Tiriso ya Lore mo ketapeleng le mo tumelong: Thuto e khutshwane mo bokaong jwa Mokgatlho wa Banna ba efangele mo kerekeng ya Tshatshe (English Version included)

 

 

Erile ke lemoga gore jaaka moetapele wa mokgatlo wa efangeli mo kerekeng e e katolika, kereke ya Tshatshe, tiro yame e bokete ntle le sedirisiwa sengwe, eleng lore kgotsa yone thobane e e dirisetswang go kaela ba re ba eteletsengpele. Ka bona gole matshwanedi gore ke leke go ka tlhalosa le go ruta ka ga botlhokwa le bokao jwa Lore mo ketapeleng ya tumelo.

 

Pono yame mo thutong e e itshigeditse thata mo dikwalong le dithuto tsa beibele e e boitshepo le sedumedi, mme e lebelele le bokao jwa seno ka leitlho la seAforika, segolothata mo go tsa ketapele mo malobeng le mo segompijenong. Kgangkgolo e le gore, ke lebeletse ka tlhoafalo tsela e dikereke le mekgatlo ka go farologana ga yone e dirisang lore kgotsa dithobane le mefuta emeng ya dithupa le dithupana. Potso e le gore, a na dithupa le dithupana tse, bokao jwa tsone ke eng, a gongwe ke go supa gore botlhe ba ba ditshotseng ke baetapele, kgotsa gongwe go kaya gore re tsile tlhabanong, kgotsa tlhaloso ngwe fela?

 

Karabo ya potso e ereng ‘a fa botlhe ba tshwere dithupa le dithupana go kaya gore botlhe ke baetapele na?’, re e bona mo puisanong yame e e potlana le mokwadi le moitseanape mo go tsa setso le ngwao Rre Sethunya Moss Kgafela, yo o re rayang are "go na le pharologanyo magareng ga motho yo eleng moeteledipele le yo e leng moetapele". Thuto ya ga Rre Kgafela e re ruta gore “moeteledipele ke motho kgotsa batho ba ba romiwang go etelelapele loeto lwa baeng kgotsa moeng yo e kabong e le moetapele kgotsa motho wa maemo a a kwa godimo” (S.M. Kgafela. 15/12/2025). Sekao sa gagwe se setswang mo Beibeleng e e boitshepo se tswa mo efangeleng e e kwadilweng ke ngaka Luka moitshepi, kgaolo ya lesome, temana ya ntlha fa a re raya are, “Jeso o ne a romela barutwa ba le masome a supa le bobedi go mo etelela pele, ba le babedi ka bobedi, kwa metseng le mafelo a a neng a ikaeletse go a etela. Boikaelelo jwa bone e ne e le go dira jaaka baeteledipele, ba baakanyetsa batho molaetsa le loeto lwa ga Jesu” (Luke 10:1). Luka o re raya gape mo kgaolong ya borobongwe, temana ya some a matlhano le bobedi are “Jesu o romela barongwa kwa pele go tsena mo motsaneng mongwe wa Basamarea go ipaakanyetsa go goroga ga gagwe” (Luke 9:52). Mme thuto e fa e tswelela pele e re ruta gore “moetapele ke motho yo o eteletseng pele morafe, setlhopha kgotsa setheo se se rileng, Beibele e e boitshepo e re ruta ka bontsi jwa batho ba mofuta o, go simolola kwa testamenteng e kgologolo goya kwa go e ntshwa, bangwe ba bone ba akaretsa Mose, Josua, Samuele, Esera, Nehemia, Paulo, le ene Keresete Jesu morwa Modimo, le babangwe. Mo thutong e, re ka tseya gore rona mo mokgatlong warona wa efangele, go dumelesegile gore bakaulengwe ba ka tshwara dithobane kgotsa dithupa le dithupana tsa bone jaaka baeteledipele, ba eteletswepele ke moetapele kgotsa baetapele ba setheo, kgangkgolo e le gore ’lebone mo isagong bakabo ba tsogile e le baetapele’, setso le ngwao di re ruta gore “Lore lo ojwa lo sa le metsi”, seo se raya gore ”ngwana o rutwa molao kgotsa tsela a sa le monnye”.

