Greetings from Scotland,

I was sorry to hear of the deaths of some of my former colleagues in recent times.  Francis Moletsane was one of the first group of “Post Academic Training” ministers with us when we used to meet from 1971/2 at the offices of Martin Lund Snr and Harold Munro at Linden Presbyterian Church in 1^st Avenue.  Ed Perkins was the minister there at the time.  I can’t remember the names of all the first group, but people like Dennis van der Spuy, Lionel Lawson, Francis Moletsane, Namedi Mpahlele, Henry Tsoai, Harry Maghotloa, Heinrich Asch, Gus Hunter, Kingsley Dale, and other faces whose names have slipped from memory, come to mind.  Up to that point training for ministry was done in racially separate institutions  – mainly at Rhodes and Fedsem.  This was, therefore, the first time that ministers from these different backgrounds were exposed to each other on a regular weekly meeting for at least three to four hours.  The mutual learnings were of enormous value and we began in gain insights into the lives and ministries of our colleagues in the racially divided communities of South Africa.  It was also the time of the T-Group Training and we gained skills and insights into the “group dynamics”  of our work in the congregations, sessions and wider courts of the church.  Two advantages were gained at that time: One was that we were forming working relationships across the racial divides of Southern Africa at the time which was, of course, the right direction in those dark days of  the then still increasing oppression in the apartheid state.  The other was of a different nature.  We had noted that many senior ministers were very afraid of getting on the wrong side of Harold Munro in debates at Assembly, Synod or Presbytery.  However, we got used to Harold over those years and felt no such inhibitions about him!  Francis was a person who was always friendly and relaxed and had a good sense of humour.  In the after years it was always a pleasure to meet him – there was a bond from that first Post Academic Training group.

I was also sad to hear of the death of Brian Woods last year.  At a student for the ministry I went to work with Brian for the July holidays in 1966, and then I also worked at the Hill, St Martins and Gelvandale churches under his oversight for most of 1969.  Brian and Ed Perkins conducted our wedding in 1970, and Celia’s parents were very involved in the Hill Church for many years.  Once Brain, Ruth and Billy were retired in Bathurst we would see them every time we passed through on holiday.

I visited Brian last year about two weeks before his death and it was a privilege to pray with him in thanksgiving for all he and Ruth had been in their life in the ministry.

I realised that I would not see him again in this world as his health was clearly failing quite fast.  Brain was a man of strong faith and always witnessed to the many blessings that has come to them and their family through the years.

Looking back to the last Presbevents I noted that Dave Mather was talking about set of words for a hymn that I had written around 1973.  At the time I was Assistant Minister with Bob Orr at St Andrews, Pretoria, and we were doing “experimental worship” in the evenings – hence the attempt at writing sets of words for tunes that I knew.  Over the years I have produced a few more of – usually at the impetus of some need or other – and have now put them together into a file and if anyone would like a copy I will send it to you.   You might get it anyway if you are on my mailing list!   I also think that Bob Samson had written many fine words for various occasions over the years – over 100 pieces – so ask him for a copy of that file too.  I use his material quite a lot.

We have been in Scotland for near six years and the time for retirement from the ministry in the Church of Scotland will be coming at the end of 2012.  I would have reached my original “sell by” date of 68 by that time, and we will move down to England to be closer to our families.  I hope that I may still have some smaller role in the life of the Church wherever we shall live – and I don’t mind which label it falls under.

I hope that Presbevents will begin to function again so that we can hear news of each other.

Best wishes – Duncan Murray.

Presbevents in the future

Doug Crawford ably coordinated 27 Presbevents up to March 2010 when many emails were rejected as spam. He then decided to call it a day.

Due to pressures of getting the UPCSA website up and running this was placed on the back burner until now.
These postings of Doug gave a great insight into the lives of many of our ministers so I have included all those I had in my records for history sake.

This blog seems to be the best way of  possibly reviving the tradition.

Please send contributions to upcsawebmaster@gmail.com with Subject - Presbevents and I will publish fortnightly.
To place yourself on the mailing list, please insert your email address in the box on the right. You will then receive an email to confirm that you want to be placed on the mailing list. You will then receive a weekly email when a new article is posted.

You are obviously reading this page, but you might want to know that you can get here either by going to www.upcsa.org and clicking Presbevents on the right menu, or directly by entering http://presbevents.blogspot.com/

The UPCSA website keeps me well occupied. I would love it if someone would volunteer to receive the Emailed contributions during the week, edit them, then Email a consolidated posting to the blog once a week.

