St Kiaran's

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Make disciples ...

August 2013

David's Pastoral Letter

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ at St Kiaran's

It is nearly time for me to begin my good-bye greetings only five months to the end of the year. I want to comment on something that has always caused me a lot of heartsearching about our life and work at St Kiaran's. My concern may be be expressed and realised by the lack of numerical growth in our congregation. JESUS SAID; 'YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM (IN FISH HOEK); IN ALL JUDEA (CAPE TOWN WHEREVER WE MAY FIND OURSELVES); IN SAMARIA (MASIPHUMELELE) AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH) (ACTS 1:8). This is the mission of the Church. Immediately, and very positively, we may identify various contributions constantly being made by faithful St Kiaran's members to fulfil this mission. MISSIONARY SUPPORT: To the Liprini family, who work for Mission Aviation Fellowship; the Wessels, who work in Northern Mozambique. OUR RICE PROJECT: We have collected nearly R20,000 for flood relief food needs in Mozambique. THE CONGREGATION AT MASIPHUMELELE has been planted and is looking for a minister of their own in 2014. THE PRESBYTERIAN PHUMLANI EDUCARE CENTRE our creche in Masiphumelele - an annual report of this wonderful work will be found in this magazine. In THE UNITING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA a considerable portion of our assessment money is used to support ministers and church development in poorer areas. We have a YOUTH WORKER WHO REACHES OUT AT SCHOOLS AND INTO THE COMMUNITY. We are presenting ALPHA COURSES, two already for parenting with young children and now a general Alpha outreach project this month. Surely we are not only inward looking and concerned only about our own personal walk with God, failing to reach out in Christian love to unchurched people in need. What more can we do? What can we do differently? I am praying that things will change, for the sake of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus, in the immediate years to come. What is your response? GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS . the parting words of Jesus to his followers. (Matthew 28:16) May God bless and keep you and all your loved ones. David

Presbyterian Phumlani Educare Centre Chairmans Report to AGM: 22 July 2013

Once again, as we look back on 2012/2013 in the life of our Presbyterian Phumlani Educare Centre, we must start with expressing our thanksgiving to God for His blessing on our children, staff and management committee. We have been able to continue development of our life and work in many positive ways. Staff: Zoleka Magobozi (our principal) and our staff have worked hard. They have attended training courses and give much love to our children. Volunteers and helpers: As always, Eva van Belle has continued with her excellent and sacrificial service. Jimmy de Jager watches over our finances. Vicky Rattray continues to hold our administration together. Four faithful men weekly collect the special food we receive from Pick n Pay and Rodgers Fruiterers. We also receive our monthly food supply from generous members of St Kiarans. Committee: The committee has met regularly. We have been disappointed, at times, by the non-attendance of certain members of the committee. We have purposefully chosen to have a balanced committee membership from both St Kiarans and Masiphumelele. Absent committee members do not help that balance. Parents: Reporting honestly, the support we receive from parents is minimal. We offered a parent training seminar. We long for our parents to realise the great importance of being part of their childrens education. Property and Equipment: We continue to improve our facilities, recently with new childrens lockers and with computers used both by our staff and senior children. Education of the children: This remains a primary focus. We believe it is vital for our children to be well prepared for Grade 1 when they reach their primary school. Educational outings remain excellent moments to broaden the horizon of our children. Christian Programme: This is an important part of our programme. Our Christmas Nativity play is a highlight of the year. Childrens Health: We have continued our health check-ups, given by capable and professional people. Finances: With great joy we are able once again to report a positive financial position for our Centre. We are thankful that we are now regularly receiving a subsidy from the Department of Social Development. The payment of parent fees has improved. Most of all, we are very grateful to our friends from overseas who continue to greatly bless us with their support. We have been able steadily to improve staff wages. Our Dream: A seed has been planted, praying for the enlargement of our Grade R classroom. This would entail some major new construction. In conclusion, may I speak personally. It has been a very great honour to be part of the development of the Presbyterian Phumlani Educare Centre. The beauty of arriving at the centre to see our children enjoying education programmes, a healthy meal and playing together will always remain deep in my heart. David van Duyker

Chairman

INVITATI0N! To the finest breakfast in F.H!

The Men's Fellowship will be presenting this to the Congregation on Saturday 24 August in the Church Hall (8.15am for 8.30am). Clipboards will be available at the church to book your place, so sign up soon!

