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• Reaffirmation of vows
• Crèche buildings dedicated
• Shalom Israel
Easter 2007
He is risen -
He is risen indeed!
They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, so
they went in; But they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:2
Reaffirmation of vows
Sally Kernohan reports that as
part of the Jubilee 150 celebrations at Holy Trinity in Central, 30
couples gathered at the church on Friday night 16 February to reaffirm
their marriage vows.
Church services normally filled with spiritual love as we give thanks
and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, took on a very special and even
more loving dimension at the Renewal (or Affirmation) of Wedding Vows
that took place during the same week as Valentine’s Day. Although
the numbers were not large (30 couples) the atmosphere was filled with
romance as couples who had been married for over 50 years to those of
the younger generation, who numbered their marriage in weeks and
months, set a joyous scene. Their overwhelming happiness permeated the
very rafters of the church as they gave thanks that they had been
brought together in Holy Matrimony.
The highlight was when the rector, David Stansbury, asked couples to
say a few words about their marriages. Some remarks had us in fits of
laughter, then, on a more serious note, were those who spoke of their
vows made before the Lord –  vows that they had kept through good
times and bad in mutual love and respect, having never lost the most
important facet of all – communication. David and Lindy led the
time of corporate reaffirming of vows and Daphne ffolliott read a
beautifully appropriate poem, ‘If’ for newlyweds (with
apologies to Rudyard Kipling).
Following the service, the indefatigable band of ladies laid on a
sumptuous wedding feast that even included a wedding cake.
The starry eyes, some even glistening with tears, bore testimony to how
important such services are. They allow couples to strengthen their
marriage in the Lord and, all importantly, to give thanks for the
blessed and happy years together and the many more times that lie ahead.
Pic 1: The long and the short of it
– Dennis and Ruth Burkinshaw, married 61 years (24 October 1946),
with Andrew and Julia Butler who married on 2 September 2006. Both
couples were married in Holy Trinity, although not all the other
couples present had been.
Pic 2: To many more years - David and
Lindy Stansbury cut the ‘wedding cake’ after the service.
Daughter Candice-Rose looks on.
Crèche buildings dedicated
The Day Care Centre for the children of the area around St
Augustine’s, Gqebera, was dedicated by Bishop Bethlehem on
Saturday morning 17 February.
The little ones arrived in their uniforms and managed to steal many
hearts with their singing and smiles. Bishop Bethlehem blessed the
buildings with Holy Water, and prayed for all those who would use them.
He then spoke to the children and the teachers.
A group from St John’s in Walmer and St Augustine’s, who
were instrumental in bringing about the building of the centre, were
present, as was the builder, Roy Heine. Regretfully, a representative
from SOS Children’s Villages, who are also involved in the
centre, was not able to attend. Faye Woollard presented Roy with a
certificate of appreciation and a photo of all the children as a thank
you for managing to stretch the funds to the limit and source good
quality materials with the small budget.
Faye is part of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
(USPG) Experiential Exchange Programme (EEP) and is working at St
John's.
Funds are still needed for furniture and the training of teachers.
Contact Zola Xuba in you can help: 041 581 2162 or on cell 073 195 0240
The full report on the centre appeared in the November 2006 issue of iindaba, when the soil was turned.
Pic 1: Halleluia Amen! - The children looked very cute as they entertained the guests with song and actions.
Pic 2: With our thanks - Faye Woollard hands builder, Roy Heine, a token of appreciation.
Shalom Israel
We prayed, we sang, we worshipped … we walked, we climbed, we
floated … we looked, we listened and we grew …we ate, we
shopped and we enjoyed the atmosphere of the place … we met
Palestinian Christians and heard their pain … we did the
‘tikkie-draai’ (well, some of us did!) in Ben Yehuda Street
as we celebrated Purim with the Jews … we haggled with those
wanting to rip us off with inflated tourist prices … and spent
endless times of converting US dollars to shekels and trying to work
out what we were spending of our rands. A wonderful experience in every
way.
Twelve members of our diocese, plus Mother Zelma CR from Grahamstown,
were part of the pilgrimage to Israel, led by retired priest Roy Snyman
tssf and Pastor Rykie Steyn, from 26 February to 7 March. There
were a total of 35 people on the tour who spent eight full days in the
Holy Land. It was incredible to see and visit the places, not only
where our Lord Jesus lived and walked, but where the Hebrew kings,
prophets, leaders and people walked and lived – the Promised
Land. We came alive to an understanding of our Root, the Jew, Jesus of
Nazareth, and realized into whom we are grafted (Rom 11: 16-18).
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