IT solutions could cut costs if Mike Mac Murray has his way

Charles (centre) all smiles on his birthday ... those are his friends from Men of the Master

Dear friends,

We celebrated a day of technological innovation in celebration of the Lord today. Mike MacMurray brought his laptop and slide projector to church and we had a service with a difference. We started with who was on duty this morning - courtesy of our Blog site, which Mike copied into the presentation - and then the Bible readings and the Hymns were projected in order of the service.

It worked fantastically well. In the long term this could lead to a paperless environment in the church, as everything is on the screen. Yours truly had to do a crash course on the laptop, to manage the slides, and all went relatively well, with a blapses on my part, here and there. Thank you, for you patience, Mike.

The Marksman Online printouts, are now established on the notice board, in the A S Welsh Hall, available to all the congregation, who do not have access to the internet. This seems to be working well and the postings are managed on a weekly basis.

More good news is that Mac McTaggert has been quietly repairing our Supplementary Hymn books. The bindings on most are in tatters. Mac has bought a binder and he will do about 30 books a week, until all are repaired. One never knows - a power failure could negate the technological leaps, we're are making.

Beth is on leave until the 28th September, so Colleen will be in the office.

Remember the service starts at 10h00 sharp, next week and that time slot will remain. Solomon is also planning an 08h00 Communication service, once a month. We will have more on that story, once our sign offs are in place.

Our thoughts are with Norman and Liz, who are burying their loved ones this week. Please uphold them in your prayers.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial team.

Empty Tasks

That's Exodus on our big screen at St Mark's ... today our tanks were overflowing with happiness. 


27 August 2010

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

Yesterday I went up to Linga Longa on a short visit in preparation for our trip to Margate. I arrived with the two dogs and settled them back into the home, and then wanted to give them fresh water in their bowl. I tried to open the tap, and no luck the tap head seamed to be jammed. I went and used a spanner and still the tap head would not move, so using the spanner I opened the tap head thinking that the spindle was stuck. Expecting water to flow out the open, headless tap, still no water, I then realised that there was no water; the supply tank had run dry. After putting everything back and filing the tank from the borehole there was plenty of water.

I suppose we all have days when we think we should have water in our pipes, but we don’t it is almost as if our reservoirs are empty. We then take things apart, we check for all kinds of things, and only later realise that our tanks are dry. We need to be in the supply line to be supplied, and when we are not we run dry and eventually we have nothing left to give. In the same way we need to be connected to the Holy Spirit, to be in the constant supply from the tanks that never run dry. We do this by making sure that always have a ready supply, the more we use, the more we get. So we use love, we get love, we use peace, we get peace, we bring joy, we get joy. I hope you have got it!

Be encouraged today to remain connected to the Holy Spirit.

David

Point to ponder: Jesus is the everlasting waters of life.

Question to consider: Are you running dry?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

NOTE: David will be taking a break until 6 September. We look forward to his return. 

Civil Servants

26 August 2010 


Romans 13:6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

The problem with society today is that democracy was supposed to empower the people against the tyranny of government and allow the man in the street the capacity to believe that their vote makes the difference. In a democratic government the civil servants are the employees of the people, and the elected representatives ensure that the civil servants perform according to the mandate the people gave their representatives.

So when civil servants loose sight of who they serve, it is problematic, they are not employed to serve the elected representatives but the people who pay the taxes. In fact many people would say that civil servants are seldom civil.

What most people do not realise that although the strike is about salary, there is also a power struggle taking place amongst the political framework, which in a way is the continuation of the revolution of the liberation movement. It is also interesting to note that increases are determined by the budget, and operational savings.

So when people strike on a principle of no work no pay, this creates a saving which pays for the additional increase in the current operating budget. In the same way being civil servants, the increase is taxed in the normal way, as well as all spending by the civil servants will like all of us pay sales tax on anything we buy. In reality the additional increase will be repaid into the tax system, and will not impact in additional taxes.

As Christians we need to pray for those who are in the government and the trade unions, that they will apply wisdom and that God will bring His wisdom to bear on the situation. Be encouraged today to pray for those in authority in the land.

David

Point to ponder: Wisdom comes as a gift from God.

Question to consider: Do you pray for your government?

Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help.

NOTE: You can comment on David's devotional using the comment button below.

When reason does not apply

25 August 2010 


Proverbs 11:28-29 He who trusts in his riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. He who troubles his household will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

How does one reason in times when reason seems not to apply? In the world today we have such opportunities of hope, of expectation of better times to come, we look at the time of the Soccer World Cup and the focus of unity, and we know it can be done. Yet we see currently one labour strike after another having a disabling effect on society, with demands and counter demands, and how quickly disunity raises its ugly head. What do we learn from the situations we see that we would handle and do differently if we could?

When we do not learn from the past, we repeat past mistakes until we do. We observe this in individuals, in community and even in countries and the problems are that each generation does not appear to learn anything from the past, but needs to experience its own failures. So we see the old failed structures of the past reappearing under a new name, yet with the same features, we see the same clambering for power with different voices but the same vices. Instead of seeking ways of peace, people seek ways of intimidation and blackmail, greed and money being their primary goal.

These same people need hope and encouragement, because they seek it in the wrong place and never find it. They seek it in the material comforts of life; they build houses of straw and never find the peace they desperately need. The only hope they have is that of finding true peace that comes with a living relationship with Jesus Christ. When a country turns its back on Jesus Christ, they reject the hope and true prosperity that this brings.

Be encouraged to pray for those who seek their hope in material things so that they would turn back to Jesus Christ.

David

Point to ponder: Pray for those who have lost their way.
Question to consider: Are you praying for the lost to find their way?
Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za.

NOTE: Please feel free to comment on David's devotionals using the "comment" button below. Use the "Anonymous" profile at all time, but feel free to sign your name.

In need of prayer ... Liz's brother Ian has passed away

Dear Geoff and Marianne,

Frank fell yesterday and fractured his femur - he is being operated on right now at Umhlanga Hospital and I will let you know how he is getting along. Thank you for all your positive thoughts and prayer - that is what keeps me going!!!

Lots of love to you both,

Alison

_______________________________________________
Dear Geoff,

Norman Mangena's father has died in Zimbabwe. Please let the congregation know and uphold the family in prayer.

God bless,

Solomon.
_______________________________________________
Liz's brother has a sugar problem. The doctors are battling to stabilise his levels.

_______________________________________________
Joan McKay had hip operation, but now her doctors suspect the hip has fractured again. Please uphold all our friends in prayer at this time.

Liz brother Ian has passed away. Colleen has just informed Solomon via SMS. Please uphold her in prayer. William Pool will conduct the service.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial Team.

Joyce and Solomon catch a robber

Solomon ... came to Joyce's rescue, but our caretaker is in need of help with the sore on her leg.

Dear all,

Last Wednesday morning at around 03h00 I received a call from our caretaker Joyce. I sensed there was a problem immediately. I said to myself, “Things are not well.”

Normally Joyce does not just call me unless there is a problem. I picked up the phone and heard someone screaming (this was Joyce) asking me to please come out and help her.

I asked her “What is it Mama Joyce?” She said “There is someone in the compound and we have caught him trying to break into the office”. I went outside and I found this young man of around 30 years old with them and I started to ask him some questions about previous robberies.

He confessed to everything, even that he had sold the Navigator from the car for R80.

I called the police and they came after 30 minutes. I went with them to the police station and I opened a case (Case 245/8/2010).

Since then I have not heard anything about this case. I do not know how the South African police system works, and I am still waiting for them to tell me the outcome of the arrest since the man had confessed everything.

All things are in God’s hands 

Solomon.

NOTE: The sore on Joyce's leg has really got worse. She is in need of medical treatment. But with the hspital strike we will have to look at a private doctor option.

Christ crucified.

24 August 2010 

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
When Jesus was crucified and He was dying on the cross, there were two robbers being crucified at the same time. These two joined in the mockery of Jesus and derided Him, in the same way that His accusers did, however one of them realised his error and saw the Truth. In that moment of realisation he turned to Jesus and admitted that he deserved this death as a penalty for his crimes, and asked Jesus if he could meet Him in Paradise.

