Methodist Church MAGAZINE A Vibrant Church Leading All People Closer to Christ.

Bergvliet Methodist Church, 2 Wesley Ave, Bergvliet. 7945 Christmas Edition December 2014

Dear people of BMC, Two things are on my mind as I write to you today. One is to reflect CONTENTS briefly on the Week of Reflection (or focus 1 From the week) that we shared earlier in September. minister’s desk The experiment of having just one morning service on the opening Sunday, and thus 3 Getting to know the Society engaging what have become two separate Stewards congregations in a united act of worship, was 4 Teen Social well received. We made use of both the organ and the instrumentalists and, with judicious selection of 6 Rev. Steven Lottering hymnody and songs, enjoyed an experience of worship that was generally pleasing. This has led to a decision to do the same on 9 BMC Market the Sunday between Christmas and New Year when many 10 Leadership people are away and congregations are usually thin after the Training excitement of Christmas Day. There has been a suggestion that 13 Reflections on this could also be planned for the first Sunday of the new year. prayer 15 Global Leaders Other events during the week under review included a most Summit helpful and enjoyable joint meeting of the various Bible study 19 Visit to groups that meet regularly throughout the year. Mary Marsh Memorial Home Przybojewski spoke on “Prayer is a hunger” and offered down-to-earth and most helpful insights into this part of our 20 The Parent Centre walk with God. At the quarterly Church Council meeting on the Wednesday night the extended devotions consisted of a survey 22 BMC Ladies Social Club of the faith of a Methodist and the Wesleyan essentials of Christian faith. These two leaflets can be made available on 23 Farewell tea for Rev James request. At the Thursday morning Communion Service I spoke Gribble about our understanding of the meaning of this vital 24 Heatherdale & sacramental observance that our Lord enjoined upon his Marsh Memorial disciples. On the Saturday morning a large number met for a Christmas party delicious breakfast prepared for us by Lyn Verbeek, a relative 25 Important dates newcomer to the congregation with a passion and a flair for 26 Carols by catering. On the concluding Sunday services were led, as has Candlelight been the pattern this year on the third Sunday of the month ... continue to page 2 PAGE 2 by the Rev Ken Leverton. If the week served to accomplish anything it was to reinforce our awareness of being family together in Christ, with a shared spiritual identity and a common purpose to be people of God in the world about us.

Secondly, now that we have entered the final quarter of 2014, the long wait for the arrival of a minister to succeed Kevin Needham is drawing to a close. The annual Conference of our denomination met in Durban two weeks ago, where the invitation extended to the Rev Steven Lottering by this Circuit was confirmed and sealed along with all the other ministerial appointments made for 2015. He and his family will now tackle in earnest the task of packing and preparing to move from Mossel Bay, and they should arrive in our midst during the early weeks of December. He will begin his ministry among us with the services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I believe that we as a congregation also have homework to do in preparing for this new chapter in the story of Bergvliet Methodist Church. Obviously the manse must be made ready for the Lottering family. There will be a very brief window of opportunity to accomplish this between the house being vacated by the present tenants and the arrival of the Lotterings and their goods. Plans have been made, and nearer the time there will be an appeal for the many hands required to blitz the house and garden. The deeper preparation required is within ourselves as church members. It calls for a spirit of open-mindedness, a readiness to embrace the unfamiliar and the new, and a willingness to accept that God’s truth is always “marching on”. Your new minister will not be like anybody you’ve known before because he is uniquely himself as a servant of Christ. We should not expect of him to be someone that he isn’t. So we will welcome him and his family as God’s gift to this congregation in these years of our lives, and we will continue our pilgrimage as Christ-followers together.

The arrival of spring has been glorious, and we look forward to the balmy days of summer ahead.

May God bless us all.

Yours in the love of Christ, James Gribble

PAGE 3 Getting to know the SOCIETY STEWARDS... We would like to get to know all the society stewards of our church a little better and their roll in our BMC community, so we’ve decided to have them introduce themselves and their position in the next few BMC Magazine Editions.

