Alternatives social worker Carrie Bowen getting the message out to the Port Elizabeth community.

When I first walked into the centre in busy Westbourne Road I was charmed by its homey feel. It makes you feel welcome and the staff are very friendly and ready to help young women make informed decisions about crisis pregnancies. Alternatives is Christian-based but support is not limited to Christians; the doors are open to every young woman who needs help. Services offered include crisis pregnancy counselling, pre and post abortion counselling, community education and awareness, and pregnancy testing. The slogan of the centre captures its heart exactly: Care, Truth and Compassion. Caring for the women who come. Sharing the truth about pregnancy. And providing compassionate, non-judgmental support that will continue to be offered no matter what the women decide to do.

So why are women not coming to the centre in numbers? There is no shortage of desperate women dealing with unwanted pregnancies. Alternatives is even situated in an area where many young women live, work and study.

Heasley, who established Alternatives in 1997,  the year that abortion-on-demand was legalised in South Africa, says the number of girls who come through the doors is not the number they would like to see. There are three or less girls a day; about 30 girls a month. The young women who do come are between the ages of 19 and 30 with 80% being students, from urban areas. Some of them come with a friend or boyfriend.  Most of the girls who come back to the centre, are those who decide to keep their babies and they return for practical support.

Quick-fix abortion culture
The big problem says Heasley is the quick-fix abortion culture in the city. In addition to legal abortion avenues there are many illegal abortion clinics. The easy abortion options are actively promoted, encouraged and shared on social media. Centres like Alternatives that suggest options that offer hope for unborn babies are isolated voices. Girls in trouble are not looking for people to convince them to keep unwanted babies. And they simply don’t want to come in for one-on-one sessions.

And so Heasley, who last year returned to the helm of the centre after some years living overseas, has started taking the message of Alternatives more intentionally to the community rather than waiting for girls to come in for counselling.

The message is spread through a number of awareness programmes shared at expos, schools, universities and other available locations and through media such as pamphlets. Awareness and support programmes offered include:

• Sexual integrity workshops
• Life skills education
• Training and equipping volunteers
• Community education and awareness. Support groups (single parents, teen pregnancy, domestic violence)
• The centre runs a moms’ group once a month as part of the support groups.

The community outreach thrust has been boosted with the appointment of a social worker, Carrie Bowen.

Heasley invites members of the public to get involved in its initiatives, either by inviting them to speak at any awareness events, or by volunteering to join the Alternatives team.

Moms with their babies at a monthly ‘Sinesipho’ Mom’s group meeting, with Alternatives trustee and volunteer, Nicky Moore (right).

The centre currently has seven trained volunteers. Volunteers are called friendly strangers and are required to be Christian. People who want to volunteer can just call or email Heasley (041 373 3717 / care@alternatives.org.za) and they will be told when the next training will be. Thereafter they will undergo on-the-job training. Areas in which volunteers can serve are fundraising, post abortion counseling, crisis pregnancy counselling and social work.

In the next five years, Heasley would like to see growth in the volunteer base and in awareness and use of the centre’s services. Alternatives collaborates with two other pregnancy crisis centres – “Heart” with Joy To The Nations, in Walmer, PE and NewLife Crisis Pregnancy Centre in Uitenhage. They do not do HIV testing but work with other NGOs that perform tests that they don’t.

Alternatives can be found at 34 Westbourne Rd Central PE. Contact them 041-373 3717

Preparation for one of the key moments along the Footprints route — the Crucifixion,

Spiritual refreshing for all ages

East Londoners of all ages are invited this weekend to join in an “unforgettable” Jesus adventure called ‘Footprints’ of life.

Organised by the team that blessed the city with successful events like Guts 4 Glory (2012), Spread Your Wings Conference (2011) and Houtkruis (2010), ‘Footprints of Life’ takes place during a 1.1km scenic stroll and focuses on 10 key moments in the life of Jesus.

The outing, in Evergreen Park, close to the Spirit and Life Church, includes a youth event on Friday evening and a family event on Saturday.

Deon Botha of Spirit and Life explains that the church arranges an annual outreach event for the greater East London community. “This year we were led to host ‘Footprints’.”

He says that organisers, Gerhard Moolman and his team go to great lengths to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and that prayer warriors back up the planning with extensive prayer.

‘Holy Spirit surprise’
Adding a touch of spice and mystery to the event he says there is a ‘huge Holy Spirit surprise’ in store for everybody participating in the event.

‘Footprints of Life’ will take place in a lovely countryside setting where you can “put on your tekkies and stroll, pray or wait upon God”, says Botha.

‘Footprints’ will kick off on Friday evening at 18h00. Like Joshua took down the walls of Jericho with trumpet blasts and great yells of praise to the Lord, the night march, aimed at the Youth, will begin with praise and worship led by the dynamic band Geesdrif, who were at the Karooo Mighty Men Conference.

On Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19.the route will be open to the whole family from 09h00 to 17h30. On Saturday Steve and Anita Ferriera will be ministering. From 07h00 to 09h00, Steve will share the Word with the men, and at 09h00 Anita will minister to the ladies.

And when it’s all over? Spirit and Life Church have a follow up programme scheduled to provide support and counselling after the weekend.

“We also interact with other churches and refer people to other denominations involved. It is not a recruitment drive,” Botha assures, confident in God’s awesome Grace that finding His will is central to the purpose of the weekend programme.

While keeping tight-lipped about the ‘Holy Spirit surprise’, Botha says: “We have recorded voice narrations of every ‘moment’ to guide our visitors through the route and help them understand the significance of every moment. We load sound files on to cell phones or MP3 players for visitors, so they can proceed at their own pace along the route.”

“There are keepsakes at different moments that will remind them of the experience, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise and give away too much detail. But it’s going to be an unforgettable event!”

He offers a couple of last minute tips:

• Wear comfy shoes,
• Bring your own ear phones along,
• Guests will be blessed with something to drink and eat.

Visitors will be able to follow directions from the Old Gonube – Beacon Bay Road; turning up at Evergreen Park to find the ‘Footprints for Life’ route about 700m along, on Holm Hill.

“Don’t miss out, come and hear what He wants to share with you, that your footprints in this life leave the message of His Hope,” says Botha.

More information can be obtained by calling Gerhard Moolman on 083 657 4187 or Elaine on 082 487 4406.

Blessing Christian Academy team proudly display the first edition of Youth Christ Connect. They are: In the front from the right: Nyasha Kwanda, Anganathi Peter, Sive Tisani, Mpho Dinala.
In the middle from the right: Sinovuyo Ndube, Blessing Marunga (Governor), Amanda Baleka.
And at the back is Onwaba Ntoni.

Port Elizabeth school, Blessing Christian Academy has launched a quarterly newspaper aimed at providing Christian learners in the city with a platform for sharing Christ.

“It is not for Blessing Christian Academy but for the city. We hope for contributions from other schools,” said the school founder and Governor, Blessing Marunga at a recent launch function at St George’s Primary School.