Please contact me if you are interested.

Ian

Presbevents 27

Wednesday 10 March 2010
David Mather (England): Duncan Murray's comment about a new hymn reminds me that one he wrote years ago, and which I used regularly, Duncan having given me permission several decades ago. is (Tune Bunessan RS 45)
New Age has Broken
Christ is now living
Death’s reign is shaken
Rules no more
New peace is coming
Old wars are fading
Christ’s way is winning
Shore to shore.
New love is moving,
Christ is the giver
Stone hearts are melting
In his love.
People are walking
Strong in the Spirit
People are talking
Of the dove.
New life is springing
Christ gives the power
His Body is rising
Hour by hour.
Mission is calling,
Go to the city
Neighbours are weeping
Lost in sin.
New hope is dawning,
In Christ we’re risen
Sad songs are turning
Into Joy.
Praise we are giving
Lord of creation
One with us living
Mary’s boy. (Duncan Murray)
Sad to hear of Steve de Gruchy's death, I didn't know him but John was at Bryanston United when I went on PAT in 1973. Am I getting old or do many of us remember Francis Horner and The Leader?
Gus and Clare Hunter (USA): I will be going to teach in Switzerland these next two weeks. Two YWAM schools back to back. Please pray that I will be able to hear God and do all He wants of me - have energy - and be full of Father's love. The two bases are in order... you can look see...http://www.ywamlausanne.com/ http://www.jemchatel.ch/
Phindile and Zodidi Nqakwana (Somerville, Tsolo): In our congregation (SOMERVILLE) we are busy with the renovation of the church hall. What makes this project difficult is the fact that 95% of our members are pensioners who are solely dependent on government Old Age Grant. We will be glad if any good Samaritan can come forward and assist us fulfil our desire of making God's house look good. (Contact details for Phindile: ------------------, 083.331.7818, PO
Box 53, Tsolo, 5170)
Les Dawson (Meyerton): Les Dawson lives in the Meyerton Old Aged Home - "Huis Meyerton" where he is one of just a handful of English-speaking residents. Les will turn 90 later this year DV, and is no longer as agile as he once was, but is still reasonably independent and "mobile", insisting that he only really uses his walking stick because Matron has told him he must! He spends a large part of his day at Huis Meyerton visiting and praying with the infirm residents, many of whom are much younger than he is (just as his mother used to do at the Ladies Christian Home in Cape Town many years ago!). He still reads, has a regular time for his devotions every morning, attends to his admin, and keeps himself busy all day.
Apart from some weakness in his legs, and a general frailty that seems to have crept up on him in the past few years, he remains in fairly good health.
He still worships regularly (= pretty well weekly!) at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Henley-on-Klip, where his daughter and son-in-law are also members, and participates in congregational activities, but has at least been excused from further involvement in Presbytery business, and no longer attends those meetings.
PRESBEVENTS is really hungry for your news! Do please take a moment to share it with your fellow-workers in the church! And may God bless
you in your ministry!
Doug

