From the Pulpit: JAN2018

From the Pulpit

 Trinity Presbyterian Church: Grahamstown

 January 2018

Contributions 

1.  Hello Family : Rev Boitumelo Gaborone (Minister in charge)

2.  A Happy New Year to you all!: Vallery Hodson (Session Clerk)

3.   Looking back at 2017: Makaiko Chithambo (Elder)
4.  Looking forward looking back!: Malcolm Haxley (Elder)

1.  Hello family

Welcome home and a blessed 2018 to you and your loved ones.

I’m in 2018 with my feet firmly planted and ready to serve and I pray that we are in this together.

In 2017 we agreed to journey together, believing this to BE the will of God. However, not everything was sorted out. There is still the question of the why and how, together with our personal hopes and aspirations, we are to live up to God’s calling on us as a community. By God’s grace we (I believe) are beginning to find each other. I know God is making a new thing in us. In bringing us together God has plans that go beyond but don’t exclude us. There are lessons we need to learn, there is growth and depth coming our way. All this while we are meant to be a blessing to others. How this is going to take place only God knows. I am convinced it starts with obedience and dedication.

Since we are a part of this master plan, my prayer is that we use this year, 2018, to explore how we are to journey as well as the direction in which we are called to travel. For starters, we need to find our place as part of the Grahamstown and Rhodes community in particular. As a Christian community we are called to be the salt as well as the light of the world. This requires our light to shine into those dark places where others, and even ourselves, may fear to tread. Being the light requires us to use (or at least discover) our prophetic voice. Speak the truth to power, to be the voice for the voiceless. This may mean exposing ourselves from time to time (old age is not exempted). There is no way we can be prophetic and harbour dreams of self-preservation. Are we prepared to be the church of Christ? Well we have, at least, twelve months to explore that.

As the salt of the world we are to try by all means to help prevent any form of decay in us as well as in the community at large. This goes beyond mere speaking: it requires us to sweeten the bitter herbs and make them eatable if not tasty. Opening our doors for those in need is at least one way of doing it. Being a home for the destitute beloved doesn’t focus on the increment of our numbers; that’s but an addition. It focuses on everyone belonging. And that means starting with ourselves before we go out. We have to go beyond coexistence, peaceful though it may be, to be the visible community of the redeemed.

Nonetheless, until the light in us is ignited we cannot truly be a light to anyone. This requires finding ourselves, being clear about who we are in God’s eyes. I know that we cannot wait until we are completely healed before we attempt healing others but it’s impossible to give that which you do not have or possess. It starts with us.

To those who are coming to Trinity for the first time, welcome. Help us become the family you need. Remember none of us has got it absolutely perfect. We are prepared to accept you with your flaws – please make room for ours. Together we can make one perfect body focusing on the kingdom of God. For us here it is not about living a life of escapism, focusing on a heaven we haven’t seen as a way to escape the world we do see and all its rottenness. Be part of our discovery journey for 2018. We don’t know where we will end up or even what it will be like. The only thing we know is that God will be there and it will be great!

Lots of love

Boitumelo

 

 2. A Happy New Year to you all!

I write this from a chilly England, though the 5 cm of snow that fell so prettily on Monday didn’t stop us from visiting friends & family and has now cleared.  I trust that you have also been blessed to spend time with those you love over the Christmas season

As Session Clerk it was thrilling to go into 2017 having the support of Glen Craig and knowing that we had a new minister coming to us, but there was still the first half of the year to face with a preacher to find for every service that Glen was not able to lead.  Some of you will remember the occasional service where the promised preacher became unavailable, and the somewhat frenetic behind-the-scenes activity to find a replacement at short notice is something that I am glad to leave behind.  During this time I learnt to fully appreciate the work of Wilheyn and the Management Committee in running our church on a day-to-day basis, as well the support of other elders who not only upheld me in prayer but took upon themselves many important and necessary tasks.

Two members of our Session have between them served as elders in various capacities for over 6 decades.  Ivan Ristow became an elder in 19**, and joined the Session of Trinity when they moved to Grahamstown in 19**.  His background in the law was invaluable to Session and for many years he also rigorously oversaw the use of the Session Benevolent Fund with great compassion.  This is a trait which figures strongly in the Ristow family as Pam steadfastly led the Pastoral Care group along with Val Searle, phoning, visiting and providing support for the sick & elderly in our Trinity family.  At the end of 2017 ill health prevented her and Ivan from continuing at their posts, and they sadly stepped down with the thanks and acclaim of the entire Session.  We are thankful to Peter Sülter for taking over the reins of the Session Fund, and to Bertha Chithambo, Liz de Wet and Nonceba Shoba who joined as new elders.  It is a joy to watch as they follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before. 