In addition to a printed version of the newspaper, Youth Christ Connect, there is an online version at www.youthchristconnect.co.za. The 28-page inaugural edition features articles about the history of the school, its Connect Group (a group of learners who visit other schools and educational institutions to share the gospel through music and preaching), as well as some inspirational Christian content. The vision is for Christian learners in the city to contribute the bulk of the content.

At the newspaper launch the school also displayed copies of Thou Art The Christ, its home-grown CD single and DVD featuring a school documentary. The CD and DVD can be ordered online or by phoning 072 092 0058 / 084 082 5887 / 078 231 2057.  More information about advertising in or sponsoring the newspaper can be obtained via the same channels.

Pastor Monto van der Merwe with Leolan Solomans (left) who he called out by a Word of Knowledge that God wanted to heal someone with a painful eye. Solomans fell in the Spirit before he could be prayed for but when he got up his eye was healed. Claudia van der Merwe is in the right of the picture which was taken at a service at Spirit Life Church on Sunday night during which there were a number of miraculous healings.

Power of God moving in school, malls and hospital

A Uitenhage church that has been experiencing an increase in miraculous healings, salvations and transformed lives has become a launching pad for a revival fire that is spreading to schools, families, businesses, church leaders and the wider community.

Since its beginning in the Eastern Cape industrial town near Port Elizabeth seven years ago, Spirit Life Church has pursued a mandate to become a church in revival, says its leader, Pastor Monto van der Merwe. But things really started to hot up six weeks ago after he felt God impress on him to declare the reality of revival.

“Since then we have seen an incredible increase in the anointing which resulted in more powerful healings, creative miracles, salvations and people being filled with the ‘revival fire’ and they have started to touch the community!” says Van der Merwe.

In an example of the fire spreading, a powerful move of God has been taking place at Fountain Of Life Christian School in Uitenhage for the past six weeks, after the principal, Desireé Joubert experienced personal revival at the church. The revival which is radically impacting teachers and learners of all ages at the school is beginning to touch other schools. Uitenhage pastors who recently attended a ministers’ fraternal meeting at the school were amazed when 18 learners at the school prayed for them and shared words of knowledge and visions with them. Pastors were moved to tears by the experience and one asked whether the learners whose words about his life were so apt did not know him. They didn’t.

Desireé Joubert, principal of Fountain of Life Christian School in Uitenhage, and Danie Olivier, principal of neighbouring Winterhoek Primary School, which is being blessed through a revival taking place at the Christian school.

“Our members have experienced such a revival anointing and a need to see the lost saved, that we are hearing testimonies of how they are praying for people in the Pick’nPay stores, malls etc. Some have started up prayer-meetings in their workplaces” says Van der Merwe.

Indeed, a member of the church displayed great boldness yesterday according to the following account which was posted in Facebook yesterday, by Van der Merwe’s wife, Claudia: “REVIVAL!!! Nolene Burger, one of our members, went to visit someone in Hospital today. She decided to visit another patient, whom she led to the Lord yesterday. As she was standing beside her bed the doctor arrived and Nolene, filled with the Holy Spirit, led him to the Lord! Soon after that the Physiotherapist walked in and Nolene led her to salvation as well! As she was leaving the ward she bumped into a nurse and guess what? You guessed it, she led her and her friend to Jesus! People, this is REVIVAL!”

Confirming the incident, Van der Merwe says that Burger was a quiet and reserved member of the church for six years. Since the outbreak of revival she has changed dramatically, joined the church’s hospital ministry and boldly introduces people to Jesus wherever she goes.

Fountain of Life teachers (and principal) under the power of God one morning in staff prayer time before school.

“We have increased our Sunday morning services, first to a Wednesday night and now to a Sunday evening service as well. We are seeing many people coming to see and experience the Revival or coming to get prayer for healing etc. and it is so amazing to see them encountering the Holy Spirit and His Awesome Power!”

I attended the inaugural Sunday evening service at Spirit Life Church last Sunday (May 26), and visited Fountain Of Life Christian School yesterday, to experience the revival atmosphere first hand.

There were indeed a number of miraculous healings during the three-and-a-half hour service. Some of those healed went up for prayer after Van der Merwe called out their health problems through words of knowledge. A number of people also made first-time commitments to Jesus. The most striking feature of the service for me was the visibly passionate involvement of young people from small children to teenagers and twenty-somethings. Several Fountain Of Life Christian School learners shared testimonies. The school principal, Desireé Joubert, and a teacher, Christelle Surtee, also testified; other teachers who were expected to speak were not available because they were resting on the floor after falling under the power of the Holy Spirit.

My visit to the interdenominational Christian school yesterday was an education in revival. Joubert explained that after moving from Pretoria to Uitenhage she taught for three years at Harvest Christian School in Port Elizabeth. She realised that Uitenhage needed a Christian school and so she founded Fountain Of Life in 1997 with 10 pre-schoolers. Today there are 240 learners ranging from 3-years-old to Grade 12. The school has outgrown the space it rented from a church for the first 16 years and has plans to build a new school for 650 learners on property it has bought. This year it is renting space from Winterberg Primary School, a struggling Government School that serves poor communities. The two schools are running on the same property and as I explain later in this report, God is using Fountain Of Life to bring life and hope to Winterberg.

A spontaneous time of prayer at Fountain of Life during  break time.

Joubert says that after going through the pain of a divorce eight years ago – “something that I never expected and which was against my Biblical worldview” – she lost her spiritual passion. She married again and two years ago she started attending Spirit Life Church where she started experiencing restoration.

In early March this year Van der Merwe had a word from God for her that her time had come. Soon afterwards at a church conference she was moved to tears when a visiting preacher spoke about standing in the gap for your seed. She realised that all of the children at her school were her seed and that she had a responsibility to equip them to keep on producing fruit into the next generations and becoming the Christian leaders of tomorrow to change the nation.

Days later during worship she had a vision of a man carrying burning coals in a skottel. She asked him for a coal saying she wanted to be a revival carrier. A month later at a midweek revival service she had another vision: this time she was carrying the skottel of coals. Her passion and her calling were restored.

At a weekly Monday chapel meeting at school at the start of the next term she got her teachers to step out and pray with every child in the school – laying hands on them and praying as the Holy Spirit led. Many of the children cried as it was the first time they had experienced the touch of God. For many of the teachers it was also a first to pray aloud for the learners and to flow in gifts of the Spirit.

Grade 1′s pray for each other.

The next Monday Joubert invited Monto and Claudia van der Merwe to minister at the chapel meeting. More than 100 children were baptised in the Holy Spirit and started talking in tongues. The ministry continued for two and a half hours.

The spiritual temperature continued to soar. Staff and learners began praying for revival together at break times and later also began worshiping together at breaks. More learners were baptised in the Sprit. Grade 1 children who were excluded from the ministry time with the Van Der Merwes because they were considered too young, began to join in the break time prayer and asked to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. Learners of all ages prayed with one another and many fell under the power of the Spirit.

“To me its not about falling down. It’s not about manifestations. Its about lives changing and that’s what I am experiencing,” says Joubert.

She says that the staff now display a greater passion for the things of God and for ministry.

Brandhee Christoffel (Grade 12 )and Head Girl at Fountain Of Life, testifying at Spirit Life Church. She was one of a group of learners who shared about the move of God at their school.

