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December 2007To belong is a desire we all have. Physically, emotionally and spiritually we all seek to belong. We have always been in this state, even before we knew anything about ourselves. We were chosen, called, dreamt about or thought of and sometimes planned by our parents before we were conceived in our mother’s wombs. But most importantly, God had the original thought. Ps 139:13, 15-16: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. The family is like a book, Whether we were born as an individual, as a twin or as part of a multiple, we were all meant to BELONG. Psalm 68:6 says, “God sets the lonely in families.” Even if you were born into this world through an unplanned pregnancy, GOD, the creator of all things, saw you before you were formed and you became a part of God’s thoughts, vision and purpose in your generation and IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF HIS REALM. In understanding that God places us in our family for a purpose, we can then determine who we need to be or should be as a family. We don’t choose our family – Isaiah 8:18 In Acts 17:26, Paul explains as he addresses the Areopagus that it is God who determines the place, time and boundaries of where everyone will live. We are not in the wrong family, era or place; we are exactly where God determined we should be when God knit us in our mother’s womb. When you and I fight against this, we are saying to God that we are not happy with His decision. But since we cannot argue with God, we had better make the best out of our lives and be happy. Look at Esther (Esther 2:15-17) who lost her parents, yet in being adopted by her uncle Mordecai and having the right attitude, was blessed by God as she later became queen, the wife of King Xerxes. Imagine if she was bitter towards God for taking her parents from her. Would she have had the impact she had and become a saviour for the Jews? That was God’s plan - to save the Jews. And it was fulfilled because Esther was appreciative and did not try to plan her life the way she wanted. God has put us in the families we are in so we can do great things for God. Sometimes we can look back and do not understand WHY we were placed in the families we grew up in or lived in the areas where we stayed. But because we do not understand, does not mean God is wrong. We can choose to find out or as the bible teaches: “God did this so that men would SEEK HIM and perhaps REACH OUT TO HIM and FIND HIM, though He is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:27 – emphasis added). We are all perfectly placed in families that will somehow lead us to seek God and reach out to Him. As the psalmist says, “…but those who SEEK THE LORD LACK NO GOOD THING” (Psalm 34:10b – emphasis added). Therefore Paul concludes; “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now HE COMMANDS ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TO REPENT.” Nomteto Ogundipe (Soweto) Fellowship is heaven, and lack of fellowship is hell: fellowship is life and the lack of fellowship is death: and the deeds that ye do on earth, it is for fellowship’s sake that ye do them. Acts 2:42-47 1 John 3:16-18 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. The singles Ministry of the Pretoria Church of Christ are raising funds and accepting donations to pay for the school fees and uniforms of no less than a hundred children of the Bulawayo and Harare Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe. They plan to drive to Zimbabwe during the week of 18-22 December to pass on the gifts and host a Christmas party for the families. Their goal is to raise a sum of R30 000 in cash for school fees and uniforms, plus R50 000 worth of food. Even though the trip is next week, they are still requesting monetary contributions, food, toys and gifts of any size which will help to make this event a success. For groceries, please provide non-perishables and keep the receipts for declaration at the border (NB: please note the expiry dates). If you would like to make a financial contribution to this project, you can pay your deposit into the Pretoria Poor Account with UNCLE BOB in the reference column and communicate this deposit to Araujo Francisco on 079 525 1207. The banking details are as follows: Account Name: JHB Church of Christ For more information, contact Thulani on 073 313 6023. The campus ministry had a fantastic evening ball at the University of Johannesburg, Soweto campus. Both brothers and sisters looked fabulous in their African attire. It was clearly evident that the sisters went to lots of trouble to plan their outfits for the evening! The décor was stunning and the food delicious and tasty. Most people went for second helpings.
The evening was amazing - everybody enjoyed the music, food and fellowship. Although the ball started a few minutes late, Nhlanhla and Busi rocked the show and kept the guests entertained. The entire campus ministry was represented: Pretoria, Central, Potchefstroom, Northwest and obviously the host “Soweto region” were all under one roof. Fortunately (for the singles ministry) and unfortunately (for campus) we had to bid farewell to some of our fellow campus members who will be joining the singles “working class” in the new year. Apart from the music entertainment, there was live poetry and singing by some very talented people.
Amazingly, by the grace of God, the Pretoria Campus ministry which had less than 5 members at the beginning of the year has grown in numbers by more than 10 members. Now that was encouraging to see!
As dinner came to an end, it was party time and everyone got onto the dance floor. People were so photogenic - it looked as if we were at the Oscars or Grammy awards! A memorable evening was definitely had by all. What can I say? Campus – you guys rock!
