The Bishop preached an inspiring message on today's text (Matthew 17:1-9) encouraging the church to be a place of tranfiguration, where God's face comes close to the face of humanity and begins a process of transformation.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Induction at Ikageng
Today we held our induction service at the Ikageng Church in Potchefstroom, from left to right: Rev. Sidwell Hadebe (our new superintendent), Bishop Paul Verryn (Bishop of the central district), Me (Rev. Angus Kelly), and Rev. Vuyelwa Cimela.
The Bishop preached an inspiring message on today's text (Matthew 17:1-9) encouraging the church to be a place of tranfiguration, where God's face comes close to the face of humanity and begins a process of transformation.
The Bishop preached an inspiring message on today's text (Matthew 17:1-9) encouraging the church to be a place of tranfiguration, where God's face comes close to the face of humanity and begins a process of transformation.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Potchefstroom, Hier is ons
I have to apologise for not sending for so long... But as the saying goes, 'life happens.' Or something like that, I'm not sure.
Heather and I have been relocated to Potch, we live in a lovely manse that belongs to someone in the church - it’s a townhouse set in a garden of fruit trees... What an awesome place to spend our first year of marriage.
Phase one training takes me to Soweto once a week, which is about 105km away, the group of phase ones spends one night a week in the Jabavu training centre. We're made up of all races and cultures, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Zulu, English and Afrikaans. Its awesome getting to know everyone.
The part of Soweto that we live in is very quiet, we go on house visits on Monday evenings to the neighbouring people - everyone is extremely hospitable, inviting us in, chatting to us, finding out where we're from etc. and appreciating our prayers and visits... It’s a far cry from grumpy
suburbia. The strange thing is, not seeing one white face wherever we go... Even the Southgate shopping mall is all black. It's a part of South Africa that I hadn't previously had the opportunity to experience.
My responsibility at the Potch church is mostly for the younger people, we have a huge service for the high school kids from the surrounding hostels in the morning - about 400 of them. I'm still getting used to preaching to them, I'm not such a youth guy, but we're getting along. (And I am learning something new.)
Heather got her UNISA books yesterday so she's got something to do at last, she has been busy writing thankyou notes to our wedding guests up until now. (Will post about the wedding too, soon I promise.)
God Bless
Gus
Heather and I have been relocated to Potch, we live in a lovely manse that belongs to someone in the church - it’s a townhouse set in a garden of fruit trees... What an awesome place to spend our first year of marriage.
Phase one training takes me to Soweto once a week, which is about 105km away, the group of phase ones spends one night a week in the Jabavu training centre. We're made up of all races and cultures, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Zulu, English and Afrikaans. Its awesome getting to know everyone.
The part of Soweto that we live in is very quiet, we go on house visits on Monday evenings to the neighbouring people - everyone is extremely hospitable, inviting us in, chatting to us, finding out where we're from etc. and appreciating our prayers and visits... It’s a far cry from grumpy
suburbia. The strange thing is, not seeing one white face wherever we go... Even the Southgate shopping mall is all black. It's a part of South Africa that I hadn't previously had the opportunity to experience.
My responsibility at the Potch church is mostly for the younger people, we have a huge service for the high school kids from the surrounding hostels in the morning - about 400 of them. I'm still getting used to preaching to them, I'm not such a youth guy, but we're getting along. (And I am learning something new.)
Heather got her UNISA books yesterday so she's got something to do at last, she has been busy writing thankyou notes to our wedding guests up until now. (Will post about the wedding too, soon I promise.)
God Bless
Gus
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Potchefstroom hier kom ons
At last! We have an address in Potchefstroom! Which I won't publish on the net - but if you need it, e-mail me.
Busy packing my flat up and sorting things out - books and stuff and more stuff all on top of each other. At the same time we're painting the place up.
Got my friend Mark helping me to scrape and melt stinky paint off the picture rails and stuff.
Oh well, life is good, must send pics...
God Bless,
Gus
Busy packing my flat up and sorting things out - books and stuff and more stuff all on top of each other. At the same time we're painting the place up.