 

Ka jalo re tlhoka gore re ka tlhatlhoba bokao jwa Lore mo ketapeleng, fa re dirisa hisetori, re tla lemoga gore ‘tiriso ya thobane kgotsa Lore jaaka letshwao la maatla le taolo, e simolotse bogologolo go feta bokao jo bo gagametseng jwa Bokeresete’, ke kagonne bokeresete bo simolotse moragorago goya ka testament entshwa. Mo beibeleng ya Sehebere, thobane ya ga Moshe (kgotsa "thobane ya Modimo") e ne e le sedirisiwa sa taolo le maatla a bomodimo se se neng se dirisiwa go dira dikgakgamatso, jaaka go kgaoganya Lewatle le Lehibidu le go ntsha metsi go tswa mo lefikeng (Ekesodu 14:21-29 le Ekesodu 17:5-7). Gape thobane ya ga Arone e ne e dirisiwa jaaka sesupo sa boeteledipele jwa gagwe jo a bo tlhopetsweng ke Modimo. Bofaro le Badiredibagolo ba Egepeto wa bogologolo le bone bane ba dirisa dithobane jaaka letshwao la taolo le puso ya segosi, le badiredibagolo ba bone ba maemo a a kwa godimo le bone ba ne ba tshwara dithobane go bontsha maemo a bone a ketapele. Le mo setsong le ngwao ya seAforika, bagolwane ba Setšhaba sa Kikuyu gotswa kwa nageng ya Kenya, ba ne ba rwala dithobane (muthigi) e le letshwao la konokono la boeteledipele mo lekgotleng la setšhaba (Kiama). Mo go Numeri kgotsa buka ya Dipalo kgaolo ya some le bosupa (Numbers 17), Modimo o ne a laela Moshe gore moeteledipele mongwe le mongwe wa lotso (go akaretsa le Arone) a tle le thobane, fela e ne ya nna thobane ya ga Arone fela e e neng ya tlhoga ka kgakgamatso, ya thunya le go ungwa thamane, e leng se se neng se tlhomamisa taolo ya gagwe ya boperesiti le boetapele, sekao ele gore ‘ga se botlhe ba ba rweleng dithobane eleng baetapele, le gore thobane e tlhomologile e bile e boitshepo’. Re ka adima gape mo ngwaong ya Aforika ya go fetela kwa bonneng, bogolosegolo mabapi le dingwao tsa baSotho, amaXhosa le Batswana, gore “kwa bokhutlong jwa thulaganyo le loeto lwa go bolola, monna mongwe le mongwe o tla rwala thobane ya gagwe go ya kwa gae, e e rwalang matla a a rileng ka ntlha ya go bo e baakanyeditswe tiriso ya yona e e rileng ka tsela e e kgethegileng, ke ene fela. E ka bo e baakantswe goya ka dithapelo tsa se kreste kgotsa tse dingwe tsa se Aforika. Bokao le thuto ya e ke gore ‘go gatelelwa ga Baiseraele gore ba nne le thobane mo seatleng fa ba tswa kwa Egepeto go ne go na le dikarolo tse pedi tse dikgolo tse di botlhokwa mo go yone. Ya ntlha ene ele gore ‘Lore e ne e le letshwao la moeng yo o neng a tsamaya’, lwa bodebi ene ele gore ‘e ne e le sesupo se se bonalang sa matla a Modimo ka nako ya khudugo le loeto lwa sekaka’.

