Soutpansvlakte

The dairy farm where I am staying (see the previous post) is in a small valley with a salt pan. In fact, the farm is called Soutpansvlakte (Salt Pan Flats). I guess this is what one would call a secondary road in South Africa (see photo). After this, I turned onto a tertiary road. It wasn't bad, as tertiary roads go, although I had to avoid a gully that ran down the middle. OBSERVATION: That box on the back of my pickup is a week's supply of food. Thanks to the Linux gThumb Equalize function for the “ambience” of the photo. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

(Not) In Contact

So here I am, at an Internet Café at the southern tip of Africa. I found my dairy farm -- which is fairly isolated. In fact, so isolated that ... (see photo). I climbed a hill, and from the top of the hill I saw the Indian Ocean to the south, and high mountains to the north. I managed to contact wife M. from the top of the hill. But I could hear the disappointment in her voice – that we wouldn't have a hot-line to each other. So I resolved to visit this village today, to try to find a solution. I found one – or so they say. Will it work? I won't be able to report it on my blog, from my isolated valley.

In Contact

From tomorrow, I have a month's leave. I'll be taking leave of my blog, too, during this time (back on the 31st of January). I sought the advice of wife M.'s specialist, whether I may go away during this time. He not only gave me permission -- he ordered me to go. Her treatment, he said, is now on track. I'll be visiting a dairy farm. However, for the first time in my life, I'll be carrying a cellphone, to stay in touch. Before I bought the cellphone, I joked with M.: "The village butcher is only 15km away. He can send a delivery truck to tell the dairy that you called, and the dairy can send a runner to find me." M. said, "That's just how it was last time! 'No, the Reverend is not here now. He's somewhere out there now. We'll call him to a phone as soon as we see him.'" OBSERVATION: The photo shows me familiarising myself with a cellphone (why do they ship them all with the LCD upside down)? See also No Cell-Phone.

Not A Clue

There is a strange phenomenon that I find to be fairly common among the "big boys" in ministry in these parts -- that is, mature ministers who have had a profound impact on their Churches. This week I went for lunch with one such minister. He said, "I don't have a clue how to run a Church." Does he really have no clue? Or is he expressing something else? OBSERVATION: I myself frequently refer to the words of Solomon at his coronation: "I know not how to go out or come in" (1 Kgs 3:7). By way of contrast, there are those who feel well qualified. The leadership literature is replete with examples.

Christmas Kisses

I'm not the kissing kind -- I don't go inviting kisses (which some ministers do). However, this morning I was smothered with kisses -- by both old and young. There has never been a Church service like it. It was extraordinary. One woman said to me, "No, that's not a kiss! Kiss me again!" OBSERVATION: I shall have to speak to our leadership about danger pay.

Defiance

There is a man, call him F., who is banned from about a 30-metre/yard radius of our Church office. The police served the equivalent of a protection order against him. This morning a police patrol van pulled up in the street. F. positioned himself opposite, put a long cigarette in his mouth James-Dean-style, and put his hands on his hips. F. said to the police officer: “Listen here, officer, I have a right to be here the same way as you do, right? Nobody can mess me around. I don't know of no order. It's a fiction.” The officer said to me, “Clear out of here. I'll deal with this.” Next time I looked, our felon was gone. OBSERVATION: But this was a disturbing incident.

Christmas Thievery?

The photo shows a special hymn supplement that we use over the Advent / Christmas season. Apparently a quarter of them have "walked" this Advent season. The most popular theory is that people must have assumed they were souvenirs, and took them home. But then why not in previous years? Personally, I suspect that a thief thought of a use for them that we haven't yet been able to imagine. We have printed replacement copies for Christmas.

Christmas CD

At last. I am pleased to announce that our CD is ready for Christmas. Although recording and editing were complete in November, it was a slow process negotiating the cover: title, artwork, photos, acknowledgements (on the back), and so on. I joked that this is Congregationalism in practice, though perhaps not "in action"! OBSERVATION: I am very pleased with this production, and the recording of it was the highlight of my year. It will go on sale on Friday at R50 each ($6.50 / €4.50). You may click on the cover to enlarge (it's about 500k).

Premarital Counselling

I recommend three years of premarital counselling. Only kidding -- but a year would do nicely. That's after rich experience with postmarital counselling. Marriage is a vast undertaking, and fraught with danger -- and yet couples dream their way into it. They surely devote a tenth of the thought to marriage as they would to buying a car, or a house. It rather reminds me of the Three Wise Men of Gotham (see the picture -- taken from the 1901 edition of Mother Goose). OBSERVATION: Strangely, I don't do premarital counselling.

Unplanned Funeral

I have an uneasy relationship with our local street people -- yet among other things, I have a reputation for conducting their funerals free. However, they have no concept of forward planning. This morning a whole lot of them turned up for a funeral that I was supposedly going to conduct. I wasn’t there, and I wasn’t contactable. Did they plan a funeral for the morning? I don’t know. I did say that I would conduct it -- on condition that they gave me notice. Or did they get the day wrong, and I don’t know that I have a funeral tomorrow? OBSERVATION: The deceased, a woman I know, was stabbed in the heart by her partner. I knew her as a lovely person. See also Funeral Now, for a funeral I conducted at extremely short notice.