Got my friend Mark helping me to scrape and melt stinky paint off the picture rails and stuff.
Oh well, life is good, must send pics...
God Bless,
Gus
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Links update - if you want
_______________________________
homepage
wedding / registry
sermons
lectionary comments
picture gallery
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Collaring!
On Sunday the 31st of October 2004 I was collared! My circuit of churches has sent me on my journey into the ministry. I guess its all too much to take in and understand at the moment, but it slowly seeps into my soul, like the gospel.
Today I blog from my favourite coffee shop in Cape Town (Kalk Bay actually) The Olympia Cafe! It's Tuesday and I'm on leave for a month - a beautiful day and time for me to reflect on where God - the one who holds me by the colar is taking me! The crazy guy at church thought the colar was hilarious and kept asking me to bark like a dog! Prophetic? I hope not.
But I did just see a big great dane walk past the window - ginormous compared to the person who held its leash - it could have dragged her from here to Somerset West, but it chose to submit - actually it was holding the leash in its mouth, walking along happy as mud!
If I was a dog, I would want to be a Great Dane - big, gentle, strong and quite affectionate. God gives me the freedom to bolt and run off, but I choose to wear my collar and with all my heart, I hope to hold the leash in my mouth, knowing where God is leading me every moment. (I can only pray that God will give me this grace.)
Leaving the congregation at Church Street is sad for me, relationships built up over the past couple of years will fade again, I confess I have guarded my heart with the knowledge that we would be moving off. I guess its a hazard of ministry, developing a hardened heart that won't let people in for fear of being hurt by departure etc.
Oh well, its a journey and I am just young - life with God goes on and I grow with it. Hopefully with the leash in my mouth, excited about the new adventure that my master leads me on.
(Woof!)
Today I blog from my favourite coffee shop in Cape Town (Kalk Bay actually) The Olympia Cafe! It's Tuesday and I'm on leave for a month - a beautiful day and time for me to reflect on where God - the one who holds me by the colar is taking me! The crazy guy at church thought the colar was hilarious and kept asking me to bark like a dog! Prophetic? I hope not.
But I did just see a big great dane walk past the window - ginormous compared to the person who held its leash - it could have dragged her from here to Somerset West, but it chose to submit - actually it was holding the leash in its mouth, walking along happy as mud!
If I was a dog, I would want to be a Great Dane - big, gentle, strong and quite affectionate. God gives me the freedom to bolt and run off, but I choose to wear my collar and with all my heart, I hope to hold the leash in my mouth, knowing where God is leading me every moment. (I can only pray that God will give me this grace.)
Leaving the congregation at Church Street is sad for me, relationships built up over the past couple of years will fade again, I confess I have guarded my heart with the knowledge that we would be moving off. I guess its a hazard of ministry, developing a hardened heart that won't let people in for fear of being hurt by departure etc.
Oh well, its a journey and I am just young - life with God goes on and I grow with it. Hopefully with the leash in my mouth, excited about the new adventure that my master leads me on.
(Woof!)
Journeying with Nouwen
Nouwen has been my companion over the past few years. One small book - The Return of the Prodigal Son (A story of homecoming) - Its only 150 pages long and its taken me about 5 years to get near the end.
Nouwen forces me to stop after each paragraph - to think and reflect - to return to it - to go back to life, slowly to chip away at the depth of wisdom! And soul carving that the book portrays. Its a book that moulds my conscience.
Learning to love and be loved by God, to recognise God's love for all those around me! Nouwen's book slowly leads me - a leash in God's hands I pray.
Nouwen forces me to stop after each paragraph - to think and reflect - to return to it - to go back to life, slowly to chip away at the depth of wisdom! And soul carving that the book portrays. Its a book that moulds my conscience.
Learning to love and be loved by God, to recognise God's love for all those around me! Nouwen's book slowly leads me - a leash in God's hands I pray.
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Website re-furbished
Thought I'd try running my website with iBlogger, that way I can easily e-mail all my postings in from my palm top -
I'll just update the links over here when necessary.
Peace
Gus
