My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ

Almost as an aside in his book, 'The Jesus Way,' Eugene Peterson makes mention of some words in 2 Chronicles 26:15 about King Uzziah: 'And his fame spread far, for he was marvellously helped until he became strong.' I am sure that I must have read those words before, but they certainly never had the impact on me that they did on this occasion.

I was so intrigued by the words that I went back to the Bible (always a good idea) and read the whole of 2 Chronicles 26 (which is the chronicle of King Uzziah's life). What I found was fascinating. In the memory of later generations, Uzziah was a great king whose reign marked the very pinnacle of Judah's powers.

His name Uzziah (or Azariah - each is a variant of the other and the first appears to have been his titular name, the other his personal name) means 'God is my strength' and the chronicler twice makes mention of God being the source of his strength and his blessing. He begins his account of Uzziah's life with an almost formulaic recitation of who his father and mother were, how old he was when he became king, how many years he reigned, and that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. But then in verse 6 he moves away from the formula to say: 'He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper' (italics mine). A litany of his great achievements then follows and ends with the words quoted by Peterson: 'And his fame spread far, for he was marvellously helped until he became strong' (italics mine).

In other words, Uzziah's great achievements are contained in and bracketed by an understanding that God is, indeed, his strength. However, immediately following that second affirmation of God as Uzziah's strength come the fateful words: 'But when he had become strong, he grew proud, to his destruction,' and the rest of the chapter (almost ½ the chronicle of Uzziah's life) is given over to the story of a single incident of pride and Uzziah's ensuing downfall.

This story of pride and fall has much to say to the present pride of our politicians and the arrogance with which they ride roughshod over the truth and over people's lives. The reputation of a party whose leaders were once revered and honoured is now sadly tarnished and the credibility of our leaders is at its lowest ebb since the birth of our democracy. And, as is the case with Uzziah, history will doubtless remember the ANC as a people, too, who were marvellously elped until they became strong.

But as I meditated on Uzziah's life, the focus of my thoughts were much less on politicians than it was on us. For as I meditated, it struck me that the chronicler made much of Uzziah as one who truly loved and feared the Lord and wanted faithfully to serve God. So what happened? There is no indication that he ever lost faith; what he did was to take over the running of the temple. He may simply have become impatient with the political manoeuvring and infighting of the priests; he may have become frustrated with traditions that seemed dated and meaningless; he may have acted with the very best of motives; but he acted in his own strength, relying on his own wisdom and skills to carry the day. And there is the rub: as long as he sought God he prospered, but when he acted in his own strength he failed.

I found myself wondering how often we fall into that same trap - of acting in our own strength and relying on the skills we have acquired over the years. For us, as for Uzziah, as we seek God's guidance so we gain experience that is invaluable in exercising ministry, but the very experiences we gain can be our worst enemy, enabling us to act more and more in our own strength. Perhaps I am wrong about this - and I truly hope that I am - but I believe that acting in our own strength may well be one of the most pervasive and deadly of clerical sins.

For Pontus Evagrius the two greatest failings in the spiritual life were that of 'vainglory' (a trusting in our own giftedness and believing in the glittering images we paint of ourselves) and pride (which was, for him simply believing that we can do anything without God).

In his book, 'The Contemplative Pastor,' Eugene Peterson has a wonderful chapter entitled 'The Unbusy Pastor.' Its thesis is simple: that busyness is an occupational hazard for clergy that is, in essence, blasphemous, for it prevents us from doing the one thing that is truly needed; seeking God, listening to what God is saying and then doing only that which God requires. He says that our busyness is due either to our vanity (the desire to be indispensable and important) or to laziness (abdicating the essential work of setting priorities for the true building of the kingdom). He says:- 'If I vainly crowd my day with conspicuous activity or let others fill my day with imperious demands, I don't have time to do my proper work, the work to which I have been called. How can I lead people into the quiet place beside the still waters if I am in perpetual motion?

As one who is always too busy, I find Peterson's words uncomfortable and challenging for they pose a profound question: How can I discern God's plan and purpose for my own ministry and that of the people entrusted into my spiritual care unless I make real and significant space in my life in order to seek God's presence and purpose? And that is true for all of us.

Uzziah sought the Lord and served God faithfully for almost 50 years, 'and his fame spread far, for he was marvellously helped until he became strong. But when he had become strong, he grew proud, to his destruction.' Corrie Ten Boom once said, 'When I try, I fail; when I trust, God succeeds.' I pray that none of us will ever lose the certainty that without God we can do nothing and that without prayer we can only rely on our own strength and fail.

May our weakness be made visible in prayer to the glory of God.

Ongoing Spiritual Formation

Clergy Quiet Day: The next Diocesan Quiet Day at Bishop's House will be an Advent Quiet Day on 20^th November.