Waiting On God

In Faith Decision, I described my perplexity over a minister friend who resigned his ministry and took the decision to “just stand firm, and watch GOD’s saving work for you take shape” -- that is, to wait on God alone for his future (and that of his family), and not to have any human part in it -- none at all. Time went by, and the situation became pressing. He himself was greatly exercised by it. Then, completely out of the blue, he received a call.

Just When You Thought ...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the country. It's a nice picture of my vehicle – but do you see what I see? I was walking down the path on the left of the photo, when I spotted this beastie (see the bottom of the photo) only three metres / yards away. It's the same snake as I have in close-up at Snakes Alive. You may click on the photo to enlarge (it's about 250k). It's worth enlarging to get a better look at that snake's size.

"People Give Themselves"

A minister, last night, described to me the swift decline of a local Church. He said the decline kicked in when the Church sold its manse / rectory, and invested R1.5 million. Nothing else changed. But with that much money invested, people stopped giving. He said, "People give themselves when they give money. When they don't give money, they don't give themselves, and the life goes out of the Church." He gave the example of another Church, which similarly found itself sitting with a very large amount of money. They spent it liberally, and retained their life.

Wire Star

African wire-art is very typical in these parts, and so it would seem entirely appropriate that our Advent tree in Church is decorated with a wire star on top. For an exquisite wire-art Christmas present I received, see Christmas Present, and for a wire-art Christmas tree, see Happy Christmas!

Taking Strain

It's been a tough time. Besides the pressure of ministry, I've been very distressed at times by wife M.'s illness. She is a close friend, and "the life and soul of the party". I've had little sleep, and I've needed to take up the slack in so many ways, from opening taps for M., to travelling to the hospital at the other side of town. M. has been very weak at times, at other times invigorated -- and generally cheerful. The good news in all of this is that she is responding very well to chemotherapy. There is a definite recovery. OBSERVATION: Not that anyone would notice it, but beneath all this, I would describe myself as a joyous person. See also Leukaemia.

Traumatic Meeting

On Saturday I had a meeting with a deaconess and a member of staff. I invited our deaconess to join me for the next appointment, just for fun -- and so she did. It was a young woman who had clearly dressed up to see me. Little did I expect that this would be one of my more traumatic meetings. The young woman stopped in mid-sentence, dropped her head, and seemed to have a fit. It was just that she was desperately upset -- and from then on it was all tears. Our deaconess said to me afterwards, "I take my hat off to you, that you do this all the time." OBSERVATION: I am really glad when people can see what I do, and I love roping people in (such as our deaconess) to learn more about ministry and society.

Magnificent Christmas Cake

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A young wife and mother, on behalf of her family, baked us this cake for Christmas. It is magnificent. It deserves to go on my blog. In fact, you deserve to see it in 3-D. OBSERVATION: Here’s how to “see” the 3-D. Lazily squint your eyes so that the two images overlap and finally snap together. Most people are able to do this. You may enlarge the image by clicking on it, which will enhance the 3D effect (it's about 70k).

“Unruly” Youth

Further to yesterday's post on our Youth ... we had some Youth leaders from the Church in Canada over here. I asked them whether they had any “unruly” youngsters in their Youth. One of them said: “One of them doesn't clap in time.” The other added: “And he doesn't sing in tune.” Our Canadian intern (still with us at the time) said, “You ain't seen nothin' yet!” See Attacked From Behind. Also Church Training. The photo shows two of our youngsters. We love them -- for all their unruliness.

Caught In The Middle

Someone wrote to me after a funeral service: “People would be discouraged from the Church.” Yet two people came to me, separately, after the same service, saying that they wanted to attend this Church. After the same service, someone said to me: “It was a wonderful service. It was the nicest memorial I have attended.” Yet someone else wrote to me: “I write to you today to express my outrage …” OBSERVATION: One wouldn't believe that people attended the same service. I don't take it to heart, though I try to assess whether anything may be learnt. So long as it isn't fear that is learnt.

"Slowly Now!"

Our (now past) intern P. e-mailed me from Canada today, requesting photos of our Youth. This is one that I sent. At the end of Youth devotions every Friday night, our Youth leaders say to the Youth: "Slowly now! Leave in an orderly fashion!" With this in mind, note the blurred figures in the photo, and the flailing arms -- then imagine a great thunder of romping feet. Thirty Youth passed my lens so fast that I didn't have time for a second shot!

Marié Heese

I read some obscure books. Many of these are second-hand, with the names of former owners written in the front. On the basis of their cryptic content, I assume that the books' original owners must have a) gone mad, or b) become famous -- so I check those names. Last night I discovered that I have the textbooks of Marié Blignault (now Marié Heese), a popular South African writer. (The signature which is pictured I found in Readings for Applied Linguistics).

