I was invited to preach on the "Role of the Church Today"  at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on 4 July.
You can read about it at http://www.pcusa.org/news/2012/7/4/220th-ga-ecumenical-worship-service-embraces-globa/

Keeping in Touch June 2012

Dear Friends,

Grace, peace and blessings to you and your loved ones in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

I trust that you are well, energized and blessed by the presence of our Triune God.

Recently we celebrated Pentecost which speaks about the coming down of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian church. Acts chapter 2 verses 42-47 describes this dynamic community of believers saying that they gathered together daily, devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, broke bread together, sold their possessions and gave to anyone as needed. And the Lord added to their numbers daily. I wonder whether our churches today can be described in this way. Do we have the passion, devotion and joy to serve God as these early New Testament Christians? Sometimes we seem to have it all together yet something powerful and significant seems to be missing.

The prophet Ezekiel speaks about this in chapter 37. In verse 8 we read: “Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.” A reference is made to the house of Israel who said: “Our bones are dry, our hope lost, and we ourselves are cut off (v.11).” And then God responded by saying, “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live …” (v14). Perhaps, this is what God wants to do with his church as he calls us to live in the power of his Holy Spirit. He wants us to go out into the world and be a movement as we move people on to God’s agenda.

We can only do this through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

We are steadily moving closer to our 2012 General Assembly which takes place from the 14th to 20th July at the University of Stellenbosch. Among the many things that we will be discussing at the Assembly is the relevance and impact of Reformed Churches today. We have invited Prof Russell Botman, the Rector and Vice Chancellor of the University of Stellenbosch, to address us on this subject. Prof. Botman has served at one time as President of the South African Alliance of Reformed Churches, President of the SACC and in various positions in the ecumenical movement. We are hoping that this conversation would help inspire and stimulate our church to address issues of relevance and growth.

The Assembly will implement the new Assembly committee structure which now consists of 14 committees instead of the previous 66. The Nominations Committee will propose names of conveners and members to serve in this new structure. We will, worship together daily, fellowship, share in bible studies and group work, break bread together, receive reports from committees, discuss in small groups, make decisions on a number of matters, receive fraternal greetings and celebrate what God is doing amongst us and through us as a denomination. We will look at the vision, mission, priorities and finances of the UPCSA. One of the very serious matters on the Agenda is the issue of Church Associations and the Assembly will be requested to prayerfully discern the way forward on this matter which has brought so much of disunity, pain and struggle in the UPCSA. As we tackle all of these challenges we need to be reminded of our purpose as a church and we need to rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us into the mind of Christ. On our own we will seek solutions on our own terms which often bring restlessness and trouble; we need to allow God’s Spirit to lead us into God’s agenda for us as a church.

Please remember the Assembly in your constant prayers: the safety of commissioners as they travel to and from Stellenbosch, give thanks for the work of the outgoing Moderator (The Rev Dr George Marchinkowski), the incoming Moderator (The Rev. Rod Botsis) as he prepares to moderate the Assembly, the election of the Moderator-designate, the presentation of reports and decisions that would be made. Pray that we would leave the Assembly saying that “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us“as recorded in Acts 15:28. Pray for the Local Organising Committee and the Presbytery of the Western Cape as they host us and all those who will participate in various ways.

We hope to provide daily updated information on the UPCSA website during the Assembly. We would thus encourage you to login on www.upcsa.org.za and follow our events, discussions and decisions and, more significantly, pray with us and for us at the Assembly. We want to use this gathering as an event to draw us together, keep us connected, build the UPCSA community, get excited about the work and witness of the Church, and strengthen the bonds of unity and peace as we seek to serve God in the world together.

God is calling us to come back to our first love (to Him), not to become lukewarm or disobedient but to passionately and joyfully fulfill God’s purpose of bringing the lost into his amazing grace and love, and it is about time that we took his call seriously if we are not, lest we face the judgments made on the churches which ‘missed the mark’ as recorded in the book of Revelations.

