New Apostolic Church Cape

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Thousands served from Dunrobin congregation

Via a first ever in-house transmission service District Apostle Noel Barnes served over 110 000 members who had gathered in the Dunrobin congregation (the transmission venue) and in 612 receiving stations connected to the transmission network. The district apostle used a text word taken from the gospel of Matthew 6:1. And during the sermon he read out the text word in Xhosa and Lozi – I must say that was very well read. The Bishops Adonis and Smith stood for the serving of the Holy Communion for the departed.  During this divine service the District Elder M Maharage and his wife, Lynette, also received their 25th wedding anniversary blessing from the district apostle. During announcement-time after the service, Community Evangelist J Brady was introduced as the new rector for the St Helena Island congregation. We also got to hear about the feast of blessing that awaits the Cape region in February 2008 with the Chief Apostle and visiting district apostles conducting services throughout the Western Cape. And on a note of the blessed future we anticipate, we heard that in 2010 all the apostles throughout the world will meet in Cape Town. The service was well transmitted and very enjoyable for a first in-house production. I for one didn’t notice any irregularities “and for this reason do I” take my hat off to the crew that made it worth while. (In - house reporter)

 

 

 

 

 

The right heart’s attitude

On Sunday 21 October 2007 some 14 youth members from the Windsor Park congregation visited the Eden Park retirement home in Kuilsrivier. Their visit to this home saw much appreciation from the seniors and taught the youth a lesson as well. They clearly realized how much it is appreciated when somebody shows that they care. Eden Park is also now the home of one of our senior sisters, Sister Norma Chicolus, who is served by two local priests from the Voёlvlei congregation. Sister Chicolus was deeply moved by this “deed of love” as the youngsters sang hymns from the hymn collection. Because of the response they received, the visiting youth asked when they would be able to return for a visit to sing again. 

 

 

 

Day of the Child in Uitsig district

The weekend of Saturday 13 October 2007 was one of great blessing for the Sunday school children of the Uitsig district. The Saturday was the start of proceedings arranged for the Day of the Child 2007. Following months of intense preparations and prayers this day finally came.  The youngsters visited the Tygerberg Hospital’s Sunflower ward to show the little patients there some caring. They sang hymns from the Bright and Beautiful hymn collection and their audience showed much appreciation. After the singing they interacted with the patients. A father of one of the patients who had just undergone surgery expressed his appreciation of this gesture to District Elder R Pretorius. He remarked: “I am so thankful to see that children in these circumstances are not forgotten but encouraged in such a beautiful manner.” Before the children left, the excited patients were each presented with a party pack and a NAC water bottle as a memento. Back at the Wilmot Primary school in Uitsig a fun filled day waited on the children. Upon arriving at the venue they were divided into groups and the games could begin. The theme for this weekend was: Safety and Mr. Safe-T was there as a guest to teach the children how to be safe at home, at school and with their friends on street. Thereafter a magician mesmerized the children with his magical acts. Lunch was served with a round of ice lollies acting as dessert. The children then left for home with their focus on the divine service the following day. At 12:00 on Sunday 14 October 2007 Apostle M Diedericks conducted a divine service for the Sunday school children. As the basis for this service Apostle Diedericks used a text word taken from the first book of Samuel 22:23 “Stay with me; do not fear… but with me you shall be safe.” After the service all the children were asked to collect a balloon from their teachers with a safety message in it. These were then released into the sky simultaneously with the hope that the messages would reach many more people.

 

 

 

Just popped in to say hello and happy birthday

On Saturday 29 September 2007, a day before Thanksgiving, District Apostle Noel Barnes popped in at the Dunrobin congregation - his home congregation - in the Bellville district. This was to the great surprise and excitement of the congregants who were busy preparing the church hall for Thanksgiving. This gave these members a chance to interact with the district apostle who also busied himself with decorating and beautifying the church hall. The district apostle then took time to wish Deacon T Davis a happy birthday as he was celebrating his 50th birthday on the day.

Day of the child in Durbanville

Leading up to the Day of the Child, which took place in the Durbanville congregation, the children became involved in a community project involving the Saartjie Baartman Centre and the SOS Village in Thornton. These centres take care of and offer a safe haven to abused children. Prior to the children’s visit to these centres they had collected and donated toys for handing over to the children. A small group of children then accompanied District Elder B Gaskin on Saturday 4 August 2007 to hand over the donation. Sunday 5 August, and the great day that the children had awaited and prepared for finally dawned. The children of the congregation and 8 children from the SOS Village that had also decided to attend, were treated to hotdogs and juice before the divine service. Apostle M Diedricks placed this Day of the Child under the theme: Safety. During the service the children were introduced to representatives from various safety services in the community: Metro Police, Doctor, Teacher, Nurse, Scholar patrol, Grandparents and Parents. The apostle invited the children to say who they thought could be trusted. As part of his message the apostle pointed out that God is the most trustworthy of all. Afterwards everyone enjoyed fellowship with the apostle and were treated to doughnuts and cool drink. Upon leaving every child received a specially made book marker with the text printed on it, as well as a Kit Kat

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas in June for the Durbanville congregation

In preparation for the service for the departed of Sunday 1 July 2007, the Durbanville congregation arranged a fellowship evening under the banner “Christmas in June” on Friday 29 June 2007. The evening was attended by some 300 brothers and sisters and was commenced with the serving of a sumptuous dinner fit for Christmas Lunch with tables decorated and Christmas music playing in the background. After dinner there was a choral performance during which a children’s, adult and senior choir rendered beautiful singing fitting for the festive occasion on the coming Sunday. The orchestra rounded the presentation off with a splendid rendition that focused all on the many souls in eternity. The rector of the congregation, Shepherd La Fleur, then shared a few thoughts with those present.  In closing everyone joined in the singing of “For you I am praying” and this created a perfect platform for further preparation for this special divine service.

