|
Quick Links: Page 1 | Page
2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top
| Homepage
PAGE 2
• An icon to follow
• Wanted
• Doctors, bachelors and much more
• letters to the ed
• Enquirers' Week
An icon to follow
Well done, good and faithful servant
 For
36 years Valorie Smith has been the parish secretary at St
Margaret’s in Summerstrand, but now feels it is time to hand the
job over, as she puts it, “to younger feet.”
During
1970, when the church was what is now the parish hall, Val began
helping John Dunn, the priest-in-charge at the time, by doing the
secretarial work at home. Later, when the vestry and offices were
added, she began working at the church for three mornings a week, and
until 2005 she was treasurer as well. She loves her work and feels
deeply that it is a very special way of serving God.
Val has
many good memories of her time at St Margaret’s, such as
decorating the foyer for the opening of the beautiful new church in
1977. Her husband built a St Peter’s fishing boat as part of the
decorations. Then there was the occasion when Bishop Roy Cowdry was
coming to give the Good Friday service and the builders had left a bit
of a mess of concrete dust and rubble. So Val quickly vacuumed it up
with her vacuum cleaner from home ... and never ‘fessed up’
to her husband about why the machine suddenly stopped working. There
are more ‘concrete memories’ which include discovering a
talent for operating the concrete mixer when the parishioners paved the
yard outside the flower kitchen. Who would have guessed it?
In
its hey day St Margaret’s served 150 families and all the
building projects were self-sustained. Entertainments included puppet
shows and flower festivals, and the Christmas displays have always been
a special feature at the church. That tradition continues.
Val’s
grandfather, Daniel Austin, was ordained a priest at St Mary’s
cathedral in 1885. She grew up in the Anglican church and after a
Presbyterian detour joined St Margaret’s when she moved into a
house around the corner from the church.
iindaba wishes her a very blessed time in her retirement from active duty.
Wanted - A parish secretary
for St Margaret's Church in Summerstrand.
Three half-days a week.
Salary negotiable.
Please submit CV to:
The church wardens, 2 Torquay Street, Summerstrand, 6001
Closing date for applications: 17 June 2006
Doctors, bachelors and much more
The diocese has new graduates ... read on!
Festa di Laurea
In
English that is ‘Graduation Celebration', and outsiders may be
forgiven for thinking that the motto of the Parish of Zwartkops River
Valley is “any excuse to throw a party”, writes Lyn
Bosch.
The ZRV parish has certainly had a fair share of
parties recently. The latest festivity was in celebration of our
‘graduanda’, present rector the Revd ‘Master’
Sharon Nell, and past rector the Revd ‘Dr’ Solomon Nkesiga.
 As
usual some of the women went all out to make this a special occasion
and St Agnes Hall was decorated with balloons, flowers and academic
gowns. Friends, family members and parishioners all gathered for a
bring and share supper which was up to our usual excellent standard.
Roger Gardner, the MC, kept the programme flowing smoothly, and Frank
Collier, in his inimitable and witty manner, toasted them both.
Punctuated by Latin, which he assures us he learnt at school, he
acknowledged the achievements of the two intellectuals present.
Both
Sharon and Solomon responded with tributes and thanks to family members
and others who had assisted and supported them throughout their
studies.
The Parish was presented with a bound copy of
Solomon’s PhD thesis entitled: “Virtuous Living: Toward an
African Theology of Wisdom in a Context of the Development of an
African Renaissance". With 348 pages it is no bedtime reading!
Ed’s note : Our ZRVP reporter typed the copy and made all the necessary changes needed during the whole process.
Pics: 1) Banners and bunting - Sharon Nell and Solomon Nkesiga enjoy the party arranged for their graduation.
2) Dr Eddie - Robed and capped - Michelle and
Daryl Newton with Eddie Daniels D Ed (right) at the NMMU graduation on
26 April 2006.
Two
other education graduates from our diocese on that day were: Danny Ah
Hing M Ed, a member of St. Saviour’s, and Susan Holmes B Ed, the
wife of the rector of St Hugh's, Christopher Holmes.
The
previous day Sharon Nell M Phil and Solomon Nkesiga Ph D graduated (see
story alongside). A good round of Anglican graduates!
Eddie
told iindaba, "Being doctoral graduates, Solomon and I were feted at a
Doctorandi Dinner by the NMMU at the Skyroof, Marine Hotel. Perhaps it
was a just reward after the slog and much money and long hours of
research. We were accompanied by our respective wives!"
PE students shine at TEE College graduation
Theology
students from the Diocese featured at the annual graduation ceremony of
the Theological Education by Extension College of Southern Africa
(TEEC) in Johannesburg in April, reports Mike McCoy.