“There is also an outpouring of love. I can see the staff’s hearts are stirred for the children. And I can see it being imparted to the kids.”

Joubert says the learners at the school have a passion for the gospel and a passion to pray for people.

“Ive seen children’s countenances change — then you know that God is doing a thing inside. I’ve just seen that these children are bursting with life. They are drawn to the things of God. There are children you just know that are called to ministry.

“And there have also been changes academically. There are some who have been battling who have testified how God has stimulated their thinking and their understanding.”

Joubert says that most of the feedback she has had from parents has been positive. Parents are noticing an improvement in their children’s behaviour and attitude. One mother called her expressing concern about long chapel meetings interfering with academic time. Another mother visited her with mixed feelings.

She says she understands and has addressed the concerns about the school’s academic time. As a principal academic matters are important to her and she is proud of the school’s academic record.

“My challenge in this is that I know God is moving, the Holy Spirit is stirring. I want the Holy Spirit to to have free rein but I also know that the ordinary business of the day has to happen as well.

Last week at a regional meeting of ACE schools Joubert had an opportunity to share about what was happening in her life and in her school. A principal and teacher from a Christian school in Port Elizabeth asked her to pray for them and to impart what she had to them. A principal of a Christian school in Alexandria asked her to come and minister at her school and to ‘impart that which we carry to her students and staff”.

“It is SO not about us, but ABOUT HIM! All He wants are WILLING VESSELS who will step out in faith…And HUNGRY HEARTS that HE CAN FILL…!” writes Joubert in a Facebook comment about her experience praying for the spiritually hungry teachers from other schools.

Wilma Alexander, is instantly healed of a painful left knee and right leg after Pastor van der Merwe called out her ailments by a Word of Knowledge.

Closer to home, Danie Olivier, principal of Winterberg Primary School which is renting space to Fountain Of Life says the Christian school’s presence is an answer to prayer. Every year for the past four years he has wondered how his school will manage to keep going in the face of financial lack. He says he was tired and discouraged and planned to retire in February 2014 when he turned 60. But Fountain Of Life’s rental payments have provided a financial lifeline to his school this year. And the revival spirit of the Christian school has revived him to the extent that he has decided to carry on leading the school until he has to retire at 65. For the sake of the community he wants to throw his energy into rebuilding a section of the school that burnt down.

Recently four learners at Fountain Of Life, together with Joubert and her secretary, laid hands on Olivier and prayed for him. The learners prophesied over him. He says he has never experienced such prayer in his life but he was mightily blessed by it!

Joubert says that a teacher from Winterberg who is also a pastor has joined her and her staff in their daily prayer time before school.

Evangelist  and sought-after conference speaker Johnny Louw will spearhead a four-day PE4JESUS Conference in Port Elizabeth from Thursday, June 13 to Sunday June 16.

Louw and ministry team members Jacques Malan and Antoinette Visser will take delegates on a journey towards living like new men and women with the character of Christ.

The three share a passion to equip men and women in the nation to walk in their identity and authority in Christ, to be the fathers, mothers and mentors that God wants them to be.

The conference is the first event to be hosted by PE4JESUS, a group of PE Christians from different churches who established a non-profit organisation with the dream of arranging events in the city to share the gospel of Christ and His Kingdom, says Stephan Opperman, a member of the group.

The PE4JESUS Conference will take place at La Colline, Plot 151, Montmedy Road, Theescombe. The cost of the conference is R150 or R275 per couple. Bookings can be made now by contacting Ellenor at 082 497 5746 or ellenor@pe4jesus.co.za or Frans at 083 452 6396. Space is limited so early booking is advised. More information is available on the PE4JESUS Facebook page.

The conference time schedule is:

• Thursday, June 13: 18:00 – 21:00 [starts @ 18:30 sharp!]
• Friday, 14, 18:00 – 21:00 [starts @ 18:30 sharp!]
• Saturday, June 15, 08:30 – 12:00 [starts @ 09:00 sharp!] and 13:30 – 17:00 [starts @ 14:00 sharp!]
• Sunday, 16^th of June 2013,13:30 – 17:00 [final session starts @ 14:00 sharp!]

Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Ben Fihla.

Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Ben Fihla has not responded at all to a letter sent to him on May 21 by church leaders requesting an urgent meeting about tensions between the political and administrative heads of the metro, a church leader confirmed on Tuesday.

The letter, signed by senior church leaders and approved by leaders of most church groups in the metro, expresses concern that “this catastrophic state of affairs” threatens to have a further detrimental effect on service delivery.

Meanwhile, it was reported in The Herald newspaper yesterday that ANC national and provincial leaders who came to the metro to resolve the impasse between the Mayor and Municpal manager Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela, were returning to deal with the problem. Msenga-Ndlela has accused Fihla and Deputy Mayor Chippa Ngcolomba of interfering in the administration of the city.

Gateway News is awaiting a response from the church leaders to a question about its plans after being snubbed by Fihla.

A photo from 2008 of David Bliss (left) and David Mniki, who were founders of the annual Bless The Nation Conference which traces its roots back to the 1980s.

The 26th annual Bless the Nations missions conference in Port Elizabeth will take place from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23 with one of the founder members, David Mnki of Duytywa among the keynote speakers.

For more than a quarter of a century Bless The Nations has played a role in mobilising PE people to serve all over the world as missionaries and to promote missions in their local churches. With more than 100 churches across the metropole being represented at each conference, the movement has also contributed greatly towards unity between Christians from different church and community backgrounds, says coordinator Professor Jean Greyling.

Other speakers at the conference, which will be held at Hoogland Dutch Reformed Church, Charlo, include Frits van der Merwe (Mozambique), Judy Pelleboer (Russia), Alec Zacaroli (USA), Jeremy Sieberhagen (OM) and Chim Onyebilamna (CAPRO). Visitors are welcome to drop in any time during the weekend to attend main conference events and to view the many missionary exhibitions. There is no official registration and attendance of the conference is free. Costs are covered through love offerings during the weekend.

The history of the conference can be traced back to the mid 1980’s when American missionary David Bliss came to South Africa with a calling to stir the South African church for world missions, explains Greyling. As a young man Bliss was deeply touched by the books of Andrew Murray, from where he developed an interest in South Africa. In those early years Bliss partnered with David Mniki from Dutywa and Francois Vosloo from Operation Mobilisation.

Bliss started with missions conferences in Wellington. A group of church leaders from PE attended one of these conferences and returned convinced that something similar had to start in Port Elizabeth.

The first Bless the Nations Conference in Port Elizabeth happened  in June 1988 and has been held annually since then. Bliss and Mniki were the main speakers at the early conferences. Combined with the conferences monthly Concerts of Prayer (prayer meetings for missions) and a part time Mission School have also been running in the city since the early 1990’s.

The logo “Prayer, Revival and Missions” summarises the purpose of the movement, says Greyling. Combined with prayer and personal revival, church goers have been challenged regarding the church’s task of World Missions.