On 16th July the Vacancy Committee met, under the leadership of Rev. Heinrich Asch, for initial discussions about our future needs. It was resolved that an advertisement would be placed in the Presbyterian Life, whose next issue comes out in August, advertising that we are seeking a replacement for David who retires at the end of this year. Some further approaches to possible candidates will be made a little later.

Vacancy Committee

ALPHA
The evening began with a hearty meal consisting of a meaty Mediterranean Pasta served with French salad and bread rolls followed by tea and coffee. The Introductory Session DVD Is There More to Life than This? Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant? had our guests enthralled and much laughter was heard. Who said Christians are dull, stuffy and boring folk? We had 11 guests in attendance 2 from Masiphumelele, 1 from Ocean View with the rest coming from the Fish Hoek area. Our oldest guest is 89! From Kelvin Dippnall's report on the first evening of the course. New members still welcome!!!!!

News from Bloem ....

I have now been in Bloemfontein for six months. Although the first month was tough, I have now settled in really well and am growing quite attached to this beautiful city. I have done quite a bit of exploring in my spare time and have visited art galleries, museums, the botanical gardens, the Loch Logan Waterfront, which doesn't have too much water, 'Die Bloem Skou' and obviously all the shopping malls in Bloem. I am living in a lovely garden flat on an elderly couple's property. I have more than enough space and the house is beautiful. I occasionally look after the dog and 19-year-old cat when they go away for the weekend. This can be quite a mission but I usually enjoy the company. The church I have joined is very different to St K's. I go to the evening service which has about two hundred students. The atmosphere is incredible and I have really grown a lot through the church. My cell group is also quite big, usually 20 young adults, all very friendly. We take turns to make dinner for the cell every Wednesday evening and then we spend the next two hours in worship and discussions. They speak mainly Afrikaans, as does everyone in Bloem, but are willing to translate for me when it gets too much. The people I work with are also all very friendly and accommodating, most of them, including my manager, are Christian. I have made some very good friends here which makes the working day go a lot quicker. Once in a while we have Friday afternoon team braai's or a morning tea. Because my company is international, I work with a lot of people overseas so I have also been introduced to a lot of different cultures since I have been here too. I am still missing family and friends in Cape Town but I have only good things to say about Bloem so far. Kate Hawkridge

Church Family News

Birth: On 28 June 2013 Max, was born. First son of Candice and
Neil Henderson, grandson of Arthur and Cathy Faulkner

Baptism:

Connor Ross Mitchell, son of Heather and Alan, was baptised on 16 June 2013

Death: With sadness we record the passing on 14 June 2013 of

Lilian Duffett, aged 104.

The Twitchers' Voyage

In March Flock 2013 held their Annual Gathering of Members of BirdLife South Africa in Cape Town this year and what better way to constitute it spending five days at sea on board the MSC Opera cruising to Walvis Bay, a distance of 710 nautical miles. This was to be an entry into the Guinness Book of Records as it was the largest group of twitchers on board a ship at one time. Can you imagine all these birders, 1,100 in total with their branded clothing, binoculars, scopes and cameras gathered on decks 11, 12 and 13 being filmed by camera persons on a helicopter flying over the ship as it left Cape Town with images sent and shown on TVs around the world. An important piece of history. Among the many goals to celebrate is our countrys rich diversity of seabirds, awareness about seabirds, raise funds for seabird conservation and promote BirdLife South Africa. On a Friday we approached the quayside with a sight of a gigantic 14 storeyed hotel on water. Nearly 2,000 passengers crossing the gang-plank was exciting but seeing the marble finishes, brass staircases and elegant dcor of this Italian liner was breathtaking. Once on board we were welcomed by Captain Raffaele Ponti and his crew of 700, consisting of 110 plumbers, 54 carpenters, 80 electricians, a medical staff of 50 and many others too numerous to mention. Christened in 2004, the ship is 251 metres long and 28 metres wide. It combines timeless elegance with cutting-edge technology offering a wide range of recreational facilities and entertainment whilst at sea. Other features of the ship are a maximum speed of 21 knots, passenger capacity of 2,200, 856 cabins and nine passenger lifts. Shortly before departure there was a compulsory emergency drill for all guests required by law and in the case of an accident there would be seven short blasts followed by one long blast of the ships alarm giving you a chance to grab your life jacket and proceed to the assembly station. An hour after leaving port we passed Robben Island on our right. Leaving Table Bay we navigated along the coast passing Cape Columbine and following a NNW route to Walvis Bay. Once we had settled in and discovered all the excitement that was to be found on board we headed for one of two luxurious a la carte restaurants with a menu of Indian and international dishes and scrumptious puddings. There was a buffet restaurant on the top deck offering panoramic views of the ocean, followed by a floor show every night in the Teatro dellOpera with professional entertainers, lithe dancers, singers and musicians. On Saturday, following a satisfying breakfast, various onboard lectures were held and we attended Ocean Nomads: the Albatrosses presented by Peter Harrison,MBE the worlds foremost seabird expert whose wife was the second person after Scott to snow ski across the Antarctic. The Teatro was filled to capacity and a pin could be heard dropping. He mentioned that the Albatross has a life span of over 60 years and does not breed until seven years old, then has one chick every two years. The afternoon was spent at the pool or on deck participating in bingo, Line dancing, hoop games, etc. There was no lack of entertainment all day and night. With 12 bars and lounges and five dance floors, a shopping mall, a casino, beauty and health gyms, jogging track, mini golf and, of course, the purpose of the venture constant bird watching. Saturday night was the Captains cocktail party and gala dinner with everybody dressed to the nines and sporting bird masks which were elaborate designs of their favourite bird. None of the restaurants, bars or discos accepted conventional money. Its all done with the swiping of your pre-paid debit card, a hassle, but saved carrying wads of notes around. Food was constantly available and fresh bread ruled! With 12 bakers on board, 900Kg of croissants, muffins, baguettes, rolls and pastries were available every day! Just after sunrise on Sunday morning the ship cruised into Walvis Bay, the lone commercial port of Namibia, the region is a thriving port and fishing centre that is bustling with industrial activity and nature enthusiasts. The bay is a fantastic location for spotting some of the most exotic and fascinating species of migratory birds that whiz past its expansive wetlands and sand dunes. Unfortunately there was a crisis at the harbour. Not only was it a Sunday but there was only one Immigration officer present to give permission for 2,000 passengers to disembark, causing a three hour delay to all