Be Spirit-filled and joyful abounding in love, hope and faith!

May the grace and peace of God be with you both now and always!

Shalom!
Blessings

TO ALL MINISTERS AND SESSION CLERKS

Keeping in Touch 5/ 2011

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! It is quite unbelievable that we find ourselves in the last month of 2011. For some, this must have been a wonderful year of great achievements for which you offer thanks and praise to God. For others, it may be a year you wish to forget because of many unfortunate, regrettable and sad experiences as you recall the loss of loved ones, your job, etc. However, we must be reminded that we are called to give thanks in everything in spite of our struggles and sadness.

In this time of Advent we wait with anticipation and hope for the coming of the Christ-child who will bring light and life to Israel. This same lord Jesus who was born some two thousand years ago was, crucified, dead, buried, rose again, ascended into heaven and will return again, reminds us that love conquers all things. The Apostle Paul speaks about this in Romans chapter 8:37-39 where he assures us that there is absolutely nothing in this world that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christmas reminds us that God loves us so much that he sent his son to dwell amongst us, not only to live with us but to die for us so that we may receive the gift of eternal life, if we believe. What great love is this? As we celebrate this season let us be quick to realize that it is God’s amazing love which compels us to love, forgive, seek reconciliation and peace. May this message fill our hearts and lives with joy, hope and peace!

Recently I visited the Presbytery of Zimbabwe and discussed with them, among other matters, the situation in Zimbabwe. They shared the following information with me:

The situation in Zimbabwe is currently stable. There are sufficient foods on the shelves but with about 90% unemployment and underemployment, many people are unable to purchase these foods. There is a view that the government of National unity is not working because the opposition parties are not given the freedom to move around in the country and to address meetings. For example, the Prime Minister was prevented on several occasions from addressing certain gatherings. The processes for the writing of a new constitution have been seriously delayed and now the President is threatening to go into a national general election in the country which is expected to favour him and his Party. Opposition parties are concerned that there would be no free and fair election and are therefore reluctant to participate in any such processes unless there are clearly agreeable preconditions. There is a great fear that there is going to be an eruption of violence as they move closer to an election. Our church has participated with the Zimbabwean Council of Churches in addressing issues in the country, and it is reported that the Council of Churches itself is divided on the issues. This obviously does not provide a unified and strengthened voice of the church in that context. Please keep Zimbabwe in your prayers.

As we look back into this past year we give thanks for some special events, ministries and celebrations:

1. The following congregations celebrated milestone anniversaries:

Berea Presbyterian Church (125 years), Auld Memorial (90), Kimberley (125), St Columba’s Parkview (90), Durbanville (50) Adelaide (150) and St Andrew’s Scottsburg (100). We give thanks to God for the faithful witness of these congregations over the years and pray that they would continue to proclaim the good news in Jesus Christ.

2. In March we had the Moderators, Clerks and Treasurers Consultation in which the Presbytery Empowerment Plan was put into place. We hope and pray that by this time next year we would have more flourishing Presbyteries and congregations.

3. We had a very successful Ministers’ and Spouses’ Conference in September. We are assured that those who attended were incredibly blessed, spiritually inspired and encouraged.

4. The Executive Commission met at the end of July and numerous decisions were taken at this meeting. I mentioned some of these in my September letter. You can access this information in full on the UPCSA website.

5. The UPCSA was instrumental in initiating and hosting a Reformed Celebration gathering of about 12 Reformed Churches in Southern Africa at the end of October. This proved to be an immensely successful event and we are hoping that these relationships will continue to be deepened and developed into a union of Reformed Churches in Southern Africa (Well, it’s a dream and prayer!)