Denial

One of the "darnedest" issues of ministry is denial. Someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, then they go into denial. Yet in my experience, it is not really denial. A minister friend says: "There has to be something to deny." Here's an example. A young(ish) woman was dying of cancer. She asked me to see her. She said that she had hit bottom now, and it was just a matter of time before she recovered her health. Then she reached for a writing pad, and asked me to take down her last wishes! OBSERVATION: In my experience, if one challenges denial, one may be ruthlessly cut off (see "Get Out!"). On the other hand, if one plays along with it, one is doing nobody a favour. I seek to sow seeds that will be of value to the person concerned when they need it.

Team Leadership

In a comment this morning, Mark Penrith refers to what we would call a "plurality of elders". "Team leadership" as the secular literature calls it. This is how "team leadership" works in our Church in practice (but I am thinking more broadly than the "plurality of elders", which would refer only to elders): To put it simply, we assign portfolios to Church leaders, both spiritual and practical, which we try to do according to gifting. So three of our leadership deal with staff, two with matters touching worship, one with accounting, one with missions, two with spiritual issues, and so on -- some being involved in more areas than one. The work is not equally divided, which has sometimes been a matter of concern, and needs a fresh assessment at the moment. Yet by and large, I am satisfied that real responsibility is carried by our leadership. Half of our leadership, incidentally, have led the worship in Church, or have preached. OBSERVATION: Where do I come in? My role is to draw everything together in a consensual way. Mostly I am not "hands on" unless there is a special need for that, or a special request. And I have my own areas of gifting, which I pursue. The photo shows our accounts clerk, treasurer, and property steward -- in real life a (retired) accountant, a company director and engineer, and an architect.

Staff Matters

One of the various tasks of a minister is to attend to staff matters. In our Church, I have no authority over staff, but I get involved informally. This week, I walked through the Church gate, only to have an aggressive dog lunge at me -- held back with a chain that was tied to the Church fence. Also this week, I was counselling late. As I left the Church, a bunch of energetic children squeezed in front of me on the way out. I said, "Shall I lock?" A young girl held up a bunch of keys and said, "It's OK, I have the keys!" Also this week, a company made an appointment to fetch a large ladder from the Church. I found the driver locked out of the Church and unable to retrieve the ladder. Each of these incidents led to the door of one member of staff -- and there were other incidents besides. OBSERVATION: One can't let things slide like this. Before the week is through, we need a meeting to get things back on track.

Hotel Queen

A young woman booked into a large guesthouse run by a couple in our Church. She would take a shower in the morning, tuck a big, fluffy white towel around her breasts, then knock on the doors of any men who were staying there on their own: "I need some help with my bill. I can return the favour." This seemed manageable enough, until two men turned up regularly at the front door, demanding their "take" of the earnings. The situation became disruptive and threatening. They put the young woman out of the house.

Resurgence Of Christmas

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There would seem to be a resurgence of Christmas this year, in Cape Town. It's referred to more often as "Christmas" this year, rather than the "Festive Season". At least one major chain store has removed "Festive Season" from its products and replaced it with "Christmas" (some of the Christmas dainties bear halaal stamps)! Our suburb, for the first time, has put up Christmas lights. Local government offices have put up Christmas decorations. Christmas has been more prominent in the newspapers. Well known businesses have printed Christmas cards. Our own Church's Carols by Candlelight service was very popular this year. And last night, unlike previous years, this carolling troupe called by our house. (They sounded like twenty of them. I was surprised to see only five).

The Nancy Reagan Thing

I met this week with the wife of a VIP. She said, “A VIP's wife might as well be invisible! Someone will come up to you six times at six different functions, and say, 'Pleased to meet you.'” She said, “I just do the Nancy Reagan thing” (she smiled and batted her eyelids). OBSERVATION: Perhaps she should wear a big gold ring in her nose, or a twinkling electronic badge!

Emotions And Ministry

One can be an "opaque" kind of minister when it comes to one's emotions ("I'm bulletproof"). Or one can wear one's heart on one's sleeve ("Oh the trouble I see"). But those are two extremes. The fact is, a minister is human, and has weaknesses and struggles, and I think it is good to be open about that. However, what keeps this healthy is combining it with a real faith, and with a good sense of perspective. Otherwise it is just melodrama, or cool detachment.

Nine Lessons And Carols

On Sunday it is our traditional service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Virtually the whole service is shown on the small slip (pictured) that we shall be handing out to worshipers. Just add an introduction, Advent hymns, and one or two prayers. You may click on the image to enlarge. (There is no sermon on Sunday).

Graduation Photo

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For good measure, here's another photo from Monday's graduation at the University of Cape Town -- e-mailed to me by the proud father on the left. I once christened the young woman second from the left (see a recent post). Son M. is on the right. I'm in that photo somewhere. Sadly, wife M. could not attend. We showed her all the photos.

Church Procedure II

Yesterday I referred to the need for proper procedure in the Church. Here are some of the ways I think that communication should properly take place: 1. If it's about an issue, speak to the minister -- alternatively, address a letter to the leadership. But confine it to those avenues, don't go "buttonholing" people. 2. If it's about property or finance, get in touch with one of the Prop­erty and Finance Committee. 3. If it's about Church business, take it to the Church office. Note that the office is not there for counselling or personal company. 4. If it's about prayer or counselling, take it to the minister -- or to those who are gifted in that area -- but not to anyone and everyone! 5. If it's about extraordinary crisis, best give the minister a call. 6. And in our Church, if you are really, really serious about something, request a referendum of the whole Church (five signatures required, with due notice).