concerned going on various bird spotting tours and bus trips to Swakopmund!

Hence our departure to Cape Town was delayed by three hours, a bonus given us by the Captain. On returning to the ship most of the passengers were hot, tired, dusty and footsore ready for a hot shower, early dinner and off to bed. Monday was another full day at sea but more interesting lectures and another packed house in the Teatro to hear another fantastic presentation by Peter Harrison, MBE, the subject being Master Submarines: The Penguins. The cine screen was large as life and Peter was dancing around with these great birds as if he was in the midst of them all the time. Followed by the AGM in the afternoon we spent our last evening on the ship heading back to Cape Town in a SSE direction. Tuesday morning we arrived in Cape Town and that amazing view of Table Mountain veiled in a grey mantle was memorable and at times quite spooky with mist rising and going down as we approached lighthouses and the fading sound of the waves. It truly was a cruise Giving Conservation Wings. Peter and Anne McLeod ----------------------------------------------------------------

PAINTED TOE-NAILS AND THE UNREACHED PEOPLE The call of God to spread the Gospel comes, of course, in different forms to different people. Id like to introduce you to Cath, a young woman who felt called to reach those who had never before heard the Gospel. Not so long ago she was in an African village, miles from anywhere sitting with a group of women, and, to use a modern term, bonding with them. She organised a little party, a fun occasion, in which they painted their toe-nails. Of course she didnt just march into an unknown village, gather a group of women and show them how to paint their nails. This is her story ....... Born in Johannesburg, studied at UCT with a degree in Human Resources she then worked in commerce and saved some money. Back at varsity she trained as a primary school teacher, then joined one of the Mercy Ships to teach the missionaries children and to minister wherever the ship docked. Back in Cape Town she taught in Khayelitsha but the unreached people tugged at her heart. One of our local missionary societies was only too glad to accept her. South Sudan was the designated area and with backing from her church and others she set off. She knew there would be hardships and adjustments but what she didnt even guess at was personal love and tragedy. She was duly met by the other missionaries and installed in a hut with another young woman. As a new-comer, of course she had to learn the local language. Now thats a problem when there is no written language. But Cath took it in her stride and soon became a valuable member of the team. Soon she was able to give a very short talk. Team work was all important and eventually a school building went up. It was Cath with her training as school teacher who produced a Primer so the children could learn to read. The South African team co-operated with one from Germany and there was a special man that Cath was destined to meet. No romances allowed on the mission field, so there was a problem or two. If you read the book TORIANA you will find out what happened next. Toriana, a flower, is what the now-following-Jesus people called Cath. The book costs R100 and is available from me. If youd like to see it, apply to me, but Im not parting with my copy!!