Writing about his partnership with Bliss and Vosloo at birth of  Bless The Nations, Mniki says: “My driving inspiration was to see the sleeping giant of the black African church arise to the challenge of cross cultural mission. What we represented – an Afrikaner, an American, a Xhosa – in terms of the incarnation of cross-cultural mission, we were aware of. But only in hindsight, can I truly appreciate the power and the wisdom of God that helped us transcend our sentiments, the barriers of language and culture, and the racially divided politics of the time.”

NMB Executive Mayor Ben Fihla. (PHOTO: The Herald )

The Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Councillor Ben Fihla, has extended a surprise invitation to church leaders in the metro to partner with the municipality in tackling critical local issues.

Fihla’s warm invitation to the church to “fundamentally reassert its role in society” was somewhat spoiled by his failure to attend a meeting he had scheduled with church leaders on Monday (June 24). But church leaders who have expressed grave concern about the “catastrophic state of affairs” in local government say they hope to meet with the Mayor on July 19.

In a letter sent to Fihla on May 21, NMB church leaders requested an urgent meeting with him and to address tensions between the Mayor’s Office and the City Manager, Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela, which threatened to impact service delivery.

Fihla eventually responded to the church leaders in a letter dated June 18, in which he apologised for his belated reply which he said was due to events beyond his control.

‘Synergistic relations’
In his letter the Mayor says: “Additional to issues you have raised in your correspondence to us, we would like to discuss with you further synergistic relations that this Municipality can forge with the Church and a joint programmatic focus we can generate. In essence we would like to provide space and platform for the Church to fundamentally re-assert its role in society. We are of a very firm view that the Church can help champion many issues where Government is in dire need of social partners.”

A delegation of church leaders went to the Council Chambers on Monday afternoon to meet with Fihla. One of the leaders had postponed his departure to attend a conference in Cape Town in order to meet with the Mayor. But Fihla did not show up — apparently because of pressing African National Congress business.

In a letter sent to Fihla today, the church leaders say they are unhappy that he did not keep his appointment with them on Monday and that he did not have the courtesy to inform them that he was not attending. However, they say they appreciate the Mayor’s willingness to meet with them and that they feel that he understands that the issues they hope to address with him are “matters of common concern and of life and death”.

The churchmen also write that they look forward to discussing a Church-Municipality partnership as proposed by Fihla in his letter.

“Having  met with your secretary the next meeting has been scheduled for Friday the 19 July. We hope and pray  that this meeting will take place,” they say.

The letter sent to Fihla today on behalf of NMB church leaders is signed by Archdeacon Zwelidumile Tom, secretary of the SA Council of Churches.

Since 2011 a group of NMB church leaders has been meeting regularly on Tuesdays to pray for the Mayor and for specific issues in the city.

Rapid Youth members (from left) Ryno Deyzel, JP Botha, Ronelda Transell, Jan Schellingerhout, and Ryno Fourie (on far right), hand over warm clothing to Winterberg Primary School principal, Danie Olivier (second from right) and a teacher at the school. The group also handed over toilet rolls that were donated by a member of their church

Just the beginning of God’s amazing plans for town, say team members

Rapid Youth, a Christian youth ministry in Uitenhage, recently blessed 10 needy children from Winterberg Primary School with school jersies, gloves and socks to beat the winter chill.

The ministry team which is made up of youth leaders from FGC Ebenhaeser in central Uitenhage aims to make a difference in the lives of local youth “so that they will follow Jesus in Spirit and in truth and will know His love for everyone,” says Ronelda Transell, a spokesman for the group.

The team members wanted to give freely that which was freely given to them by God and it was laid on the heart of the youth leader, Ryno Fourie, to see if they could make a difference at Winterberg Primary. The principal, Danie Olivier told them about the needy children at the school. The group’s meeting with Olivier was before Gateway News published a story about a revival at the neighbouring Fountain Of Life Christian School which revived Olivier and gave him a new vision to remain in education and to help the community.

Perfect timing
“It is just amazing to see where God is taking us and once again we can see that God’s timing is perfect. We collected most of the money by organising to sell jaffels and at two shopping centers in Uitenhage,” said Transell.

“We believe that it is not us, but God working through us that is blessing Winterberg, His only desire is to love us and for us to love Him back. This is only the beginning of much more to come. The whole of Uitenhage will see how God wants everyone to know Him as their loving Father. This time of year, with winter being here, can be such a lonely, cold and dark time of year where we all need to know God’s warm and gracious love,” said Jan Schellingerhout, Rapid Youth team member.

“We are trusting God to prepare the way forward for us and cannot wait to see what He has in store for us and we put our trust in Him, for nothing is above God and we are capable of all things through Christ who strengthen us. We believe that there is much more to come and we will all stand amazed at everything that God is going to do for Uitenhage,” said Ryno Fourie.

Rapid Youth meets every Friday during the school term at the church from 19:00 – 20:30 for praise and worship, a message, maybe some games and then definitely some fellowship. On Wednesdays they have a youth cell at the youth leader’s home for High school pupils and students where they focus on Spiritual growth. All young people are welcome to come along to these events and can contact Ryno at 078 546 3864 or Ronelda at 073 319 2540 for more info.

Women enjoying the annual High Tea at Victory Ministries International.

The large new auditorium at Victory Ministries International in Gelvan Park, Port Elizabeth, was filled to capacity as women enjoyed the recent annual high tea event at the church.

“I really don’t know where we will hold it next year”, said Pastor Jerome Liberty, after the space was filled by the 840 women at 75 tables that were set out with outstanding arrangements inspired by the theme of ‘High tea at the beach’.

“The standard of creativity and excellence was very high as people were just discovering hidden talents they did not know they had.” said Liberty. He said that during the day women heard messages about discovering their purpose in the greater assignment that God has for them and the vital role they have as women in building a community and a society.

Women contestants in the event had to research the theme, then set their tables and serve their guests.

Asked what made the event so special for her, Patricia Arnolds said: “The joy of serving people in an excellent way. Also bringing out the creativity in me.”

Stephanie Genade , who won the best decor award, said she enjoyed “bringing unity among the women in the church”.

The table that scooped the Best Decor award.

An unexpected meeting at today’s church leaders’ socio-economic workshop: (from left) Professor Deon Pretorius; Councillor Babalwa Lobishe, Mayoral Committee Member – Economic Development; Deputy Mayor, Chippa Ngcolomba; and Rev Mvusi Gwam, Chairman of Transformation Christian Network.

Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Chippa Ngcolomba surprised church leaders today when he made an unscheduled appearance at a church workshop and asked if the muncipality could join the churches in a city upliftment initiative.

The church leaders at the workshop were undergoing training by development analyst Professor Deon Pretorius, to empower them to interpret socio-economic data in order to make informed decisions while tackling socio-ecomomic challenges in their wards.

“We noticed your advertisement [about the workshop] in the newspaper and realized that this is important,” Ngcolomba said after the church leaders granted his request to address the meeting at Victory Ministries International. Earlier, representatives of the Mayor’s Office made a surprise appearance at the meeting and conveyed the Deputy Mayor’s request to address the workshop later.

In his address, Ngcolomba, who is also regional chairman of the African National Congress, said: “We appreciate that the church takes initiative to play their role in society and to assist people to improve their quality of life. We support what you are doing.