I’m in my 3rd year of my first term as a Society Steward, and so have had a number of years to get to know many of the congregation. I have been married to Keith for 31 years, and we have two grown-up children, Dale and Caitlin. We both grew up on the East Rand, but moved to in 1997, and have never regretted this move. My portfolio is the Care Commission and I have written a brief overview of the Pam Warburton and her husband, Keith.

responsibilities of this commission. If you feel you would like to be part of this, I welcome your phone call. 021 794 8164/ 083 406 1000 or kwarburton@.co.za God bless, Pam Warburton Caring Commission

“If we don’t know, we can’t care”

The aim of this group is become the caring church community we need to be. There are a number of areas where one can get involved. The flower ministry has two different areas, namely arranging for a Sunday service and delivering to hospital or a home of a member who needs some care. The catering ministry is more diverse. Collections are made to make-up food parcels for families in need. Shopping for these food parcels and occasionally the distribution of food vouchers. Meals are made, frozen and then used to drop-off to people following surgery or to fill a need when a spouse is in hospital or passed away. Catering for events, courses or workshops is offered.

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Cards are sent out to people celebrating birthdays, as well as follow-up cards after baptism and confirmation. Home-made bereavement cards are also posted when someone has had a family member pass away.

Visits are made to members in hospital and phone calls after discharge to check on progress. The Minister, Bible study groups and prayer ministries like the prayer chain and prayer groups work together with the care commission to keep abreast of any needs of our community. TEEN SOCIAL

This year during the June/July holidays, instead of having the usual holiday club for the younger children, which has mostly been attended by those who don’t attend our church, I decided to rather invest in the teens who we currently have at the church.

We had one social outing each week which totalled to 3 outings. For the 1st outing we went Ten Pin bowling followed by lunch at Cavendish Square.

Our 2nd outing was a very exciting and adventurous one as we went to Acrobranch, wearing harnesses, ziplining and basically completing an obstacle course in the tree tops, hence the 3rd outing was a more relaxed one... Ten Pin Bowling

Cave golfing, also knows as Putt-putt at the V&A Waterfront followed by a stroll through the market and shops. It was great to have some of our older teens (those who have been confirmed) along with the younger ones, laughing, having fun and building relationships. I am looking forward to more of these socials!

Sonika ... continue to page 5 PAGE 5

Acrobranch

Putt-Putt

“Wireless communication is nothing new. I’ve been praying for 75 years!”

“Pastor, about this new idea to reach to teens...” PAGE 6 Let’s get to know our new Minister Rev. Steven Lottering...

Sonika asked him a few fun questions about himself:

Why did you want to be a minister? I didn’t really want to be a minister, but for some reason God seemed to want me to and you can only run from God for so long (ask Jonah) so I eventually submitted and I believe this is where God wants me for now.

What did you want to be when you were 7? I wanted to be “all growed up”. Actually, I really can’t remember.

What is your favourite food? I love too much food!

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What music do you like? I enjoy a huge range of music; I love classical music, but I also like rock music. My favourite band is probably U2. I’m not a huge fan of rap, hip-hop, or really heavy metal.

Who is your favourite cartoon character? Calvin & Hobbes!

If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be, and what would you ask them? That’s just too tough to answer ;-)

Coffee or Tea? Mainly coffee (good, strong coffee, not chicory!), but I also love Earl Grey Tea.

What do you dislike the most? People being hurt, exploited or abused.

Things you do while stuck in traffic? I usually listen to audio books while driving so I just keep listening and learning.

If you had a whole day just to yourself, to do anything... what would it be? I often wish I could sleep for just one whole day! I would probably go hiking though or geo-caching with the family. If the weather was bad I’d watch movies all day.

Favourite movie? I have so many favourites it’s really difficult to narrow it down to just one and it changes each time I see another good one.

Favourite scripture verse? Eish! I’m not good at this favourite thing! There are just too many to list.

What was the best day of your life? Every time we’ve been out geo-caching as a family has been a “best day” - I love being out in nature with my family discovering new places and experiencing new things.

Favourite season of the year? Summer

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Greetings BMC Family,

I am really looking forward to serving the Bergvliet and Societies in the Heathfield Circuit and I am looking forward to getting to know you all a little better too. I really believe that God can use us all to make a difference; to build for God’s Kingdom in our lives, our places of work, school or play and in our families.