 

Mme, go botlhokwa gore thobane e bo e le e e segofaditsweng, e e neelwang moetapele ke ba ba nang le dithata tse di maleba. Fela jaaka mo segonpienong re ka dirisa Lore kgotsa thobane e e neelwang boBishopo kgotsa bangwe ba ba eteletseng dikereke pele. Babishopo le Babishopo ba Bagolo ba newa crozier ka nako ya fa ba tlhomiwa mo bobishopong jaaka letshwao la seabe sa bone jaaka "badisa ba letsomane la Modimo mo loetong jwa botshelo le bodumedi", fela jaaka Dafita a ne a disa letsomane lwa ga rragwe, mme le Keresete yo o disitseng letsomane lwa Modimo. Baitsedikwalo fa ba tlhalosa bokao jwa Lore lwa baBishopo bare “Ntlha e e gokeletsweng ka tlwaelo e diretswe go gogela dinku morago mo lesakeng, šafote e e tlhamaletseng e emela puso e e siameng, mme ntlha e e motsu ke go "tlhoma ba ba okaokang le ba ba botshwakga". Fa Dafita a ya go tlhabana le monna wa mo filisita, mokwadi wa buka ya ga Samuele o re raya are “Go tswa foo o ne a tsaya thobane ya gagwe ka seatla, a tlhopha maje a matlhano a a borethe mo molapong, a a tsenya mo kgetsaneng ya kgetsi ya gagwe ya modisa mme, a tshotse setlhako sa gagwe ka seatla, a atamela Mofilisitia yono” (1 Samuel 17:40).

 

Ka jalo “Lore lo botlhokwa thata mo ketapeleng, ebile go botlwakwa gofeta gore Lore lo o lo abe lo segofaditswe ka thata ya Modimo”, gonne yo o tla lo dirisang o abo a filwe thata ya go etela letsomane lwa Modimo pele, ka matla a a tswang kwa Modimong.  

 

   

When I realized that as the leader of an evangelical organization in the church, the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism guild of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, my job was difficult without a tool, a stick or staff used to guide those we lead. I thought it appropriate to try to explain and teach about the importance and meaning of a Staff in the faith.

 

My view on this study is based heavily on the scriptures and teachings of the Holy Bible and religion, and looks at the meaning of this from an African perspective, especially in terms of leadership in the past and present. The bottom line is, I have been watching closely the way various churches and organizations use sticks and other items which appears to be weapons in one form or another, including sjamboks or whips. The question that arises in the context of the faith is “what do these mean, is it to show that all those who carry them are leaders, or is it to mean that we have come to war or perhaps any other meaning or symbolism”?

 

In my short conversation with one of the prominent authors and expert in African tradition and the Tswana culture Mr. Sethunya Moss Kgafela, we find the answer to the question that says 'does everyone holding sticks mean that everyone is a leader?', in his teaching Mr. Kgafela argues that "there is in fact a difference between a leader and disciples or messengers”, he teaches us that “a disciple or messenger is a person or persons sent to lead a visitor's journey, often a leader or person of high importance” (S.M. Kgafela. 15/12/2025). As a believer in faith, he directs us to an example in the Holy Bible that can be found in the Gospel according to Saint Luke the physician, chapter 10, verse 1, where he tells us, “Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go” (Luke 10:1). Luke also tells us in chapter nine, verse fifty-two that “Jesus sent messengers ahead to enter a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival” (Luke 9:52), we shall call this “the journey of Jesus” and revisit the question of a journey at a later stage. But the doctrine goes on to teach us that “a leader is a person who leads a nation, group or institution”. yes, we can conclude that we in our evangelical organization, it is permissible for brothers to hold sticks and their rods as messengers of God in spreading the Gospel, led by the leader or leaders of the institution or organisation. To this we also borrow from an African wisdom that says “Lore lo ojwa losale metsi”, meaning “a child is taught a law or way at an early age”, this is important in our succession efforts and building of the organisation, building the confidence of those that are in the fold and allowed the space and freedom to grow, the Bible tells us that at age of twelve Jesus the Christ was already leaning the way.

