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Christmas 2006 Extra - Page 1 | Page 2
PAGE 3
• The Bishop writes ...
• The view from pulpit and pew
• Tag lines
• Revocation of Bishop's Chapter
• New wine - no alcohol
• Red faces
The Bishop writes ...
My dear People of God,
Maintenance and growth
Greetings to you all in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, revealed to the nations at this time!
The new calendar year 2007 has begun, in full swing by now. Every New
Year's Day, or prior, some people make resolutions of all sorts.
As I was listening to a radio programme, some are set to lose weight,
to eat healthy and to exercise etc. Our year in the diocese began in
October 2006. This is on account of the fact that since we have
obtained Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) status, by the end of March
we should send our financial accounts to the Receiver of Revenue.
We shall be having an annual consultation with the wardens as is the
custom on Saturday 3 March. The venue for this meeting will be
communicated in due course.
The committee set up by the Bishop to look at "Structures" as per the
Synod mandate continues with its work. In good time we shall be hearing
from them. We are functioning, maintaining our routine activities.
Maintenance is a process of supporting and keeping in good condition,
defending the status quo to remain unchanged. In good faith this has to
happen in any establishment, otherwise rot and rust may creep in. The
disadvantage may be that a time comes when nuts and bolts can no longer
hold. When this is the case overhauling and renewal has to take place
so that growth can be effected and realized. In the building of the
Kingdom of God the renewal process is a reminder which calls us back to
God's mandate. In our diocese I strongly believe that we are not
progressing much as we ought, when you look at "the bigger picture".
Recognizably and to our delight, there are some good pockets of
progressing ministry. Praise God for those!
We can never dream to function effectively and be adequately fulfilled
without recognizing authority over us. The ultimate authority is that
of Christ, with a mandate "to go and make disciples" (Matt 28:16ff).
The authority of Christ is not about lording it over God's people and
one another (1 Peter 5: 1-11). It flows on to the Bishop who is
ordained a father in the diocesan family and in the Church of God, as a
guardian of the faith and pastor of his clergy and people. The priest
shares with him in this ministration of the word and sacraments and in
pastoral care. The deacon represents the church in the service of all
who need help, within the totality of the priestly ministry of God's
people, including the wardens, who see to the availability of resources
for the ministry to continue, lay ministers and all (Cf APB: The
Ordinal, pp. 571-572). The Three-fold ministry is what God calls us to.
Titles are just a decoration of our humble service to him alone, who
loved us, humbled himself and died our shameful death (Gal 2:20).
It is therefore my dream that the Year of Mission, Evangelism, Ministry
and Training will help us concentrate more on growth, especially in
those areas where we seem to lag behind or are static. The good news of
God's Kingdom must be vigorously preached, homes must be built, family
values taught to both young and old within  UBUNTU philosophy, and
meaning to life should be realized "in its fullness" (John 10: 10). The
challenge remains: Be a fellow worker, build the Kingdom of God with
us, and follow the pattern of the Macedonian Church "And they did more
than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to
us, just as God wanted them to do" (2 Cor 8:1-5).
May God who causes us to do all things by his strength (Phil 4:13) strengthen you for this mission and growth.
Yours sincerely in the service of Christ,
Bishop Bethlehem Nopece
Pic: "How
far is it to Bethlehem? - Not very far" ... when at St Margaret's in
Summerstrand, where this beautiful Christmas scene with the song title,
was part of their wonderful display. For those readers still perplexed,
Bishop Bethlehem lives right next door to the church!
The view from pulpit and pew
- At the end of last year, on SAfm, a certain 'Peter from the Sunshine
Coast' spoke about the problem of crime, and how it is dealt with in
Canada, as gleaned on his recent visit. iindaba is sure that those
listening would have recognised the voice as that of retired priest
Peter Bowen.
- Do black people blush? Anyone who doubted it
would have found out that they do had they been at the last meeting of
Diocesan Council in 2006, which was held at St Mary Magdalene. When the
Bishop thanked the ladies of the parish for looking after the council
so well, the ladies said that their rector, Fumanekile Kula had also
helped, and that they all wanted to give him a kiss. He blushed!
- Congratulations to all those who successfully wrote Matric last year.
iindaba would like to recognise those who did very well, such as Janice
Lake of St Peter's, Kinkelbos, who achieved six A symbols. Janice's
father, Peter, is chapelwarden at St Peter's.
- The members of
St Mark and St John in Parkside were sad when their rector, Mario
Hendricks, announced that he would be leaving the parish after Easter.
Mario has a very happy and successful ministry there, but believes God
is calling him to other work. When his future work is confirmed,
iindaba will inform its readers.