“The Mayor decided to form a team and request[ed us] to come here and you agreed. We are here to support your efforts. We acknowledge that we cannot do everything and that we have to form partnerships. 

“We understand that you have done an analysis of wards. We ask you to share this analysis with us so that we can use it to allocate our budget where it is most needed. We want to work with you on this. This is not just lip service, we want to partner with you and make our contribution to this process.”

Trevor Jennings, co-ordinator of Transformation Christian Network (TCN), which has been driving an initiative to allocate church-linked task teams to the metro’s 60 wards, said the Deputy Mayor’s action today was “a breakthrough”.

Since May, church leaders have been trying, without success, to meet with the Executive Mayor, Ben Fihla, to discuss political tensions in the metro which have been hampering municipal service delivery. In June Fihla sent church leaders a letter inviting them to partner the municipality in tackling local issues. But he subsequently failed to keep a meeting with the churchmen on June 24. The church leaders hope to meet the Mayor at a rescheduled meeting on July 19.

Luke and Elaine Watson at a ‘city feed’ in front of the Port Elizabeth City Hall on Tuesday night.

The love of Jesus was tangible as more than 100 homeless people and a group of volunteers from various churches mingled and worshiped the Lord on the square in front of the Port Elizabeth City Hall on Tuesday evening. Leading the ‘city feed’ outreach with heartfelt passion was Southern Kings captain Luke Watson.

I interviewed Watson over coffee next morning and discovered that the thrice-weekly ‘city feeds’ that he and his wife Elaine host under the banner of their ‘Love Story‘ ministry, are the most normal thing in the world to the talented rugby player whose greatest ambition is to become a full-time missionary “in the hellholes of the world where nobody else is prepared to go”.

Watson firmly believes that his and the Kings’ best rugby days are still ahead. But while he considers his professional rugby career to be a great blessing he says it was never something that he sought.

“At the age of 17 all I wanted to do was devote my life to reaching out to opressed people and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

“I so badly wanted it and I prayed every night for it. And every day rugby got more and more apparent and the doors were just opening and before I knew it I was a professional rugby player — still praying ‘Please can I become a full-time missionary’.”

Homeless children
At the age of 18 and 19 Watson used to reach out to homeless children in Port Elizabeth. Some years later, while captaining the Stormers and Western Province he remembers driving home from practice one night and pleading with God to use him to reach the opressed. He said God directed him to an open field in the Cape Town city centre where He said he would find people. Watson saw a number of street people on the field and went to a nearby shop where he bought 50 pies and 50 cans of
colddrink.

He said the people on the field were suspicious of him at first but that night was the beginning of a season in which he spent every Friday night with them. Sometimes he got dressed in shabby clothes and sat on street corners at midnight to try and find out how it felt to be a street person. One night he sat on the street in Sea Point “in front of my very expensive car”. He bowed his head so that people would not recognise him, as he was a well known public figure. During his four hours vigil he said: “People threw cents at me. Most walked past thinking I was a homeless drunk. The only person who stopped and asked ‘Are you ok?’ was a homeless person.”

During this season Watson said he often got into arguments with security guards and policemen who accused him of bringing more homeless people into the area. He also offended people in restaurants when he brought in groups of homeless people.

Watson admits that he was arrogant at that time and while he had lots of grace for poor, oppressed people, he had little grace and consideration for other people. He also was naive and had to learn a lot of lessons on the street — like how people sold the food and clothes he gave them to buy drugs.

At that time he also tried to “find his spiritual feet” and overcome fear by prayer-walking up Table Mountain at 2am in areas where he knew people had been attacked.

God finally told him to end that season and to concentrate on learning about grace.

In 2009 Watson and his wife, Elaine, who he married while he was in Cape Town, moved to Bath in England, where God took him through a different season in which “I encountered God in a most powerful and beautiful way” and “He [God] became more real than ever”.

Back in Port Elizabeth in 2012 Watson soon felt the call back to street ministry.

“It all started one night again. It was 4am and I couldn’t sleep because I was in so much pain after a shoulder op.”

Luke Watson (left) and Mark Kock (on guitar) lead worship at a ‘city feed’.

He said as he lay crying out to God, the Lord told him to give his most prized possessions to the most oppressed and downtrodden people.

“In my life I had previously given away all my life savings three times. The only thing I hadn’t given away was my rugby jerseys – my Stormers, my Sharks, my Springbok. They were my most prized possession.”

During the early hours of that morning he loaded about 160 kg of prized rugby clothes into eight kit bags and spent the next three hours distributing them to homeless people.

“To this day I still see guys in the area wearing these jerseys. I have never regretted it.”

Watson said he never regrets being obedient to what he feels the Holy Spirit is telling him to do, even if there seem to be no results or ‘devastating results’.

“I take care of the process and God takes care of the results.”

About a year ago, Elaine visited the township home of a young mother and saw that all she had in the way of baby care material was one bottle of cream and two or three nappies. A young mother herself, with ample baby care resources, she was moved by compassion and organised a fund raising tea party on behalf of the poor mother. The event was a great success and gave birth to Love Story which was founded on Luke 10:37 in which Jesus refers to the compassionate action of the Good Samaritan, saying “Go and do likewise”.

Movement of restoration
Initially the focus of Love Story was on babies but later they asked the question “What do we want this to be?” and decided it must become a movement of restoration.

“It is about people’s basic needs, to restore their dignity, to restore their hopes and dreams, to restore them as human beings. The ultimate goal is to restore sons and daughters to their Father. If we don’t have this ultimate goal we are just another charity,” he said.

“Love Story is not about meeting a specific need but about meeting whatever needs come across our path. We don’t fall into any one category so people with different talents and abilities and resources can contribute in any way they want.”

He said the movement has been addressing a variety of needs but the biggest project at the moment is the ‘city feeds’ which are now held three nights a week (on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from 17:45). Christians from churches all over Port Elizabeth get involved, preparing warm food that is handed out to the homeless people, and participating in the worship and ministry on the square.

“We’ve seen some incredible things happen,” he said.

Indeed on Tuesday night when I was at the ‘city feed’ some people testified about restoration in their lives through the love of Jesus Christ. One man thanked God that though they slept on the street they knew He was protecting them from dangers.

Watson said the ‘city feed’ ministry was a result of him responding one night to an instruction from God to take back the city for Him. For six months he prayer-walked Govan Mbeki Street in the heart of the city late at night. He was joined by a few people and they began to bring food for homeless people who approached them. Then they started a weekly ‘city feed’ and as the numbers of homeless people and volunteers grew they expanded it to three nights a week.

Iris Ministries
A month ago Watson visited Iris Ministries in Mozambique. He was invited there by some pastors from the famous, radical ministry to the poor led by Heidi and Roland Baker. While he was still pondering whether or not to go, Elaine bought him a ticket and sent him off.

“It blew my mind. It’s brought about a significant shift in me. And it 100% confirmed what God is doing here [in PE] and the direction in which the Spirit was leading me.”

Watson said the unrestrained worship at the Iris Ministries church was “like heaven on earth”. But the biggest shift he experienced there was being exposed during ministry to the culture of honouring everybody from the poor, to wealthy donors, to volunteers. It is something major that he has definitely embraced.