Leera Mogale (Soweto) "It’s better to appreciate things you don’t have than to have things you don’t appreciate." - Proverbs 27:2 Appreciation comes not from us, but from the lips of others. Too often we take for granted the relationships God has given us within the families that God has placed us. It is when these relationships are gone that we begin to have regrets. Many times there are things we want to say to encourage others, but we leave it until it is too late. Then we say, “I wish I had said those things when I had the opportunity.” This happened to me when I had the chance to share about our late Diane Ottenweller. When I spoke with her later, she kindly replied; “I knew you would be too emotional to share.” But then it was too late. Do not let this happen to you so that you end up with many regrets. This is the time for us to take time out and write down things we appreciate about each other, whether it be about husbands and wives, parents and children, family and friends, brothers and sisters and so on. Once you have done so, then either give it to them or say it to them. I am sure it will be well worth it and well appreciated.
This is another action that leads to appreciation in family - learning to say thank you for whatever you have been given. It is no surprise that one of the Ten Commandments says that we should not covet what others (neighbours) have. In doing so, we do not appreciate what we have and are therefore neither thankful nor enjoy what we have. This leads to competition rather than building a family. God washes the eyes by tears until they can behold the invisible land where tears shall come no more. Nehemiah 13:14 "Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out what I have so faithfully done for the house of my God and its services." This was Nehemiah’s request to God after serving the people of Israel in rebuilding the fallen walls of Jerusalem. We all need to remember the good that people have done because it is sometimes a lot easier to remember the errors in one another’s lives. Good memories promote goodness and peace which helps us learn from the mistakes others make. How do we begin to be sorrowful when loved ones around us depart? It matters how they finish, but most of all how they ran the race as God does not only take a picture at the finish, but rather a video of one’s entire life. In loving memory of Mama Diane Ottenweller and Rod Fick and others we did not even get to know or hear about. They are family and we mourn them all. A note of thanks in memory of Mama Diane
We are so grateful for all that has been done for our family by the church. Please would you kindly communicate the following to the church: All our love, A poem Linda wrote in memory of her husband Rod When you thought I wasn’t looking, When you thought I wasn’t looking, When you thought I wasn’t looking, When you thought I wasn’t looking When you thought I wasn’t looking, The good person increases the value of every other person whom he influences in any way. – Anonymous Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Like yeast when worked through dough, so does influence work through our family. The way we influence each other has to be positive and productive. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 about the effect of bad character and how it corrupts us. Jesus however calls us and our families to be the light on a hill that is not hidden, but is one of good deeds so that all can see. Roma and Hanta Razaiarimanana on their wedding day Marriage in Madagascar A truly happy marriage is one in which a woman gives the best years of her life to the man who has made them the best. - Author Unknown In Ecclesiastes 4:9, the verse says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.” Marriage is a blessing from God and is another way of starting a family. God has blessed us with many marriages this year, but one in particular stands out from our family of churches in Southern Africa. The church in Antananarivo, Madagascar, was planted in 1998 and through thick and thin many have remained faithful to God in this poor country. Although the church has a few married couples, the 14th of July 2007 marked a new milestone in the church as they witnessed for the first time the marriage of a brother and sister who were both baptized in the church. While in university studying for his degree, Roma served as Campus Ministry leader and Hanta (on the departure of the Cornely’s) co-lead the church with Koffi Hubert. From the Southern Africa family of churches and beyond, we say congratulations to them as we wish them a very successful marriage. You and I make up our family and the family of God. What you would like your family to be starts with you, the individual. If you want your family to be a loving, giving, caring, faithful, loyal, happy family, etc, it all begins with you. “Your task – to build a better world,” God said. I answered, “How? This world is such a large vast place, so complicated now! And I am so small and useless am – there’s nothing I can do! ”But God, in all His wisdom said, “Just build a better you!” - Dorothy R. Jones As you prepare for the month of giving, December, remember that your family starts with you.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. From Baba Dolapo and your family in SOWETO 2007 has been a year full of ups and downs in the Pretoria Church. We were dealt a few blows from the enemy (the Devil) and with God we are on our way to recovery. I’d like to express my gratitude to the family in the Johannesburg Churches (Central East, North West and Soweto plus Pretoria): thank you for your encouragement, prayer and love. I also want to thank the Pretoria church disciples who went out of their way to keep the family together and make sure that God is glorified against all odds. Brothers and sisters, rise up! Let’s build God’s church. I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Malazas for their contribution and efforts. It gets even better; Araujo and Ilse Francisco left a thriving church in Mozambique to come help us at this hour. Thank you, guys. Looking forward to God’s glory being revealed in the new year. Bongani Ubisi (Pretoria) 
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