Ncumisa

600 Servers take up the challenge of caring for creation God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. The Anglican Server’s in Action (ASIA) from the Diocese of Mzimbuvu came together for their annual Diocesan Conference in Matatiele on the weekend of the 9 to 11 August 2019. The conference saw over 600 young people in red from across all over the Diocese. After a day full of pray and worship Bino Makhalanyane from Green Anglicans  was afforded space to address the conference as Care for Creation remains one of the main priorities in the Diocese. The message from the Green Anglicans was that young people should understand that they form part of God’s creation and as server in the church of God, they need to serve God by taking care of God’s creation as per mandate in Gen 28-29. But most importantly they need to take up this duty knowing that when God created humans He then said it was very Good , young people need to know that each one of them is good and beautiful in God’s eyes and should take it upon themselves to taking care of themselves and their neighbours as we always say during penitence at a Eucharist service  “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Therefore, as you buy and through away things keeping your space clean, remember that others stay near dumping sites and it is your trash that goes there and makes them sick, lets Reduce , Reuse and Recycle. As servers it is not only our duty to serve in the Sanctuary but also to remember that “the Earth is the Lord’s” and all of creation is holy and we must look after it. The Green Anglican office wishes to salute Ms. Azolo Ludidi (outgoing ASIA President) for having impactfully served as the ASIA President for six years, we wish her well in her journey going forward.

SPIRITUALITY AND  STEWARDSHIP The women of the Diocese of False Bay gathered at the beautiful Grail Centre in Kleinmond for a weekend Eco-retreat to celebrate women’s day 29 enthusiastic ladies joined the programme. The retreat was led by Canon Rachel Mash – environmental Coordinator for the Province. At the start of the retreat she reminded us that God can speak to us through nature as well as through the written word of God “the heavens declare the glory of God’ And she encouraged us to slow down, be still and experience the presence of God.  We started with a Taize service, lighting candles and moving to a time of reflective silence The morning meditation was framed with birdsong as we listened in the stillness to the sound of birds also worshipping God. The theme for our Bible study and personal meditation was trees –  sharing which gifts God has given us and which fruits have grown in our lives. We then looked at how deep our roots go into God, so that when there are times of drought and hardship, our roots can reach God’s living waters deep in our soul. The lunch time Eucharist continued the theme of trees and we learned that in order to grow our ministries we need to be grafted onto what has come before – not just wanting to start brand new things every time. We also need to plant when the ground is ready! In the afternoon despite the wind a group set off up Jean’s hill – to catch amazing views out over the coast – reflecting on parts of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si. 4 intrepid ladies even made it right to the top of the mountain! Sunday ended with the blessing of a Eucharist in the ‘forest chapel’ let by Rev Wilma Jacobsen and what a treat for many of us to reconnect as she has just returned from the USA May God bless this ministry of spirituality and stewardship as it becomes a movement through the Diocese.

AFTER THE FLOODS – EQUIPPING YOUTH LEADERS IN CARE FOR CREATION The Anglican Diocese of Mzimvubu had their one-day training for Youth and Sunday School leaders on Friday the 9th of August at the Diocesan Centre in Kokstad.  The day started off with a reflection on the current state of affairs. We looked at the impact of climate change and reflected on the economic impact on young people.  Young people, as per Africa tradition will have to provide for their families and as less crops are grown in rural areas, young urban people will take the strain of sending more cash home. We also looked at the theology of Caring for Creation. God said that all He made is good, but now we see destruction.  We also looked at the recent floods experienced in the Archdeaconries of Mbizana and Mt Frere and how the people have been left to now rebuild their homes , those in agriculture lost their vegetables  and livestock . The workshop led by Bino Makalanyane and Yolanda Mcaula equipped the youth leaders to use the new youth manual – Care for Creation. Time was spent in building compassion on God’s Creation, as we believe without compassion the leaders won’t prioritize the manuals, during this time we looked at the spiritual connection and then moved on to how kids best learn. The leaders then became kids where we divided into groups and did different sessions using the manual. This day was full of action, laughter and joy. When all was done, one of the youth leaders said it’s amazing how the manual is structured and believes that it will help them have more impactful youth ministries at their Parish.

THE DIOCESE OF KHAHLAMBA CHOOSES YOUNG WOMAN TO HEAD UP ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTRY The Diocese of Khahlamba held its strategic meeting on Environmental Ministry Bishop Moses challenged the gathering with a strong biblical message to be stewards and caretakers of the Earth.  Inspired by the Eco bishops gathering he is determined that his Diocese will implement key actions on the Environment. Rev Rachel Mash gave a challenging overview of the impact of climate change on drought and floods rising food prices and instability – as well as the impact of plastic on the land, oceans and our health. A powerful structure was elected, with Sinazo Songca as the Environmental Coordinator.   As Rev Rachel said “ the older generation were called to be stewards of the Earth and we have failed Now young people are being raised up to be healers of the Earth” A core team was elected and reps will be chosen by each organisation.  Archdeaconry reps will also be selected. Watch this space!!!

Manual Training in the Diocese of George On the 27 July 2019 a Youth Leader and Sunday School Teachers workshop took place in the Diocese of George, which was led by Bino Makhalanyane and John-Paul Roberts (JP). The workshop was hosted by the parish of St Alban’s in Pacaltsdorp. The training was an eye opener for many who came to realise the impact of climate change on the world of today. The workshop started off with a devotion from Fr. James, where everyone was challenged to think about how we treat creation. This was then followed up by a video and a bible study around restoration. The youth leaders’ manual training was led by Bino. It was a time of interaction as they looked at areas where mankind have hurt earth in local communities. The group learned on how best they can make use of the new Care for Creation Youth manual, the five T’s (Tune-in, Touch, Talk, Think & Review, Take-action). The Sunday school teachers’ manual training was led by JP and was a time of social interaction in the forms of discussion. Covering the purpose of the manual and the structure for weekly lessons. It was a great time of sharing whereby teachers, shared their desires and struggles and how the manual will help. The weekend ended off on a high as the Sunday Eucharist at St. Alban’s was about Biodiversity to close off their Season of Creation. This was so fitting especially with the regards to the training that took place the day before. We would like to say a big thank you Fr. Edwin and the church wardens for allowing us to come and use the church, and a special thank you to Jermaine for helping the Green Anglican team. May God continue to flourish your community with many blessings as you continue to do the work that you do. JP Roberts We appreciate the support of CTEET and the Table Mountain fund for this programme

SUNDAY SCHOOL AND YOUTH LEADERS TRAINING IN MATLOSANE A vibrant group of Sunday School teachers and Youth leaders met for a workshop on Care for Creation in Matlosane. Sunday School teachers were taught by Rev Rachel Mash using the manual ‘Ryan the Rhino “ Manual in a fun interactive session. At some stages the teachers became children and a lot of laughter followed! The manual covers the story of Creation and looks at littering, saving water, climate change, tree planting and other environmental issues Youth leaders from across the Diocese were trained by Bino Makhalanyane and Kgowe Moleme on how to use the new “Care for Creation” Manual  which involves interactive sessions looking at the roots of environmental challenges and how we as the church can respond.