Iindaba - Gazette of the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, SA

The real floor-crossing

My Dear People of God,

Greetings in the name of Christ, our Lord and Saviour!

I am writing this letter at a time when parliamentarians are crossing floors from the parties which sent them to Parliament, to the parties of their choice. What is not so clear about their so-called “democratic right” is what becomes of the mandate of the electorate. Does a person cross the floor to another party at the will of the people who voted him/her there, or is it for personal convenience ?

The latter seems to be the case. If this is so, then I agree with those who voice a concern that the election process in our democracy has become a mockery. This should stop immediately. While voting is an exercise of an individual’s democratic right, those sent to Parliament owe it to their constituencies to be there.

Life is not about what can I get out of it, though. It is about giving. “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” said Jesus, in a rare saying that is not found in the four gospels, but was used regularly in the early church (e.g. 1 Clement 46.7 and Acts 20:35). In order to adopt this perception, the challenge is to cross the floor from a godless and sinful way of living, to that of Christ; from death to life.

St Paul does not mince his words about new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we cross over to the life of being “in Christ” we become brand new creatures. The old life of selfishness, greed, fraud and self-centredness passes away. All things become new. The real floor-crossing is the change of character, of heart and perception. It is the transformation of life.

Fraudulent behaviour and its associations pay bitter dividends. The sadness is when those who are put in positions to influence political activity in this country for the good play blind to the real issues. The action of President Thabo Mbeki to uphold the rule of law and integrity of leadership in this land is commendable. It is a great pity that things are what they are with Mr Jacob Zuma. He needs to prove that he is innocent of the accusations of fraud and corruption. The only way to do that is through the court of law. Making many noises about a conspiracy against him, as the unionists claim, helps the people of this land not at all.

When set in positions of trust, we should endeavour to the best of our ability to keep our integrity intact, especially in the church of God. “May the Lord clothe the priests with righteousness, so that His faithful servants may shout for joy.” It is sad to notice that even among our church members, there are those who cherish adulterous living and theft or shop-lifting as a norm. This attitude should stop. We should follow righteousness and pursue holy living. This is the real and true floor-crossing.

Holy God, make us holy
Holy Father, make us holy
Holy Jesus, make us holy
Holy Spirit, make us holy
Holy God
Holy and strong
Holy and immortal;
Have mercy on us.
AMEN

May God bless you with the true floor-crossing.

Yours in the love of Christ.
Bishop Bethlehem Nopece

- Barry Sendall, the Provost of the Cathedral, will be moving to take Mark’s place at St John the Baptist. Barry has had a most successful incumbency as Provost (the first resident Provost of the Cathedral - a position formerly held by the Bishop of the Diocese). He feels that with about five years before retirement, God has called him to concentrate on the Centre of Christian Spirituality in the Diocese, which he heads.

- Nelson Nongauza from the Parish of Christ Church, Cradock, moves to St Matthew’s, KwaMagxaki. Their present rector, Fumanekile Kula, is moving to St Mary Magdalene. His move has been delayed as the churchwardens renovate the rectory in Hillside, recently vacated by Luyanda Tuku, who has moved to a flat in Central - close to Holy Trinity where he is ministering under David Stansbury.

- Leon Foster, the Dean. No, he’s not leaving St Margaret’s, but is moving home this month as he, Marlene and the girls move into their own house in Summerwood Village in Kock Street, Summerstrand. Their telephone number remains the same.

- in their own home are Robbie and Gay Penrith, who have moved to 42 Brookside Village, Diana Road, Brymore. Robbie is the rector of St John the Baptist in Walmer. Their new home telephone number is 041 360 5943.

- Maureen Lamb, who is presently a deacon at St Saviour’s in Walmer. At the end of January next year, Maureen will be leaving the parish to take up a new appointment as the Bereavement Co-ordinator for St Francis Hospice. This will involve her working in hospitals, in homes and at the Hospice itself. Although Maureen’s ministry will be sorely missed at St Saviour’s, Iindaba is sure that she will continue to make a valuable contribution to the ministry God has called her to.

- Sandile Mila, presently a deacon at St Michael and All Angels. He and his family will be moving to St Peter’s in Zwide, working with the rector, Zwelidumile Tom. Iindaba will inform readers of his new address and telephone number when the move takes place.

- the Dean of George, Adrian Green, and his family on the death last month of his mother Helen. Helen’s funeral took place at St David’s, Bushmans River Mouth, where she and her late husband Linsley worshipped. Linsley was churchwarden, and served on various diocesan committees. Before moving to the George Diocese, Adrian was rector of Middelburg.

- the family of John Paulse, a retired priest, who died in Uitenhage in August. John was priest-in-charge of St James in Calvinia before his retirement, after which he and his wife Janet settled in Uitenhage. May these two servants of Christ rest in God’s eternal peace.

Gifts from HTC projects
The congregation at Holy Trinity in Central were full of joy when their link parish of St Paul’s, Northumberland Heath, Erith, England, donated two sewing machines for use at the Motherwell and Wells Estate self-help projects.

Dereck Foster from St Paul’s was at the 09h00 service on Sunday 21 August to hand the machines over to representatives of the projects. Unfortunately, his wife Elizabeth had to return to the UK earlier in the week, and was unable to be at the ceremony. Bisi Fadeya-Adetuberu, who had initiated the projects when she joined Holy Trinity, thanked St Paul’s for their gifts. Asked about the projects she said, “The Wells Estate project hasn’t got a specific name yet, but it consists of helping women, irrespective of their age, in learning new skills.”

Bisi is a missionary, supported by her ‘mother church’ of St Paul’s, Northumberland Heath, friends and family, who sent her to Port Elizabeth to spread the love of Jesus through reaching out and helping the poor. Bisi explained to Iindaba, “Two years ago, I came to Holy Trinity and thought how nice it would be to forge an official link with St Paul’s, Northumberland Heath. Praise God, we are in the process of doing that, and Dereck and Elizabeth have since visited Holy Trinity on many occasions.”

Besides the two self-help projects, Bisi is involved in the Transformation of Commercial Sex Workers Forum (Beth Shekoom) as well as in running the Holy Trinity Advice Office where she counsels the people who come in off the streets in Central and beyond.

Pic: With love from St Paul's - Dereck Foster hands over one of the sewing machines to a project leader. Bisi Fadeya-Adetuberu is behind him.

Christmas Cheer competition tickets
Have you bought your tickets for the Toyota Tazz Christmas Cheer competition yet?

Remember, R3 of the R5 goes to the House of Resurrection, as long as you buy from Haven sellers. Please note that nearly twenty other charities also sell tickets to benefit their coffers, so please make sure you're supporting the Haven when you buy a ticket.

Helpers needed
Ken is also desperately needing helpers to sell tickets at various venues on some Fridays or Saturdays. Please let him know if you can help.

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