Of Conference, The Rich, the Poor, and the Purple.

The two defining characteristics of the state of the nation (South Africa) at the current moment are the continued racialisation of identities, and the growing socio-economic inequality created largely by the increasing wealth of those, black and white, at the upper end of the class heirarchy. Adam Habib in South Africa's Suspended Revolution (2013)

“I was at a meeting of the Superiors General in Europe. They talked only of changing the structures of society, organizing things in a different way. It all came to nothing. It did not do something for the poor, or preach Christ to those without religion, to those totally ignorant of God”  Mother Theresa

As I reflect on these two quotations, I can't help but think of our Conference, beginning on Thursday in Mthatha, and what its outcome may be. Our connexion, covering Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, has a multitude of dreadful problems, not least of all the scourge of preventable disease which kills thousands, particularly amongst the poor, daily. South Africa has the greatest gap between rich and poor in the world, having recently overtaken Brazil in this disgraceful statistic. Corruption is rife and many continue to live as if there is no God. Will Conference 2013 affect the great justice issues in our part of the world. Of course, whether Conference will make any difference is often largely determined before it even starts, because it is in fact the Synods of 2013 which had opportunity to place matters before Conference and of course it is the Methodist people who largely determine the Synod agenda. Be all this as it may, we can pray and hope that inequality and the poor feature in every discussion, as they feature in most mature discussions on South Africa's future.

This week's Revised Common Lectionary directs us to Luke 16 and reminds us that we cannot be slave to two masters. O for a prophetic word to our leaders in this regard. We need to choose between God and Mammon (money). Next week has us looking at the parable of the rich man with the beggar at his gate and addresses some of the issues mentioned above as it records a conversation across the divide between haves and have-nots, between the purple clad elites (in the KJV) and the masses.

It speaks of Abraham (and perhaps the descendants of Abraham, the church) being able to communicate with both sides and in this life, of bridging the gap (as a dentist I love that idea), closing the space, perhaps even laying ourselves down as the pontic.

I hope our Conference will help us, as it guides us, to work at closing the iniquitous gaps in the places God, in His grace, has called us to be Methodists.

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Prayer for MCSA Conference

I appeal to Methodists in my connexion (MCSA, which comprises Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa) to pray for our conference which begins this Thursday, 19th at Mthatha. This prayer is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Christian Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

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Presiding Bishop's Conference 2012 Address

                                                                               (sourced from MCSA webpage)

                 By : Rev Ziphozihle Siwa, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa

Readings:     Jeremiah 8: 8-22

                        Colossians 3: 12-17.

Greetings and Welcome!

The Former Presiding Bishops, General Secretary, Bishops, Lay President, Lay Leaders, Conference delegates, visitors, guests and all my fellow pilgrims, I greet you warmly this evening in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is my pleasure and great joy, to extend a warm word of welcome to this 123^rd Conference of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Whilst the Conference purpose and procedures are the same since we last met, the context has defined itself for us.  I pray therefore that we be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we confer. Some of the leaders who were directly involved particularly with the affairs of this conference have since moved to join the church triumphant. Among them is our beloved Mrs Bakhombisile Mkhwanazi who led the invitation that we come to Swaziland and was the Convenor of Conference Planning Committee until her death. Following soon after was the departure of that selfless servant, the former Secretary of this Conference who became the first President of the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, Rev Dr Ross Olivier. We pay tribute to two Former Presidents of this Conference, Fathers Fremont Louw and Dr Khoza Mgojo who were called to higher service during the course of this year. May these dear servants together with many others not mentioned, find rest as they join the many pioneers of our faith.

We meet in the Kingdom of Swaziland where you will be spoilt by her breath-taking beauty and the hospitality. We salute Ingwenyama, King Mswati 111; we salute INdlovukazi and all the beautiful people of Swaziland. Our prayer is that our visit may add value towards a journey of peace, economic stability and meaningful life for all the people of Swaziland. As we gather here, the philosophy of King Sobhuza 11 comes to mind, “asikwami kwebantfu.” (It’s not mine, but belongs to the people).  May these words of African wisdom find place in our hearts especially those who have the privilege and cross of leadership in church, government and all spheres of society. May they continue to be the seed that germinates continuously, so that we all may know that leadership is not for personal gain. The true spirit of leadership is others first.