The best way to get to know one another is through relationship, but I’ll give you a brief “heads up” about me. I grew up in Edenvale in Gauteng. I was baptised and confirmed (by Desmond Tutu!) in the Anglican Church but moved over to the Methodist Church because of friends and I’ve never looked back (well, almost never!)

I first heard the call to ministry when I was about 16 years old but believed I could serve God my way as an Educational Psychologist. Everything we do can be for ministry and so I believed I could express my call my way. God had other plans though and, eventually, I realised that God wanted me to serve in full-time ministry. I still wanted to do it my way though and didn’t want to follow the route of ordination (I was still resisting God’s call)

I served in full-time ministry working in the areas of youth, small groups, and Christian education before eventually answering the call to the ordained ministry. I’ve been in full-time ministry for over 20 years but was only ordained in 2004 having finally submitted to God’s call fully. I have Bth Honours in Practical Theology through UNISA.

I am married to Melinda (we celebrate our 23rd Anniversary in November 2014) and we have two daughters, Morgan (13) and Tyla (10). Morgan will be starting High School in Bergvliet and Tyla will be starting Grade 5. Melinda and I met at High School.

I enjoy reading, movies, hiking and cycling. I love seeing the transforming power of God at work in people’s lives. I am passionate about Justice issues and believe that God calls us all to be a part of healing the world. I have sometimes been called a “Social Activist” but that’s only because I think that we are all called to make this world a better place for all people.

I believe that two of my greatest strengths are teaching and counselling and I am looking forward to serving God with you in the Heathfield Circuit.

Grace & Peace Rev. Steven Lottering PAGE 9 BMC MARKET The market started with a bang as we pulled out all the stops, from food trucks to an animal petting farm, shwarmas, bubble tea, divine cakes, tender, fresh calamari, jewelry, aloe and aromatherapy products, child entreuperneurs, charity, home made goods, Sweet Valley Primary’s sax and drum performance and the ever popular bacon and egg rolls. Not even the cooler weather and rain could keep the children away from the cute little animals they don’t get to see everyday. Even the chicken was adored as if it had the luxurious life of a cat.

However not everything went smoothly - we had a few bumps along the way. A quick back up plan was made for the coffee machine that decided it was time to retire. Of course, the occasional prizes from Wine Estate were much appreciated!

Seeing so many people and the excitement of the children was well worth the work. I hope this will only grow and increase!

Thank you for YOUR support. Sonika PAGE 10

from 4 August to Leadership Training 8 September 2014

During July 2014 I was invited to attend what I thought was a meeting, only to discover it was a six week leadership training course. The course was based on presentations from the Global Leadership Summit, hosted by the Willow Creek Church in the USA.

Each week the facilitator introduced the session with a series of thought-provoking questions followed by a DVD presentation. He also shared valuable insights from his work as a leadership developer and facilitator across the Connexion.

The objective of the course was to develop leadership skills and tools and to find a way for the church to access the leadership skills of more of its members. This was particularly exciting for me.

During the 80’s the church responded to the changing SA with the “Journey to a New land” process, which provided me, as a lay person, with an opportunity to become a part of and to define the church I could be excited about. This training has generated the same excitement within.

To an extent, the objective was achieved, as we were introduced to some new tools and techniques to take us from where we are, to where we want to be. The next steps are to find ways to access the skills and to decide where to from here.

The last presentation was titled: “The Church is the hope of the world”. For the church to fulfil this mission, we need to share our love, faith and hope more consciously with the world in which we live. I do believe this begins with each one of us - within our families, with our children and grandchildren, our neighbours, our friends and all whom we interact with.

I trust the leadership of BMC to engage with all the course participants and find ways to include more members from the congregation to take these next steps.

If we do nothing new or different, we will stay where we are. We need to take risk taking new steps so that we can move in a new direction. And, we all need to take the steps in the new direction together!

Thanks and God bless BMC, Denise Peterson

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My experience in attending the Leadership Course at Bergvliet Methodist Church I was invited to attend the Leadership Course but declined at first saying to all that “I am no Leader”. I was eventually persuaded, thinking to myself, at least this course could help me in my own life. Well, was I astounded!

I realised that as Christians we all need to be in some form of Leadership in our church. If nothing else as leaders, we need to draw into our fold all the broken people, to love and nurture them. This is a commandment given to us by our Lord.