 

We therefore, need to examine the meaning of the Staff (Lore) using history, we will see that 'the use of the rod or Lore as a symbol of power and authority dates back earlier than the strict meaning of Christianity and the faith in general, because religion and Christianity originated after the New Testament, whilst in history many have practiced the use of the rod as a symbol of leadership. In the Hebrew bible, Moses' rod (or "God's rod") was an instrument of divine authority and power used to perform miracles, such as parting the Red Sea and bringing forth water from a rock (Exodus 14:21-7:29 and Exodus 7:29). Aaron's rod was also used as a symbol of his God-appointed leadership. Pharaoh and Egyptian Officials in ancient times, they too used scepters as a symbol of authority and royalty, and their high officials also held scepters to show their position of leadership. Even in African culture and tradition, the elders of the Kikuyu Community from Kenya, carried sticks (muthigi) as the main symbol of leadership in the community council (Kiama). In Numbers chapter 17, God commanded Moses that each tribal leader (including Aaron) bring a rod, but it was only Aaron's rod that miraculously grew, blossomed and produced the first crop. This means that “not all who carry sticks are leaders” and that the rod is unique and sacred. We can also borrow from the African tradition of passage to manhood, particularly in respect of the baSotho, amaXhosa and Batswana traditions, that “at the end of the initiation process, each man will carry home their own stick, which carries particular powers as a result of being uniquely prepared for their specific use, it may be through prayers, praises of African practices of one sort or another”. The meaning and lesson of the story is that ‘the insistence of the Israelites to have a rod in their hand when they left Egypt had two main important aspects to it. The first one was that 'the rod was a sign of the traveler', the second one was that 'it was a visible sign of God's power during the exodus and wilderness journey', in other words “for a journey of faith and life, a special rod that carries the powers of one’s belief is significant.

 

The most important element in all of this is that ‘the scepter is a blessed one, given to the leader by those with the appropriate authority’. Just as today we can use the rod given to Bishops or other church leaders. Bishops and Archbishops are given a crozier at the time of their ordination to the bishopric as a symbol of their role as "shepherds of the flock of God on the journey of life and religion", just as David shepherded his father's flock, and so does Christ who shepherds the flock of God. Explaining the meaning of the Bishop's Rod, scholars say “The attached end is usually used to pull the sheep back into the fold, the straight shaft represents good government, and the pointed end is to appoint the hesitant and lazy”. The Bible tells us that “David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his shepherd’s bag and, with his boot in his hand, approached the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:40).

 

Therefore, “the rod is very important in the faith, and it is more important that the rod that the leader carries is blessed with the power of God, because the one who will use it is given the power to lead God's flock, with the power from God.

Kgosi writes in his capacity as both an individual, a believer and leader in the Church, specifically as the Vice President of the Church guild in question.

The Anglican Mens Fellowship & Evangelism Miracle Baby Manger: A New Born Queen, God’s prophetic Revelation of Godself

 Advent, The beginning and the End

Every year the Church retells with its annual sequence of festivals, the story of our Salvation in Christ Jesus, more especially through its season of Advent that carries the overarching theme of ‘the Christian hope of the coming of Christ’.  Sunday the 30^th of November, the year of our Lord 2025 marked the beginning of this season, which is also the beginning of the church’s liturgical year. The dictionary meaning of the word Advent, from the Latin adventus (arrival/coming) means “the arrival of a notable person or thing” (Cambridge), reason why as believers ‘we put emphasis on casting our eyes on both Jesus' first arrival and anticipating his future return’. However, we also carry with us ‘the hope of the beginning of new and the end of old things in our lives’. In this abstract ‘an end of a life of evangelism and the beginning of a miraculous birth, will be contrasted against that of the miracle of Christ’s birth and future return”.  