Lucy Centlivres

Lesley's Report Back - Trip to Venda

`When I last wrote about the Stoll family Christmas gift of giving to the pre-school
Shandukani in the Venda district as a result of an article I had seen in the MAF newsletter, little did I realise the enormity of what we were doing. Thursday 20 June 2013 at 5am (and I am not a morning person!!!) I was up and ready to leave a dark and cold Pretoria for Lanseria airport where I would be boarding an early morning MAF flight to the far north Venda district. This was to visit the little pre-school that we had collected goods for, meet the children and to see what would be the next step as already family and friends are asking how they can help and working on donations for next year! There were 7 of us on board Mark (Liprini) the pilot, Steve co-pilot, Maxine Holman, General Manager and Chimwemwe Kalawe, all with MAF, then John (Camera man from Growing Tomorrow), Ant McDonald photographer and myself. The flight took +/- 2 hours during which time Maxine filled me in on the Shandukani preprimary school. Over the past months they had learned that it had in fact been disbanded and a few of the original children were being cared for in a local house. However, Flying for Life had indentified other pre-schools, or crches, in need one of which they had visited previously but the small mud hut crche had been washed away in recent floods so they were keen to see what had become of those children (at Gondeni crche) which is where we would be going to and then to another school that they had also spent time at on a previous occasion. That was sad news for me however, a school in need is a school in need and if my toys, gifts etc could be well used elsewhere, well and good. And then we were there in the middle of nowhere and already we could feel the heat! Daytime temperatures there are continually in the high 20s to mid 30s but the nights can get just as cold as elsewhere in SA in winter. The little jerseys we would be handing out would still come in useful! We were greeted by Richard and Ben our chauffeurs for the day thanks to the generosity of the coal mining operation in the area. All our cargo was offloaded into a bakkie and kombi, we piled in too and off we went. A short tar road trip and then onto dirt brought us to the site of the washed away school but Richard knew where they had re built Gondeni and we were there within a few minutes. As we pulled up behind a wire fence, the children ran out from inside the school room or from under a tree shouting mukiwa, mukiwa! (Roughly translated white man) A happier, smiling bunch you could not get. They have absolutely nothing to play with, to stimulate or amuse them but they were laughing within minutes of surrounding us, only too pleased to have their photographs taken and ever so fascinated by seeing themselves in the camera. We introduced ourselves to the Community Care Worker (they wear bright orange overalls) and expressed our wish to give them some educational toys, explain how to use them to the best advantage for the children and also some gifts. Chimwemwe, who is qualified in Early Education Development, asked me to help demonstrate some of the toys playing with them with the children while she explained. The Community Care Workers have their hands full from babies being bottle fed to 5 7 year olds that are nowhere near ready for big school next year. They have no toys, let alone educational ones, or any sort of equipment to help develop mental or physical skills.

We had been there for more than 2 hours and it was wonderful to see, play with and encourage the children and teachers but we had to say our goodbyes and head off to the next pre-school that we wanted to reach out to. While Chimwemwe, Maxine and I had been busy with the teachers and children, Steve had been liaising with a community leader as to how MAF could get more involved to help bring a better quality of support and education for this little school. Our journey took us on a corrugated dirt road furtherwhat was happening and how they were beneficial, to the teacher through an interpreter. The little ones where shy at first but as soon as they saw the fun in bean bags and skipping, they were keen to all give it a try. When the wooden cars came out well, there was no need to teach those boys, they knew exactly what to do and an area in the dirt was soon a racetrack. Chimwemwe had brought along an amazing gadget a small hand held label printer which she quickly put to use renaming all the animals in the puzzles into Venda dialect. MAF had brought along huge tin bowls filled with mugs, packs of food and e-pap parcels and also a donation of beautiful, bright fleece blankets which were handed out to the delight of children and carers alike. Now, this was all well and fine but the bottom line is this is an extremely poor community. The mud hut with leaking corrugated roof, 2 windows and a door is the pre-school. The kitchen a safety nightmare. The school building is a multi-function room for playing in, learning in, for sleeping in and a kitchen storeroom. And no toilet facilities in sight. into no-where land and then suddenly we were in the middle of a large community primary schools, clinics, a Home Affairs centre and a large SAP unit. We found our way to Mutele A crche where Chimwemwe had visited before. She was keen to see how they had progressed since receiving their donation of educational toys some time back. Once again, the Community Care Workers were in attendance. This school had a much bigger room, a few wooden benches, and outside 3 JungleGyms had been installed, but other than that, much was the same as Gondeni. The kitchen was an outside affair, no toilets in sight and - no toys insight either. It was explained that the door to the school was not secure so the toys were kept at the house next door. Maxine had to explain that when the children were at school, the toys needed to be there, and when they went home, the toys could go next door safe keeping. That being said, we interacted with the children who again were excited to see the mukiwa. The boys and girls were given their jerseys and what a joy to see them in a rainbow of colour. I am are sure those jerseys were slept in and worn again and again over the next day few days! Then came the bikes and dolls once again, the children knew just what to do .... It was the most amazing experience. Too much to take in in one day. The children were in awe of what was happening but they were just like all other children. They were happy to see us, shy and wary to talk but as soon as one had taken the initiative, the others followed suit. As in all pre-schools, there were those children who were the leaders and those who were the followers. As at Gondeni, here at Mutele A it did not seem as if much pre-school preparation was being done for those who will be entering primary school next year. There is a lot of work to be done in the training of teachers at these out-lying pre-schools.