We are not all evangelists, but we have God given gifts to use for bettering His Kingdom here on Earth. As long as we remain humble, God can work through us to achieve this.

I believe the church is suffering from some form of apathy, so in order for us to go forward in building a vibrant loving church, we must plan and execute exciting new things to get the attention of the congregation.

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We must start small, do things that are accessible, be disciplined and creative, but we must never become complacent. We must also prepare for the difficult times, because my friends, they will come.

Another duty I learnt is that as Leaders we need to be accountable and committed. We need to look after the people in our fold, our employees and volunteers. We need to clarify their roles in the church and put them to work in their areas of spiritual gifting. Above all we must be able to handle constructive criticism and negotiate conflict.

We must be able to stand back and observe. My friends, this will happen as we are all human, but as Leaders we must set an example so that God will be able to say to us “You good and faithful servant - in you I am well pleased.”

It was a blessing and privilege to be invited to attend this course and I am so excited for whatever the future has in store for us here at Bergvliet.

With love and blessings Lyn Verbeek

A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping” PAGE 13

Reflection Week...

Tuesday, 16 September 2014: REFLECTIONS ON PRAYER - MARY PRZYBOJEWSKI A Combined meeting of Bible Study groups

This proved to be a wonderful gathering together of all our Bible Study groups which was well supported and afforded us a blessed occasion for fellowship and “getting to know you”.

Before I set out to summarise Mary’s talk I would like to say how grateful I am to her for the help I received in pin-pointing my own troubling questions regarding my prayer life.

It was liberating to be affirmed in the knowledge that there is no “right way” or “wrong way” to pray - there are as many ways to pray as there are people on earth! If the wondrous beauty and awesomeness of nature moves you then rejoice for you ARE at prayer.

When we become aware of an inner restlessness, it is the Spirit within us calling us into a search for “something” - our deepest longing for God - and God’s longing for us!

Prayer is a journey. For many of us we long for the burning excitement we knew when we first discovered our deep connection with God through prayer. But as years go by we move into a different “place”. This is the progression of the journey. We need to continually move into more creative ways of praying, e.g. Lectio Divina (praying the scriptures) or Centring Prayer. We can use our imagination - Jesus taught it and encouraged it. Imagine yourself in the scene of the healing stories of the Gospels; imagine being face to face with Jesus as He asks you “What is it you want me to do for you?”

Prayer is not about results but all about relationship.

Thank you Mary... and I pray that all who were present were truly blessed. Sylvia Byren PAGE 14 Combined Service...

Our reflection week ended with a combined service which was something new at BMC.

The Church has a maximum capacity of 200 and was filled 70% for the service, which was attended by a good mix with the vast majority senior members.

The Scripture Reading was from Matthew 16 vs 13:20 ; “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Reverend James Gribble brought an excellent message on the question: “Who do you say I am?”

The music was a blend of traditional music lead by the organist, as well as praise and worship lead by the Praise and Worship Band. Refreshments were served after the service in conclusion of an enjoyable day.

Roderick Goliath PAGE 15

The Willow Creek Association Global Leaders Summit The Willow Creek Association has a vision – to help Christians grow in their leadership to maximize Kingdom impact.

The Willow Creek Church is a mega church in Chicago, USA and their senior pastor Bill Hybels had a vision to start the Global Leadership Summit. This is an annual event that is spread across the globe reaching 15 000 churches in 108 countries. In Cape Town the Common Ground Church in is one of the venues that hosts the GLS event, with the AGS Church in Goodwood being the other host. This is the 10th anniversary of ’s participation in this leadership summit.

Earlier this year, at a BMC Council Meeting, we were afforded the opportunity of putting our names forward to participate in this event held on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October. Eight of us put our names forward and attended this year’s Global Leadership Summit.

The summit consisted of a series of presentations by top speakers on relevant topics - four sessions on Friday and four on Saturday. These sessions were interspersed with worship and discussion. On Friday Bill Hybels opened the event, after a wonderful worship session, with a talk on finding our legacy as leaders and challenging the delegates to a ‘a bigger vision’ than they have.