It is in this same way that we need to also be nailed to that cross, dying because of how we have lived, recognising our only hope is in Jesus Christ; for without Him there is no eternal life. We see Christ upon the cross, yet we do not see ourselves dying with Him there. Without dying, we cannot receive eternal life, and it is dying to self in that moment that we come alive with Christ.

Once we understand that in our death with Christ, we die to all sin, and coming alive with Christ we are dead to sin. Sin no longer has its hold on us, though we may still live imperfect lives, our imperfections are made perfect through Christ the Perfector of our faith. It is this way that we come to the reality that unless we die to self, we are still alive to sin. It is in this way that we place all that we are on the cross, in absolute surrender, naked, bound, broken, mocked, ill-treated, and in this way die completely to self, allowing Christ to resurrect us, to dwell in us, and for us to become Christ-like to all we meet.

Be encouraged today to die completely to self, and allow Christ to bring you new life.

David

Point to ponder: In Christ we are crucified.
Question to consider: Have you been crucified with Christ?
Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help dhutt@mweb.co.za 

Women's Association enjoyed Mike's fantastic slideshow

Mike MacMurray ... photographer supreme

The women of St Mark's turned out in numbers this morning, to see Mike MacMurray's  slideshow, of his and Barbara's  holiday, to New Zealand, in February this year.  Mike had a screen and projector set up in the church and eight members of the WA were joined by seven new members of Women in Faith to enjoy the views and Mike's narrative. Marianne was amazed to see so few wet days, in February,  in the Land of the Long White cloud.

The WA meeting followed and members of the Women of Faith also attended with offers of assisting with the the cake sales. Indeed the ladies are already planning a Christmas lunch for those, who will be alone on Christmas Day.Things are really moving at St Mark's.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial team.

A striking attitude!

22 August 2010

Jeremiah 22:13-14 "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbour serve him for nothing, and does not give him his wages; who says, 'I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,' and cuts out windows for it, panelling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion.'

A valid question for a Christian today is how do you respond to the society we live in, work in, and worship in? As a Christian we find ourselves wondering about what a fair wage is and to what ends may a person go to demand a higher wage. It amazes me to think that the very people that are on strike, who are violently protesting were most likely in church yesterday meeting to worship.

The hardest part of being a Christian is to be content with the wage we receive and to accept that those in authority pay what they believe the work to be worth. The higher the productivity the higher the worth, the lower the productivity the lower the worth, the one thing that we see in the public service is a low productivity, long queues, lack of respect for the service user and a general arrogance, and we see the same attitude reflected by those who go on strike.

As Christians how do we respond to this? We respond by recognising that we need to show who we are in Christ by helping and working harder, as employers to pay a wage that is worth the work of labourer, treat all with respect and dignity no matter who we may think we are in society.

Could you imagine Jesus Christ protesting and stopping children from going to school, to turn patients away from medical treatment, to throw rubbish in the streets and vandalise property? I simply cannot, therefore to be like Christ is change society by changing the hearts of people, to do to others as you would have done to you.

Be encouraged today to speak out as Christians of the love that we have for others, and to show it by the way we treat others.

David.

Point to ponder: As Christians our work productivity is not determined by the wage we earn.
Question to consider: Do you give value for the wage you earn?
Our webpage: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

NOTE: Rev David Hutt is a contributing editor to the Marksman Online and you look forward to his devotionals Monday through Friday. Please feel to interact with the Editorial team using the comment button below

"Signs" of hope for the future

The brave new face of St Mark's ... feel it, it is here!

St Mark's is clicking slowly but surely into high gear and there are now visible signs of the Lord's presence in Yeoville.

Not least of these is the massive new signboard on the corner of Kenmere Road and Frances Streets. The original signboard was stolen some years back, but our 21st century replacement, which was funded and built by Men for the Master, with considerable help from our part time "sign writer" Maureen Schoenfeldt,  is a fitting replacement.

This was a key project for the newly formed Men for the Master, as it was felt that new worshippers needed guidance as to where to find the church and to find out what what St Mark's is and was, a Presbyterian church in good standing.

Solomon's son David and his proud wife Perpetue ... check out the headlines on the weekly hard copy Marksman Online

Another challenge was how to get the benefits of the daily St Mark's Online blog, also a Men for the Project, to members of the congregation, who did not have internet connections. That one was easily solved when Session met for the recent Retreat.