 

The End of Life, the Beginning of another

On this very day of the first Sunday of Advent, in attendance of Mass at the parish of St Bartholomew in Kagiso, was among others a member of the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism guild in the diocese of Johannesburg, Ms. Letta Kearabetswe Vilakazi, a native of a small town called Bakerville, situated about twenty (20) kilometers outside Lichtenburg in the North West province. It would follow that Letta participated fully in the Anglican tradition where her priest would have lit the first candle on an Advent wreath, the candle of hope to mark this day. I’m told that ‘just as it was the case the previous weekend when her beloved AMF & E guild held its elective conference, Letta was not her usual bubbly self, ill-health had taken its toll on her, resulting in her ultimate call to the Father. Significantly, Letta is called home on Monday the first of December 2025 when the church is commemorating Saint Andrew the Apostle, often observed as a special time of intercession for mission. Indeed, Letta was a woman of faith and mission through the AMF & E ministry of evangelism. At her memorial service held on Wednesday the third (3^rd) of December, the many men and women who came to celebrate her life had a common theme in their remembrance of her, and that was her love for singing and preaching the Gospel of Christ, just like St Andrew, letta died with her boots of mission on.

 

The prophetic ancestral call to a census

As the processes of the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism guild of arranging transportation to fairy its members to any part of the country where its members are to be laid to rest was unfolding, a request to accommodate people who wished to travel to the North West came from the family. Five of these individuals were indeed aboard the AMF & E bus that left Johannesburg for Bakerville a little after Midnight on Saturday the sixth of December. Among the five guests of the AMF & E aboard the bus was a young woman in her twenties whom we learned along the journey that she was mme Letta’s grandchild, little did we know that it was this young woman that will bring about a prophetic dimension to the Advent of an end of a life and a beginning of another life. Mariah we shall call her to protect her identity and preserve her dignity, but the name as revealed by the prophetic God which is always at work, including at the time of writing this reflection, among other definitions means “wished-for child in Hebrew". It was a little after two hours into the trip when Mariah started complaining about stomach cramps to another family member that shared with her the first row seat of the eighty seater luxury bus, but it would appear that these calls were not treated with the necessary level of seriousness that they actually deserved, and that is because Mariah was the only one that had concrete knowledge of her pregnancy, we make this assumption because accompanying Mariah on this bus trip was her six year old daughter. As we approach the little town of Lichtenburg a call for a comfort break was made by one of the AMF & E female members, an agreement to stop at the next filling station was reached and indeed the bus pulled into the Rousseau petrol station a little after four (04:00), little did we know that in a matter of minutes, a child would have been born in the rest rooms of that same filling station. Because female members of the AMF & E guild had already taken keen interest in Mariah’s calls of unbearable stomach pains, they had already posed questions based on their wisdom and knowledge on these matters, and it for this reason that at the point of arrival at the filling station they insisted that Mariah had to also alight the bus in order to receive further attention and examination, and so they carefully assisted Mariah to the rest rooms and discovered that indeed she was a woman in labour.

 

The baby is Born in a manger (wrapped with an expensive purple cloth)