  So it is said that Christianity was brought to Swaziland by the Missionaries in 1844 on invitation by King Sobhuza 1 and Shiselweni Region was one of the first areas to embrace Christianity. This year marks the Centenary anniversary of the Mahamba Methodist Church building, that beautiful church built in 1912, and where the Mission Station was established in 1845. You will hear that story told during the course of this conference. It is also fitting that on the occasion of the first MCSA Conference to be held in this land, the SiSwati Hymnal will be launched.

The context:

Conference meets during spring, a season when all creation around us seems to be clapping its hands, welcoming new life and new beginnings. We also meet at a time when there is so much woundedness in people and creation. Hurricane Isaac has rendered countless homes/families and many lives in Louisiana tragically changed forever. We weep with the people of Syria as we witness a nation caught up in violent upheaval. The pain of Somalia and Sudan continues to disturb the whole world. Protests and responses thereto are becoming deadly exercises. We mourn the deaths of many workers in the North West Province of South Africa. Shocking images! That must never be repeated! There are wounds and more wounds- no healing. More hurtful were some of the responses and inciting statements. We are wounded. The refrain has been; ‘’let us not point fingers.” Whilst I understand that this refrain is meant to calm the dangerously high emotions and to stop the opportunism and point scoring by some, the time will have to come when we name the evil and together seek healing. We cannot afford to just put band-aids on the wounds and not open them for genuine healing to take place. The perpetrators of evil thrive behind carefulness and sensitivity – especially when we find ourselves trapped in a mode of proclaiming ‘peace, peace ’when there is no peace Wounds do not heal by being concealed. It is encouraging to learn that dialogue has been given a chance and that workers will return to work on Thursday 20th - it was not necessary for people to die in the first place.

 The economic crisis which has hit the world has had a more severe negative impact on the people of Swaziland. It calls for serious consideration to do things differently. The collapse of public education especially is South Africa, where in Provinces like Limpopo, learners are without books and some of the books are found dumped. Communities around Kuruman in the Northern Cape have closed down schools since June in protest for service delivery. Something has gone wrong. The Southern African region which is our mission field is wounded: poverty is rife, effective health care and quality education is inaccessible to the high numbers of disadvantaged people.  There is need for life giving dialogue as we search for solutions.

The Theme “TOGETHER a healing community”:

The theme is informed by the verbalised and sometimes non-verbalised question in the minds of many: “Can life in Southern Africa be different? Shall we ever escape the cycle of violence, brutality of murderous actions against each other of grinding poverty, under-development, alienation from God and one another? Whilst evidence may point otherwise, as people of faith, we have to say “Yes together, we are a healing community!  It is a theme that is a continuation of the conversations of previous conferences and seeks to encourage us on the journey of our Vision and Mission which is “A Christ Healed Africa for Healing of Nations.” This follows the call of the last two conferences, of ‘an invitation to a round table’. Introducing the theme at last year’s conference, Rev Ivan Abrahams said: “Our healing challenge remains to work for the elimination of structures still based on racial, cultural and economic exclusions as we seek to work to emulate Jesus’ principles aimed at including everyone within the family of God.” The emphasis is on the aspect of our togetherness as a healing community. It speaks to who we are and who we are striving to be. The Biblical origins of a healing community are not difficult to find. Acts 2:42-47 is an often quoted example. That community is characterised by teaching, fellowship, sharing of bread and prayers. The theme of togetherness is very clear and is followed by an observation of signs and wonders and God adding to the number as a stamp of approval. The signs and wonders that come from the approving heart of God, mitigate the pain of challenges.

"Woundedness:"

I do not need to dwell too much in explaining the wounded state in which we are in at this time, as this is evident and gives itself expression at different times and contexts of our existence. The signs of our 'woundedness,' jump out in social networks and media, road range, conversations, lifestyles, violent ways of relating to each other, shattered hopes everywhere, excluding behaviours, the list is endless.  As someone suggested; our wounds run deep and result from our wounded consciousness. The wounded psyche poisons every thought, poisons our ears, our tongues and our hands. In many instances, what we think, what we hear what we say and what we do inflict wounds all around us. Alan Boesak made the observation that “the weeds of alienation and fragmentation will return and choke the hope of reconciliation.” I want to add that, those weeds are with us now and those weeds are not only choking the seeds of reconciliation but the very hope of well-being. The ‘woundedness’ holds us back from doing what God is calling us to do together. It is the ‘woundedness’ that prompted Alfred Henry Vine to pen down the hymn:

“Phefumlela Thixo wethu xa sithandazayo kuWe, sidalele ubomi obutsha, masikhanyiselwe nguWe. Zusinyamezele Thixo, sakuxakwa yintliziyo ethi noko indlela iyazi, ibe ithanda ukunxaxha. (O Breath of God, breathe on us now, and move within us while we pray; the spring of our new life art Thou, the very light of our new day.  But ah this faithless heart of mine! The way I know; I know my guide; forgive me O Friend divine, that I so often turn aside.”

