Toongabbie Anglican Church Blog

Missionary News, Prayer Points

Grieves - Newsletter June 06

Wednesday 14 June, 2006 · Posted by Simon Job

The June ‘06 newsletter from Mark & Carol Grieve, CMS Missionaries in Johannesburg, South Africa, is available in PDF format (578Kb) or as a an online text version.

More about Mark and Carol.

June 06 - Sawubona! Hello from South Africa

A newsletter from Mark and Carol Grieve, missionaries with CMS in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Letter 10

Praise Points

• Thankyou for your prayers for Jayden and his subsequent good health.
• The encouraging support for the homeless ministry.
• Growth and ministry taking place at Melville Union Church

Prayer Points

• For the mid year conference on the 23rd June to the 1st of July. For the organizing of talks, catering and activities and for the students as they raise the money to go. Pray that we will all grow from this experience.
• For members of our home group and student work who have lost family members in the last week; Themba (His sister, and third family death in as many years) and Thoty, his younger brother and second family death in a year.
• For the Non-Profit organization (NPO) number we need from the government for the homeless ministry.

The puppy or the street-kid

Their has been lots to be encouraged about regarding work amongst the homeless. The workshop being built at the church nears completion with two generous donations from overseas. This will serve as a place to learn woodwork and other craft skills and enable the boys to spend their time productively during the week.

We have organized a launch date and are busy planning for this day strategizing on ways to raise money and seeking to put the right structures in place for this ministry.

On seeking information God has brought people into my path both of whom I have known before or am in contact with now.

The attitude by many to the boys on the streets is one that is very sad. Weeks ago I took one of the boys to the hospital for an open flesh wound. He was earlier turned away when he had tried to go by himself. During the visit he was lectured by no less then three women, some of them staff, about how disobedient he is to his parents and what a worthless character he was for living on the streets.

It was only a few weeks before when the boys showed me a puppy they had acquired somehow and was now staying with them on the streets. Within a week it was gone and I asked what had happened. They said that people had contacted the RSPC and they had come to take the puppy away from this environment. I couldn't help but wonder why the same concern was not shown to these young human lives living in that environment.

Campus Ministry

Imagine you are on a sinking ship and struggling for life, you are grapping at anything you can find. Your bible breaks up before your very eyes to all 66 books. Having time to grab only one, which would you choose to take with you on your desert Island. Suppose you could now choose only 1 chapter in the bible which would it be?

We talked about this on campus this term and I decided that the chapter that has become most important and well used for me since being in South Africa is Ephesians 2. While speaking to students on the lawns I would ask them several questions.

A typical conversation would go as such; Are you a Christian? Yes

How did you become one? Family

What’s the biggest problem in the world? Aids, poverty, ignorance.

What would you say to God if he was to ask you why should I let you into heaven? I Tried hard.

What chance do you rate yourself of getting to heaven? Anything from 40% to 80%.

It seems the pass mark for heaven, even for Christians is as difficult as the exams they are studying for on campus. That’s why I love Ephesians 2:8,9. “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourself, it is a gift of God, so that no one can boast.”

Mid Year Mission

The mid year mission will run from 23rd of June to the 1st of July. We are going to Port Shepston south of Durban for a weekend conference with the Durban campus students.

From there we travel back to Petermarisburg to run a holiday club at an Aids orphanage called Lilly of the Valley, for 5 days. There are over 70 orphans staying there who have either got aids, had aids or been orphaned because of aids. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the students to not only receive good teaching but also be involved in practical ministry themselves. We are hoping that the 19 students we take will really grow in their faith and commitment to Christ, and perhaps even desire to go into ministry themselves full time.

On the Home front

This years winter in Johannesburg is one of the coldest for a long time. That was especially so a few weeks ago and it caught everyone by surprise. Both Jayden and Daniel got sick and we were quite concerned for Jayden as he refused to eat anything for days. He was better by the end of the week and we thank God for all of you who prayed for his healing.

The extensions have finally started on our house. We are looking forward to the extra room for our own family and for the use of ministry. We feel like we have settled into our new home and this area well. The diversity of culture is one positive aspect that characterizes this area. We have black, coloured and white neighbours, and being mixed ourselves we blend right in.

Church growth

It’s been an exciting year so far at the church we attend, Melville Union church. The youth group which started at the church this year has grown to 25 teenagers, mostly from surrounding homes and refuges. The numbers of households in the church has grown from 45 to 82 with many students and young families coming along. It is exciting to see so many new people each week and also to see the enthusiasm of those who are attending Last week I asked for help for our youth group and 7 people volunteered. We thank God for the growth and pray for wisdom in dealing with the many new challenges.

Bike Club news

I have decided not to go ahead with starting the club “God’s knights.” Another club called “Knights for Christ” already exists and it’s a little too close. Furthermore it would have involved an awful lot of setting up. Instead I have joined a Christian bike club I met months ago called “Guardian angels.” They have asked me to start a chapter in Johannesburg (as they are in the East rand).

Please pray for more members and that we can use our bikes for good gospel ministry in reaching out to young men.

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