reorganisation of parishes Bishop Bethlehem has reorganised the ministry in the northern section of the diocese. Previously there were two parishes, both based in Middelburg. Trinity Parish consisted of seven Xhosa-speaking congregations in Middelburg, Noupoort, Hanover, Colesburg, Norvalspont, Steynsburg and Rosmead. Karoo Parish consisted of five English-speaking congregations in Middelburg, Hanover, Colesburg, Steynsburg and Tafelburg; and one Afrikaans-speaking congregation in Middelburg. The diagrams below show the two new parishes. However, for the time being Rory Middelcote will be rector of both parishes which cover an area larger than the dioceses of Johannesburg and Christ the King put together! He is ably assisted by three self-supporting clergy - Pumla Mtila, Vusumzi Mtuba and Anna Plaatjies. Picture: Diagram of which congregations now fall into which one of the two parishes. Let your light shine All Saints’ in Kabega Park was one of the venues where the Women’s World Day of Prayer was celebrated this year. Picture: Sharing their light - Over tea and cake after the WWDP service Merle Kock, Thembela Dlula (both of All Saints’) and Lorraine Date Chong (St Francis Xavier), discussed this years’ theme. The church was full for the evening service on Friday 4 March when women from the various churches in the western suburbs, and surrounding areas, gathered to participate and celebrate with the women of Poland, who had compiled the programme for this year's service. The theme was “Let your light shine”, and Alice Jantjies of All Saints’ gave a challenging message based on Eph 5:8. Diocesan Council report Diocesan Council's first meeting of 2005 took place at St Paul's, Parsons Hill, on Saturday 26 February. Parsons Vlei Glebe: Included in the Minutes were the Minutes of the General Purposes Committee (GPC). At this meeting, the diocesan secretary reported that an offer of R10M had been received for the Parsons Vlei Glebe. It was recommended that the proceeds of the sale should be invested, and that a portion of the interest be applied to the ministry and the mission of the diocese, thereby allowing the capital to grow. Cathedral Joint Finance Board The GPC also approved the establishment of a Cathedral Joint Finance Board consisting of the Provost, Barry Sendall, the churchwardens and treasurer of the Cathedral Council, and members appointed by the Diocesan Finance Committee. Unlike other parishes, the cathedral has a dual role - as the Cathedral of the Diocese, and as a parish. The word 'cathedral' comes from the Latin word cathedra, which means a seat - the cathedral being the seat of the Bishop. Thus it becomes the focus of diocesan mission and ministry, with ordinations, civic services and other 'special' services being held there. Lambeth Conference The Bishop reported to the GPC that due to financial constraints, the next Lambeth Conference will not be held in Cape Town. The Lambeth Conference is a conference of all bishops of the Anglican Communion, and is held every 10 years. It was originally held in Lambeth, London, which is the traditional home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The last Lambeth Conference was held in Canterbury itself, with most of the meetings taking place at the Canterbury University. Civil Action against St Francis of Assisi The Parish of Saint Francis Assisi in the Humansdorp region had a civil action brought against them for the purchasing of office equipment during the incumbency of a previous rector. It was agreed by the GPC that a once-off payment of just over R31 000 be made to settle the action - the amount being taken from Trust Funds of the parish held by the Trusts Board. Diocesan Council Reports One of the major functions of the Diocesan Council is to receive reports from various bodies in the Diocese. These reports are usually sent with the Minutes of the previous meeting. In this way, the Diocese is able to keep in touch with the various branches of the Diocesan family. Port Elizabeth Archdeaconry One of the most comprehensive reports was that tabled by Ruthell Johnson, who had resigned as Archdeacon of Port Elizabeth. In his report, which was just over three pages, he covered the achievements of the 11 years in which he served in that capacity. He also included the news of the establishment of the Chapelry of Christ Church by St Nicholas in Charlo. Diocesan Council expressed its thanks to Ruthell Johnson, in his absence, for the valuable contribution he has made to the Diocese over many years - both as archdeacon and on the many Diocesan bodies and committees on which he served. Youth Report Youth Chaplain, Nicolette Leonard, reported that the vision for youth structures had been sent to the parishes and that the Youth Constitution will be distributed once it has been accepted by Diocesan Council. She also reported that training days for youth leadership have been organised for this year. Diocesan Council recommended that as far as the youth structures of the Diocese are concerned, that maximum permissible age for the youth category in the Diocese is 25; and that the over 25's are in the 'Young Adult' group. As yet, ministry to this group has not been provided, and will be addressed by the Diocese. Diocesan Aids Committee Chairman of this committee, Sipambo Ludidi, included in his report that in November he, with some diocesan representatives, attended a training workshop in Carmel on the 'Channels of Hope' programme, facilitated by the Christian Aids Bureau of South Africa. He said that the workshop heard that the church had not been effective in its ministry to those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. He said the CPSA is to launch a new programme called SIYAFUNDISA, which will receive a cash injection of R1M a month for 5 years. Sipambo ended his report by saying that the committee had resolved that 2005 would be a year a action in all our parishes. Space does not allow for the full report, but the rest will follow in the next issue of Iindaba. This report is published to help keep the diocesan family informed about what is happening in the diocese. Exodus Initiative is growing The Church based community organisation is presently made up of: A Schauder / Korsten cluster, comprised of 19 congregations and a Gelvandale / Parkside / Malabar / Helenvale cluster, comprised of 17 congregations. A third cluster in NE districts, in partnership with Bishop Vika and the Revd Nondikani, and others, will soon be established. Other member congregations in the rest of the northern areas, the western suburbs, the Walmer area and elsewhere will also be assisted to establish clusters in their respective communities. A master plan of a possible 13 clusters to cover the entire Metropole, has been identified for future development. During 2005, the organisation hopes to bring winnable issues, identified by the clusters, to the attention of ‘top officials’ from local and provincial government and the police. These issues will include refuse dumping, road safety, and a vandalised school in Helenvale. Readers are asked to please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom to build the organisation to reflect God’s glory in the world. Thank you x 2 Sheila Lancaster and Lynette Pieterse have asked that their thanks be recorded. Sheila says thank you to all the people who phoned, visited and brought food around to her and Howard when she was confined to bed. Lynette, now living in Kimberley, thanks Bishop Bethlehem, Archdeacon Christopher Holmes, Nicolette and Myron Leonard, Shane and Estelle Fraser, Denise and Keith Rae and all those who have been holding her and the children up in prayer. Iindaba sends condolences to Lynette and her family as they mourn the death of her brother (33) a month ago. May she know God's enfolding love at this time.   NB NB to contributors Articles and photos for the May issue need to be on the editor's computer by 6 April please. Articles for the June issue need to be on the editor's computer by 24 April because the editor will be away from 27 April until 11 May. Thank you!   Are you in touch with events in the Anglican Church? Keep in contact with Contact OnLine An Anglican website for Christians in Southern Africa www.contact-online.org News and comment from around the world Free every month Keep up to date with what is happening among Christians in the NMM: www.pechurchnet.co.za Iindaba Editor: Frankie Simpson Layout / design : Frankie Email: iindaba@anglicandiocesepe.org.za Tel/fax +27 041 360 6808 - evenings only. Iindaba is the vehicle for sharing your parish news with the rest of the Diocesan family. Please send contributions and photos to the editor. Deadline for contributions: 6th of the month prior to publication Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Bishop nor the editor. Articles may be reproduced but credit must be given to Iindaba. Quick Links: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top | Homepage