The
graduates were Thembeka Tom and David Molema (Diploma in Theology) and
Denise Rae (Certificate in Theology), and Angela Brown (Diploma, with
distinction) and Sindile Mofu (Certificate) in absentia. The late
Joseph Xhallie of Cradock was awarded a posthumous Diploma in Theology,
having completed it shortly before he died.
Celebrations
The
graduation was the climax of TEE College’s 30th anniversary
celebrations over four days in April. The ceremony, held at the
Salvation Army headquarters in Braamfontein on 22 April, was attended
by a record number of TEEC graduates. The college awarded a total of
115 qualifica-tions - the highest number in its 30-year history.
It
was founded by a wide range of churches in 1976 as an anti-apartheid
institution, to provide non-racist, non-sexist, ecumenical and
multi-lingual theological education.
The guest of honour
throughout the celebrations - and the speaker at the graduation
ceremony - was the world-renowned authority on TEE, Dr Ross Kinsler.
Kinsler established TEE as a recognised model of theological education
through his work in Guatemala in the early
1960s.
Mission mandate
In
his address, Ross Kinsler reminded the graduates that they were called
to make known the good news that Jesus proclaimed. Pointing to Luke
4:16-21, he described it as “the mission mandate for Jesus and
his followers”. Jesus’ mission, Kinsler said, was founded
on the biblical jubilee found in passages like Leviticus 25, and in
Isaiah 58:6 .
In the face of global poverty, injustice, and
ecological destruction, Christian mission had to include working for
economic justice and the protection of the created order.
TEE College
If
you intend beginning either the Diploma in Theology and Ministry or the
Bachelor of Theology through TEE College in 2007, you are advised to
take the half-year course, Developing Skills for Theological Study, for
which registration closes on 15 June. Please contact the Revd Howard
Lancaster for registration forms and further details.
Tel: +27 41 360 1267
Fax 041 360 9540
PO Box 10045, Linton Grange 6015, South Africa
letters to the ed
Who are they at home?
“If
anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care
of God’s Church” 1 Timothy 3:5
I recently
attended a licensing of lay ministers at one of the Anglican Churches.
As I listened to the long list of attributes expected from ministers in
the Church, I thought about the above scripture and wondered how many
of our ministers really take Biblical instruction (see 1 Timothy 3) to
heart. How many of them really know the compassion and love of Christ
for hurting souls? There have been far too many documented cases of
ministers, who were respected in their community and seen as great men
of God, who have been found guilty of sexual, physical and verbal abuse
of children (their own and others) and of their spouses. Do these
actions show the “face” of Christ? My questions to those
ministers (whose actions have managed to go undetected) are: how do
you, in good conscience, pray for an abused wife and then go home and
abuse your own wife? How can you offer counsel to a sexually abused
child and his/her parents, and then go home and sexually abuse your own
daughter?
We, as a Church, need to take a stand for Christ
against these practices. We can no longer silently sweep the evidence
under the rug and send the guilty party off to another parish. Jesus
weeps at the sight of one of his children being hurt by someone he has
called into his service, to emulate his actions, his nature, his
character. It is a mockery of Christ and all he stands for to allow
these “ministers” to continue to preach from the pulpit.
Bonnie McCay
Enquirers' Week
Have
you noticed young men in your church/diocese who seem to pray deeply or
who have a particularly strong interest in their spiritual development?
Do they ask soul-searching questions about themselves? Do you know of a
young man who has a longing to seek a deeper knowledge of himself and
of God? Perhaps this man has a vocation to the monastic life.
The
Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery in Grahamstown is hosting a special
programme in October. We invite all single men who are seeking a life
of prayer to come to the monastery for a week of exploration of the
Benedictine monastic life. The dates of the programme are 3 to 8
October.
Participants will experience the daily round of prayers
of the community as well as its work and ministry. They will learn some
of the wisdom offered by St Benedict as expressed in his Rule. They
will also have opportunities to speak to the members of the community,
getting first hand accounts about monastic life and how it is lived
today. And perhaps one young man will find his vocation as a monk of
the Order of the Holy Cross at Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery.
There is no fee for the week. Three meals a day and all accommodation
are provided by the monastery. All one has to bring is
comfortable and work clothes, a Bible, and one’s desire for
God. We will provide the rest.
For more information or to make a reservation, please contact:
The Guestmaster, Mariya uMama weThemba Monastery, PO Box 6013,
Grahamstown, 6141 Tel: 046 622 8111 Fax: 046 622 6424.
Quick Links: Page 1 | Page
2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top
| Homepage
|