 

 

 

 

 

The first fruits of the mission work evident in Bloekombos

District leaders, rectors and the mission team accompanied Bishop A Lutuli on his second visit to Bloekombos congregation in the Bellville bishop area on Sunday 8 July 2007. A divine service conducted by the bishop was held on that Sunday afternoon. He shared with those gathered his great joy upon hearing that the first Xhosa speaking souls were awaiting adoption and baptism in this congregation. Bishop Lutuli’s first visit to Bloekombos was on Sunday 25 February 2007 when he held a guest service. This was followed by the response from the above mentioned souls who later expressed their desire to be part of this beautiful work of salvation. With reference to the text word in the book of Romans 1:11 the bishop emphasized the importance of possessing the spiritual gifts as recorded in this text word. After the divine service the mission team entertained the congregation with traditional singing and the day ended on this high note of fellowship and song.

 

 

 

Neither arthritis nor rain can keep them away

Sunday 1 July 2007 saw a beautiful, clean and fresh church hall in Bellville South congregation during the service for the departed. This was the result of the labours of the senior members who on Saturday 30 June 2007 defied the cold and rainy weather to adorn the Lord’s house. They cleaned and decorated the altar with flowers making sure that all was well for the important divine service of the following day. After the cleaning they spent some time together over soup and freshly baked bread. On Sunday morning the senior brothers took over the ushering and door keeping, giving a small break to the young brothers. After the divine service the group accompanied Community Evangelist Louw to serve Sister Jansen with Holy Communion.

A wonderful weekend away for the Durbanville seniors

The senior members from the Durbanville congregation went on an outing over the Easter weekend 2007.  At 05:00 in the morning of Good Friday 6 April, about 20 senior members gathered in the Durbanville church foyer to bid farewell to their loved ones and the ministers.

En route to Beaufort West, their first stop was at the Laingsburg congregation, where they attended the Good Friday service. Upon arrival at their destination, our senior brothers and sisters were treated to a sumptuous lunch, which was prepared by Deacon and Sister Louw and which still remains ‘thee talk’ for retired Shepherd A September (72) from Durbanville. “Although I was sick and couldn’t enjoy most of the activities, I got to enjoy the most wonderful fellowship to date and the best part of it for me was the food prepared with so much love by our host and hostess, the Louws,” the Shepherd remarked.

On Saturday morning – after a delicious breakfast - they went on a tour of the town and visited the Craft Care, antique shops, the museum and other interesting shops in the area. This was followed by a stroll to the dam and an evening’s rest in preparation for Easter Sunday. For the morning service they congregated at the Rustdene congregation then had lunch at a local restaurant. After a short rest in the afternoon they – according to the seniors - were “enveloped in love and a blessed fellowship” with their fellow seniors from their host congregation.The highlight of this gathering was when the rector of Durbanville congregation, Shepherd L La Fleur, handed over boxes of clothing and goodies for those less fortunate. The Sunday evening was spent in joyful fellowship full of singing and laughing.

Ministers and brothers of Durbanville district on a mission to East London

In the early hours of Friday 27 April 2007 some 35 ministers and brothers from the Durbanville district left Brackenfell church on a Missionaries of Joy trip to East London. Little did they know that they would receive more joy from their experiences than they could ever bring to those they were scheduled to visit. On the Saturday morning they left from their accommodation for Kei Road Congregation. Their welcome there was an overwhelming experience; members stood dancing and singing traditional Xhoza songs in traditional dress. After the welcome address by the district leaders and the congregants some more welcoming songs were sung before they were treated to the unforgettable experience of traditional food – not for the faint-hearted. After the meal they rendered two male choir songs to entertain their hosts. One of the important purposes of the visit was to present some children with recorders and some with All things Bright and Beautiful Children’s Hymn Collections. The presentation of this donation was done after the singing. On the Sunday morning most of the priests, deacons and brothers attended the divine service at Mdansane congregation where District Elder B Gaskin held the service. District Evangelist D Petersen, Shepherd L La Fleur, Community Evangelists Freeman, Symons, Afrikaner and Herboth as well as a few of the priests assisted in the congregations in the surrounding area of East London. After the service at Mdansane the priests where each allocated a family for a soul care visit. Many an unforgettable, soul-touching moments were experienced during these visits.

 

 

 

Apostle service for confirmands

On Sunday 11 March 2007 Apostle Marc Diedricks conducted a service for confirmands at Belhar congregation. In total 635 confirmands attended. The choir and orchestra consisted of confirmands and this added to the festivity of the divine service.

The apostle wished one of the confirmands well for his birthday, and after the service he had fellowship with the confirmands.

Preparation for Thanksgiving 2007

It has become something of a tradition to prepare for Thanksgiving day. Every year the District Apostle Noel Barnes have a meeting with all the Apostles of his area to plan Thanksgiving Day. The theme for our Thanksgiving for this year is ALL THING BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL .The Sunday children are also responsible for the thanksgiving altar. He are photo's displaying the positive waiting for the beautiful harvest day.