Among the members attending to Mariah, two of them were qualified midwives that had to make the call to deliver the baby without delay, to God be the glory for his prophetic placement of these heroines in that bus on this fateful morning. Even though the synoptic accounts of Matthew and Luke do not make mention of the presence of any midwives at the nativity of our Lord Jesus, we must then rely on the narrative in the Apocryphal Protevangelion of James as he tells us of the presence of Salome and the unnamed midwife that assisted Mary the mother of our Lord (Protevangelion of James Chapter XIX), to ascertain the prophetic nature of this event in the contemporary. The calls and actions of our midwives were primarily informed by the fact that there was great difficulty making contact with the emergency services in the area. Even though everything was unfolding at great speed, as the individual responsible for making all efforts to get medical help I am convinced that there still remains a big challenge in our rural provinces in terms of access to basic services as enshrined in our constitution, I specifically recall my efforts to make contact with the national emergency numbers 10177, 112 to no avail, next was 10111 which could only assist by providing me with a direct number to the local hospital which went unanswered. Our last attempt was a mobile number of a private ambulance service which the petrol attendants had provided, also to no avail. In the meantime, the heroines of our movement had already made the call to purchase all available tools that would ensure the delivery of a healthy new born baby, among others condoms which were used as medical gloves, scissors, paper towels and sanitary towels, and it was inside this frantic thirty minutes to an hour of our trip, a little after 04:00 when this healthy baby girl was born, Like our Lord Jesus as Matthew narrates “she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Matt 2:7 NIV), it is for this reason that we shall call her “baby manger” for now, because indeed ‘there was no room in the ambulance, nor was there time for an emergency journey to the hospital. After the necessary care for baby Manger’s umbilical cord, like baby Jesus she was also wrapped with a purple AMF & E blanked belonging to the outgoing diocesan secretary, welcomed aboard the bus as the fifty third passenger that had always been there but just couldn’t be seen with a human eye, the trip to deliver her and the mother to the General De La Rey Memorial Hospital (Lichtenburg) for medical care became way too special a journey for anyone not to treasure. Lest we ignore or omit the significance of the purple cloth she was wrapped in. In the Bible, purple symbolizes royalty, wealth, priesthood, and divine authority, stemming from its extreme cost and rarity in ancient times, used for Tabernacle coverings, High Priest garments, and royal attire; in the New Testament, it also signifies Jesus's kingship and suffering (the purple robe used in mocking) and God's majesty, representing a blend of heavenly (blue) and earthly (red) power, here we cannot but recognize the prophetic nature of the end of a life in Advent and the beginning of another in the purple season of Advent. It is for these reasons that it would be amiss for anyone not to open their spiritual eye to see the miracle that baby Manger is, or to ignore the obvious need to juxtapose her nativity to that of the Son of man.

 

The contrast 

The nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ as narrated by various writers, interpreted by scholars and ordinary folk alike, in juxtaposition, tells a story of the baby Manger experience in the contemporary. The reality of the matter is that baby Jesus was a miracle child, born under very strange circumstances that no human being can possibly prove scientifically. We can also conclude that science would dictate that ‘had the young mother’s water broken any earlier than the perfectly ordained timing of God when the bus pulled into the petrol station, we would have had to deal with a baby born inside a moving bus full of men and women in panic and awe, with nothing but the bare hands of midwives with enough knowledge but no resources to compliment that knowledge’, I am convinced that ‘if baby Manger was not a miracle, she would not be alive today’. John Simpson when dealing with the question of the miracle child that Jesus Christ was, argues that “the biblical evidence of Christ’s nativity points to the miracle as the means which God employed in order to bring his Son into the world” (P. Alexander 1973:515), and the same can be argued about the miracle birth of baby Manger, God’s hand was at play from the beginning to the end, God’s mission to bring this baby into the world was fulfilled in every way possible, perhaps to a naked eye it may not make perfect sense, to the mother of the child it may not make sense, perhaps to her at the point when she is told this story it may not make sense, but at times God only makes sense when God’s revelation of Godself and his intentions unfolds. Dobson says “God’s timing is perfect, even when he appears catastrophically late” (J. Dobson 1993:50), catastrophic as the situation may have been, scary for many, those who were present and those hearing the story after the fact, it remains a beautiful story of God’s greatness and presence.

 

God's Revelation of Godself

The prophetic unfolding of events before, during and after the birth of this child cannot be ignored, reason why we must deem it a prophetic event. Motyer makes a point that “biblical prophets were deliberately placed by God at crisis-points” (P. Alexander 1973:372), a prophetic look into these events speaks to exactly that, God’s perfect placement of people and their thoughts, actions and events that unfolded from the day when the fallen soldier of God Mme Letta Kearabetswe Vilakazi fell sick, attending her final AMF & E conference in Soweto, her final Eucharist on Advent Sunday, being called back to the Father, her moving memorial service and the subsequent fateful morning of her burial which was preceded by the miraculous event of the birth of her great-grand daughter baby manger. Jesus Christ could have been born in Nazareth but Joseph had to travel back to his ancestral origin Bethlehem, and so could baby Manger have been born in the city of Johannesburg where the process could have been much easier and probably dignified, but because her mother had to travel back to her ancestral land to lay to rest her grandmother, a worrier of Christ Jesus mme Letta, baby Manger was born in Lichtenburg, her maternal ancestral home. The events surrounding the birth of Christ includes among other things the presence of the Shepherds, the Angels and the Magi, all prophetically placed by God in an effort to ensure the safety of the child in more than one aspect, including his protection from the hands of the evil one ‘king Herod’, equally ‘men and women with the highest levels of professionalism, leadership and love for God’s people were prophetically placed by God in that situation, to ensure the safe birth of baby Manger, care for her young mother and their delivery into the safe hands and environment of the local hospital’, safe to say that ‘upon a post bereavement pastoral call to the family at the time of writing, I received confirmation that the mother and her baby are healthy and ready to be transported back to Johannesburg’.