Session 2 was presented by Carly Fiorina, a former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and named Fortune’s “Most Powerful Woman in Business” for 6 consecutive years! She outlined a Leadership Framework embracing vision/strategy, organisational structure, results and culture/behaviour. How do we measure up with this as an organisation or team - in the workplace, in church or even at home.

Then there was an interview with Jeffrey Immelt the current CEO of General Electric worldwide. He gave insights into delegation of powers, staffing, diversity, succession and sacrifice, being accountable and respecting work and workers. He also shared thoughts on experiencing church.

After the lunch break, Joseph Grenny - an eminent Social Scientist for business performance - presented one of the most interesting and thought provoking sessions of the Summit. He gave a wonderful teaching on “Critical Moments... and how we deal with these.” We were enlightened on how to discuss the un-discussable and the principle of “Crucial Conversations” in our dealings with others. He stated the Law of Crucial Conversations - “At the heart of almost all chronic problems in our organisations, our teams and our relationships lie crucial conversations - ones that we’re holding or not holding well”.

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The final session on Friday was led by Bryan Loritts, an African-American pastor and preacher and founder of Fellowship in Memphis, Tennessee, who has been named among the “Top Thirty Emerging Christian Leaders” in the U.S. by Outreach Magazine. He gave a powerful presentation on Matthew 25:31-46 - “The least of these” - and ended with a teaching on “What is enough?” John Wesley worked out that he could live on 28 pounds a year. Any earnings over-and-above that was given to the poor!!

Saturday’s opening session, a presentation by three people, was eagerly awaited. Don Flow - CEO of the Flow Companies, operating 33 automobile dealerships - gave insights on how to run a business with Christian principles and ethics. Allen Catherine Kagina - the Commissioner General of the Uganda Revenue Authority - presented a powerful session on eliminating corruption in the revenue service in Uganda, and of turning Uganda from a borrower to a giver nation. Through the power of prayer and being obedient to Christ’s teachings, the URA has become a model public institution for developing countries. The final speaker for this session, was Wilfredo De Jesus, the senior paster at the New Life Covenant Church in Chicago. He has been included in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2013” and his ministry is known for outreach to the homeless, prostitutes, drug addicts, gang members and the broken-hearted. He has powerful stories to tell of the power of Jesus in sorting out hopeless situations. Ephesians 2:10 says - “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” - a real challenge. He spoke of Nehemiah’s question - “How is Jerusalem?” We need to ask this question of our community, organisation, family and relationships. And then we need to stand in the gap!

In session 6, Patrick Lencione - who is a best-selling business author and named as one of Fortune Magazine’s “The Guru’s you should know” - was certainly very entertaining and challenging in his talk on self-sacrifice and Servant Leadership. He was followed by Susan Cain, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, who has done extensive research into the leadership strengths of introverts. In her incredibly interesting presentation she mentioned some famous introverts in history - amongst others Warren Buffet and Sir Isaac Newton.

Session 7 involved a discussion and question-and-answer time between Tyler Perry and Bill Hybels. Tyler Perry - a filmmaker, actor and philanthropist - was born into poverty and suffered abuse as a child. He was the recipient of the 2004 “Black Professionals’ Entrepreneur of the Year” award and leads a massively successful entertainment empire, employing 350 people in Atlanta. He is intimately involved in supporting charities focused on civil rights and caring for the homeless.

Wonderful stuff!

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Some resources were obtained for our Church library. Others are available online. Sonika has all the details in the office.

I hope that in some small way I’ve whet your appetite to attend next year’s Summit. Booking is already open!

Quintin PAGE 18

The Global Leadership Summit 2014

I attended the Global Leadership Summit with seven other members from BMC on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th of October. As this was the rst time I was participating in this seminar, I was not sure of what to expect; although I felt certain it was going to be exciting. I was not disappointed and was impressed with the excellent organisation, starting with the quick and easy registration on arrival, followed by the daily programme which ran smoothly and on time and the quality of the information presented.

The purpose of the Summit was to provide skills, motivation and set new challenges to encourage Christians in leadership positions to improve their abilities and become better leaders. The various leaders presenting each session were certainly able to do that as their talks were inspiring, motivating, encouraging and often very challenging. We also shared times of meaningful worship and discussions.