Presbevents 26

Wednesday 03 March 2010
Theo and Brenda Groenevelt (Pretoria): I did a BA(Teologie) at TUKS in 1988- 1990 (who would have thought at the time that Tuks would become our place of study for the UPCSA?) Then I went to Rhodes to do a BD where I discovered the OT through Robin Wakely, a mentor in Glen Craig and a life-partner in Brenda. Brenda and I married in 1993 and I started probation at Trinity Grahamstown in the same year. We ran Matthews House Men's Hostel at Rhodes (sharing many interesting experiences with Rodney Brits and Mario van Zyl who were also Ministry Students and House Wardens) and was ordained as Assistant Minister to Glen Craig in 1995.
We served for another two years and were called to Emmanuel congregation in Pretoria in 1997.
God has been gracious to us. We enjoy serving a warm caring congregation and our son Caleb was born in 2000. I still try to do some cycling and enjoy playing with computer stuff on the side. We still have close contact with Glen and Jeanette and when we went on long leave last year, they came up and house-sat and did preaching and pastoral care at Emmanuel congregation and our newly planted Grace congregation.
I share William's trepidation at recording broadcasts - we recorded our broadcast this past Sunday and it will be broadcast on Easter Sunday - Please pray that God would use the broadcast and tell folk who are going on holiday over the Easter weekend that they can listen to an Easter service on SAFM if they can't find one to attend.
Doug and Avril Muller (New York): Last year Avril and Douglas were married 50 years, but did not celebrate their anniversary because their son Alan, had his wedding close to the date of their anniversary and they did not want to detract from that. They have waited for an opportune moment to celebrate which has now come.
They will set sail from New York on March 6th on a Norwegian liner visiting among other places, Bermuda and will be away for a week, four of the days being at sea.
They are presently experiencing one of the most severe winters in recent years, on the East Coast of the USA , close to New York City. A snow storm which lasted two days dropped an unusually heavy snowfall which has been slowly evaporating over the past week. The congregation they serve in Rahway, New Jersey is 74 in number having been 1000 in its heyday in the 60’s. It has become diverse in the past 8 years and has the reputation of being a congregation which cares beyond itself. In fact, few as the membership may be, one of the projects supported is Esther Ministries in Kwa Zulu/Natal. Douglas plans to retire in the next 12-15 months and return to South Africa. Avril is busy with the project in Umkomaas, Kwa Zulu/Natal and having been in the USA since early December, will return to South Africa on March 16th, to continue the project (running a hotel and developing a puppet theatre) until Douglas joins her. Greetings to all who remember us also to those who don’t know us.
Duncan and Celia Murray (Scotland): Today I enjoyed a creative day in the ministry – I wrote some words to an old hymn. In my youth in Bible Class with such  teachers as Dave Bothma and Douglas Birtill we used to sing the hymn, “Yield not to temptation” (I wonder if they would remember those days?). Well, I found that it still  exists in CH3 and used it last Sunday being the first Sunday in Lent. My congregations enjoying singing because they too knew it from their youth. I mentioned that it might a thought to write a different set of words for it – seeing that so many know the tune. Well, today, in between organizing the coming weekend services, doing some pastoral visits and conducting a Board meeting, I started writing some verses with a chorus to the tune: Fortitude (CH3 482). So here is the result:
Shine, shine God our Father
Shine, shine God our Father, light come from above.
So filled with your wisdom, peace, glory and love.
Let us always desire to follow your ways,
Come into your kingdom at the end of our days.
Pray our Father to bless us,
Send forth Jesus to save us,
Send the Spirit to guide us,
Bring his people back home.
Come, come O Lord Jesus, our Saviour and King
Help us to follow your ways in everything.
We follow you daily and take up our cross,
Through obedience growing, never suffering loss.
Pray our Father to bless us,
Send forth Jesus to save us,
Send the Spirit to guide us,
Bring his people back home.
Move, move Holy Spirit, God’s water of life,
Flow from within us, overcoming our strife.
Make us to be faithful, help people to know
Our Father’s great promise, life abundant bestow.
Pray our Father to bless us
Send forth Jesus to save us,
Send the Spirit to guide us,
Bring his people back home.
Words: Duncan Murray (b 1944)
Tune: Fortitude and refrain CH3 482
Written 23rd February 2010
Theme: Prayer.
I must say, too, that I frequently use hymns written by Bob Samson – and did so last Sunday too. There are 95 such gems in his collection.
There are others, too, who have produced such works. It might be an idea to put them all together as part of our Presbyterian heritage – as long as someone else does the editing!
Ndumiso Khalipa was ordained as a minister within the UPCSA and appointed to the Garden Route Presbyterian Church last Saturday.
Steve De Gruchy (Pietermaritzburg): of the United Congregational Church has died in a tubing accident in the Mooi River on Sunday 21 February 2010. His funeral was in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday 27th February at the Anglican Cathedral.
Steve was the head of the School of Theology at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal’s, Pietermaritzburg campus and well known to many Presbyterians.
Do please keep Steve’s wife, Marion, the 3 children as well as his parents, John and Isabelle in your thoughts and prayers
(A very fine eulogy on Steve has been prepared by Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kwazulu-Natal. If you would like a copy of it please email me and I shall send it to you. Doug)
Gavin and Jocelyn Vaaltyn (Bridgetown): Bridgetown Presbyterian Church will be celebrating 50 years of existence later this year. Details will follow in due course.
More light will be shed presently as to what and when celebrations will be starting.
Ndumiso Khalipa (Central Cape): Ndumiso was ordained to the Ministry by the Central Cape Presbytery last Saturday, 27th February 2010.
Michael Craig (Kokstad): The Presbyterian flag is flying high in Kokstad these days.
We are being really blessed. I have been at St Columba's since December 2003 and the first few years were real slog but now we are experiencing the fruit of our labours!
Many thanks to all contributors. I recall that when Francis Horner used to edit the “Presbyterian Leader”, as each issue came out he muttered to himself: “the next one has GOT to be better”. So may it be.
God bless you all,
Doug