6. In November the Justice and Social Responsibility Committee (SA) of the General Assembly conducted a Summit on Church and Poverty as per an Assembly decision. It was really interesting to see how the Church was asking very crucial and significant questions about how we include the voices of the poor in the decision-making structures and processes of the UPCSA. They also looked at ways in which the UPCSA could participate in the alleviation of poverty in both church and society.

7. We have had discussions with the different Groups of Men and Women in attempting to address the issues related to the Church Associations. The conversation with the men is progressing well and we hope to have a further joint meeting early in the New Year. The situation with the women has proved a little slow but a meeting will be taking place in January with the Aggrieved Group with the hope that it will bring us into another joint meeting soon thereafter. A final report has to be submitted to the 2012 General Assembly as per instruction of the July Executive Commission. Let’s give thanks for what is happening and pray that we will find acceptable solutions to the challenges we face in this area.

8. We give thanks to God for our ministers who passed away during 2011: The Revs Leslie Dawson, Francis Moletsane, Joel Dube, Arnold and Roy Mallinson, Moshe Rajuili and Kingsley Dale. May God’s peace and strength be given to their loved ones, especially during this time of the year.

9. We give thanks to God for all our ministers and their families, elders and congregations who continue to serve God faithfully sometimes in the midst of great challenges. May God continue to bless your ministries in 2012 and beyond.

May the love and peace of the Christ-child flood your hearts and lives with joy and thanksgiving this Christmas. In all your celebrations may you be constantly reminded that Jesus is the reason for this season. Enjoy time with your family and friends and be blessed!

Shalom!

Blessings,

Jerry Pillay

Keeping in Touch 4/ 2011

Dear Friends,

Greetings and peace to you in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! In one of my recent quiet devotional times, I was deeply struck by the words uttered in Zechariah 8: 1-3: "Again the word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her. This is what the Lord says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

These words reflect the promise of God to bless Jerusalem again in the midst of her struggles brought about by her own refusal to listen to God. The words "jealous for Zion" and "burning with jealousy for her" are especially powerful and mind-consuming. I could not help but think that this is precisely how God feels for his church in spite of her unfaithfulness, imperfections and failure to listen to his voice. He is jealous for her to be his Holy Bride and "City of Truth" as she proclaims his love to the world. However, this begs the question: "Are we equally jealous for the church; to protect her holiness and Truth? To proclaim the message of salvation, hope, love and peace to a broken and suffering world? Are we jealousy guarding the identity, mission and unity of the church or are we jealously protecting our own interests? We need to each pursue a deeper reflection on this question as we engage and exercise ministry in our congregations and in the wider UPCSA.

I love the conclusion to these thoughts in the words of the prophet after expressing words as to how Jerusalem and Judah should relate to each other (verses 16-17), "Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going." (v.22) He realizes the need to return to the Lord for wisdom and direction. Further, he observes what will happen if they call on the Lord: "And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him." And they will say, "Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you."(v.23) How wonderful it would be if people today would turn to the church to seek the Lord? However, that will only really happen if they hear that "God is with us". Is that the message we are sending out to the world around us as the UPCSA?

Recently, the Executive Commission of our Church met to discern God's will on a number of matters, too many to list in this short letter. However all the proceedings and decisions from this meeting were sent to Session Clerks in congregations, Presbytery Clerks and the full text has been place onto the UPCSA website. I wish to encourage members of our denomination to take some time to read these, if you have access to the internet. It is important for us to keep in tune and in touch with some of the dialogues and discussions that are taking place in our Church. Some of the key decisions taken at the EXCOM are as follows:

• Supportive/Lay Ministries were recognized and accepted as essential in the life of congregations and the denomination at large. In line with this, it was decided to establish the Order of Supportive/Lay Ministries. This means that our recognition of ministries in the UPCSA goes broader than that of ordained ministers and elders.

• We approved the contents of the Belhar Confession embracing all its sentiments and values, and commended it to all ministers, Sessions and Presbyteries for study, discussion and use as a resource for preaching and teaching.

