Presbevents 9

21st October 2009
Robin and Sheilah Palmer (Australia): Some news from the Palmers: Robin and Sheilagh moved to New Zealand in 2006 with their family. Robin works as a School Chaplain at Scots College, a Presbyterian College for boys in Wellington, the capital. The school community consists of 850 boys from the age 5 to 18 and their families. The school has a Religious Education department which has expanded to cover all year levels. Robin has a Pastoral Counselling ministry in the school. Chapel services are on a Friday for the Prep and Secondary schools, and family services are held through the year at St Christopher's Presbyterian Church in Seatoun. The school was founded in 1916 by the Rev
James Gibb and elder John Aitken who served at St Johns in the city Presbyterian in the city.
Contact details for the Palmers: Robin Palmer Chaplain Scots College P O Box 15 064 Miramar Wellington 6243
Henry and Chileya Mbambo (New Zealand): We are now in New Zealand in Dunedin where I am minister of a parish. We arrived a year ago and are settling in quite well. The people are welcoming and it is a joy to serve among them. The newsletter is a good idea because for some of us, we are starved of news from the UPCSA. The website is not updated and very limited news there. I am working in a PCANZ parish and it is interesting to see a lot of similarities with Churches in Zambia regarding the Presbyterian ethos.. People can visit our church website www.dspc.org.nz
Contact details for the Mbambos: REV. HENRY KONDWANI MBAMBO, 17 A NORMANBY STREET,
ST. KILDA, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND.
Phone +64-3-455-2837–Home +64-3-455-4077-Office
Calvin and Pat Cook (Howick): Before he died, Brian Stumbles had a number of talks with one of the members of his congregation. She typed up two chapters of their interviews. The first called 'Beginnings', the second 'Vereeniging'. Both have important recollections of a remarkable ministry in the PCSA. I know of no other instance of a person deciding to enter the ministry after spending
months in hospital with third degree burns that resulted from his being blown out a hole because the fuse was too short - though I know of many whose fuses were too short and burned others rather than themselves. He was our first student at the brand new Department at Rhodes in 1946, which is where our paths first crossed. At the time of his death (in his 90s) he was senior ex-moderator. Now its
Edwin Pons, and I'm next after that!
The second chapter deals with his ministry in Vereeniging and has quite a bit about how he and the Session challenged the police cordon to hold a communion service in Sharpsville. R. S.M. Maja's courage has been well documented but the work of other 'whites' involved like Bishop Reeves employing the Lang brothers to collect evidence is forgotten.
Angus Hunter (USA): “I am teaching a counselling school in Kona Hawaii this week. 25 students and 7 staff. Translation into Korean - The Father Heart of God and Identity in Christ.
Clare is home in Waco.”
Martin and Jenny Lund (Somerset West): (Tuesday 20th October): About an hour ago I had a call from a former member of St. Barnabas’ United Church, Florida, to say that Stephen Simpkins died this morning in Durban. He was diagnosed with gastro malignancy and “seedlings” in the lungs about 6 weeks ago. He trained as a student for the PCSA ministry, but his health during his final year left much to be desired and he was not able to be ordained then. He was ordained later by the UCCSA and served with real integrity ably supported by his wife, Joy. He retired from St. Barnabas’ United Church but retirement was short-lived; he began ministering in the Durban and South Coast area until his
illness.
Thank you once again for friends who have sent in news. Do please send your news to me to be shared with over 200 other Ministers. It is so good to know what is happening in our lives for we really ARE members of the one Body.
God bless you!
Doug