Presbevents 25

Wednesday 24 February 2010
Hi Everyone –
I think this is the smallest Presbevents that has gone out so far! Do PLEASE
take a moment to email in your news! Thanks a lot. Doug.
Edwin and Doreen Pons (Port Elizabeth): A few years ago Edwin and Doreen moved from Port Alfred to Walton Park, a Senior Citizen’s Complex in Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth. Unfortunately Edwin’s health has been declining lately and he has moved to its Frail Care Home, Munro Kirk. Edwin is alert mentally, and reads the daily paper plus an endless flow of books. Doreen has also not been well and it is hoped that with good rest she will soon be back to her busy self.
Murray and Marjorie Albertyn (Bloemfontein): Marjorie writes: Our email address
is: ---------------- Our new address is: P.O. Box 38080, Langenhoven
Park, Bloemfontein 9330. Smutshaven has been sold and all of us living there have been moved to houses in Langenhoven Park. We are both well in spite of our age.
That’s it for this week!
Doug

Presbevents 24

Wednesday 17 February 2010
Eric and Sheena Waugh (Scotland): (sent by Duncan Murray): Today I was able to have a visit with Eric Waugh, who lives in Scotland in a small village called Eildon. Some may remember him as the minister of Mowbray Presbyterian Church in Cape Town in the 70’s. He and Sheila are now retired and living in the Scottish Borders to be half-way between their families. Eric was the minister of City Temple, London, for around seven years which is under the auspices of the United Reformed Church in the UK. They have a lovely cottage with a large garden (to keep him busy) and live a quiet life in their small village. We enjoyed a discussion on where the Church is at in Scotland at the present time in its history and what has happened to the evangelical voice within the Church in the UK in general? Eric and Angus Bayne overlapped in their ministries in the Cape in those days.( While Eric was at Mowbray, Angus was at Wynberg).
I am now one year away from my by-pass surgery last year and “full of the joys of spring” as energy has returned and literally the spring bulbs and flowers are popping up in the manse garden.
Petson and Patricia Kabala )Lusaka, Zambia): Thank you so much for the letting us know about this important event in our church. Christopher: is transport included in the R800 and how about those of us from outside? God bless.
James and Gwen Elias (Durban): I thought while it is fresh in my mind I would send on to you the following piece of information.
About 14 years ago (after having worked some twenty odd years in Hamilton Memorial church in Johannesburg) Chris and Sheila Barnard settled in Umhlanga. Hardly having arrived he was asked by the Presbytery to assist in some “Indian” congregations on the north side of the city (Tongaat, Verulam, Phoenix) where he has now been for the last 14 years! On Sunday 28 February Chris will celebrate some 57 years of Ordination . He is presently 84 years old and still continuing in active ministry. Although he is not on e-mail I think this should be recorded with thanksgiving to the Lord for the faithful and consistent ministry of his servant. Their phone number is 031-5629919. .
Grateful thanks for the above news received.
Please, friends, do please send your news to share with others in the church.
If it’s good news we can celebrate with you and if it’s not good news we can pray for you!
God bless you in all you do for Him!
Doug