 

Prophetic Practical Lessons

It is for this reason that as the Vice President of the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism Guild in the Diocese of Johannesburg, on behalf of the sitting President Reverend Vusi Ndaba and the entire guild, we extend gratitude to God our Father for his mercy, presence, love and revelation of Godself through this miracle nativity. Our experience has not only revealed God’s prophetic nature in this kind alone, but many, including the lesson that God wanted the church to take away, specifically when it comes to church travel and the necessary checks and balances that needs to be done. We need to concede that our travel arrangements to funerals, picnics, conferences, meetings etc lack formal standards and procedures, including health check to ensure that everyone aboard is fit to travel the distance. Perhaps some may argue that ‘in God we should always trust’, but I’m a firm believer in practical theology and belief or rather an action-oriented faith, a faith that makes God make sense. Therefore, I would rather turn the sloganized God into “a God of a lived experience through the birth of baby Manger whom I trust had a lesson to teach me as a believer, that going forward the church ought to manage its mission efforts much safer, to ensure a much more practically consistent growth of God’s Kingdom”.

Kgosiemang Phejane

Writes in his capacity as the Vice President of the Anglican Mens Fellowship and Evangelism Guild

A branch of the body of Christ in the broader Anglican Communion, directly under the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA), in the diocese of Johannesburg.

       

Brothers in Christ: A prophetic call to lead

The Anglican Mens Fellowship & Evangelism guild (diocese of Johannesburg) 2025 elective conference has come and gone, held between the 20th and the 23rd of November, the year of our Lord 2025 in Soweto, and a new crop of leaders were elected. This crop will be lead by a brother whom I cherish greatly, reverend Vusi Ndaba of St Andrews Pimville as President. Now, what informs and inspired me to write about this prophetic outcome of God's ministry is the fact that God through his people, also chose me to be my brother's keeper as his vice president, a prophetic revelation that many are not aware of, but only myself and this brother in Christ, to this Paul writes to the church in Rome and asserts that "all authority comes from God" (Romans 13:1 NIV) and so the spirit said I must write down and record this prophetic revelation that God has put before his people.

But first I must go back in history and lay down the historic background of the movement we have been given four years to lead as President and Vice President. Its history goes back to the year 1967, in the section/district of Koster (Western Transvaal), where at its first conference, the Revd. Canon Reuben Manentsa, Canon Rakale, Venerable Leo Alexander as the Archdeacon of the area and other laymen in Tigane, formally established the movement (https://www.anglicanmensfellowshipevangelism.org/history.html). This means that we have been granted the privilege to participating in leading a branch that is the diocese of Johannesburg of a body of Christ that has been in existence for fifty eight (58) years. Because the organisation's term of office is four year, it would mean that we are in the region of about 'the fifteenth cohort to lead the people of God in the diocese of Johannesburg, a responsibility which we should never take for granted.