We have now put a "print" button the Blog, to facilitate the printing the key articles and sticking these on the noticeboard for the congregation to peruse before tea.

NOTE Those who want hard copies can now simply ask the church office for a printout.

St Mark's meets the challenges of diversity

Adult baptism the African way .... a congregation of 109 participated in this landmark event

Sunday was a day of firsts for St Mark's. Firstly it was a very special day for the Rev Solomon Surwumwe.Our probationer, having now qualified as a priest, baptised four children and three adults into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

But with this came innovation. The children were baptised at the font, but the adults were to experience an immersion baptism, the first time this has been done at St Mark's. It's the end of winter in South Africa, but it was a chilly morning, nonetheless and having changed into their baptism outfits the adults were submerged into a plastic swimming pool, brought for the purpose, with the whole congregation in attendance. This was moving indeed.

What I found to be particularly moving is that old traditions also live on. There was Elder Joy Vardy to hand over the Bibles to the proud parents, for future instruction. One has a sense that St Mark's will live on taking what is good from the past and adding what is needed for the future.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial Team.


NOTE: You can see a slide show of 18 phonographs by clicking on the picture of the baptism in the right hand column.

Sophia to the rescue

That's our Sophia ... love of the Lord, flowers and St Mark's are her passions

Chairlady of the Women's Association, Sophia Williamson leaves for Texas on Thursday, for a holiday with family, sponsored by her two younger sisters. Sophia has been keen to meet the folks of North Alabama for so long, that she has agreed to cut her holiday short, and attend the celebrations in Huntsville in the final week, arriving on the Sunday before the departure of the South African group, on the 17th September.

Sophia will be sorely missed by her friends at St Mark's over the next few weeks. Today we celebrated our first ever immersion Baptism and.all the Elders duly processed outside the "witness" Solomon's first baptism after qualifying as a priest.

Sophia, forever, the practical one, fetched the offering plates and she and her sister Jacqui did the collection count. Needlessly  Irvine and Geoff had wondered where the funds had gone, upon returning to complete their scheduled tasks. But the matter was soon solved and we all left "uplifted" by the Spirit" on a very special day.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial Team.

Norman's trip to Alabama is off, but the dream lives on

Norman and the children of St Mark's .... his dream of visiting the USA lives on

Norman Mangena was chosen to represent St Mark's, as part of the 10 Year celebration, in respect of the partnership between the Presbytery of eGoli and their counterparts from North Alabama Presbytery. The event runs from the 3- 17 September in Huntsville, North Alabama.

Norman is a Zimbabwean, by birth, and this complicated the US visa application, the first time around. Heidi Meadows, from North Alabama,  and our Liz jumped in to assist, but in the end we failed to make the time limit required by the US authorities.

Norman is sadden by the turn of events, but there will always be a next time under the guidance of the Lord.

E-mail from Norman:

"Hi All,

Thank you for all the efforts and for assisting me in trying to get a visa for the visit to North Alabama next next month. Unfortunately I have been turned down yet again. This time the authorities did not even allow me to book an interview.

They simply told me, that according to legislation,  the visa application must be made 3 weeks before the date of depature. I suppose it was just not meant to be, not this time at least. I must admit it has been very depressing for me, but I know that all things will work out for the good of the childern of God, and those called according to his purpose.

Once again I would like to thank you all for you for your assistance. It has been a very challenging week even at work, but God gave me strength to carry on. Thank you very much Heidi and Liz for your assistance. Unfortunately someone sat on my phone and it's not working at present, Hopefully it will be fixed by tomorrow. We are moving offices at work and I am working this weekend, so I will not be at church on Sunday.

God bless you all,
Norman Mangena"

What the upgraded Marksman Online can do for you!

We can print the weekly Marksman Online highlights and stick them on the notice board, right though that gate,  negating the need for a costly quarterly production.

Dear friends,

I don't think most of our readers are aware of the interactive features that our Blog site offers. This is cutting edge stuff that will be a key driver in spreading Christ's teachings as Africa get's "hooked up" to the Internet.