• The Manual Committee was instructed to arrange for the translation of key sections and/or chapters in the Manual into some of the major languages used within the UPCSA family.

• It was decided not to implement a centralized system of stipends within the UPCSA.

• A Travel Policy was adopted referring comments from the Insaka groups to the Finance Committee to look at and report to the 2012 Assembly.

• Presbyteries were instructed to draw up an Action Plan (by 30th November 2011) to implement the Presbytery Empowerment Plan adopted by the 2010 Assembly.

• The terms of reference of the Assembly Committees were approved. The 2010 General reduced the number of Assembly Committees from 66 to 14 to establish a more efficient and cost-effective structure.

• The initiatives of addressing the matters related to the Church Associations were commended and these groups were instructed to work towards peace, healing and reconciliation in congregations and Presbyteries.

• 8 Ministers will retire before the next General Assembly. They were duly recognized and granted the state of minister emeritus from the date of retirement. They are: the Revs. AA Harrower, M.O. de Kock, S. Ezekiel, N. Hlatswayo, AT Mpongoshe, A. Rodger, H. Munnings and L. Scott. We give thanks and praise to God for these wonderful and faithful servants of God and pray that they will settle well into their years of retirement. .

• The St James Church in Bedford view was re-admitted into the UPCSA family with certain provisions which have now been completed.

Well, if you want to learn more, visit the UPCSA website. In conclusion, let me return to my initial thoughts in this letter as I briefly reflected on Zechariah 8. I feel very strongly about the role of the Church in our modern society and its future impact and relevance in the centuries to come. It is important for us to know that God has a "burning jealously" for the church that is you and me, for we are the church. Let us be the people of God on the march so that the world may see and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord!

May God bless and keep you as you keep the Christ light burning!

Blessings!

Keeping in touch - 2

Dear Friends,
Greetings and blessings to you and your loved ones in the precious name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. We have just celebrated the death and resurrection of our Lord. The thought of “ God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) is indeed moving , overwhelming and inspirational. We are certainly captivated by those words announced on that Resurrection morning: “He (Jesus ) is not here he is risen!” (Mat. 28:6). However, the tendency is to overlook Friday and move straight to Easter Day. Good Friday reminds us of suffering, pain, agony and death, and nobody really wants to ponder on these. We rather skip it or fast forward it and get straight to the celebration and the gift of life. While that may be a good thing to do yet we need to realize that we can only truly and meaningfully celebrate Easter Day when we first observe the suffering and death experience of Good Friday.

The world is surrounded by so many events that make us to wonder what is happening. We were recently concerned by the situation in Egypt, Zimbabwe and Libya continues to be a real worry, the earthquake/ tsunami in Japan has certainly moved us and many other matters both inside and outside of Sothern Africa continues to throw us into a state of perpetual worry and a sense of hopelessness. We wonder just what is going on in this world. Well the powerful message of Easter speaks of Resurrection power and hope. Hope is given to those journeying with a erminally-ill loved one, the person struggling to find a job or make ends meet, the marriage that is struggling to survive, countries attempting to overcome dictators , people living in poverty and so the list goes on. The message of the Resurrection is that God is in control and there is absolutely nothing in this world that can keep him down. The story of the resurrection tells that our hope is not based on false expectations but in the affirmative and established truth of the Resurrection. So in as much as we can experience the Good Fridays in our lives yet we need to constantly be reminded that we live in the time of resurrection power and hope. In Christ the Father holds all things together.

I wonder what that says to us as the UPCSA. Are we living in that resurrection hope? Are we faithfully proclaiming that Resurrection hope and power or have we lost the focus of that message because we have become overshadowed with lesser things that speak of our desires and dreams instead of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ? How are we generating hope to a lost, broken and suffering world?