Local Churches as centres of healing:

It is of course easier to describe what is needed than to create it. A call was made during the Millennium Mission campaign and strongly emphasised by the Mission Congress which met at Mthatha in 2004, that every local church should be a centre of healing. This is very urgent now! As we prepare to return to Mthatha in 2013, what does the score card show? What signs of healing do our local churches and communities show? A number of conferences have made a call for the building and strengthening of healing communities – communities that heal both the person and the societies in which we live- our wounds are keeping us apart. There are some good examples of healing communities in our connexion, but there are also some bad ones. Together, we can build and nurture these, not because it is a nice thing to do, but because this is who God is calling us to become – Together a healing community. Our God is spoken of in Psalm 133 as a God who rejoices at togetherness:

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

As people of hope, called by God into community, we are called to look back and enter or re-enter the covenant with God and make the commitment that we cannot be part of instruments of destruction, but are partners towards the well-being of creation. Our calling requires that we imagine the future together. Karin Chubb asserts 'that which has not come about, has not come about due to our collective failure.' I want to add the emerging future will be shaped to a great extent by our collective resolve to be part of healing communities all over the Connexion.

From commodity to communion:

Walter Brueggemann in his recent book titled; ‘Subversive Obedience,’ writes:

“What should interest us, I imagine, is how to get from commodity to communion, for it is a travail that we and our children and our grandchildren face.” Brueggemann 2011:91.

Nations and communities are becoming markets in which “everything and everyone is reduced to a tradable commodity.” Brueggemann further argues that the church is tempted to transpose its practice of good news in order to compete for a share in the market. The turning point is hearing afresh the cry of God as coming from the Prophet Jeremiah; “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (Jeremiah 8:22).God knows that there is a way for healing, but God’s people are held back by destructive loyalties to people and things in ways that reduce the powerless to commodities. Yes, it is correct to protect economic growth, investments, and to ensure that nations are governable and orderly, but that has to be done with a human heart and in a way that seeks to protect the vulnerable. The bruises of alienation and fragmentation are choking the transforming power of the Gospel. Is there no balm? Rorisang Tshabalala posed a similar question in the Sunday Independent of 9 September 2012; “How do we break the hypnotic spell of division…?” By:

·        Dividing profit making from health and the well-being of all

·        Genuine coming together of Gods people versus the protection of self interest

·        Faith and real life situations

·        To bridge the divide between the rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless

·        Division between sister and sister, brother and brother

The surrender to Gods will compels us to live out the words of the song: “Christ enough to break all barriers…”  The balm of our togetherness have to be evident in the communities from which we come, otherwise the slogan ‘mission is local’ rings hollow. The balm is to be found in real situations that people find themselves in. I like the context of prophet Ezekiel who in Ezekiel 3:14-15, had set among the exiles:

                                    “The spirit then lifted me up and took me away and I went in bitterness and in anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me. I came to the exiles that lived at Tel Aviv near Kebar River. I sat among them …. overwhelmed.

It is a call that takes us and makes us sit among those driven to exile by circumstances of life- emotional, social family, economic, political and religious exile.

Brueggemann continues to remind us that liberation is not an event, but a journey and it is not into a vacuum but into a different way of life. The event recorded in Exodus was not simply a moment of liberating, but an on-going life together. When God led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, God led them not into “unbridled, unqualified, unfocussed freedom that had no projection into the future. It was an exchange of bondage for bonding.”  The new bonding relationship with one another is characterised by life-giving conversations, healing, changing attitudes, views, and lifestyles and expanding life-giving relationships. This is our calling! We are called to model a life of togetherness in our local communities. Dr Simon Gqubule writing about the then FEDSEM, says it was an attempt towards a non-racial, ecumenical movement that says to the world; ‘we can be different.’