But the greatest joy has been the arrival of our new Minister in early August.  Those of us present at her Induction were delighted that her mother and grandmother were able to be present at the service.  It must have been very hard on Boitumelo when her grandmother fell ill and passed away so soon after she took on her new post.

If any of us on Session had thought that we could now sit back and relax, we would have been seriously mistaken.  The job of maintaining our church in the inter-regnum is indeed over, but now comes the task of growing Trinity, a joyful task when already we see new members joining the church or returning to us after long absence. Offers of assistance with various duties have been most encouraging.  It is wonderful to see the participation of people of different denominations in the new cell group that our minister has begun at Brookshaw, and we look forward to a similar one starting at Somerset Place.  Already we have a “choir in the pip” and are looking to it becoming fully fledged.  Now there’s this new magazine, something I have long hoped to see.  Val Searle continues to faithfully run the Pastoral Care group, and I encourage those of you with a heart for visiting the frail & sick to speak to her – you don’t need to be an elder to take God’s love to those who are house-bound.

And let us all remember Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 6.9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

In His Service,

Val Hodgson

3. Looking back at 2017

As 2017 and the Christmas gifts that closed it recede into a passing memory, we can now reflect on what has been. As gifts go, we at Trinity Presbyterian Church received ours early in August 2017 when Rev. Boitumelo Gaborone took up her position as our minister after accepting our Call early in the year. Boitumelo is not new to Grahamstown having studied at Rhodes University for her Bachelor’s degree in Theology in the late 90’s. The energy and enthusiasm she has brought with her to Trinity are much appreciated.

We remember with gratitude the various ways in which members of the congregation and others contributed to the smooth functioning of the church in 2017. We will always cherish memories of the competence with which Rev. Glen Graig oversaw to the work of the church and worship during the interregnum and the meticulousness with which he led the Call committee. We cannot forget many others who worked behind the scenes seeing to the administration and management of Trinity.

Mr Cecil Solomon opens the church very early every Sunday and ensures that the various paraphernalia like microphones and the like are in place and working properly during the service. Thank you for remembering to switch on the heaters in winter. Where there is Cecil there are Ted Willie and John Hepple whose wonderful ways of welcoming people to church are hard to replicate; thank you. The Sunday school last year was enthusiastically managed by the good team of volunteers consisting of Bertha, Margie, Aileen, Amy and Advice. We hope that in 2018 others will step forward to help too because this is one area where we can do with additional hands. There are many others too numerous to single out by name but whose contributions were just as key. These include the Bible readers during the service, those who stood on door duty, the many that prepared flowers or served at tea. To the Session and its various committees and subcommittees, your work is appreciated.

We were fortunate to have the church secretary, Gill Duncan, who is on hand during the week in the Church office and the session clerk, Val Hodgson, who somehow impressively managed to ensure that we had organists, pianists, lay preachers and dealt with cancellations with tact. If this was primary school, we would stick gold stars in your notebooks. Towards the end of the year, there was a delightful Christmas dinner organized by Val Searle and others who also deserve our gratitude. The fact that the church is a family brought together for fellowship is not lost on us and many in the congregation make Trinity a comfortable place to be by welcoming visitors, helping or praying for others in need or just providing a listening ear when needed. This is preaching by example and is what made us an inclusive place of worship last year.

The end of a year and the beginning of a new one is an opportune time to count our blessings. When we look back we realise that some things that might have appeared as daunting turned out to be a manageable after all. We now look forward to 2018 in the firm belief that with God on our side, we can move on with optimism.

Makaiko Chithambo

4. Looking forward looking back!

Trinity, at 190 years young in 2017, is the oldest Presbyterian congregation in all of southern Africa.  So we are the Elders of the entire denomination!  It is with a certain amount of pride that we can look to the rock whence we were hewn and give thanks. Trinity has always been a diverse congregation of tradesmen and teachers, shopkeepers and students, academics and eccentrics, all things bright and beautiful!

In all the decades since 1827 we have endured and enjoyed the services of 18 ministers. The first 14 were all Scotsmen in the predictable traditional mould, some with a strong missionary calling. The next 4 were home-grown, three of them young assistants to the already legendary Glen Craig. All 14 were white, married, English-speaking males. And in addition, while there was still a faculty of divinity at Rhodes, we frequently had the invaluable input of an amazingly diverse range of Presbyterian academics – and their frequently irreverent students. 

Students named the two blue-clad angels (their bare feet decently painted over) on the arch above the pulpit “Elvis” (playing the harp) and “Satchmo” (the trumpet). They also averred that one minister had so many double chins that at night he had to put in a bookmark where he removed his dentures.  “Happy Scratch”, another peculiar Rhodes professor, had qualifications in so many different disciplines that his students were convinced he had gone mad by degrees.

