Leader's Workshops

Your leader's are looking very serious as they plan for 2008! Think of them in your prayers. I look forward to 2008 it is going to be a great year. After our second workshop I will give you a briefing on what we discussed and the outcomes of all the 'talking."

Dinner & Dance

Dawn View Christian Camp - Fundraiser
Date: 3rd Nov
Time: 6 for 6:30pm
Venue: Wesley Methodist Church
Dress: Formal (Collar & Tie)
Cost: R60 per person
Contact: Lesley 0822567384 Shirley 0823603519
Refreshments on Sale

David's pen

Well done Al Gore ! Despite the slight exaggerations here and there he has put the environmental issue on the map for good. I went to the Church of the Ascension (Anglican) on Sunday morning and was impressed by the speaker, Allen Goddard. He is a lay preacher in the Anglican Church and he is the head of the 'A Rocha' Christian environmental movement in Pietermaritzburg. Check the website - A Rocha. He was a most inspirational speaker and we hope to have him preaching in the Hilton Methodist one Sunday. If you did not make the Sunday pm service, the theme was also around the theme of our Christian response to the generous gift of Creation. The thought that God gives, and gives, and gives and we take, and take, and take. The thought in scripture that God speaks to us through creation and how are we to hear God when our creations is spent and exploited. We hope to engage ourselves actively in looking after our part of the world in 2008. I am off on a "minister's retreat" until Thursday, so I will see you all on the weekend.

Library news

Please come and browse through our books! We have a wonderful selection.
We thank Theresa Crompton, Ria Abraham and others for the great books they have just given us. I am at the library (just inside the hall) after morning service and Val Buchanan is available for the same after the evening service. Hope to see you!

Lorna Preston

Testimony time

WHAT AN ANSWER TO PRAYER! by Alison Walne

Just over eight years ago, Andrew and I found out that we couldn’t have children. We knew immediately that we wanted to adopt and started the process straight away.
However … we weren’t Christians at the time. We were barely going to Church, had stopped reading our bible and praying, and just generally put our own wants before those of God.
It was only in 2005 that I started going to Church again and doing my daily quiet time, reading my bible and praying. I also started to get sick in 2005 and realized that I couldn’t do as much gardening and cleaning anymore. At the end of 2005 I got even more sick and it was during that time that I rededicated my life to God. I have always been a control freak, so it was hard for me to let go and let God.
During 2006 we grew more and more in faith and joined the Monday night Covenant Discipleship Group were we are held accountable for our thoughts, words and deeds. What a turning point that was for us and what a wonderful opportunity for us to learn from our brothers in Christ, Mike and Rob.
By this time we were praying in earnest for a baby and we came across John 14 v 14 that says “If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it”, so that’s how we prayed.
We also came across a book in the Church library called Praying for your Unborn Child and it told us to pray that our baby would grow strong and healthy; wouldn’t experience any separation anxiety; and that the birth would not be traumatic. We started praying for these things and prayed them every day.
I also prayed that he / she wouldn’t be allergic to animals or house dust; that all our family would accept him / her as a real member of the family; that he / she would recognize us when we met; and that the birth mother would have support and peace of mind about her decision.
Little did we know that our little angel had already been conceived at the end of March 2006 and that she was born on the 15th of December. We only found out about her on the 5th of March 2007 and collected her eight days later on the 13th.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw her. I had always wanted a baby with big eyes, but had never dared to ask for it and I always hoped that our baby would have blue eyes, like Andrew’s, and there they were – big blue eyes.
My brother prayed that she would be a happy baby and that she would smile a lot.
Now I am sure that all of you who have met our little Jessi will know that she is perfectly formed, that she is a happy and content little girl and that there is no way that she could have been this way if she experienced any separation anxiety since her birth, or any stress whilst in the womb.
It never ceases to amaze me how Jessi has been welcomed into our family, our Church family and the community as a whole. She even looks like us!
The Lord answered every one of our prayers and more besides!!
I urge you – do not be afraid to ask Him for your heart’s desire! Walk closely with the Lord and He will answer your prayers (right down to the smallest detail)!
Praise the Lord!

Mad Hatter's Tea

Congratulations to the Youth, the Tea was a great success. You don't have to have crowds to have a good time. You excelled yourselves. By looking at these faces I think you did a great job.
Click any image for a bigger view

Letter from David

I couldn’t believe it when Alan Bester our Superintendent gave us the draft diary for 2008. Either Alan has forgotten that this year still has a way to go or I have neglected to check my diary to realize that the end of the year is almost upon us. It seems as if Anne and I have just walked in the door. Thank you for accepting us as we minister and serve amongst you. It has been a great year and we look forward to many more.

We have been following a series of sermons based on a book from Dr. Kennon Callahan called “Small, Strong Congregations.” I have tried to condense the essence of Callahan’s thoughts without loosing any of his candid insight. We must not make the mistake and assume he is implying that we wish or ought to remain small. He is making the point that an obsession with numbers and growth for growth sake is wrong. The basis of his thought is that the smaller Church, limited in resources, needs to focus itself within its strengths and gifting. In simple terms we are to make the most of what we have. I loved his idea of creating a “Compassion statement” instead of a “Vision Statement” for the Church. How do we love the world around us in the best possible way? That should be the underlying question in planning any activity in the life of the Church. Callahan speaks about having one or two excellent missions rather than many. Masibumbane mission is one such mission, a mission we can be proud of. I believe it should remain as our main focus of mission from the Church and help it become even more effective than it is today. Let’s keep the mission foremost on our agenda and assist in any way we can.

It is just as important that we look after the members of our Christian family, their spiritual growth and worship. There are a number of good strong fellowship groups in the church and anybody wanting to grow spiritually can be encouraged and nurtured in these groups. However many of these groups are bursting at the seams and I suggest that we look at planting a few new groups. If you feel led to start up a new home fellowship group, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me.

As you may know we have been looking for a part time youth pastor to encourage and mentor the young leaders of our Church. We have found a young candidate in this regard and we will introduce him to you a little later on this year. We hope to have a team of youth leaders in 2008 that are given the opportunities of going through a recognized leadership course and are mentored by an experienced youth leader.

The new data projector in the church has provided a very helpful means to bring the multi-media world to our worship services. We have been able to show video clips, pictures, new liturgies and prayer, and even the odd movie which has helped us reach out in different ways to all generations. We thank everybody for your patience as we learn the technology.

There have been numerous requests for a Garden of Remembrance on the church property where members can scatter or intern the ashes of their loved ones. The leaders decided to go forward with the project and we hope in the New Year to have a tranquil garden where you can be left to your thoughts and prayer. The plans have been approved and we are currently looking for the best contractor. We will be asking members to purchase a donation of brick/s in order to cover the costs.

As the year draws to an end I ask you to pray for the leaders as they plan for 2008. Please note that on the 7th of December Rev. Sol Jacobs, Natalie Fish and myself are organizing a special Circuit Christmas ‘Taize’ service that will be held in the Wesley Methodist Church hall. Further details will be given later.

God’s strength

David