South Afrcia October 2013

"FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" Matt.19:14  

 

Children are a vital part of the living church.  Throughout Africa and now here in South Africa where Pastor Dennis Hilman and I,  Pastor Bob Maki,  labor with the United Lutheran Church, we are invited to many public schools and pre-schools to share the word of God.  Unlike in the United States the laws in SA do not prohibit Jesus from public places, including schools, where the preaching and speaking of Jesus is invited!

 

 

 Bishop Louis Mphahlele of the ULCSA with me receiving a warm welcome from the Head Mistress of the public Tsholofelo Education Centre in the township of Bekkersdal.

 

Yesterday we began the day at 7:30 a.m. at a public primary school in the township of Bekkersdal in Westonaria. This is the school which many of the children attend from our congregation in Bethlehem attend, where we preached on Sunday. When the Bishop, Louis Mphahlele, was driving us to that school he saw a number of children from that church walking to it.  He stopped the car and invited them to  pile into the back seat.  About 7 or 8 of them did so and rode to school with us.

 

 The school day begins with an assembly of of about 1000 plus children lined up outside in front of a platform area.  They begin by singing several hymns of Zion and then recite a prayer together.  In this prayer they ask God to watch over them this day and His help in being able to treat each other in a Godly way, and praying that God would be with them, helping them to learn.  A teacher then introduced the Bishop along with me as a pastor from the U.S.  bring God's word, and thanked us for coming.

I was asked to speak to the children.  While preaching I noticed big smiles of the faces of some of the them.  Later the Bishop related that these were children from the Bethlehem church and they would be telling their friends that  it was "my moruti" (their pastor) who was speaking.

Afterwards the principal encouraged the students to continue in the word that they had heard and walk in the light of Jesus Christ. He then led all of us in prayer.

 

 

Later that morning we went to the Tsholofelo Educare Centre, which is a creche or preschool also in Bekkersdal.  About a 100 small children and six teachers gathered with the four of us - the Bishop, Dennis, Mary Malefani and myself.  The teachers began by leading the children in several Christian songs.  It sounded like the voices of angels. 

We then acted out and told the story of the 99 sheep who the good shepherd left to go after the one little sheep who had wandered away. The Bishop translated to the Tswana language.  When we spoke the little ones listened carefully and you could see their reactions as the story was acted out:  sadness when the little sheep was lost and afraid and then they clapped and were happy when the Good Shepherd found the lost sheep and carried it back to the fold.

These little ones who believe in Jesus not only will become the Kingdom of Heaven but they ARE the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pastor Bob Maki

Chairman, ALCA Foreign Mission Board