In our democratic Reformed tradition, the Session plays a crucial role in the maintenance of any congregation. Down the years many extraordinary Elders have been elected to the Trinity Session, people of unusual devotion, gifts, practicality and spiritual insight, and have served for many, many years. Professor Alastair Kerr was the final arbiter for the entire denomination in matters of the “Manual”. In the 1960s Trinity boldly elected its first female Elders. In the 1990s several student elders were ordained to be a Christian presence on the university campus. As the demographics of the congregation changed, so other than Caucasian Elders too joined the Session and served with notable distinction.

Now, for the very first time we have a young, unmarrried, black, female minister – who speaks no fewer than SIX languages!  This Congregation of Elders is not un-adventurous!  I hasten to add: there was nothing politically correct about the appointment of our new minister.  Of course, Boitumelo’s years of experience in ministering to large and diverse congregations was a powerful recommendation – nothing succeeds like success!  But neither her gender, ethnicity, status nor educational qualifications dictated her appointment. This was a Call which we firmly believe was directed by God.  The congregation took a step forward in faith and the light on our path has increased as walk with her as our guide, challenging us at every step to hearken to the word of God and to remain true to our calling.

Our denominational motto comes from the story of the burning bush in the book of Exodus: “yet it was not consumed”. May our congregation in Trinity ever be afire for God and never suffer burn-out.

Malcolm (Koos)

 Special prayers for:

The start of the Academic year

We look to beginning of the academic year in SA with both excitement and trepidation. This in the light of the President’s announcement of free tertiary education to needy children. This brings a sigh of relief and sparks hope for children (and parents) who had no visible prospects of tertiary education. This however came after institutions had closed and the country’s budget had been finalised. With no consultation or foreplaning with stakeholders no one knows what the president had envisioned. There is in this the potential for hostility and eve an outright explosion between institutions and potential students whose dreams will be dashed if this does not work, not to mention political entities that will seek to use this as a platform for mobilisation. Let us pray for God to keep this pot from boiling and spilling over into the entire country.

The opening of parliament

Members of parliament are addressed as HONOURABLE because our dream is that dedicated men and women with the love of the nation are put in position to facilitate the smooth running of the country. It is intended to be more a vocation than a job. Our experience has however been different, since most of the valuable work of parliament had to be forced under the directive of the courts. One court case after another was held to win points or to force a decision that should have been made relatively easy if the interest was the good will of the country and its inhabitants. Let us pray for God to touch the hearts of these members so that they start this year with a conviction to serve. With a little more effort that goes beyond the stylish outfit for the opening of parliament. Only God can do this

Eradication of poverty in Grahamstown

It is a disgrace how opulence and abject poverty can live side by side and we are at peace with it. This we know is a result of former political systems that had classified people into subjects and denied opportunities while others were citizens with every opportunity. The current regime is also to blame as it has just exacerbated matters by killing the dreams of those who dreamed of a better tomorrow. We have become so used to the situation that we don’t see anything wrong with it. Yes as a church, and perhaps as individuals, we have acted with benevolence and shared from our resources. But as long as someone has to depend on the benevolence of another for survival, we will have issues of abuse (in all its forms), bigotry, envy and hate, crime and fear, not to mention immeasurable anger. We are God’s people : may our actions display God’s love, mercy and justice. Pray that God reveal to us how we are to do this and give us the courage to be.

The end of drought and floods in the country

Almost every single one of our nine provinces have been affected by these dreadful acts of nature, resulting in loss of life and livelihood. We do not control the weather but we know Someone who does. Let us believe and trust God to bring a change. For these disasters are bringing to light the great divide within our country that we often pretend doesn’t exist. But beyond that, all the suffering creates new enemies and an increase in crime and violence.

African Enterprise City Wide Mission

An evangelism drive covering the entire Makana area. Trinity together with other local congregations will be working with African Enterprise on this great commission. Pray for the success of this drive and that many lives will be touched in a very meaningful and lasting way.

A special word of thanks

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Trinity family. Members of the congregation, Session, management team.

 Ever since my arrival in August 2017 members have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. Starting from the little things done at the manse just to let me know I was welcome, the induction service and all the planning as well as attendance that went into it. I truly appreciate it. The pleasant surprise cake for my birthday and all the thoughts and condolences at the loss of my grandmother. You really came through for me when I needed it most and that after we had been together for only a month, this was totally unexpected and meaningful. The many invitations for meals and coffee (hot water and lemon). All your efforts have not been in vain, I can go on record and state that I am happy to be here and I am prepared to serve you.

Truly looking forward to a wonderful 2018.