Sermon & Liturgy Resources: A growing number are using the liturgy & sermon outline material based on the Sunday lectionary readings which are on the web-site (www.cpsajoburg.org.za). I am encouraging you all to use them; you do not have to use them slavishly, but simply the act of reading through them and deciding what to use and how best to use it in your context is an aid to your own preparation for leading worship.

Clergy Day: I was disappointed that so few of you attended the First Aid Training programme, especially since it was arranged at your request. I am not sure why attendance was so poor, and find it hard to imagine that it was because of the nominal cost of the training. If so, you should have spoken to me - I would gladly have helped subsidise the training. Please remember that, by law, every parish is required to have a SAQA accredited medical caregiver at every service and public event. For those of you who did not attend you will have to draw up rosters involving suitably qualified persons in the parish (eg nurses, doctors, etc). For those that did attend, the next training session will be held on Wednesday, 5^th September 2007. Venue: St Martin's, Rosebank. Time: 08h30 for 09h00 to 16h00.

The next Clergy Day will be on Tuesday 4^th September. The subjects will be 'The Archbishop' and 'The Covenant Document'. The venue is St Paul's, Mohlakeng. Lunch will be served at the end of the morning. Please remember to bring Prayer Books.
 

DIRECTIONS FOR St Paul's, MOHLAKENG:
Take R 29 / N12 road to Potchefstroom / Kimberley to traffic light (Randfontein / Krugersdorp). Turn right towards Randfontein. At first stop street turn left into Mohlakeng. Continue straight to 3^rd stop street (NG Kerk). Turn right and follow road to church.

Reading Recommendations

I have recommended both 'Christ plays in Ten thousand places' and 'Eat this Book' by Eugene Peterson.   The third book in his 5 volume series on spiritual theology is now available.  Entitled 'The Jesus Way', it is a superb work and one I would regard, along with the others, as compulsory study for anyone wanting to do effective ministry.   When a group of us used it as the basis for our July retreat we only managed to work through the first 100 pages.   Buy it, read it, and apply it in your lives.

Year-Planner 2008

It seems hard to believe that we are already at this point of our year. The diary for 2008 is being prepared and I am asking all of you who have special requests for 2008 (centenary celebrations etc.) to let me know of them now. Every year people end up being disappointed because the Bishop is not able to attend their special function, but unless you let me know now, it is unlikely that I will be able to accommodate your request later.

Mike Endicott Workshop's on the Healing Ministry

This is just a reminder as Mike's visit has already been publicised. Details of the seminars are as follows:

For more information contact the Parish of St Martin's-in-the-Veld, Rosebank.

Month of Vocation

September is our diocesan 'Month of Vocation.' Special readings have been chosen and sermon notes and worship material prepared for each Sunday. Please use this time to focus on the ministry of all believers and to help your people to discover and nurture their vocation under God. We are all called; we all have a vocation - some of us to the ordained ministry - let us use this time well to the glory of God. All the weekly Month of Vocation material is available on the web-site ( www.cpsajoburg,org.za) or from the Diocesan Office.

Diocesan Young People's Portfolio

• The Diocesan Youth Council invites all young people to attend their Youth Festival to be held at St Barnabas' College, Bosmont on Saturday, 8^th September 2007. Events include Drama, Poetry, Dance, Choral Music and various other activities. For further information contact the Youth Desk at 011 336 8724 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• The Provincial 'Growing the Church' Department will be re-introducing a "Gap Year" programme for young people that will start at the beginning of 2008. Please submit names of suitable young leaders in your parish who would be keen to give a year of their lives in the service of God. They will be given 4 to 6 months of training, and will spend the remainder of the year working full-time in your parishes.

17th November: Diocesan Conference

In the 2007 Year Planner we reserved 17^th November for a Synod. Because we were able to attend to all the necessary business at our May sitting I cancelled the November sitting. At the most recent Ministry and Portfolio Leadership Team meetings it was felt that, because of the importance of the Covenant that is being proposed as an instrument of unity for the worldwide Anglican Communion, we should re-instate that date and ask clergy and parishes to meet, consider the matter, and bring their findings to the Conference on the 17^th November, so that we can forward our response to the Anglican Consultative Council. Summonses for that event will be issued shortly.

Raniero Cantalamessa Visit

Raniero Cantalamessa, one of the foremost specialists in the theology of the Spirit (his book 'Come Creator Spirit' is one of the finest books on the Holy Spirit that I have ever read) will be leading a conference of thanksgiving for the charismatic renewal in mainline churches.  

Details are as follows:-

To book, or for further info contact jb@telkomsa.net or marlene.barrett@eurotel.co.za

Suspension of a Priest

It is with deep sadness that I must report that Fr Neo Modise has been suspended from all ministry for a period of 3 years. This decision follows an Informal Tribunal held to consider accusations of priestly misconduct brought against him by the parish. Sadly, Neo was found guilty on each of the 4 charges brought against him and the severity of the charges was such that suspension was the only option.  