Homeless people queue for supper at a ‘city feed’

He said missionaries at Iris who just did what God called them to do without any recognition were among his greatest heroes.

“Just to go and see the miracles — these servant hearts — is unbelievable!”

During his five day stay at Iris Minsitries, Heidi Baker invited him to speak to the church.

“It was the greatest honour of my life to stand on a platform that I knew God had just given me,” he said.

He spoke about he restoring power of Jesus Christ and His love.

Watson says that after receiving confirmation in Mozambique that God wanted him to buy a big house and take in people to disciple he had to take some drastic action. He sold his house just before he left for Mozambique and signed a lease on a smaller house with a view of simplifying his life. Against all odds he managed, within a short time, to get out of the lease, buy a big house and find five people to move in to the house on the understanding that he will disciple them daily.

He says that with the lessons they have learned, he and Elaine have determined to “live by two simple things”.

Love that costs
“Everything we do is birthed out of love. — a love that costs, a love that hurts. And everything we do out of that love is done in an honouring manner: we honour people, we humble ourselves and in honouring people we honour God. And that’s all led by the Spirit. Simple.”

In the past few weeks he has also been led to start walking around the worst streets of Central late at night. It is a tough area, full of drug dealers, pimps and prostitutes. There are many foreigners and Muslims and the atmosphere is confrontational. A few nights ago he had what started as a hostile encounter with a drug dealer but ended with them holding hands “as I prayed the love of Jesus over him and his family”. About half an hour later a man threatened him with a knife and he was sure he was going to be stabbed. But the confrontation ended and as he drove off God told him not to let that incident detract from what had happened.

“So I went back a couple of nights later. Since then I have invited others to join me. We just walk the area and see what the Sprit does.”

I asked how his wife feels about his nocturnal activities.

“She is used to it. She just says ‘ok, be careful, good night. I come back at 2 or 3am and the next morning I tell her the stories.”

Watson says that his rugby career, with its many hard lessons like putting the team first and getting up after defeat, has been a wonderful preparation ground for his life’s calling.

“I could not have asked for a better training ground. It’s been an incredible blessing. An incredible privilege. I think the Kings is only in the beginning stages of what God is wanting to do. I do believe for me the best rugby days are still ahead. And after that, who knows?

“But I want to go to the most broken and opressed people in the world because I know its where I will experience the most of God’s grace. We are going to see God’s love and His grace and mercy and justice flow deeper and bigger in the area where there is more sin and need. I want to get into those environments.I want to get into the hell holes on earth for two reasons: because I will learn, get changed, get impacted. And we will see God’s light shine in the darkness. And thats always been my prayer. To this day.”

He says that as a husband and the father of two little girls he does not approach his missionary aspirations lightly.

Vision to stop bridge suicide jumps

The raising of the cross in photos!

A 14m high steel cross, dubbed the ‘Cross of Hope’ was erected opposite Van Stadens Bridge this week, marking a giant step forward in a campaign to deter suicide jumps from the 140m-high bridge west of Port Elizabeth.

“We are terribly excited. A huge team of us have put in a lot of blood, sweat, tears, effort and money into it [the cross project] for six solid months,” said project visionary and coordinator, Robbie Hift, after a technical team succeeded in the tricky operation of mounting the cross on top of a steel pedestal that was erected in March.

“This victory has not come easily. But when God is behind something, somehow a way always comes up, because He is a waymaker. We believe that with God, all things are possible! This cross will be a huge encouragement to all people of all nations who cross the N2 freeway, and as part of that vision it will make people think twice about jumping off that bridge because there is hope in Jesus.”

The owner of the land where the cross stands, said yesterday that two years ago he had thought about putting up a cross there because of the many suicide jumps from the bridge. “But I never got to do anything about it. So the day that Robbie walked in and shared his vision, it was easy for me to say ‘Let’s go for it’”

Since Hift began sharing his God-inspired vision to erect a giant cross opposite Van Stadens Bridge, many companies and people have rallied behind the project, providing, material, equipment and expertise needed to make it happen. The next stage is the construction of a base with 2m high letters spelling ‘Jesus Loves You’, solar-powered illumination, security and a project website.

Sponsors needed to carry on the project
However, Hift says there is an immediate, urgent need for sponsorship as we go into phase two of the project. This is to prepare concrete foundations for the steel framework that will house the giant letters JESUS LOVES YOU. Anybody who wants to help with this need can contact Hift at online@ecmirror.co.za

True to form, sponsors came forward in time to meet last-minute needs required to erect the cross on top of the mountain. NJO du Plessis Building Contractors lent the heavy duty 10 ton forklift for the operation and a businessman and St Nicholas Anglican Church in Port Elizabeth sponsored the transport of the forklift to the site. A 20 ton truck was needed!

Commenting on the construction of a steel pedestrian barrier that is currently underway on the Van Stadens Bridge, Hift said it was an example of God’s timing and attention to detail. The barrier, which is designed to prevent suicide jumps is being built by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) following a lobbying campaign by  Friends of Van Stadens Bridge Trust (FOVSBT).

The second Anti Human Trafficking Conference in Port Elizabeth on August 31 will ‘raise the bar’ in equipping the Body of Christ to work together against the evil of human trafficking, said co-convenor Major Margaret Stafford.

Speakers at the conference at Fountain Vineyard Church are Professor Beatri Kruger (above), of the Department of  Criminal and Medical Law at the University of the Orange Free State, who will talk about the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill and legal loopholes hindering the fight against trafficking; Errol Naidoo, Director of the Family Policy Institute and a leading parliamentary anti-trafficking lobsbyist; and Melanie Doucakis, a photojournalist and human rights documentary photographer who will share some real human tafficking stories and experiences that he has encountered.

Stafford, who  is national coordinator of the Salvation Army’s Anti-Human Trafficking desk, said that last year’s inaugural conference succeeded in raising awareness of the multi-disciplinary challenges faced in combating the multi billion dollar criminal industry of human trafficking. This year the goal is to move forward by consolidating on the greater level of awareness, she said.

While originally conceived to bring the Eastern Cape up to speed with other major centres in confronting this modern form of slavery, the conference, which brings expert speakers from different parts of SA together at one venue, will benefit anybody from any part of South Africa who is interested in tackling the problem, she said. The event will include open microphone times when delegates can ask questions and express views.

“We would love to see representatives of SAPS and more counsellors at the conference,” Stafford said.

Reflecting on the inaugural conference in September 2012, when delegates expressed the hope that the long-awaited law on human trafficking would be passed that year, she said it was frustrating that the legislation was still not enacted. The Bill was finally adopted by the National Council of Provinces in March, 2013 after it was before Parliament for six years. But it has incredibly still not passed the final hurdle — being signed into law by the President.

Stafford said she recently had an opportunity to personally urge ANC Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa to urge President Zuma to prioritise signing off the Bill.

Conference registration which includes lunch and teas is R50 per person. Further information is available from Margaret Stafford at 082 455 3664 or Dave Pederson at 083 651 4955. Friday, August 24 is the final date for registration.