Ignition In Counselling

I am in fairly high demand for counselling. But every session I enter, I have the sense that I come with absolutely nothing to give. Often I will think, "Will this be the one where I have lost the touch -- where the Spirit has left me?" Sometimes, in fact, I may spend the first quarter of an hour with counselees and feel, even with a mild sense of panic, that absolutely nothing has been revealed to me. And yet I cannot think of a single session in recent years (and there have been hundreds) where I was not "ignited" before we were through.

Strange Removal

During the past few months, I've needed to remove a few posts from this blog. In fact, those posts increased the traffic here, but not for the best of reasons. I made the strangest removal, though, today. One of my posts came under spam attack, and was wasting my time as a result. The content may have nothing to do with it. It was about a guest who stayed over at our house. Rather than accept our hospitality inside, he slept on the concrete outside. He simply found it more congenial.

Church Procedure

Ten years ago, we hit some fairly serious turbulence as a Church. This involved a lot of stirring and lobbying and complaining. But our members said: “We don’t want it. We are tired of it.” Therefore we put a special paragraph in our constitution, as to how to communicate within the Church. In 2006, I repeated the point in our monthly newsletter: "For goodness sake, those very few individuals who have ignored paragraph 20(i), please leave our members alone, leave individual deacons alone, and take things through the channels." OBSERVATION: I think this has a lot to do with the comparatively peaceful Church life that we have.

We Meet Again

I had a serendipitous encounter at the graduation ceremony yesterday afternoon. I met this young graduate whom I once christened as a baby! She said, "I still recognise you!" I thought this must be an English joke, but then I realised that she must have a photo of me christening her. I christened her Kathryn Jean. OBSERVATION: She obtained a degree in Chemistry and Physics. Which all goes to show that if you are christened by me ...

Joyful, Unlike The Church

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Thandabantu Nhlapo said at yesterday's graduation ceremony at the University of Cape Town (quote): "Please, it's not a Church! It's a joyful, exuberant ceremony!" OBSERVATION: And so it was, with cheering, ululating, and even dancing. But good grief, where does he go to Church? Or when last did he go to Church?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to son M. on obtaining his Honours degree today, in Archaeology and Environmental Science. The photo shows him being capped by Chancellor Graça Machel (the wife of Nelson Mandela). On the left is Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, on the right Vice-Chancellor Max Price. (I took a few perfect practice shots, but my hands shook when I photographed M.).

Double Story

This photo, from yesterday's service, tells a double story. The girls on the left, sisters, sang a complex song -- which was profound, too, in its message. This was all the more impressive as English, in which they sang, is not their first language. Then a deaconess said a prayer over the Bibles on the right, which we will either be giving away or selling way below wholesale. Before she prayed, she gave a thoughtful talk on the importance of God's Word. OBSERVATION: As usual, the photo is the minister's perspective, from behind.

No Acknowledgement Please?

You know the syndrome. Some people don't want to receive attention, acknowledgement, or praise. Others don't want to receive charity, generosity, or support. In fact, some reject it. Yet one needs, I think, to broaden one's view. It's not all about what you want. It's also about the people who derive great pleasure from honouring you, or are glad to be able to show you some generosity. Perhaps it's their moment where they feel that they can give something back. OBSERVATION: For instance, I attended a birthday celebration recently. The "birthday child" might rather have died than receive all that attention. But it wasn't only about the birthday child. It was about everyone in that room. This particular birthday child, I think, understood that.

"Not Noticing" Strangers

Our stand-in organist plays at many Churches. She said to me this morning: "A nice thing about this Church is that I always feel a part of it. It's not always like that." OBSERVATION: Perhaps one could liken us to a large litter of kittens. Drop one more kitten into the mix, and none notices it and all cuddle up to it. It's perhaps not that we give special attention to visitors, just that we never paid enough attention to notice they were not a part of us! Thanks to http://www.whatifknits.com/ for the photo.

Idle Farmers?

A farmer's wife wrote to me recently: "We are good and busy, as this is our working month." I wrote back (jokingly): "A working month? I thought that farmers just sit and watch the plants grow, the animals eat, and the rain fall ..." OBSERVATION: After all that people say about ministers (only an hour's work on a Sunday, and so on). The photo shows said farmer's wife feeding lambs.

Another New Church

I was rather surprised to see, yesterday, yet another new Church plant in our "Atlantic Area". It is a Seventh-Day Adventist Church. In a previous post, I referred to more than 20 Churches on our small patch of ground (probably closer to 30) -- an area about 6 x 1½ km (4 x 1 miles). OBSERVATION: What is it that draws so many Church plants to our (urban) area? Most of them fail -- if failure means that they are ultimately not self-sustaining. Yet this need not mean that they do not bear valuable fruit. Maybe the Spirit knows that this is what we need here. See also Atlantic Area Churches.

Cherries

When wife M. went to hospital yesterday to be admitted (ultimately she wasn't), a close friend of hers turned up with a bowl of cherries. Isn't that nice? But M. didn't feel like more than a few, so it is my lucky day! OBSERVATION: M.'s friend is receiving treatment at the same hospital after having been exposed to Chernobyl at close quarters.

