 Dear Kingdom Partners
It gives me great joy to share with you a synopsis of the ministry events the Lord has privileged AE with during 2006.
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| The PE Foxfire team minister at a school in the Eastern Cape. |
The year began with the recruiting and training of seventeen vibrant young Foxfires, who certainly held true to their name and set the youth ablaze for Christ. The National Team (Pietermaritzburg based) and Eastern Cape Team (Port Elizabeth based), collectively ministered at some 169 venues including schools, prisons, youth groups, universities, hospitals and churches, reaching literally thousands with the Gospel message. AE also had the pleasure of sending a team to minister in Germany for three months. One of the incredible stories of God’s faithfulness is captured in this testimony:
“The Foxfires were ministering at Job Radebe School in Soweto and were conducting life skills lessons. While listening to a testimony by Geraldine Bob Chetty, an educator was convicted. Later, as the educators and foxfires had lunch together, the educator shared with the staff how her life had been changed. She was a communist and would not entertain any conversation concerning Christ before, but could not hold back the tears, nor deny her experience that day as she came to know the Lord.”
In keeping with our holistic approach of reaching people at all levels of society, we facilitated a Top Level Encounter Mission in the Randburg/Sandton area. The Lord granted us the opportunity to minister to groups of leaders from finance, education, health, clergy, legal, enterprise developments and engineering, in addition to preaching appointments in various churches. Besides the many exciting things the Lord did, out of this mission emerged an interim steering committee headed by our vice Board Chairperson; Septi Bukula, which is working towards a citywide mission to Johannesburg for 2008.
This year’s annual Leadership of Youth (LOY) conference, held at the AE Centre, attracted 89 youth pastors and leaders. Participants left the conference inspired to return to their churches and implement the insightful teachings on how to evangelise, disciple and release young people into their calling. Similarly, for the first time the Port Elizabeth Foxfires facilitated a LOY in the Eastern Cape, with 40 participants, some of whose comments were: “There are no words to describe the experience…….. The training was phenomenal……I will never be the same again……..I’ve been transformed.” Valdino Naidoo and the National Foxfire team also held a mini LOY conference in Bloemfontein. This has set the platform for three LOY conferences in the three provinces in 2007. The LOY conferences are crucial for equipping young people to hold true to the principles of scripture reflected in Paul’s charge to Timothy, “and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2.
AESA joined the Pan African team at the end of July for a citywide mission to Soweto. The mission saw a number of international evangelists and young people ministering in schools, prisons, hospitals, churches and open air venues in Soweto. The hardships facing so many in this city were evident, and many responded to the hope offered through the Gospel message. The Pan African team is continuing with follow-up in the area, as the need there is so great.
AESA’s missions director; Chris Thenjwayo, along with Bongani and Mvusi Gwam, visited Mthatha, where they met with ministers, denominational heads and Christian organisations about a possible community/Church driven mission. The idea was very well received and a Shared Vision Encounter will be held on the 30th November, 2006, with a city-wide mission scheduled to Mthatha and the Walter Sisulu University for the 27th May to 3 June 2007.
The mission team has also visited several other possible mission destinations, and is working on reconciliation in several communities, bringing together pastors to work towards a mission in their area.
At the end of August we had our Rhodes University mission. I need not elaborate extensively on this mission as it was well covered in the November edition of African Horizons. Suffice to say that the Lord visited Rhodes in a special way with first time commitments, rededications and many responding to a full time service appeal. Last week Michael Cassidy and I returned to Rhodes to conduct a three-hour workshop for 30 students who had indicated an interest in going into full-time mission work. I have also just returned from Stellenbosch, having completed my second exploratory visit in view of a mission planned for late 2007 or early 2008. The privilege of having the company of Prof Peter Rose, the Dean of the Biochemistry facility at Rhodes, facilitated the opening of doors with the senior faculty of Stellenbosch. As I write, I have an invitation from Wits University on my desk: it is envisaged that this university will be incorporated into the citywide outreach to Johannesburg in 2008, and Walter Sisulu University is an integral part of the Mthatha mission. Likewise, Pietermaritzburg University will be incorporated into the Pietermaritzburg city-wide mission planned for October 2007. Isn’t this exciting indeed! The Lord is flinging the doors wide open for university missions. (Revelation 3:8) This area of ministry deserves serious investment if we desire to be nation builders.
On the short-term mission front (ERRA – Evangelism, Reconciliation, Renewal and Social Action), we have two missions lined up, one from the 2nd to 5th November, 2006, to a number of farms in the Ladysmith community. The second ERRA will be to Fortress of Hope Church in Durban, from 24th to 26th November, 2006. This type of mission can radically transform the spiritual temperature of a local church.
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| AE staff and prayer partners pray for Michael and the country at the AE Intercessory Conference |
The ‘new’ ministries at AE have done extremely well. Our Children’s ministry to hospitals, headed by Sheena Gaston and Sihle Duma, has completed their first phase of ministry, and now have access to all three government hospitals in Pietermaritzburg. They are on target with their second phase of involving volunteers from churches to assist with the ministry. The Prayer ministry, facilitated by Jean van Rensburg, continues to minister to the needs of the AE community. AE has just hosted an insightful and blessed Intercessor’s Prayer Conference at the AE centre,
bringing together AE staff and prayer partners in three days of teaching and prayer. Barbara Watt, in her Ministry to People with Disabilities, continues to network with churches, NGOs and the disabled community to bring awareness of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those with disabilities. The Radio ministry has been afforded the opportunity of airing several of their programmes throughout the country, and Sindiswe Matyobeni is working on a youth programme to address the needs of the youth today.
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| DSE students engage in discussion. |
This year 71 students were trained on our DSE (Diploma in Social Empowerment) course with 11 students graduating in June. Students are working on a wide range of community projects in which AE is involved, and where possible will be included in our city-wide missions.
The year has been full, and already the new calendar is filling up as God opens doors for 2007. We ask you to continue to pray as we seek God’s direction for the New Year, and to please continue to support the work financially in whatever way you can, so we can undertake all that God has for us in 2007 and beyond. Let’s continue to pray in line with our Lord’s request: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ Matthew 9
Grace and Peace
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