The healing balm:

Much has been said and much has been done, but the wounds remain. Do we hear the ‘sobs ’of God through the Prophet Jeremiah?: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (Jeremiah 8:22.) The healing balm the life of Gods people is to be seen in the healing of the wounds:

·        of division and strife in all local communities. It is possible when we allow:

·        seen in local churches being centres of healing where every member especially every leader and member becomes the agent of healing

·        Allowing personal wounds to be healed in each and every person. I recommend the work of Dr Leon Klein who has provided some models that are worth looking at. (www.centresofhealing.com)

·        In robust and respectful dialogue when dealing with challenges that we face. This has to be characterised by compassionate listening to each other in a way that allows forgiveness to heal us and draw us to each other. It has to be characterised by an all-embracing love that makes us better people.

·        Confession, forgiveness, compassion, love, commitment need to be at the centre of our life together.

·        The Wesleyan spirit of mission- venturing into new areas of need, seeing dying churches opening doors to those around them.

·        Fresh ways of doing church in emerging new contexts

·        Robust but respectful dialogue that help to shape that common vision which is able to pull us together as the desired healing community of God, characterised by emphatic listening to each other, forgiveness and embracing love that makes us better persons.

·         Our energy and resources must be channelled in that direction. We cannot, and should not be running away from those who need us most. Things cannot remain the same whilst we claim to have a vision of healing and transformation. This we have to do together.

·        Processes that rigorously focus on wellness of the pastoral teams/persons and their families to emerge. Healthy leaders and workers produce healthy outcomes.

·        Relationships to be challenged and healed.

·        Reclaim our role in Education: There are some key proposals being worked on by our Education Task Team on what our contribution can and should be. Every church is invited to lend a hand- be it a reading room or walking alongside learners, parents and teachers.

·        Those in search of access to quality education to find a shoulder to lean on in our local societies. Upward Bound movement has suggested some simple actions that communicate that there is hope for Education even in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. (www.upwardbound.co.za). Every child must have access to quality education.

Hope for us all to be a true healing community together

This all possible! God wills it! God has us to do it together! Brother Timothy of the Holy Cross Monastery in Grahamstown said; “When waters are stirred, there is hope for healing.” As the circumstances of life stir the waters in the various areas of our lives together, there is hope for healing .As it is often said, ‘darkness is the absence of light.’ It is when the people of light dim, or choose to be absent, that space is given for the darkness to operate and the world becomes covered by all sorts of darkness, be it the moral darkness, religious, economic or political darkness. Let us therefore allow ourselves to be agents and reflectors of light in every area of our existence.  Let us not settle for anything less.

Let us endeavour always to lower the barriers to collaboration, seek common ground, engage honest dialogue, and be prepared to acknowledge discomfort – sit with it, learn from it and allow true community to grow from it. “If we hope for meaningful relationships, we must practise being relational. Hope that is true hope is lived hope, and is the opposite to living with a culture of denial, because it does not shrink from reality” (Denise Ackermann 1993:6 in Ragbags Theologies p 19). It is that call for true relationships with the full hope that the world can be different and will be different, that I am making here. “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” (G.K. Chesterton in Ragbag Theologies page 4). This is the time to seriously make every endeavour to live out the Christian ideal of being a healing community TOGETHER!

  

Conclusion:

In the words of that prayer with which one of the former Presidents of this Conference, Alex Boraine, concludes his biography titled ‘Life in Transition’ – a prayer attributed to Sir Francis Drake in 1577, I end:

“Disturb us Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore… We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.”

Borrowing again from Mary Gast, (from ‘No Longer Strangers’), I say to you all:

            “Let us now depart and hold fast to the Covenant,

             Knowing that in Christ we are no longer strangers and sojourners,

             But, are dearly loved children of the living God.”

Together a healing community!

Amen.

References:

1.     M. Pillay, S. Nadar, C. Le Bruyns (Eds) 2009), Ragbag Theologies. Essays in honour of Denise Ackermann. EFSA, Sun Press Stellenbosch.