Nail-Biting

Over the years, there has been no shortage of "nail-biting" situations between our Church and the state. Here is an example which relates to our Church constitution. The state informed us that we "must" put into our constitution the following statement: "The management committee may take on the power and authority that it believes it needs". The state rejected the existing wording of our constitution: "We believe that the Local Church Meeting is the final authority in all matters of Church faith, polity and action." (Congregationalism specifically rejects rule by committee. It is governed by the members, the Church Meeting). We put our concerns to the state. They responded by re-sending their original demands! OBSERVATION: We couldn't believe their "lack of acquaintance" with this and other core Church tenets. It took us several months (and a few attorneys) to resolve the issues.

Nondescript

Early this morning, I visited our city's Civic Centre. Outside, it is a huge block of concrete, inside, a vast, echoing cavern -- an examplar of the nondescript architecture which was typical of apartheid days. OBSERVATION: Smaller versions of such nondescript buildings have been deposited in towns throughout South Africa, marring quaint and rustic settings.

Leukaemia

It was a traumatic week for me, not to speak of wife M. She was diagnosed with leukaemia, in an advanced stage, and immediately commenced chemotherapy. She was to be admitted to hospital today, yet they sent her home before the day was through. OBSERVATION: I was very upset, cancelled all my appointments, and asked someone to be on standby for my Sunday service. The photo shows M. at the Mt. Nelson Hotel, where she invited me recently to celebrate my completed M.Th.
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NOTE: The above diagnosis turned out to be mistaken. It is myelofibrosis (bone marrow cancer), which regrettably is more serious.

Required Reading

Throughout this year, I gave our Canadian intern P. prescribed reading. Which authors did I consider important? I gave him, in this order: Søren Kierkegaard, Mohammed (the Qur'an), Geisler and Howe, Andrew Murray, various authors on postliberal concepts both for and against, Rudolf Otto, Udo Middelmann, and my own Master's thesis. OBSERVATION: Do these authors have anything in common? Some have a transcendent faith in common. Others were important for the subject matter. Together, I hope that they prepared P. better for fruitful ministry.

(In)Convenient Parking

The photo shows my three-wheel pickup parked on a balcony. A company secretary told me to park there, because it was raining. I zipped my vehicle up a narrow path, and bumped it onto the balcony. Next thing, the secretary's boss pounded on the door in a rage: "WHAT THE **** DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ON MY BALCONY?!" I said, "Your secretary told me to park here." He said, "Never! She would never do that!" OBSERVATION: Ten out of ten to his lovely secretary.

Surface Impressions

A minister may sometimes find himself / herself at the receiving end of temper tantrums, threats, abuse, and so on (something I have experienced even in the last month). It is easy to take this at face value, and to think that it reflects on me. To some extent this may be true. However, I have learnt over the years that if someone, as an example, blows a fuse with the minister, you can be almost sure that they are doing the same with their spouse, with their local representative, and so on. Wife M. says about such situations, “Find out the whole story.” OBSERVATION: This, among other things, makes me wary of the common advice that such incidents are primarily for learning and maturity on the part of a minister.

All For The Money?

One of the core points of my Master's thesis is that the concept of "influence" is problematic in Christian leadership. Someone in Christian leadership development took a look at the thesis, and commented that I was doing exactly what I was critiquing -- trying to influence others through my thesis. I replied that, actually, I did it all for the money. OBSERVATION: Or did I do it because I was bored? Or maybe it was all for personal prestige.

Free As A Bird

Today I handed in bound copies of my Master's thesis -- the final act. I am finally free. No more to be done, and my degree already in the bag. May I invite you to celebrate with me with the Beatles' song Free As A Bird.

Statement Of Faith

Yesterday a reader of this blog inquired after my/our Church's Statement of Faith. Here it is -- on the right. You may click on it to enlarge. It is fairly standard -- yet has some less common features that I really like. For instance, I like the line that states that "regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential". Also the line that speaks of "the spiritual unity of all believers". I like the reference to "this present evil world". And so on. These are important touches which do not appear, for example, in the Nicene Creed. OBSERVATION: Our Statement of Faith is fairly standard for evangelical Congregationalism.

Different Perspectives

One of our members suffered a serious seizure, and his heart needed to be jump-started three times. It was panic stations, and he ended up on life support. Happily, he made a good recovery. Before anyone, apparently, had told him the story of what had happened to him, he described it to me from his point of view. It was a peaceful story, without any of the trauma: "I felt very tired. I sat down on the bed, and I fell asleep. I never fell asleep so soundly so fast. Next thing, I woke up here in hospital!"

Tenure

At the end of this month, I will have served 17 years in this Church -- if one includes 1¼ years as Assistant Minister. The average tenure of ministers in this Church has been fairly long: 10 years exactly, if one excludes me. Two ministers have served longer than me: my father before me (1969-1994) and Rev. W.H. Richards (1907-1925). Rev. David Williams (1949-1966) served longer than me if one does not include my time as Assistant. OBSERVATION: George Barna states: "The average tenure of a pastor in [US] Protestant churches has declined to just 4 years -- even though studies consistently show that pastors experience their most productive and influential ministry in years 5 through 14." (Some say it is 3 years, not 4).