1. The main body of the site contains articles about church activities and plans.
2. It also now offers a daily devotional courtesy of Rev. David Hutt.
3. You can comment on any articles using the "comment" button at the end of each article.
4. We are linked to Twitter and Facebook, which means that Christian social networking sites, such as those favoured by members of First Presbytery and Faith Presbytery in Huntsville, Alabama, can share in our world.
5. Former members of St Mark's can share in our challenges and successes and assist and advise via the comments button.
6. The right hand column is information-centric. There you have times of service, who is on duty and when, who are our office bearers on our various committees, pictures and slide shows of the "hot" happenings at St Mark's.  A map of how to get to our church, that expands if you click on it, and a Bible research tool to help  you delve deeper into the study of His word.
7. We have the church contact details and how you can get in touch with the editorial team.
8. And FINALLY we have the means to enable you to print and distribute each article of interest. That's the green button at the bottom of each feature. Just click on it and away you go.
9. The Editorial team will print a weekly selection of the best contributions and pin them on the church notice board for the benefit of those, who do not have an Internet connection.
10. This will replace the Quarterly Marksman, in time, as it is far more immediate. The office can also then print a particular article, at the request of a member of the congregation.

NOTE: You can comment on whether printed articles from the Marksman Online, pinned on the notice board, would be of more value than a quarterly document, where the information is badly dated. We would love your views. Use the comment button below. And if you are asked for a profile, take the "anonymous" option. Play with this feature and see how you go.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial team. 

Frank O'Neill is coping well with "chemo"

Alison has e-mailed us with great news ... Frank is doing well. That's him with Giyani just before the move to Durban.

Hi Geoff & Marianne

So far so good. They are only going to give him 10 radiation sessions - apparently they have increased the normal dosage to 3x so that it can be done in a shorter time. He has taken his first 2 treatments very well and not been at all sick; in fact today after his session he felt like some oysters!! (I thought it was pregnant women who got strange yens) so we went to the Lifesavers Club for lunch and he got 7 locally harvested Umhlanga wild oysters and apparently they are superb!

Thank you for the prayers. St Marks and its wonderful people are always in our thoughts and prayers that you will continue with all your good work in Yeoville.

Love

Alison

Peace Breakers!

This is the Christ Healing Centre near Bela Bela


20 August 2010 

"Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 

It is sometimes hard to understand how other people think and act, and even though we do not want it to impact on us, it still does. There are just some people who are peace breakers and they do it without any effort or thought, it is almost as if they were born to it. We need to be at peace within ourselves and with others to actually be at peace with God, and when that peace is disturbed we need to restore that peace.

With those that are peace breakers, when you need to restore peace it will always be on their terms and you will always be the one that feels guilty, even though you are not.

The tools of peace breakers are manipulation, coercion, authority, blackmail, threat, and these are used by them to gain what they need, and we usually give in to avoid conflict and to maintain peace on their terms. The result of this is that we often feel betrayed; abused and on top of it all feel it is out fault and not theirs.

It appears we give them the right and authority to control our peace at the cost of our own peace. The tragedy is that most often those that are peace breakers are sometimes those that we love the most.

We all need to take a step back and ask ourselves how manipulative are we to get what we want at the expense of those we love, often we do not realise how abusive it really is, because we have grown accustomed to it.

Be encouraged today to be a peace maker rather than a peace breaker.

David."

Point to ponder: We are called to be peace makers.
Question to consider: Do you accept peace at any cost?


David's Contact details:


David's webpage:: www.chf.yolasite.com

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Note: We would like you to share your thoughts on "Peace Breakers" by using the "Comment" button below. 

What is Right?

Rev. David Hutt, of the Christ Healing Fellowship, has joined the Marksman Online Editorial team. His daily scripture reading is now available via our website or on request from David himself via e-mail. His contact details are below. David, of course, presented the Healing Seminar at the church recently and has now become a true friend of our congregation as we spread the good news that Jesus Christ lives. David's website can also be found under Christian links bottom right of your screen. Just scroll down until you find the link. 

David prays for Liz at the recent Healing weekend ... welcome to the Marksman David.


19th August 2010


"Deuteronomy 16:19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality; and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. 