2.     Karin Granberg-Michaelson, 1991, Healing Community. WCC Publication.

3.     Walter Brueggemann, 2011. Subversive Obedience, SMC. London. Geneva.

4.     Alex Boraine, 2008. Life in Transition. Zebra Press, Cape Town.

5.     Bibles: New International Version and Revised Standard Version.

6.     Uxolo. An unpublished newsletter of UMariya umama weThemba Monastery.

7.      The Yearbooks of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

Prayer for MCSA Conference

I appeal to Methodists in my connexion (MCSA, which comprises Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa) to pray for our conference which begins this Wednesday, 19th September in Swaziland. This prayer is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Christian Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

Peace while so many were making themselves ready for battle

Tuesday 19 July 1763: Finding it was not expedient to leave London during the ferment which still continued by reason of Mr. Maxfield’s separation from us, I determined not to remove from it before the Conference. This began on Tuesday, July 19, and ended on Saturday 23. And it was a great blessing that we had peace among ourselves, while so many were making themselves ready for battle.

Our Conference concluded

Tue 3 Aug 1784: Our Conference concluded, in much love, to the great disappointment of all. This evening, I went as far as Halifax and, the next day, to Manchester.

Our Conference began

Tue Aug 3 1773: Our Conference began. I preached mornings as well as evenings; and it was all one. I found myself just as strong as if I had preached but once a day.

Our Conference began

Mon 9 Aug 1762: I preached at Elland and Birstal in my way to Leeds, where our Conference began on Tuesday morning; and we had great reason to praise God for his gracious presence from the beginning to the end.

A Perfectly Unanimous Conference

Friday, July 1, 1785. Most of our travelling preachers met, to confer together on the things of God. We began and ended in much peace and love, being all resolved not to ‘do the work of the Lord so lightly’. Sunday 3, we had a larger congregation than ever at St. Patrick’s, where many of our brethren found such a blessing that they will not easily be so prejudiced against the Church as they were in time past. Wed. 6. We concluded our Conference. I remember few such conferences, either in England or Ireland: so perfectly unanimous were all the preachers and so determined to give themselves up to God.

In Ireland

Sun. 17 July 1785 (Ireland). I preached both morning and evening on the education of children. I now spoke chiefly to the parents, informing them that I designed to speak to the children at five the next morning. Monday 18 at five, not only the morning chapel was well filled, but many stood in the large Chapel. I trust they did not come in vain. The rest of the week, I was fully employed in writing for the Magazine and preparing for the Conference. Sunday 24, I preached at West Street, morning and afternoon, when both the largeness and earnestness of the congregation gave me a comfortable hope of a blessing at the ensuing Conference.

A Conference without contention or altercation

Tuesday 26 July 1785 (Ireland):, our Conference began, at which about seventy preachers were present, whom I had invited by name. One consequence of this was that we had no contention or altercation at all, but everything proposed was calmly considered and determined as we judged would be most for the glory of God.

Local Preachers Rebel against JW and Appeal to Conference

Mon 22 Nov 1779: My brother and I set out for Bath, on a very extraordinary occasion. Some time since, Mr. Smyth, a clergyman whose labours God had greatly blessed in the north of Ireland, brought his wife over to Bath, who had been for some time in a declining state of health. I desired him to preach every Sunday evening in our chapel, while he remained there. But as soon as I was gone Mr. McNab, one of our preachers, vehemently opposed that; affirming it was the common cause of all the lay preachers; that they were appointed by the Conference, not by me, and would not suffer the clergy to ride over their heads—Mr. Smyth in particular, of whom he said all manner of evil. Others warmly defended him. Hence the society was torn in pieces and thrown into the utmost confusion. On Tuesday 23, I read to the society a paper which I wrote near twenty years ago on a like occasion. Herein I observed that ‘the rules of our preachers were fixed by me, before any Conference existed’, particularly the twelfth: ‘Above all, you are to preach when and where I appoint.’ By obstinately opposing which rule Mr. McNab has made all this uproar. In the morning, at a meeting of the preachers, I informed Mr. McNab that as he did not agree to our fundamental rule, I could not receive him as one of our preachers till he was of another mind. On Wednesday 24, I read the same paper to the society at Bristol, as I found the flame had spread thither also. A few at Bath separated from us on this account; but the rest were thoroughly satisfied.

Conference 1778 considers sending missionaries to Africa

Tue. 4 Aug 1778. Our Conference began; so large a number of preachers (see below) never met at a Conference before. I preached morning and evening till Thursday night; then my voice began to fail, so I desired two of our preachers to supply my place the next day. On Saturday, the Conference ended.