There are many hopeful things taking place within our denomination for which we give thanks and praise to God. We thank God for:
- The many faithful ministers and elders who proclaim the Good News and serve God’s people with love and devotion.
- The thousands of believers who attend church faithfully and participate in the ministries of our local churches.
- The very successful Moderators, Clerks and Treasurers meeting which took place on the 14-15th March and the implementation of the Presbytery Empowerment Plan. Hopefully this will lead to better functioning Presbyteries and congregations. Our vision is to build vital congregations so that we can faithfully proclaim the hope we have in our Risen Lord.
- Our church’s attempt to address significant issues related to assessments, assessment relief, developing congregational leaders through the work of the Church Development & Planning Committee, training students for the ministry, focusing on evangelism and mission.
- Arranging discussions on poverty and the church to see how we can address these within our structures and work towards poverty eradication.
- Addressing issues of decision making and the participation of people who are often left out.
- The meeting of the Men which will take place on 28th May 2011 to continue with the dialogue process.
- The faithful servants of God in the UPCSA ministry who passed away since the beginning of this year: The Rev Dr Moshe Rajuili and the Rev Edwin Pons. The Resurrection hope we have tells us that they will rejoice with God in all eternity.
- For the fact that a small denomination such as ours is making such a huge impact and contributions to both the local and global ecumenical community. I was elected as the President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches in June 2010, the Rev Mautji Pataki was appointed as the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches as from the 1st March 2011, and more recently the Rev. Peter Langerman was elected Chairman of the Church Unity Commission.

We thank God for these opportunities availed to the UPCSA at this time.

We live in the era of Resurrection Hope, so in the midst of suffering, disasters and hopelessness we can be comforted with the knowledge of what God in Jesus has done for us and with the assurance of the presence of the Holy Spirit amongst us. The Church is called to live in this Resurrection power and to faithfully proclaim the hope we have in the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
May we in the UPCSA be faithful in proclaiming this Easter message to a broken and sinful world!
May God continue to bless you as you serve those around you in His love and grace!
Stay Blessed!

My Visit to Prague and The Christian Reformed Church in Hungary

Dear Friends From the 3-5th March the Rev Dr Setri Nyomi ( WCRC General Secretary) and I had the marvelous opportunity to attend the meeting of the WCRC European Region in Prague. We were deeply impressed by the attendance of THE Leaders from our member churches, the agenda, quality of conversations and fellowship and the spirit in which they were found. We had the opportunity to present our vision and mission direction and strategy for the World Communion of Reformed Churches, which is to be discussed in the Executive meeting in May. However, it was good to sound out our direction for WCRC and to get some valuable insights into what people think about where we are going. There was general consensus that we are heading in the right direction and concerns expressed that we should be really selective about our programmes. There was a good discussion on the future of Reformed Theology in Europe, financial business and elections of office bearers for the next 6 years. From the 5 – 8th March I had the incredible opportunity to visit with the Reformed Church in Hungary. What was marvelous time it was! I met with different groups ranging from congregants, pastors, bishops, church staff , the junior Secretary of State in Parliament and many others. I presented a lecture in the Reformed Theological College in Debrecen and met with Church leaders in the Ecumenical Council in Budapest. I was particularly moved by the ability of the Reformed Church in Hungary with the many impressive properties and facilities. I valued the opportunity to address the congregation in the Great Church and to share in the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I was fascinated by the church’s ability to preserve and maintain the Reformed identity. I think that they have many things to teach us in this department since for many of us across the world are struggling to preserve our Reformed heritage. I was deeply drawn to the country’s experience of communism and how it divided and separated the Hungarian people. This also seriously affected the church, for more than 15 years there was a total separation of these churches that were divided by the imposed borders. But thank God that there is a very warm relationship between the neigbouring Bishops, whom I met altogether over dinner. In 2009 as part of the Calvin Celebration all these churches came together in Debrecen and met in the Great Church for their first General Synod and the signing of a constitution fostering joint work. The stories of suffering and oppression are many and, for me, they reminded me of the imposition of apartheid which divided the people in South Africa into four race groups, dehumanizing and oppressing people of colour. I believe that this aspect of socio-political and economic separations have much to tell us about how we may need to develop communion and justice. We need to request more conversations as we connect people with similar experiences. I wish to thank the Reformed Church in Hungary for their invitation, warm reception, great hospitality and more, especially, for taking the opportunity to share their story with me. May God continue to bless them from strength to strength and may they continue to keep the light of Christ shinning in Hungary and even beyond. Thank you for the experience!

