Pastoral Letter # 1
Fish Hoek Methodist Church
Greetings to you all.
As we move into the second month of 2025, I am sure that many of us have noticed that our lives have become more and more hectic. We have already filled in the pages of January, and now the rest of the year lies before us as a blank page.
I pray that we are guided by the Holy Spirit as we fill our days with activities, commitments and demands. May we seek to make Christ a priority in our schedules, and to offer him the best of who we are. So often we intend to put God first in our lives, but soon our best intentions are eroded by the demands of life. May these words from Proverbs 3 inspire us in this regard.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
Moving forward, we are expecting that our Church calendar will also be full and exciting this year. There are weekly bible studies, worship services, craft markets, youth and children’s events, mission projects, breakfasts, gatherings, hikes and a whole lot more. Please stay connected to our community (and all the ministries) by asking us to connect you to our WhatsApp group, emails and social media pages. This will be a big help. If you are not on the WhatsApp group, please send a message to 084 7396440 and we will put you onto the group.
We have started our Youth and Children’s ministries already and we would love to encourage all kids/teens in your families, to join us for these events. Please contact one of the leaders if you need more information. This is such an important part of our Church family. We also plan to lead a Kids Camp and another Youth Alpha course later this year, so watch this space for details.
We will celebrate our Annual Covenant Service on the 9th of February – this will be at both our Sunday services and will include Holy Communion. Please try to be at one of those services, as we will be renewing our promises to Jesus, and reflecting on where we can serve God in the body of Christ.
New Members – we are inviting all visitors and new members to join us at our Meet and Greet evening on the 20th of February at 6pm. This is just for one hour and it gives us all a chance to say ‘Hi’ and to have more time to introduce ourselves. We would love to see you there.
Following on from this, we will be having special Welcoming Services on the 23rd of February. This is for ALL New Members. If you have not been part of a service like this before, then please come to one of those services. We haven’t managed to have one of these services for a while, so we hope to see as many of us there as possible.
On a Circuit level, we are delighted that Rev. Wesley and Bronwen Pillay have begun their ministry at Tokai and Muizenburg churches. They are settling in very well and this has released me from the oversight of the Tokai community for 2025. However, as you are aware, I have been given the new responsibility of serving as the District Supervisor of Studies. This role involves preparing all candidate and probationer ministers for their exams, screenings and assignments. This role also covers the evangelists in our District, as well any other training function of the church. Please uphold me in your prayers, as it seems as I have moved from the ‘frying pan’ into the fire!
As part of the Methodist Church’s current mission focus, “Awaking Prophetic Urgency and Agency – Reviving the Church of Christ” we have been called to embarked upon a PILGRIMAGE OF RENEWAL in 2025. Essentially this is inviting us to journey together as Christians from all over Southern Africa, asking ourselves what it means to live for Jesus Christ.
Since the early Church, Christians have been labelled as ‘different’ or ‘alternative’ – these labels originated in how we exercised the call to follow Jesus. Being committed to His ways has made us stand out from the crowds and called us to a new way of being. Pilgrimage is at the heart of following God, as it reminds us that we are not ‘home’ yet. When we commit to the journey of faith, we choose to a be discipleship movement, led by the Spirit of God.
I close off this letter by Sounding an urgent Call. Our sister church in Simon’s Town is going through a difficult time at the moment and is needing some love, care and support. Their membership is struggling, and their leadership team is feeling exhausted and overburdened. In consultation with Rev. Effah Atuahene, I am asking for anyone in our community who feels led to serve in their Sunday services (10:15am) to come forward and speak to me. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the following main areas:
- Helping to lead the worship/music (just once a month)
- Bible Readers
- People who can help with congregational prayers from time to time
- Door stewards and people willing to serve in other practical ways
- Worshippers – may just simply be to attend and encourage folk through this season.
This is a unique calling, and it would be wonderful if we were able to share our gifts with our friends. Please prayerfully consider embracing this Mission that is right on our doorstep.
- “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12: 7
“If I do it by myself, for myself, it’s death. If I do it with God for others, its life, because whatever I do with God for others outlives my life.” – John Ortberg
Thank you once again for your loyal support, prayers and love. Blessings
Delme, Kim, Declan, Nathan and Joshua