There were more than a large number of preachers present, as Thomas Taylor recalls in his diary: 

Aug. 5. Today we permitted all sorts to come into the Conference, so that we had a large company. The forenoon was occupied in speaking upon preaching-houses. In the afternoon, the sending of missionaries to Africa was considered. The call seems doubtful. Afterwards the committee met, and we were an hour and a half in speaking what might have been done in five minutes. We are vastly tedious, and have many long speeches to little purpose

Of Conference, Purple-clad elites and the Poor

“I was at a meeting of the Superiors General in Europe. They talked only of changing the structures of society, organizing things in a different way. It all came to nothing. It did not do something for the poor, or preach Christ to those without religion, to those totally ignorant of God”

This is a quotation from Mother Theresa and as I read it I can't help but think of our Conference, beginning on Wednesday, and what its outcome may be. Our connexion, covering Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, has a multitude of dreadful problems, not least of all the scourge of preventable disease which kills thousands, particularly amongst the poor, daily. South Africa has the greatest gap between rich and poor in the world, having recently overtaken Brazil in this disgraceful statistic. Corruption is rife and many continue to live as if there is no God. Will Conference 2010 affect the great justice issues in our part of the world.

This week's RCL Gospel reading, Luke 16:19-31 (the parable of the rich man with the beggar at his gate) addresses some of these issues as it records a conversation across the divide between haves and have-nots, between the purple clad elites (in the KJV) and the masses.

It speaks of Abraham (and perhaps the descendants of Abraham, the church) being able to communicate with both sides and in this life, of bridging the gap (as a dentist I love that idea), closing the space, perhaps even laying ourselves down as the pontic.

I hope our Conference will help us, as it guides us, to work at closing the iniquitous gaps in the places God, in His grace, has called us to be Methodists

Prayer for MCSA Conference

I appeal to Methodists in my connexion (MCSA, which comprises Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa) to pray for our conference which begins this Wednesday, 22nd. This prayer is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Christian Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

President Nelson Mandela at my Ordination Conference

Cedric and Chris at Mandela Square, Johannesburg.

I was ordained on Sunday, 19 July, 1998. Two days before that our Conference was addressed by President Nelson Mandela. It was the eve of his 80th birthday, but unbeknownst to us all, except our Presiding Bishop Mvume Dandala, this day was also the eve of Madiba's marriage to Graca Machel. Our Presiding Bishop would excuse himself from the chair of Conference to officiate at the marriage on Saturday, and return for our ordination service on Sunday.

Address by President Nelson Mandela at the first Triennial Conference of the Methodist church of South Africa   Durban, 17 July 1998

Presiding Bishop Mvume Dandala;
Delegates;
Distinguished Guests;