What is right? In the place where we find ourselves today it is harder to determine what is right than what is the truth. The truth is something which is based on facts and is hard to dispute, we sometimes cloud the truth or deny the truth, but it does not change the truth. Yet right is shaded in emotions and personal opinions and if not based on something it would always be a personal opinion. In order to understand what right behaviour is, we determine this within the culture that we find ourselves in. Right is thus painted in cultural values, and is reflected in the laws of the land.

When one considers that western culture is based on Christian values and the high impact of biblical influence on the historical decision makers it becomes obvious that though many would deny being Christian, they enjoy the stability and order that Christian values have entrenched in society. Right in this sense is always influenced by these values, and any contrary view is seen as wrong. Where the wrong is seen, there is an expectation that this would be corrected so that right would prevail. Even if a person is found not guilty in a corruption case, the fact that corruption took place should not be ignored and the right perpetrator be found and justice prevails.

The problem however is that in some cultures right behaviour is not based on Christian values and is thus rejected by them as western domination. Their response is that they see their position of power as an opportunity for self enrichment and reward for past injustice. Right in this case is determined through power and position of authority.

Be encouraged today to seek right as God sees it.

David."

Point to ponder:: God is the only guide on what is right.

Question to consider: On what do you base your right behaviour?

Contact David:
Our webpage:  www.chf.yolasite.com
Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

NOTE: You can comment on David's "thoughts for the day" by using the Comment button below. Just follow the instructions you see on the screen. If you are prompted for a profile, use the "Anonymous" option, but sign your name on your message to us. And you can get more information about David's ministry on his web page. You will find the address under his contact details above.

Update on Norman's visa application from Huntsville

Dear Geoff, Liz, and Norman:

Update for Monday. I have Norman's visit letter and request for re- evaluation and granting of the visa request written. I included a more detailed and individual request this time. Our pastor at First Presbyterian put it on our church letterhead and signed it. I will scan it in and send you a copy tomorrow.  I will also contact Ms.

Jordan at Senator Shelby's office and get a copy of the letter to her.

She will probably be able to write their official Government letter quickly, and the plan is for her to call the SA Embassy within a couple of days before Norman's next visa request and interview date.
She will make personal contact with the person doing the interview and intervene on his behalf, and send over her letter.

The next thing that needs to happen is for Norman to re-apply for a visa, or somehow set it up so that he can get another interview or application review.  Then he needs to let us know the interview date and time.

I will send you a copy of the letter we wrote, and another update tomorrow. I hope it is not too late to re-apply, but it seems as though things are headed in a more positive direction.

In His Love,

Heidi

St Mark's strategises for the future

Veronika, Colleen and Val having lunch at the Elders Retreat


OUR VISION:

To be a Christ focused caring community

Meaning

We aim to be a light in the darkness,a thriving Christian community serving the Lord with vigour and cheerfulness.

How do we achieve this?

By encouraging growth and participation in the Lord’s ministry in Yeoville:

· Improving communication
· Building relationships
· Retaining and integrating our visitors, to become members
· Growing all worshippers (members & non members) in caring faith

A few interesting facts about St Mark’s in 2010:

Of our membership
 We are:

•               58% Black
•               55%  of all members are women             
•               45%  are men
•               70% live less than 5kms away. 
•               Half of these are in Yeoville (35%)
•               Just over 10% live between 5 and 10kms away      
•               Fewer than 20% live more than 10kms away 

Average age of the worshippers in the pews is just under 50 years,  with 53% of the congregation 45 or younger

Blessings,

Elizabeth White
Session Clerk St Mark's

Here we go John ... you can now print the Marksman Online articles

The internet has everything ... the editorial team has tracked a widget that now enables us to print Marksman Online articles/ It's a functionality that John Bowman has wanted for a long time. 

Dear friends,

There is a spanking new feature on the Marksman Online blog site. You can now e-mail, print and otherwise share the Blog articles with friends. Click on the “Print Friendly” button at the end of each article to activate. This is an answer to our friend John Bowman’s request for such a feature. Please pass the Blog articles on to friends.

Yes we can even print in the church office and stick on the notice board for those without Internet to share. He we go Beth!


Watch this space for more innovations::

• Weekly Poll at the bottom of the right hand column. Vote today on church issues..
• Integration of Skype in church office.
• Bulk SMS activated in church office.

.

God Bless,

The St Mark’s Editorial team.