Port Elizabeth’s annual October Manne Kamp is stepping into bold new territory this year with a move to a new venue and with the introduction of evangelist Johnny Louw as guest speaker.

PE businessman David Naude who founded the annual men’s event in 2010 after being inspired by the Mighty Men Conference 2009 said that after last year’s camp he sensed God saying that it was time to expand the Manne Kamp.

‘Through prayer and petition I got a message that we needed to invite a guest speaker and Johnny Louw’s name came up. I called him and without any hesitation he agreed to come,” said Naude.

He said he and his committee decided that in order to grow they needed to leave their traditional campsite at Van Stadens River Mouth and to find a bigger venue where they could make as much noise as they liked without disturbing other campers.

He said when they visited Highbrae Camp and Climb at the foot of the Lady Slipper mountain to the west of PE they knew they had found their new site for pursuing their vision of providing local men with a place to gather and to minister to one another. 

With the new move comes increasing logistics costs and because they did not want to ask people for donations they decided to raise camp funds through hosting a Mannekamp Golf Day at Humewood Golf Course on Friday, August 30. The golf outing is also an opportunity for men to get together and to invite friends who will also hopefully attend the Mannekamp. Information about the golf day and booking details are available online or by calling David at 083 260 0932 or Franki  082 901 8655.

The 2013 Manne Kamp will be from October 18 to 20. A Mannekamp leaflet can be downloaded from the Mannekamp website and men can register online.

Evangelis Johnny Louw sal terug in die Karoo wees vanaf 7 – 10 Augustus om ʼn breë spektrum praatjies te lewer in Middelburg en Hanover.

Louw is ʼn welbekende spreker in die Karoo deur sy betrokkenheid by die Karoo Mighty Men Konferensie (KMMC) in 2012 en 2013. As een van Mighty Men stigter Angus Buchan se seuns is Louw betrokke by Mighty Men kampe regoor die land en spreek jaarliks meer as 250 000 mense toe. Hy bedien ook jeug (hy het al meer as 300 skole besoek), gemeentes en besighede regoor Suid-Afrika.

“Die week se kuier saam Johnny begin op 7 Augustus om 18:30 op die plaas Juriesbaken,” skryf sy persoonlike assistent, Ruthi van der Merwe, wat ook die bemarking van die KMMC koördineer.

Sy sê: “Almal is welkom en die toegang is gratis.  Werkgewers word aangemoedig om hulle werknemers saam te bring. Asseblief bring kampstoele saam aangesien daar nie voorsiening gemaak word vir sitplekke nie.  Donderdag 8 Augustus besoek Johnny Middelburg Korrektiewe Dienste waar hy die jeug gaan toespreek. Op Vrouedag, 9 Augustus om 10h00, is dit die vrouens se beurt om heerlik saam Johnny by Middelburg Klub te kuier.  Hierdie gratis geleentheid gaan ʼn tee met eetgoed insluit.  Bring ʼn vriendin saam en geniet ʼn gesellige oggend.  Johnny se besoek word afgesluit in Hanover by Karoo Gariep met ʼn ontbyt vir die hele gesin.  Kom geniet die heerlike plaasatmosfeer op die welbekende New Holme Karoo Gasteplaas.  Die geleentheid begin om 09h00 en kos R 50 per persoon, die hele familie is welkom.

“Hierdie week van kuier en gesels gaan beslis ʼn week wees wat ons nog lank gaan oor praat.”

Vir meer besonderhede kontak Ruthi by 0828577839 of e-pos na ruthi@wildestem.com.

Recent rush hour billboard action at the corner of Strandfontein Rd and La Roche Drive, Port Elizabeth. What does it mean?

Rush-hour commuters at a busy Port Elizabeth intersection were clearly intrigued on Friday afternoon by the sight of a bunch of people getting creative on a billboard.

After about 90 minutes of team brushwork, all of which was filmed by a crew from Rooftop Productions, the billboard message was revealed: JUST1HR — www.just1hr.org.za.

But what does it mean?

Transformation Christian Network (TCN) Coordinator Trevor Jennings explains that it is the first visible sign of a movement that has the potential to “rebuild the walls of our city” by tapping into the “power of unity” as citizens give their community an hour a month of their time and energy to work on identified community projects.

The video of the making of the first billboard will be screened at a breakfast at St George’s Park on Thursday (August 8) to launch the Nehemiah Programme  (a vision birthed among a group of church leaders representing the Nelson Mandela Bay Christian community) and its call-to-action JUST1HR initiative. About 100 people are expected to attend the event which enjoys the support of the NMB Metro which has given the go-ahead for the JUST1HR message to become the permanent backdrop on eight billboards around the metro.

Inspired by the Old Testament account of Nehemiah successfully implementing a project to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem against daunting odds, the NMB Nehemia Programme team seeks to rally some 1 200 leaders in 60 wards to coordinate community projects guided by socio-economic research and the National Development Plan.

Explaining the potential of the JUST1HR initiative Jennings says: “The ‘power of unity’ or the ‘energy’ or ‘production’ we could generate, with 1 000 000 adults and learners doing just 1 hour per month of voluntary service, adds up to 114 years a month. For example, if 20 people building a RDP house take 20 days, then together we could generate the energy to build 2 000 every month. This is the power of unity.”

“The JUST1HR call to action, although being promoted by Christian Church Leaders is inclusive and open to all people whether churched or unchurched. This is about our City and not about our personal religious persuasions.”

“Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact TCN on 041 581 5726 or email info@tcn.org.za,” he says.

View video:

Families van Juriesbaken en omgewing luister na watter boodskap Johnny vir hulle gaan bring.

Wat ʼn week van seëninge!  Ons staan verstom.  Dit het afgeskop met ʼn saamtrek by Juriesbaken, oom Louis Wilken se plaas.  ʼn Plaas waar daar ʼn aartappel fees gehou is met meer as 300 plaaswerkers en boere.

Met die vraag wat Johnny gevra het: “Wie is ek? Voor wie buig ek?”, het ons almal weereens tot die besef gekom om ons lewens in heroorweging te neem en ons tot God te keer.  Dit was  hartroerend om te beleef hoe 70 mense, boere sowel as werkers, kinders sowel as oumense, vrouens sowel as mans vorentoe beweeg en voor hul God gaan kniel. Ons buig voor U alleen ons God!

Evangelis Johnny Louw juig saam twee manne wat hulle harte by Juriesbaken op 7 Augustus 2013 vir die Here gegee het.

Johnny en Nardo.

Dit is in hierdie sestig meter ry van knielende mense waar Johnny vir Ricardo, beter bekend as Nardo, ʼn serebraal gestremde seuntjie van ongeveer 5 jaar, ontmoet.  ʼn Stralende seuntjie wat weet hy is spesiaal! So spesiaal dat oom Jonna sommer ekstra tyd by hom spandeer het.

Donderdag oggend spreek Johnny die gevangenes van Middelburg toe en gee hulle hulle harte vir die Here.  Hier benader Johnny hulle as iemand wat self weet wat dit is om in hierdie omstandighede te wees.  Hy benader hierdie groep mense nie om hulle te veroordeel nie maar om hulle by te staan.  Hy laat die gevangenes agter as mense wat weer hoop het, mense wat weer ʼn doel het, mense  wat ʼn plan het om ʼn verskil in hulle omgewing te maak, vandag nog.