As for me, would I do this again? Most definitely I will continue to support MAF and its Flying for Life programme in the Venda. The children there still need educational toys I have a better idea now of which ones are more suited to their ages, abilities, needs and they also still need just toys to play with - and I think I saw what ones they liked the best! And to God must go the glory for being able to bless this community, for being able to fly with MAF, and for the wonderful work being done by MAF in our country. That was a good day! Lesley Stoll

------------------------------------My plans were definitely not Gods plans. I had a very special birthday, my 50th , on June 25th. The scene was set, a good DVD, some chocolates and maybe even a cake, all by myself of course. Slowly, very slowly I felt all my plans slipping away. My brakes failed. With a prod from Jenny Strickland this end and my sister Olga on the other, I knew I didnt stand a chance. Emotions ran high. Everything will be just fine; I tried to reason with myself. Cake and tea with two or three friends cant possibly do any harm. Having a meal with your sister should also not be too difficult. Well, well, well. Did I mention that Im not really good with surprises? Tea and cake in the morning went down very well, I behaved and graciously accepted. However, things took a turn later in the day, not for the bad though. I found myself stuck by the door at Chit Chat, there was nothing to hold on, besides, right behind me was a strong pair of arms reassuring me, its ok. I managed to get pass the door. What a sight!! An amazing group of very special people, there, to tell and show they care. In the end I just managed to get a few words out. Back in the evening, a big family get together awaited me, birthday cake and all. I never got round to the DVD and chocolates, maybe some other time and definitely not alone. Thank you to all that made my day a truly special one, the smss, the phone calls, the pressies, the cards, the hugs and best wishes. Thank you not just for that day, but for all your time, the comforting words and silent gestures this past year. The beach walks and time set aside to pray. I appreciate each and every one of you. I believe it is noted for a time to come. May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth richly bless you all and also your families. May His face shine upon all of you. With a thankful heart and lots of love Esm (Boon) Thanks!

!!!!! Twitchers are a type of birder who seeks to add as many species as possible to their list in as short a time as possible. They are willing to go to great lengths, including extensive travel and dedicated monitoring of local and regional birding hot-lines, to see new bird species. A twitcher does not generally devote great lengths of time to bird observation, but rather is content to simply identify the bird species conclusively and add it to their life list. See pages 5 & 6

The Wrong E-Mail Address

This one is priceless. A lesson to be learned from typing the wrong email address!! A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error, sent the e-mail. Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mail expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read: To: My Loving Wife Subject: I've Arrived Date: July 8, 2010 I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I've seen that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. P. S. Sure is hot down here!!!! Sent to us by Hugh Tucker in the UK

St Kiaran's Presbyterian Church

Central Circle, off 7th Avenue, Fish Hoek P.O.Box 22146, Fish Hoek, 7974 Church Phone: 021 782 6118 Minister: Rev. David van Duyker: Home Phone: 021 782 1498

All are welcome at our Regular Sunday Services

Sunday Worship Services at 9.30am & 7pm Holy Communion is served on the 1st Sunday of the month at both services When there is a 5th Sunday in the month we have a United 9.30am Service with the Masiphumelele Congregation
CHURCH PRAYER MEETINGS (in the old vestry)

Tuesdays: 11.45 am Prayer is offered after services - in the Vestry for healing or other needs. Please speak to Duty Elder. Prayers with our young people: as arranged .... or whenever you wish to arrange times with fellow Christians. Prayer for the Nation: on the 1st Tuesday of the month 5-6pm at church