Spiritual Formation

In my year as supervisor of a Canadian intern P. (pictured), I deliberately rejected the notion of spiritual direction or spiritual formation -- at least, as one commonly encounters it. Typically, there is at its core the notion that "one person empowers another" (JR Clinton). This has been referred to as "therapy" or "remedy" as opposed to "redemption" or "an encounter with the Holy" (and various other terms). Bonhoeffer referred to it as the goal of sainthood rather than the goal of faith. In simple terms, this means that it is not my goal to influence an intern, or to change him. The "umbilical cord" between us is cut. If this had not been the case between P. and me, I believe I would have applied pressure to the relationship, and would have been deeply concerned at times about what was being achieved. But rather, I believed that God would do a work with P. -- which I believe I came to see. OBSERVATION: In fact, this is my attitude to the whole Church -- and to the many counselling sessions that I have. I do not see that this is "my relationship" with someone / with others. I am free. I am God's catalyst -- if He so desires. Clinton, incidentally, was one of my professors. He may be the leading authority on Christian mentoring.

Ransacked

Last year, I described on this blog how my vestry was ransacked. Here's what I didn't say then. A member came to see me soon afterwards. He revealed, not who had ransacked my vestry, but who had one of the stolen documents. Another member approached me. He was "almost sure" he knew who had a stolen document. It was the same person in both cases. My attorney advised me that I should lay a charge with the police, but not name the suspect. The police pressed me: "If you have a suspect, name him. Why don't you name him? We'll take him in." On the other hand, there was some pressure on me from within the Church to keep the saga completely under wraps. On advice from my attorney, I decided to state briefly, in a Sunday service, that my vestry had been ransacked, and that it was a criminal offence for anyone to be in possession of stolen documents. I didn't reveal the suspect. OBSERVATION: Personally, I believe it was this statement that led to the resolution of the situation.

Joe And Anna Sawatzky

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It was through our Canadian intern P. that I was introduced to Siyahamba, the blog of Canadian missionaries Joe and Anna Sawatzky (that's Anna in the photo). It is an unusually candid blog. It is unusual, too, as Joe and Anna have adapted not only to their strange new surrounds, but have taken to heart much of the local spirituality. So often, a displaced spirituality (such as theirs) seems impenetrable. For an interesting example of the dynamic or "tension", see Anna's most recent post Worship as Service.

Bookstore Blitz

Son M. and I did a "bookstore blitz" on Cape Town's bohemian Long Street today (see photo), then finished with lunch. Unlike most bookstore blitzes we've done, we found nothing at all today -- until the very last bookstore. M. said to the proprietor: "Coming in here was a mistake." It cost us. I bought the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language.

"Actively" Taking Off

Monday is my day off. In my early ministry, I "passively" took a day off. I wouldn't go seeking Church work. However, there would typically be ten to twenty calls or call-outs on my day off (imagine that someone's place of work called them that often on a Sunday). Now I "actively" take a day off. I do what is necessary to ensure that I do not receive a single call or call-out. OBSERVATION: There are a few exceptions, though. What made me change? A major blow-out seven years into ministry.

Himalayan Mistake

In my previous, suburban Church, where I was for ten years, I set myself several major goals (some of them the Church's goals from the start): to build a Church, buy a manse, hire a secretary, call a youth pastor, and reach financial maturity. Immediately on leaving the Church, however, I knew that I had made a "Himalayan mistake". Not that these goals should not have been achieved (and they all were). However, my priority should have been the spiritual development of the Church, not the goals I list above. In the urban Church where I am now, my emphasis has been radically different from the start. OBSERVATION: The photo appeared in the Evening Post, 5th March 1985. I am "turning the sod" for a new Church. You may click on it to enlarge (180k file size). Note the cost of the new Church, which seated 250 people. In US dollars: $15,000.

Carols By Candlelight [2]

Now that amatomu.com is back, I can see that far and away my most popular post is my recent Carols By Candlelight. So for good measure, here is another wide-angle shot of our Carols by Candlelight service with the Salvation Army. It is just as it was taken -- unadjusted. OBSERVATION: Incidentally, we served free cookies and drinks at the end of the service. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Supping With The Devil

For the first time in my life, this year, I sued someone. I am very wary of such action -- one reason being that it may bring dangerous and unpredictable forces into play, which distract from ministry. I also find myself rethinking the faith perspective again and again. Today I sent my (Christian) attorney a note. Should I make another attempt at an amicable settlement? The subject line in her reply said it all: "Re: SUPPING WITH THE DEVIL". And the message: "Is it possible to negotiate with a liar, fraudster and thief? ... We have obtained judgement already. We are now in the process of executing that judgement. ... Blessings."

Theft Of Rump Steak

I confess to the theft of a rump steak. I walked into a large function late, and there were just two kebabs left, and two … what looked to me to be chops. I plunged my fork into one of the chops, and took it. I did think it was the finest chop I had ever had. Not long after, one of the guests said, “What happened to my other rump steak?”