When I met with you at your annual conference in Umtata in 1994, we were all
still celebrating the fresh victory of democracy. At that meeting we took stock
of the challenges ahead that we would face together. Our main priorities then
revolved around writing a constitution to protect the social, economic and
political rights of all South Africa's people.
As a nation we had survived an unfortunate period in the life of our country,
where the most terrible oppression was justified by some people on the basis of
their Christian faith. Other living faiths were denied an opportunity to
contribute on an equal footing to the life of our people.
Our new constitution has laid the foundations for a healthy inter-religious
relationship by guaranteeing the right to freedom of religion, in a society
where the oppression of one by another must forever be a thing of the past.
What South Africa needs now is not only good government and good laws. We
need people who are committed to making this the country of our dreams. And we
need religious people who live their faith.
Today I am 79 years and 364 days old. My live has been a long journey. I am
grateful for the learning during my early years which laid the foundations for
my life. I thank my mother and uncles who sent me to Sunday School and to the
Mission Schools where I was nurtured. Although youth is supposed to rebel
against a strict church, I look back fondly on the instruction I received at
Clarkebury and Healdtown. The values I was taught at these institutions have
served me well throughout my life.
These values were strengthened during our years of incarceration when this
church, along with other religious communities, cared for us. Not only did you
send chaplains to encourage us, but you also assisted us materially within your
means. You helped our families at a time when we could not help them ourselves.
Religious organisations also played a key role in exposing apartheid for what
it was - a fraud and a heresy. It was encouraging to hear of the God who did not
tolerate oppression, but who stood with the oppressed.
We will always salute the resolve of those who stood firm for justice and
righteousness. Many a religious community suffered because they stood for truth.
We must never let this happen to our nation again. Our task must be to
constantly remind ourselves of our history and of our vision for the future: to
build a democratic culture in which all have the freedom and opportunities to
improve our lives.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has played a crucial role in exposing
the evil that bedevilled our land for so long. Many our people are still bitter
and find it difficult to forgive. Just laws are not enough to lead our people to
new life. True reconciliation will come about when those who were divided
confront their past, join hands and overcome the legacy of poverty. In the same
way our freedom will only gain real meaning if it brings real improvements in
the lives of people.
As the government of a young democracy we have made considerable progress in
bringing basic facilities within reach of all people and we are proud of that
achievement. But we know it will take a long time to reverse the destructive
legacy of over three hundred years.
It will also require the combined efforts of all our people, some who must
share their knowledge and skills; some who must contribute by building schools
and hospitals and others who must be creative and participate in their own
upliftment. We need a culture of hard work, of learning, and of innovation.
People must become job creators rather than only job seekers. Our children must
be helped to make the best of their opportunities, even where facilities are not
ideal.
Religious communities have a vital role to play in this regard. Just as you
took leading roles in the struggle against apartheid, so too you should be at
the forefront of helping to deliver a better life to all our people. Amongst
other things you are well placed to assist in building capacity within
communities for effective delivery of a better life.
This better life is not only about delivering jobs, houses, education and
health services. It is also about eliminating anything which threatens our
hard-won gains.
It is about making South Africa a safe place to live in. Crime is a menace
that disturbs any country. It hampers our efforts to build a society in which
everyone's rights are respected. While even one person feels insecure in our
land, we will not rest. Government is doing its best but we face huge obstacles
even from within our ranks. When we speak of crime we are also referring to the
corruption which is undermining our efforts to build a better life. What is most
distressing is that of those who plunder public resources for their own benefit
include former fighters for freedom as well as those from the former apartheid
machinery.
Overcoming crime and corruption and our other problems in the field of
education, unemployment and poverty, requires every person to become part of the
solution instead of simply being a spectator. In our schools and our places of
worship, people should be encouraged to share in creating the atmosphere our
land needs. As religious leaders you are responsible for creating a climate of
honesty, responsibility and discipline. As a society we should all reject those
who steal bread from the mouths of little children or from the elderly or the
poor.
We count on the religious fraternity to help us restore the moral values and
the respect for each other that were destroyed by the inhumanity of apartheid.
Finally, please allow me to congratulate you on the mission stalls you are
displaying here. It is heart-warming to see the efforts my church is making to
touch the lives of our people, particularly the poor. This already is for us a
sign of what must be: all our people rolling up their sleeves so that all may
reap the fruits of their freedom.
I thank you!

Issued by: Office of The President      

Sourced from  SA  Government Information

President Nelson Mandela addresses Methodist Conference 1994

Address by President Nelson Mandela to the Annual Conference of the Methodist Church