I hope that this announcement does not give rise to unnecessary gossip and hurtful comments. We are all of us sinners saved by grace and wholly dependent upon the grace of God. Neo's suspension should be, for all of us, an occasion for self-examination and much prayer, both for ourselves and our ministry, and for Neo and his family in what is for them a very difficult and painful time. Please keep them in your prayers and may your love be visible to them.

Moves, Appointments and Vacancies

Provincial News

• Please pray for Episcopal Synod which meets from 17^th - 20^th September, for Provincial Standing Committee meeting on 21^st - 22^nd September, and the Electively Assembly for the election of a new Archbishop which will be meeting from 25^th -27^th September. All these meetings take place in Cape Town. Please also continue to pray for those nominated for the position of Archbishop of Cape Town: Bishop Joh Seoka, Bishop Thabo Makgoba, and Rev. Barney Pityana.

Diocesan News

• Michael Oliphant has been appointed Rector of All Saints, Fourway Gardens with effect from 1^st January, 2008. Please pray for him and his family as they prepare for this new ministry.
• Dan Ngqumeya is still on sick leave following his heart attack. The decision has been made that, following his recuperation, he will not return to the Parish of the Good Shepherd, Tladi, but will be deployed in a less demanding and stressful setting. Please pray for him and his family at this time.
• Mike Fourie has been appointed Assistant Priest at St Michael's, Bryanston with effect from 1^st November 2007. Please pray for Mike and his family as they prepare for this new ministry.
• Phyllis Mgquba has been elected Archdeacon of Meadowlands. We wish Phyllis every blessing and continue to hold her in our prayers.

Wills

It is important that everyone has a Will spelling out what is to happen to his/her estate in the event of death. A Will need not be a complicated document, as long as it is correctly filled in and witnessed; and includes the names of beneficiaries and who is to get what. Copies of a draft Will can be obtained from Rodney Taylor, the Diocesan Secretary.

Grievance Procedure

Our Conflict Resolution team has worked hard in preparing and distributing laminated Grievance Procedure posters to all parishes. The purpose of these posters is not to complicate lives, but to reduce conflict in parishes; and to let people know their grievances will be taken seriously. To date I have seen only one poster displayed in the diocese. Please make sure that a poster is displayed prominently in your parish, and that the procedures are complied with during episodes of conflict. Failure to follow procedures is a breach of the Canons and will be ignored at your peril.

Dates for Diary

SEPTEMBER:

OCTOBER:

Family News

• Harold Matlala collapsed and died of a heart attack on Sunday 18 August. Harold had been the gardener at Bishop's House for the past 30 years, serving 5 bishops during that time. He was a warm, friendly man whose cheerful presence at Bishop's House will be sorely missed.
• It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Loreen McDougall who, after many years of ministry in the parish of St Peter's, Auckland Park, is now retiring in order to move closer to her family. For those who may not be aware, Loreen has the distinction of being one of the longest serving Deacons in our Diocese. We wish Loreen God's every blessing on her move and thank her for her loving, caring and faithful pastoral ministry.
• Simon Meje has been ill at home since the beginning of September. Please continue to pray for his return to health. More information may be obtained from Fr Sam Moswatlhe on 011 410 1324.
• Fr Sam Moswatlhe's mother-in-law, Puleng Mocheu, has been in and out of hospital this month and is still unwell. Please keep her and the family in your prayers. For more information please contact Fr Sam Moswatlhe on 011 410 1324.

Please remember the following persons in your prayers as they celebrate birthdays and anniversaries in the coming months:

September Birthdays and Anniversaries:

October Birthdays and Anniversaries:

General Notices

• The Sunday Morning Radio Broadcast Service: Will be relayed on Sunday, 28^th October 2007 from the Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley. The Dean is The Very Revd Brian Beck.
  
• Post-Ordination Skills Training: Please note that the date for the next training day has been changed from Saturday, 13^th to Saturday, 20^th October (Topic: Rules & Canons. Presenter: Pat Lane). Times: 09h00 to 16h00. Venue: St Margaret's, 9 Harper Road, Bedfordview. Bring & Share lunch. For more information contact Revd Patricia Lane. 011 455 4449.
  
• Insurance Renewal for the Year 2007/2008: There will be a delay in the issuing of insurances invoices for the new insurance year due to the implementation of the new computer system. The period of insurance on property and motor vehicles has been extended to 31 December 2007 to ensure enough time to revalue property where necessary and to allow for a look at potentially better rates/alternative types of cover. Nevertheless, you are still covered by the Fund.

(Do you want to see related pages, the whole site or the non-frames Sitemap?)