Miracle Of Survival

A minister friend wrote to me this morning: "How is your church going? You seem to be the only ones to survive well in that down town situation ... this is a miracle and we rejoice with you." This is the second time in a week that I have received such a comment. I think I know reasons why our Church thrives here. I think I know reasons why others do not. I am disturbed, too, by seminary courses which teach students (so I think) the recipe for failure (which is part of the reason for this blog). At the same time, it is "with fear and trembling" that I make such comments as the above, as I may be overstepping my God-ordained bounds by claiming to know anything at all. My minister friend speaks of "a miracle", which in turns speaks of the activity of God. OBSERVATION: There are in fact a few other Churches which thrive in this situation. And even among the Churches which do not, I know their ministers to be precious people, and crucial work is being done. The photo shows our suburb's main road.

Carols By Candlelight

Several years ago, we had the idea of inviting the Salvation Army to lead our annual Carols by Candlelight service. Since then, they have become something of a tradition in our Church. Tonight's Carols by Candlelight was very nicely attended (see the photo -- a wide-angle shot from the back of the Church). OBSERVATION: There is the sense that the Salvation Army shares our "heart" as a Church. Also, although they know us only through annual visits, they lead the service as though they were old friends. It is simply "great to have them", and each year we send them on their way with a donation to their work. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Congregationalism

In my early years as Congregational minister, I was continually frustrated by Congregational Church government (which is "direct democracy under Christ"). Either one could not achieve what one wanted, or it was a very tedious process. However, I don't feel that way any more. If a goal is not a spiritual one, then it is not worth pursuing -- one can discard it. And if it is spiritual, then it comes to be through the movement of the Holy Spirit on the whole congregation -- or it is not spiritual. The challenge of Congregationalism, therefore, is to encourage spiritual growth throughout the Church through the Holy Spirit. This is a never-ending process, and also a joy to see. OBSERVATION: I understand that this requires a definition of "spiritual".

Signs Of Grace

In general, I do not think that God panders to quirky requests for personal answers. He has other ways of working. But sometimes, just sometimes, I think He gives people special signs of grace at critical times. This morning a refugee, a husband and a family man, shared with me how, in the midst of his family's great hardships and struggle to survive, his boss had launched into an irrational tirade at him. He prayed, "Lord, if you are still with my family, please give me a sign. May my boss call me before 9 p.m. tonight, and apologise." A boss -- in this case a very wealthy boss -- calling a refugee to apologise? However, just before 9 p.m., the boss called and apologised.

Youth Control

In this photo, I captured our Youth leader P. exercising her uncanny ability to keep Xhosa youngsters under control. It has to be seen to be appreciated. OBSERVATION: P. has just left us for a while for Kwazulu-Natal, for coming-of-age ceremonies. We look forward to her stories when she returns.

amatomu.com Lives

South African bloggers in particular might be interested to note that amatomu.com ("the South African blogosphere, sorted") has come back to life after a long absence. The statistics, on its second day, are way off kilter, but will presumably settle down soon. Foreign readers would surely find AMATOMU :: Religion an interesting page to follow.

Justice Delayed

One should have a durable sense of humour in South Africa. Having said this, a case which lies at the Mowbray police station, case no. 15/9/2009, documents how a company forged my signature on three separate forms for financial gain. Since the case was opened more than three months ago, it has twice been transferred, and two investigators in succession have been taken off the case. Today, wife M. chased up the case on my behalf -- or tried to -- after many previous attempts to obtain a status report. When finally the official investigator, Det. Kleinhans, was tracked down, he had no knowledge of the case. Then he said, as did his predecessor Det. Hanse, that their superior, Capt. Westrat, was not issuing instruction in this case. OBSERVATION: In the meantime, the City of Cape Town (this week) annulled all the forms on the grounds of fraud -- yet the police have got about nowhere. This isn't the only criminal charge which is languishing, against the company concerned, while presumably it continues to use its criminal methods.

CD Release

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It's out! At least, it very nearly is. A batch of 20 copies of our Youth Choir CD have been delivered. The photo on the left shows the final cover that a professional turned out. The photo on the right shows my own mock-up of a cover. You may click on these to enlarge (together, they're about 90k size). OBSERVATION: Both covers, I think, still have errors on them. Anyway, our ambition is as good as fulfilled: we are at the point of releasing a very nice CD. Incidentally, I originally commissioned the beads for an electronics project, from a street artist. I thought he did very nicely.

Great Karoo In 3-D

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This one's just a pretty picture. However, it's a pretty picture with a difference. It's in 3D. It also shows a kokerboom (quiver tree) in full bloom, which is quite rare. And it proves that a Bajaj pickup is capable of a grand safari, here being found in the Great Karroo. OBSERVATION: Here’s how to “see” the 3D. Lazily squint your eyes so that the two images overlap and finally snap together. Most people are able to do this. You may enlarge the image by clicking on it, which will enhance the 3-D effect (it's about 100k).