Zimbabwe Feb

Dear Friends Greetings! On 8th and 9th February I had the marvelous privilege to spend some time with the Presbytery of Zimbabwe. The day started with a Workshop with the ministers in which, among other things, we looked at the use of the consensus model that is used by the General Assembly. The Presbytery expressed a real desire to try and use the model in its meetings sensing a very definite need for the values it encourages. The situation in Zimbabwe is very volatile at the moment since Robert Mugabe stated that he wants to pursue with the country’s general elections with or without the approval of the constitution. He has made it clear that his Party is not prepared to continue with the government of national unity after the International agreement on the same expires, sometime soon. Our ministers there have expressed concern that violence as already erupted in many parts in the country between the Political parties. Please keep the people of Zimbabwe in your prayers. It must not return to the situation it faced two years ago now that the economy has started to stabilize again. I was encouraged to learn that the Zimbabwe Council of Churches is now more united and stable in its leadership. Let’s hope and pray that they will provide leadership and support to the people and offer a prophetic voice in its context. I spent some time with the newly appointed CWM Committee based in Zimbabwe acquainting them with their role and functions. I spent time with various ministers on a one-to-one basis addressing various issues and needs. Further time was assigned to the newly elected and inducted Moderator of the Presbytery (Rev Stanslous Chatikobo) and Presbytery Clerk (Mr Kwenje). Please remember them in your prayers as they assume leadership at a very difficult time in the life of the Presbytery and country. The Moderator and Clerk took me to visit with the United Theological College. It was good to meet with the newly elected Principal whom I met a few years ago at a Conference and other members of Staff. It was a special joy to meet our five students for the ministry who have just started or are about to complete their studies. Please keep them in your prayers. In the past two years we were able to support a number of Projects run by our Church in Zimbabwe through funding provided by the Council for World Mission. I had the opportunity to visit at least two of these. The first was a HIV and AIDS Project run by the Highfield Congregation. A group of women make peanut butter, bottle them and sell them to people in the community.

They also make and sell cobra polish and now have aspirations to start a poultry business. The money made from these projects is used to support HIV positive women and pay school fees for children who cannot afford to be at school. This is indeed very moving! The second project was the establishment of a new Clinic situated at the Presbyterian Secondary School in Mubaira. The Clinic cost $11, 000, 00 to build and it services about 100 people from the community per week and the pupils we have at the Secondary School. It provides basic services mainly attending to Diabetes and Blood Pressure control, all serious illness are referred to other medical centers run by the State. They are in dire need of medication and other medical supplies to support their work in caring for the sick and wish to connect with people from within our denomination who are in the medical profession. If you or anyone you know could help, please be in touch with me. Do you know that we have 9 Presbyterian Schools in Zimbabwe with over 3000 pupils ranging from primary to secondary levels? Our Church is playing a very vital role in the educational development of children in Zimbabwe. In fact, the school I visited earned first position in the District. It was a joy to address the 420 pupils at the Presbyterian Secondary School and enjoy the warm hospitality of the Principal and Staff who stopped their normal programme to appreciate the leadership of the Presbytery and denomination.

Presbyterian Secondary School

I was deeply encouraged by the involvement of the Church in the community and with the situation in Zimbabwe, the Church has no choice in the matter. However, this is what the church is suppose to do: make a difference in the lives of people in the name of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ! Let us continue to keep our Church and the people of Zimbabwe in our prayers. Blessings!