Presbevents 23

Wednesday 10 February 2010
Jan and Ellen Herbst (Adelaide): Douglas, I was quite surprised to see my heart story featuring in Presbevents. I would like to elaborate a little on the miracle that the Lord has worked through the hands of my cardiologist. I have indeed been weak since April 2009 with a dysfunctional heart - cascades of ectopic beats have made the heart a thoroughly incompetent blood pumping organ. This was due, to put it simply, to an extra nerve bundle discharging electrical impulses randomly to the ventricles. Medicines were thoroughly ineffective to regulate the heartbeat. Locating and ablating the offending nerve bundle inside the heart on the septum was considered a very great risk. Carried on the wings of prayer, this complicated procedure became a simple operation with immediate results: no recuperation time, no delay. Many people prayed for me and I thank them all. Our gracious God has granted me energy to continue the ministry to which he has called me. Thank you again for your Presbevents initiative - it serves an important communicative purpose to the blessing of many.
Derek Potgieter (Durban) and William Pool (Durban): These brothers have asked that I include the following letter which had been sent out last year to all churches in the UPCSA: It has the support of both the Moderator of General Secretary and the General Secretary. Doug
Our suggestion, as you will see by the title of this letter, is to try and get congregations from our church from the Cape to the Copperbelt to join in a concert of prayer to cover 50 weeks of the year 2010.
We are asking congregations to consider praying for a whole day (24 hours) or for a weekend, or for a whole week, with each day broken down into one hour slots and volunteers taking responsibility for each hour.
We believe that there must be at least 50 out of our 400 congregations who would be prepared to take up this challenge.
With this letter you will see an example of material to help you cover 24 hours, broken up into one hour slots, with prayer. You may then choose whether to do this for a day, one weekend, or even for one whole week. Just so as to encourage you, if you think this would be impossible, our three congregations covered the 10 days from Ascension Day to Pentecost day this year, 24 hours each day for 10 days.
What we are asking you to do is to volunteer to cover one day, or a weekend, or a week during the year 2010.
That time then gets broken up into one hour slots and you call for volunteers from your congregation to fill the one hour slots. You will be surprised at who even volunteers to come at 2.00 o’clock in the morning. As I have said, if you volunteer to take part you will see the material and guidelines which you can set up in your church or hall, which helps people to pray constructively for the hour that they have
volunteered for. They will all tell you afterwards that the hour was too short. Of course people can pray at home if they cannot get to the church for the hour that they have volunteered to pray for.
We think that if we manage to carry this off it will create a wonderful sense of unity for our church with the whole church sharing in one common activity. We also hope that this will be a time for the release of God’s Spirit to direct our church and your congregation, into new ventures and mission.
Unless you have a very specific time that you would like to hold the prayer vigil we are asking that you simply volunteer to cover either a day, or a weekend or a week, and allow us to allocate you a time during the year. The only reason for this is because we would like to try and cover as many of the 50 weeks of the year as possible. But obviously the time would need to be convenient to you and the actual prayer is more important than the time of year.
Accompanying this letter are two pages that give what we call 12 stations of prayer.
These are examples of areas of concern for prayer which you may set up in your hall, or church, for people to move around during the hour and pray for. Of course you may add to or subtract any of these stations and add any that may be of particular concern to your own congregations, or country’s needs.
You may also look up on Frere Roads web page at www.frereroad.co.za to get pictures of how the Frere Road hall was set up for the prayer stations. You may or may not be able to do all this but we found the young people were very creative in setting up the prayer stations.
We would like to encourage you to seriously consider this appeal. It had a big impact on our congregations and they are eagerly looking forward to doing it again in 2010.
You are also encouraged to weave any other activities that you would like around your own congregation’s time of prayer.
James and Gwen Elias (Durban): Our youngest, Lael, and her husband, Darren, have now been three weeks in the area of Los Angeles (very cold and very wet!), staying with some good friends of ours until they have established themselves, found jobs, and generally settled.
Modern technology does help a bit in overcoming the great distance, but it is still hard to have a daughter quite so far away. On the other hand we remember that this is what Gwen’s parents had to face when she came to this country some roughly 35 years ago on account of your (!) invitation to her to come and work with you out of the then Head office of the PCSA. (Although she was initially meant to return to
California after two years – which did not happen!) (James is referring to me of course, since it was I who invited her to come and be a Youth Worker with the PCSA.
But is was James who persuaded her to stay and become his wife! - Doug) In the meantime you might like to know that Gwen celebrates her 60th birthday on Sunday coming (Valentines day). Various “secret” events (that is, secret to her) have been planned by the family to celebrate this milestone.
This last weekend saw the ordination to the ministry of Jaco Bester in the congregation to which we belong (North Durban) and appointment as assistant minister. Being a mentor during his seven years in the Fellowship of Vocation the Presbytery appointed me to deliver the charge on this occasion. It was a great privilege to do this in what was a most celebratory, dignified, and colourful service supported also by representatives of the Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic clergy.
Peter and Charmaine Chapman (Somerset West): Peter has lost his father. The funeral took place on Friday in Durban.
William and Lisette Pool (Durban); Just to ask for prayers of my colleagues for a broadcast service that I am about to do. We will record the service at Berea on Sunday the 14th February and it will be broadcast on Sunday the 28th February at 11.00 am. That will be the 5th Sunday before Easter and the lectionary gives the theme and readings as The King and the Kingdom: Conflict. The readings are 2 Kings 6:8 -23, 1 John 4: 1 - 6, Luke 11:14 - 26.
I am sweating on the top line about this and somewhat anxious about what they have to say to our country at the moment. So I would be grateful of prayerful support for wisdom.
On the family front our middle son Samuel is engaged to be married on the 24th April here at Berea. So we shall have a great Highland Fling!
Thanks guys, for the above items. Lots more, please for the next PRESBEVENTS!!! Doug