18 September 1994 

Presiding Bishop Stanley Mogoba, District Bishops, Distinguished Delegates, Dear Guests,
Allow me to express my profound gratitude for the invitation to be with you tonight. It is indeed a great honour for me to bring my personal greetings to one of the most significant Christian communities in our land.
My joy at being in this conference is multiplied many-fold by the fact that this is for me also a personal home-coming, both in the physical and spiritual sense. The environs of Umtata are not only my humble origins. It is here that my spiritual association with this great Church started. And I cannot over-emphasise the role that the Methodist Church has played in my own life.
Your Church has a proud record of commitment to the development of Africa`s sons and daughters in more areas than one. The great institutions of learning which spread from the Reverend William Shaw`s "Chain of Mission Stations" in this region shaped the minds and characters of generations of our people as well as many of our present leaders.
Although the dark night of apartheid sought to obliterate many of these institutions, the impact of their academic and moral teachings could not be trampled on. We who passed through them will not forget the excellent standards of teaching and the spiritual values which were imparted to us.
It is therefore heartening to learn that Methodism is returning to this great tradition with the rehabilitation of Healdtown, your new John Wesley School in Pinetown, the use of Indaleni for community development, the return to Kilnerton and the hundreds of pre-schools you have established. All these and other endeavours vividly demonstrate the fact that the religious community in our country is not only a spiritual and moral force. It is also an important social institution, contributing to the development and well-being of the people as a whole.
The sense of social responsibility that the religious community has always upheld found expression in your immense contribution to the efforts to rid our country of the scourge of racism and apartheid. When pronouncements and actions against the powers-that-be meant persecution and even death, you dared to stand up to the tyrants.
In the founding and evolution of the African National Congress, the religious community played a central role. We refer here to such leaders such as Calata, Mahabane and Maphikela as well as Abdullah Abduraman and Mahatma Gandhi.
Especially while political leaders were in prison and in exile, bodies like the South African Council of Churches and its member churches resisted racial bigotry and held out a vision of a different, transformed South Africa. Methodist leaders were prominent among the prophets who refused to bow to the false god of apartheid. Your ministers also visited us in prison and cared for our families. Some of you were banned. Your Presiding Bishop himself shared imprisonment with us for some years on Robben Island. This you did, not as outsiders to the cause of democracy, but as part of society and eminent prophets of the teachings of your faith.
It is fitting that this Conference is taking place in this particular Chamber, after the advent of democracy in our country. The Methodist Church was the only Church to be declared an illegal organisation under apartheid, and for ten long years you were forbidden to operate naat e Transkei bantustan. It is in this very Chamber that this banning order was promulgated.
One cannot over-emphasise the contribution that the religious community made particularly in ensuring that our transition achieves the desired result. The spirit of reconciliation and the goodwill within the nation can, to a great measure, be attributed to the moral and spiritual interventions of the religious community.
Now that a major part of the journey towards democracy has been traversed, new and more difficult tasks lie ahead of us. For, political democracy will be empty and meaningless, if the misery of the majority of the people is not addressed.
The Church, like all other institutions of civil society, must help all South Africans to rise to the challenge of freedom. As South Africa moves from resistance to reconstruction and from confrontation to reconciliation, the energy that was once dedicated to breaking apartheid must be harnessed to the task of building the nation.
Our Programme of Reconstruction and Development is designed to unite sound economics with true compassion and justice so that all the people of this land may share in its resources. But this programme cannot succeed unless people who have been repressed by years of subjugation are motivated to participate in building their future.
We are encouraged, that in the South African religious community, the Government of National Unity has an experienced, morally-upright and reliable partner. With its long history of involvement in development projects and widespread infrastructure, the Church is strategically placed to empower our people to take hold of their freedom and work together to transform their conditions. This should include paying particulr attention to millions of children and youth who need to be specially nurtured, so as to restore their dignity and afford them opportunities to make a constructive contribution to society.
The Church, with its message of forgiveness, has a special role to play in national reconciliation. After so much suffering and injustice, the instinct for revenge is a natural one. But the transition we are going through shows that those who suffered under apartheid are prepared to bury the past. At the same time, those who enjoyed the fruits of unjust privilege must be helped to find a new spirit of sharing. Your message and example can enable that to happen.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an important instrument, not only in dealing with past wrongs, but in freeing all of us to move with a clean conscience into the future.
The objective of this Commission is neither vengeance nor retribution. We have to forgive the past; but at the same time, ensure that the dignity of the victims is restored, and their plight properly addressed. We are confident that the conclusions that this Commission will come to, will contribute not only to reconciliation, but also to reconstruction and development.
In the end, reconciliation is a spiritual process, which requires more than just a legal framework. It has to happen in the hearts and minds of people. Indeed, no institution is better placed to assist this process than the thousands of religious congregations which gather every week all over the land and among all communities.
This will also form an important part of the process to cast the demon of crime and violence out of our social life. The Government is determined to use all the means in our power to cradicate this problem. However, this requires co-operation between communities and the security agencies. Again, the religious community has a central role to play in ensuring that this happens.
Mr Presiding Bishop,
South Africa now has a democratic government representative of, and accountable to, all the people. By your fearless commitment to truth and justice, the Methodist Church and other religious bodies helped realise this. But all governments, no matter how democratic, need constructive criticism and advice. I ask you to continue to play your prophetic role, always seeking to hold the nation and all its leaders to the highest standards of integrity and service.
One of the critical issues in this regard is the disparity, within society as a whole, between the lowest and the highest social echelons. To address this problem requires comprehensive measures to develop our human resources. It also demands bold action on the part of the leadership in the public sector, the private sector and organs of civil society, including religious institutions.
I am confident that, with the support of the Methodist Church and the religious fraternity as a whole, our nation will reach the mountain-tops of its collective desires.
I am mindful that the great hymn which is now part of our National Anthem was first sung long ago at the Ordination of a Methodist minister. I join you in that humble prayer: Nkosi Sikelela i`Afrika!

Sourced from ANC