Yesterday I was feeling a bit discouraged. I have just about exhausted my list of ministry and church contacts here. I have really met some great people who I plan to spend more time with in the weeks ahead. But, I was still looking to connect with more churches and ministry happening in the township and settlement communities. Today God continued to go before me in connecting with a ministry called “The Warehouse.” The heart of these people and ministry beats closely with mine! Their primary focus is to “serve the church in its response to poverty and justice.” They work closely with churches in both the wealthier suburb and the poorer township communities to “enable them to make Christ known through sound, effective, practical acts and changed attitudes that change the lives of the poor.”
Through the churches they care for orphans and vulnerable children. They also work with high risk youth in gang dominated areas and have a new program to help create jobs for people by connecting them with churches to help their businesses grow.
Today I went with one of the men, named Joy, who works with The Warehouse to visit an informal settlement community called, “Sweet Home Farm.” This is one of the poorer communities in the township area. Joy spent a year getting to know this community and building relationships with the people there. Over time, he has now started a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS, a support group for seniors (including a garden), and a preschool with 60 children. It was special to spend time with Joy today as he loved and cared for the people in this community. I look forward to spending another day with him next week! I also am realizing that need to learn a few Xhosa phrases and greetings for my time in the townships (the first language of the black South Africans here in the Cape region).
On top of all this, the combined ministry warehouse (where they collect and store food and clothing donations) and office space included a sweet prayer room! A space set aside for prayer for the communities and rest with God. There was a wall size map of the entire continent of Africa on the wall with requests for specific countries. I will also look forward to spending some more time in that prayer room!
To learn more about The Warehouse check out…. www.warehouse.org.za.
June 11, 2023: Proper 5 (10) (Year A)
2 years ago
1 comments:
Hey David!
I hope your traveling has been going well.
I was just looking at the Warehouse Website. It is wonderful to hear how ministries develop, equip, and engage the church with the community. I want to look more into that site; it brought about some questions. What role has the church played in invisioning, administering, and projecting on behalf of the poor? What role must the church play in this Kingdom bringing service?
Hilary
WMF Omaha
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