At the center of this prophetic revelation is the question of the ministry of leadership in the church, inspired precisely by the election of the incoming President, reverend Vusi Ndaba, and the prophetic nature of God's call upon him and his new cabinet. Given that the man is a brother to me more than anything, i'm of the view that ours is more personal and deeper in how we are going to be lead by the holy spirit, together with the rest of the team to lead the rest of God's flock. It is evident that we have a journey of four years to travel to an unknown destination. Upon reflection I have come to realise that ours is a prophetic call to the task. It only dawns me now that 'our relationship that is founded on the basic principles of mutual respect, brotherhood and love, is but a piece of the bigger puzzle, God's plan'. I'm certain that I could have easily worked in harmony with any individual that God may have chosen, just as it was the case with the outgoing president Revd. Tshepo Hope Maloka. But I strongly believe that "in father Ndaba God couldn't have chosen any better person to travel this journey with". Ours is a simple task as mandated by the people of God "lead our growth strategy, humble ourselves before God's people, in all our efforts look from within and put the people of God in this guild first". We are both well aware that it will not be easy, challenges lie ahead, but our God is on high alert, after all "it is he that will build this house, if not then we shall be laboring in vain" (Psalm 127:1), our human effort is in vain without God's blessing. Just as the author of the second book of prophet Isaiah says to us "do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10) in an effort to demonstrate to us that "all the strength, wisdom and guidance comes from God".

In his sermon during the Eucharist of the masses on day three of the conference that gave us this task, the Bishop elect of Johannesburg Revd. Canon. Dr. Sepadi Moruthane reminded us of the importance of revisiting the past, assessing the present and imagining the future in a positive light, a future that seeks to deepen our relationship with God. I am convinced that "our task is to help God's people in this guild to deepen their relationship with God", and for us to achieve this is to do that which we have been mandated to do "and that is 'to look from within the guild'.



This mandate simply means that "in whatever we do, we ought to first consider the members of the guild, empower them in every way possible, in order for them to see the living God at work in their lives, through the ministry of AMF & E". To this I am drawn to the words of the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews when he says "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV), an emphasis to the reality that "when God's works are seen in practicality, the relationship between God and his people is strengthened". The only reason why the people of Israel continued to believe in their God is because of the works of God in their lives, where challenges arose God was the solution, when they faulted and broke away from the covenant God still remained their refuge, in captivity God remained the only hope of freedom, on the journey to the promised land God was the only best solution to all challenges, because God continuously showed-up in works, through many men and women whom he had chosen to lead his chosen people as his representatives that brought him to Life.

And so this mandate of the conference, understood together with the message of the Bishop elect, says to the new leaders of the guild in the diocese "strive to make God a reality in the lives of the members of AMF & E and God's people in general, so that their relationship with God can be strengthened", strengthen their belief in God by making God a living God, a real God that is seen through works. This then means that ours is a journey of reformation, requiring a delicate approach to managing change, introducing new ways and new ideas, some will be seen as extremes and rejected, but our prayer is that others will be welcomed and embraced by God's people. As the deliberations during the first two days of conference declared and adopted among others "the new policy document that shall be read together with the guild's constitution to guide the diocese towards a number of reforms", we remain alive to the reality of the difficulties that lies ahead, especially in how we are going to manage change, for the greater good and growth of God's kingdom. Among others in practical terms our immediate tasks are to look into: - The different ministries of the guild, including the ministry of its men

- The question of social responsibility that looks from within

- The question of fundraising in light of the Provincial Conference that will be hosted by Johannesburg

- Ensuring a standardised diocese (as per the new policy document)

- Improving member participation

- Improving Cabinet visits to parishes

- Improving Clergy participation

- Improved recruitment methods

My prayer is that God our father who brought himself down on earth through his incarnate son Jesus Christ, will remain with us in this new journey, just as he was with his prophets of old, who led the chosen people of Judas into the land he had promised them. May we not be weary as we encounter the hardships of leading, may we always remember that ours is a prophetic call of God and not our own personal journey. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews submits that "without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV), ours is a God led journey.

Disclaimer: Kgosi writes in his capacity as the Diocesan Vice President, however, views shared in this personal blog do not in any way represent the official views of the guild in both the province and diocese.