The vision ... to be a Christ focused caring community

St Mark's ... we will strive to be a Christ focused caring community

St Mark’s has been undergoing a gradual period of change in the 21st century in that most of our congregation now comes from Yeoville (80 percent) and the average age of the worshippers in the pews is 45 years and younger. Many immigrants, some of whom are French speaking, now need to be catered for, while we must be careful not to alienate the stalwarts, who have made St Mark’s the great and caring Christian community that it is.

The new landscape therefore challenge the traditional way we have done things at St Mark’s and to grow and serve the Lord a turnaround strategy has been developed to make us a light in the darkness, with a thriving Christian community serving the Lord with vigour and cheerfulness.

The key to our rebirth is our new “Vision Statement”, which will guide our growth in the next five years, along with our Mission Statement, which is already in place.

Session deliberated over 2 days last weekend at a Retreat in Orchards and the outcomes of those deliberations will be shared with the congregation in the weeks to come. Here is the first output for your information.

VISION
To be a Christ focused, caring community
Measurables of Vision Statement:
1. Participation
2. Membership

MISSION
Under the Sovereignty of God to Proclaim the Full Gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve members of the community in order to bring them to a saving and growing relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial Team.

Red alert for Norman

Norman Mangena ... we still have not given up on solving his visa problem

Dear Geoff,

I haven’t heard back from the request I e-mailed Norman for some more detailed information, so I can begin writing letters from here. I only have an e-mail for him (no phone number) and I know Liz said she would be out of the office without access to her e-mail the rest of this week.

If you see or can get in touch with Norman, can you please pass my request on to him? I’m not sure how to contact him, except through you. And if you don’t see him till church on Sunday, that’s fine too – I just think working on things as soon as we can is probably prudent. Maake also did not write me back, but I know he is out of town at a conference through Friday.

Thanks so much,
Heidi

Heidi fights to get Norman to North Alabama

Our "twin"  church in Huntsville ... we pray Norman gets to see it first hand

Norman, Liz, Maake, and Geoff:

After sharing several e-mails with Liz and talking with Maake, I have communicated with both the Washington and Huntsville offices of our Alabama State Senator, Mr. Richard Shelby, to ask for help in getting Norman’s visa granted.

Ms. Lefrieda Jordan in the Huntsville office has been assisting me, and has some experience in this area. She said that she will need Norman’s full name, date of birth, perhaps country/city of birth, and any other identifying numbers – such as a passport number.

From this side, I will have to get and provide to them a copy of an invitation letter specifically for Norman, in addition to the letter the N Alabama Presbytery sent for the whole group. (She will need both). She said she can then send a letter on behalf of the Senator, to the Embassy in Johannesburg, requesting special consideration.

She said that the letter would only be evaluated in conjunction with a second Embassy interview that Norman would have to set up, though (and presumably pay an extra R1200 fee to conduct).
It would also be helpful to know some other details – when Norman came from Zimbabwe, how long he has been in SA, how long he has been with his current employer, and any other facts that might influence the decision to grant Norman’s visa.

I can start on our part of the letter as soon as I also get Norman’s information, and can work with the office here to get a letter from the Senator. That is still NOT a guarantee that the visa will be granted, though, and I don’t know how much trouble or expense would be involved in requesting and getting a second interview. Ms. Jordan would prefer to send the letter over to SA just a day or two before the second interview, and to the person Norman is set up to talk with – but she said she will also let me have a copy of that same letter, to send to Norman in advance, to take with him.

I don’t know if it is still worth all the effort from your SA side, but we are willing to do the part that we can from here – if you think it will help.

Please let us know how you’d like to proceed, but I will start working on getting a second letter done from our Presbytery and/or church here. Also, if you have a copy of the N. Alabama letter that was used for the initial request for the whole team, it would be helpful to have a copy of it. I will try to get it from our Presbytery office, but as Warner is on leave it may be harder to locate.

Thanks – and praying for the best

Heidi

Letter to the Editor

John and his ex technical advisor Jenny ... yes the new Blog site is quite RAM intensive

Hi Geoff,

I like the "New Look" Marksman very much!!