- Likewise, the members of the
Sundays River Valley were sad when their rector, Rod Greville, also
announced that he would be returning to Rosettenville in the Diocese of
Christ the King in Gauteng after Easter.
- iindaba is sad to
report that Sipho Tokota, working at All Saints', Blueliliesbush, and
the western region of the Parish of the Good Shepherd, is not at all
well. Sipho, who is a diabetic, has also uffered a slight stroke.
iindaba wishes him good health for 2007.
- Barry Sendall from St
John the Baptist in Walmer, and the director of the Centre of Christian
Spirituality, has not been well. Barry has been a great help and
inspiration through the Centre, and it is hoped he (and the Centre)
will soon be 'up and running' again.
- It is good to see the
Diocesan Registrar, Roger Schärges, looking well after surgery. Roger
lost quite a bit of weight, and says his clothes do feel rather loose.
Some of the clergy wish their clothes felt loose as well, especially
after the festive season of Christmas.
- iindaba trusts that the
members of the Diocesan Office had a good break over Christmas and New
Year. This is an office that is always busy, and yet one is always
greeted with a pleasant smile and greeting.
- Zwelidumile Tom,
rector of St Peter's in Zwide has moved to the Parish of Christ Church,
which incorporates the churches in Cradock and the surrounding
district, vacated by Mthetheleli Vena who is relocating to Port
Elizabeth.
- Luyanda Tuku, who has been helping at Holy
Trinity in Central, is now priest-in-charge of St Cyprian's, Zwide.
iindaba wishes him success in his ministry there.
- The year
2006 was quite momentous for Andrea Potgieter. She married Lourens
Potgieter in November, and then was ordained to the priesthood in
December. As the ordination certificates had been finalised before her
marriage, her name appeared as Andrea White on her certificate, and
during the service, she was referred to by both surnames!
Tag lines
There is only one beautiful child in the world - every mother has it.
Revocation of Bishop's Chapter
Archdeacon Christopher Holmes reports on the revocation of Chapter by Bishop Bethlehem.
For
some time now, Bishop Bethlehem has felt that his Chapter was not being
used effectively, nor was it working as it should. He was also
concerned at the leaking of confidential matters - sometimes on the
very day of Chapter meetings. This led to a lack of trust between the
Bishop and his Chapter. The Bishop felt that Chapter needed to be
urgently restructured, with a clearer vision of its powers, functions,
jurisdiction, confidentiality and account-ability. He also felt that
the composition of Chapter needed to be looked at. He intimated his
feelings to members of Chapter in a letter in December 2006.
The
Bishop said to members of Chapter that this restructuring process
should not be seen in isolation. The last Diocesan Synod had called for
a Commission to review Diocesan structures, and he said in his letter
that he saw this as part of the bigger review process.
As a
result of this, Bishop Bethlehem has revoked Chapter - as he is
entitled to do - as the sections dealing with the Bishop's Chapter in
the Acts of the Diocese are not Acts of Synod, but a promulgation by
the then Bishop, Bruce Evans. The Bishop is thus empowered to revoke
the Appendix and Caps I, II and III in the Acts of the Diocese in their
entirety, which he has now done.
A meeting of the former
members of the Chapter met with the Bishop before Christmas. The
Diocesan Chancellor and Diocesan Registrar, who were present, gave
legal advice and answered questions from those present.
The
Bishop said this revocation did not affect the positions of the
archdeacons or the dean, which are governed by Canon 15 of the Anglican
Church of Southern Africa. The Bishop said he would continue to consult
with the dean and archdeacons on the affairs of the Diocese.
iindaba
asks all members of the diocese to pray for Bishop Bethlehem and the
leadership of the diocese, and to pray for the Restructuring Commission
in its brief to make the diocese and its structures more effective for
the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
New Wine - no alcohol
When
I told my family I would be away for the weekend 17-19 November as I
would be attending New Wine at St Francis Bay they were shocked,
reports Fiona Estherhuysen.
They wanted to know what a church
was doing holding a wine fest. Well, we did experience much laughter,
some tears and many blessings - all without alcohol! Previous visions
were confirmed, new ones supported and experiences shared. The planned
building programme was affirmed and new volunteers offered themselves
to God for his service.
Our thanks to David Stansbury of New
Wine and your team for your ministry and the many blessings it brought.
We are all the richer as a result.
Red faces
iindaba has made some slips again!
The very important phone number for the CR Sisters in Grahamstown is : 046 622 4210.
We apologise for any inconvenience cause by the wrong number being printed.
Recently
iindaba also erroneously reported that Nicolette Leonard had been
appointed chaplain of the Church Men's Society. Nicolette is already
chaplain to the youth, and it would not be fair to her to take on this
added responsibility - as much as the men would enjoy having her as
chaplain!
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