9 Augustus 2013. Vrouedag breek aan.  Middelburg se vrouens is merkbaar opgewonde om saam Johnny te kuier. Wat ʼn spesiale boodskap was dit nie.  ʼn Boodskap om ons vrouens te herinner om draers van liefde te wees.  Nie net vir jouself en jou gesin nie maar vir daardie kaalvoetseuntjie wat doelloos ronddrentel.  ʼn Ode aan Lana van Wyk.  ʼn Vrou wat haar liefdeshand uitgesteek het na ʼn grootoog seuntjie. (Lana van Wyk was een van daardie min vroue met sagte oë en ʼn sagte hart wat ʼn groot rol in Johnny se lewe gespeel het. Waar hy grootgeword het in harde omstandighede was sy een van die enkeles wat vir hom ʼn sagte hand gegee het.) Johnny herinner ons almal om ons liefdeshande uit te steek en ʼn verskil te maak met nie wat ons sê nie maar wat ons doen.  So word getroue vrouens herinner dat dit wat hulle doen nie tevergeefs is nie, nie vergete lê in gister nie, maar dat dit soos Lana ʼn nasie kan laat omkeer.  Hoop vir  ʼn Johnny-kind gee wat vandag regoor die land mense wakker maak om op te staan en ʼn verskil te maak, jou hart oop te maak en uit te gee!

Johnny Louw saam Hendrik Spiers van die Ashoop Bediening in Middelburg.

Ons besoek Hanover en vind vir Charlie Brown by sy petrolstasie.  Dié, Charlie Brown.  Vind die heerlikste warmhart koffie en kuier saam sy vriend oom Johannes Retief.  Johnny kuier by sy karoo-mense waar wildvreemdes onmiddellik familie raak met wie jy nooit weer kontak verloor nie, dit is wie Johnny is, altyd gereed om vir iemand te bedien.

Reg vir New Holme Gasteplaas.  Hier kom vanoggend 150 mense bymekaar, gereed en ontvanklik om te hoor wat die boodskap is vir Hanover.  Weereens herinner Johnny ons. Wie is jy? Is ons die Lana’s of is ons diegene wat hulle honde binne laat slaap en weerlose kinders in ʼn koue nag buite?  Is ons diegene wat ons status vasgryp en liefde verloor? Ons almal word tot stilstand geruk. Word tot stilte geroep. Ons is hier om ʼn verskil te maak nie gister of môre nie maar nou. Ons is kosbaar in God se oë en gee kosbare liefde uit.

Dankie Johnny vir die boodskap in Middelburg en omgewing.  Dankie vir ʼn uitroep van: “Wie is ek? Voor wie buig ek en wat maak ek?!” Dankie vir jou lewe waar jy omgee vir die straatkind wat skaam om die hoek loer. Dankie dat jy stilstaan by die Nardo’s. Dankie vir jou hand van liefde vir die veroordeelde in die tronk, dankie vir die vuur van hoop wat in sy oë opvlam.  Dankie vir die stilstaan by petrolstasies waar hoë geplaastes eers moet wag. Dankie vir gee gee gee.

Daarom meer nog dankie vir die Lana’s wat ín ʼn klein kaalvoet seuntjie die vlam van hoop laat brand het.  Middelburg sal daarom elke Vrouedag vir jou Lana vereer vir duisende kaalvoetkinders se lewens wat daagliks onherroeplik verander word.  Dankie Lana.

Flashback to the last Matthew Lunch in PE five years ago.

By Graham Ries, the event organiser

On September 21 several volunteers will treat 200 (or more) broken and homeless people in Port Elizabeth to a day of royal pampering.

The guests at the so-called Matthew Lunch will be collected by bus from various pick-up points in the city and taken to the Fountain Vineyard church in Walmer Heights where they will disembark onto red carpets and be welcomed into a tent where they will each receive a fresh muffin and a cup of hot tea or coffee.

In a nutshell, the intention is to seek out the lost and the homeless, the destitute and the lonely, and for one day, treat them like the kings and queens that they are in the eyes of the Lord.

Guests will be given a ‘welcome pack’ made up of a fresh towel, a guest soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste, a toilet roll and a packet to put their old clothes in.

Then they will visit another tent where the men will have the option of a haircut and the women the option of a complete cut and style and blow dry or braiding. Guests will also enjoy a hot shower and be given sets of fresh clothing.

The church auditorium will serve as a dining room where the guests will be served a slap-up three course meal, suitably cooked for their appetites so as not to make them sick. They will each receive a copy of JOY! Magazine and their contact details and work experience will be taken on specially prepared forms so as to create CVs for them which will be put up on a website for employers to browse and download. One never knows who is out there in the crowd. The organiser was himself destitute once and that is why this is happening.

Worship and testimonies
As the day goes on Pete Gooch of PE Burn24 will arrange live praise and worship music and various testimonies will be shared with the guests. We have DeWet Swanepoel who is currently walking around South Africa carrying a wooden cross. He will have walked between 1 500 and 1 800 kilometres by the time he meets the guests! Tanya Cochrane will share how God turned her life around from drugs in such a spectacular manner that there is a documentary being made about her testimony.

We have already been given 200 bibles free of charge – one for each guest. God has been absolutely awesome in providing for this outreach and in organising the whole event. You can read much, much more about it on the website at www.thematthewlunch.co.za (where there is a 17-minute video of the organiser’s heart behind it all) and you can also keep up to date with us on our Facebook Page.

In the words of Pastor Dave Pedersen, it is in the Lord’s heart to give broken, despairing people a day of dignity and grace to help ignite hope to dream again. The Matthew Lunch could be an appetizer for change, a seed of a new life and as such it is also an expression of spiritual warfare, pulling down strongholds of poverty, pride, low esteem & bondage.

During the day, the various testimonies that are given will be recorded, along with some of the praise and worship music, mixed and burned to CDs which will be given to each and every person that helped and to those guests that leave contact details with us. It is our hope that these CDs will be played and will in turn sow seeds to bring in the lost and hopeless. Also, a short 5 to 7 minute movie will be made, with interviews with some of the guests and some of the crew, as well as strangers we encounter on the streets of Port Elizabeth, and it is hoped that these DVDs will find their way into churches around Port Elizabeth – and indeed the rest of South Africa – and prompt them to get involved (in PE) with the Matthew Lunch 2014.

These lunches will in turn pave the way to something called The Paul Project, so named in honour of the Apostle Paul, which seeks to join the various ministries of the many churches of Port Elizabeth together in order to increase each other’s resources so that we effectively have one church of Port Elizabeth.

We do need funds to pay for some people’s accommodation and their petrol and so on, along with a few other things – but God has made sure that most things have been given freely…

We need as many on board as is humanly possible – there is an immense amount of work to be done. If you would like to get involved in this outreach please contact Graham on either 041 365 0868 or 073 879 5602 or e-mail him on info@thematthewlunch.co.za.