I'm just sorry that I can't print individual items - whether through ignorance or not I can't say??
Thirdly, if Sue Long is no longer a member of St Marks, how can she still be on the Finance Committee??

Next - it takes ages to connect after clicking on the "Bar" on the email page. My ex-resident Technical Adviser says that is because of my old clonker of a machine and I ought to buy a new one!! She doesn't seem to realise that I'm a penurious old age Pensioner! (We got a handsome 4.3% increase in our pensions; the Jhb Council has washed its hands of us and we have to fund any increases out of our own resources.)

If I can find it I want to forward a letter from Mary Strick, a (very) former member, regarding the WA. I have given her the Blog site and she keeps in touch that way

Regards

John.

Collaboration with Christian.Com website offered

Dear friends,


This is Mike, I am an editor for Christian.com which is a social network dedicated to the christian community. As I look through your web site I feel a collaboration is at hand. I would be inclined to acknowledge your website offering it to our users as I'm sure our audience would benefit from what your site has to offer. I look forward to your thoughts or questions regarding the matter. 


Blessings,


Michael Anderson.

Exciting new initiatives at St Mark's

Moshe busy capturing the team inputs, watched by Colleen and Veronika

Dear friends,

Session broke away for a two day retreat in Orchards over the past weekend and the deliberations were fruitful, guided by our Interim Moderator Moshe Rajuli..

A "Vision Statement" has been drafted, which aligns with St Mark's current "Mission Statement" (that's in our weekly Diary) and this in turn led the to team identifying goals that will guide us into the future as we grow the Lord's flock in Yeoville.

A "strategy" has also been drafted, which will lead to a "to do" list for all of us. It's vital that all of you in the pews give of your gifts to our ministry and that everyone gets involved. There will be a lot more detail coming up in the following few weeks.

Norman, Felix and Joseph plotting the way forward in Orchards

In the short term, the Men for the Master will be erecting a new signboard to advertise our presence.That should be complete before the Communion service.

A new women's group will meet on Saturdays. The launch will be on the 14th August.

The Couples Fellowship will start on the 5th September, which is also Communion Day.

The Morning service has been rescheduled. From the 5th September it moves from 10h30 to 10h00. Set those alarm clocks if necessary.

Blessings,

The St Mark's Editorial team.

North Alabama pray for Norman

Dear Geoff,

I just saw the note about Norman's (Mangena) visa request having been turned down. We are upholding him in prayer and hope it will be granted, if there is a way to apply again.

Have you talked with Rev. Maake Masango (pastor at Alexandra)? He is coming with the group in September as well. I've known him for many years, and he and his wife Pauline have told me in the past that they don't have trouble getting visas to come over - so perhaps he has a special way of requesting mission-related visas. And you may have already tried everything - I just thought it was worth mentioning, just in case.

Norman's visa and visit are in our prayers.  

Heidi

John & Chris meet up with the Snymans in Wales

John, Chris and Nadene all smiles in Wales. Check out the slide show in the right hand column 

Hi All

We have had the most wonderful evening with John, Chris and Elaine in Mumbles, Wales. It was wonderful to catch up with wonderful friends and hear about the St Mark's family. It was a special time and here are some pics to share.

All our love

Nads and Kev

A wonderful weekend with the focus on Healing

Rev David Hutt lays hands on the Session Clerk of St Mark's Elizabeth White

Few attended the Healing seminar hosted by the Rev David Hutt on Saturday morning, but the numbers increased during the day as did the interest.

 On Saturday:
- David started the service with the music from his laptop,with speakers and projector (I need something like that). He started by explaining what is 'healing" and "why we need healing ministry."  He explained that healing is the restoration of a relationship between God and His people. This is because God wants to change the hearts of His people. This is why every congregation should be the body of Christ in the community. Thus the church should have a healing ministry as part of the service.

- He spoke of "having faith and believing". He explained the 'Work of the Holy Spirit in healing' and ended with healing today.

On Sunday:
It was a normal service with a powerful preaching of the Word and which ended with praying for those who are sick. Almost the whole congregation came forward for prayer. Elvis took some photos of this service, which you will be able to see elsewhere on our Blog site.
Thank to to Rev David Hutt from all of us at St Mark's.

Blessings,

Emmanuel Solomon Surwumwe