Sexuality And Office

A woman was nominated for office in our Church -- however, a few people expressed concerns surrounding her sexuality. It was necessary for me as minister to tackle this directly -- which I did, together with a Church elder. I said that we were thankful for her good heart and willingness to serve, yet needed to discuss her faith, conduct, and past service in the Church. I pressed a little, as I sensed that we were missing something. She then said that she was seriously contemplating a lesbian relationship. I said that any single person needs to be chaste in order to accept office in the Church. I touched on a few reasons for this, and our past experience in the Church. Our elder was more forthright than I was, and told her firmly yet kindly to renounce her lusts and to trust God's power to rescue her from Satan. OBSERVATION: This is a very abbreviated account. The nominee came to me afterwards, privately, and thanked me for having dealt with the matter "sensitively".

How My Day Began

I've rewritten this post. In the midst of a busy start to the day, I simply posted about my busy start to the day, as I was too busy to give any thought to a post. The intention today was to apply myself to my Sunday sermon, which all came to naught as myriad unplanned things popped up on my schedule -- including calls re someone overdosing and a critical illness. But it all didn't seem worthy of a post. So finally, I am writing a post about why my original post was not worthy of a post.

Viral Thesis

My MTh thesis, since it received the (very) final OK last month, would appear to have gone viral -- if one defines viral as many more copies in circulation than the author has put out. A friend, who is in Christian leadership development, wrote to me: "The vice president of a Christian university was very favorable. He feels that you may have identified what is wrong with leadership development in the US evangelical church." OBSERVATION: In fact my thesis has found its way to several (vice) presidents and deans, to my knowledge. See Distress In Ministry for a little on the thesis. Feel free to request a copy from me at scarboro@iafrica.com.

Emotional Outburst

Wife M. and I went out for a final cup of coffee with intern P. (see photo). A hotel hostess asked him, "Are you American, Sir?" He said, "Canadian." There was an emotional outburst: "I'm terribly sorry, Sir! I didn't mean to insult you!" She wrung her hands and curtseyed. OBSERVATION: We spoke generally about the call, and urban ministry, people P. had got to know, and returning home. Also the "incident of the week" (I'll have to keep you guessing).

Last Word From Africa

Our Canadian intern P. leaves us this evening to return to Canada. In his final circular from Africa, he writes the following about our Church: "In reflecting on the past year there is much to be thankful for in the ministry here. It may seem a bit questionable to be thankful for money, but really our budget has been more than a bit miraculous this year. One of the best years financially in the history of the church, despite a global economic recession, immense tax threats from the government and projected shortages. Clearly the hand of God was in this. In general it was a blessing to be a part of such a good congregation, without any drama or in-house fighting and nagging. Our congregation truly seems to be a group who genuinely care about each other and giving glory to God, what more could a minister ask for? And of course I am thankful for the leadership and guidance of my supervisor Thomas as well as M. [the wife]. Both these people are such a positive presence in the church, they have truly influenced me and the type of leader I might be some day." OBSERVATION: My blogging about our intern may not be over. I hope to reflect on a few aspects of the internship yet. The photo shows him performing a final item in Church.

Wrong Decisions

I conducted a Bible study on Congregationalism last night. Congregationalism = direct democracy within the local Church (the Church Meeting), with no external control, on condition that this is "under Christ". Someone said, "But what if the Church Meeting makes the wrong decision?" I said, "Even the wrong decision is taken to be God's will. Take Rehoboam's wrong decision in the Bible, for example." Someone else said, "But say the Church Meeting decides in favour of homosexual marriages? That is a wrong decision." We therefore refined the answer. Scripture is our touchstone. Some decisions -- for instance, whether we should demolish a building on our property or not -- won't be decided by searching the Scriptures. Others will.

Women's Association Address

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I delivered a Christmas address for our Women's Association this morning. The photo shows just a section of a full circle of women. Essentially, I spoke on the relatonship of Advent to penitence (that is, the requirement of repentance to receive Christ, which had far greater prominence during Advent in times past). OBSERVATION: The Women's Association is a very active group, full of warmth. Few, if any, of the people in the circle are merely spectators in the Church. For last year's event, see Women's Celebration.

Not Windows

I tried Windows 7 yesterday, on six computers. In each case, I tried one simple task: call up a word processor. The first computer reported: "Unfortunately we will not be able to activate [the word processor] ..." The second computer presented me first with a pop-up: "Help us make [the word processor] better." Then a second pop-up: "You will not be able to run [the word processor] ..." Then a third pop-up: "Please check your protection status and fix any problems ..." There was not one computer out of the six on which I could simply call up the word processor. OBSERVATION: Then I tried three Apple computers. The word processor, in every case, popped up "just like that". Linux does the same. I rest my case. I am determined that my next desktop system will not be Windows.

Cooked Her Goose

With the previous post in mind, I once made an appointment with an elderly woman in the Church, as she had become seriously oppositional. But when I arrived at her home, she wasn't there. I looked up at her balcony from the street below, pressed the doorbell several times, but no response. Soon after this, stories began to circulate in the Church about the meeting I had supposedly had with her, and my scandalous behaviour in her home, all in perfect detail. The appointment itself was not to be denied. OBSERVATION: My rescue, in this case, came because she way overstepped the mark. Among other things, she made similar allegations against Church office-bearers. She "cooked her goose".