One statement that leader and presenter Bill Hybels made is that “Everyone wins when a leader gets better”. I learnt a great deal by attending this Summit and felt God challenged me to be willing to take risks, allowing Him to show me new ways in which I can serve Him in order to continue to grow.

Louie Giglio presented the nal session and reminded us that our lives are short but He can use us to do great things for His glory if we take that next step together.

I would like to encourage BMC leaders to attend the next Summit as they would bene t greatly from this experience.

Annette Thomson PAGE 19

A Visit to... Marsh Memorial Home for Children

On Tuesday, 30 September 2014, Ann, Maureen, Yvonne, Pam, Anna, Krista and Sandy went for a tour of Marsh Memorial Home for Children with Uncle Rev Kev.

The children were at school, but we saw the houses that they live in, the area they play in, the hall they are entertained in and the beautiful chapel where they worship. The building that houses Kevin’s oce has the most wonderful stained glass window above the staircase.

Every morning the 60 children are bussed to 27 dierent schools! Wherever possible the children continue going to the school in the community where they come from.

This makes it easier for the children when they are ready to be returned to their families.

Kevin is very busy raising funds for a new school bus and for repairs and upgrading of all the facilities. Most of the building and all of the houses that the children live in are in need of major repairs. The grounds are exceptionally well kept and the houses we saw were remarkably neat and tidy - no easy task when each house is home to 10 children.

We can all help Kevin and Marsh Memorial by getting a My School Card and making Marsh Memorial the bene - ciary. If you already have a My School Card, you can change your bene ciary to Marsh Memorial Home for Children. In this way every time you shop at Woolworths, a percentage of your total bill will be paid by Woolworths to Marsh Memorial.

We were all so impressed by what is going on at Marsh Memorial under Kevin’s leadership. Kevin is looking very well and seems to be thriving in his new job.

Sandy

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Visit to Marsh Memorial Home for children

The Parent Centre: Helping Parents through Positive Parenting www.theparentcentre.org.za

I have been a Social Worker for many years, and for the past 12 years, it has been my privilege to be a Facilitator for The Parent Centre Moms Circle Group, every Thursday morning at Mediclinic . It’s a social and informative group especially for Moms to be and Moms with babes up to a year. It is very relaxed and informal and Moms meet other Moms facing similar challenges, make new and lasting friends, swop notes, hints and tips, and enjoy some hot tea! Moms sit or stand and attend to their baby during the course of the morning, feeding, changing or winding them!

Each week there is a speaker on subjects such as baby massage, introducing solids, stimulation, or a talk by a Professional like a Pscychologist, Physiotherapist or OT. We organize lucky draws and discounts, so there is always great variety and much fun too.

We advertise and market the group widely, posting the programme on over 30 Facebook pages each week, including BMC Bergvliet Mommys Club, as we want all Moms to make their very short time of maternity leave, as worthwhile and meaningful as possible and also to assist Moms make informed choices and to have self confidence in their decision-making regarding their babies. ... continue to page 21 PAGE 21

I truly wholeheartedly encourage and salute Sonika with her wonderful and essential Ministry and outreach to new Moms and have shared whatever I can with her over the years, as it is so important for Moms to feel that they too are being nurtured during their journey of Motherhood. There are so many groups focussing on Mom and baby activities but we also need to promote the well being and self esteem of Moms, so that they feel good about themselves in order to have loving relationships that strengthen their family in particular and society in general. Moms play such a pivotal role in the life of their little family and so many are without a support system, being new to the area or not having friends with little ones.

The Active Babies group which is held on Wednesdays at BMC (9:30 - 11:30am) is unique in that it welcomes Moms with babes AND toddlers. Moms can get out of the house, make new friends and enjoy fresh air and exercise while socializing. We encourage our Moms to attend Active Babies as well, and do remind them via their own Circle of Moms facebook page. There is no charge to join Active Babies, which is a drawcard as well!

Our groups complement each other and it is so important for everyone, providing a service to new Moms to network, interface and liaise in this way.

So if you know of any Moms of babes and toddlers, pass the information on to them about Active Babies - exercise is so healthy for Moms. Moms don’t want to go walking on their own, they are much more motivated if they are in a weekly group which encourages them to join in and to keep returning. Early Motherhood can be a very isolating experience and Moms often find they are suffering from cabin fever, miss the company of adults and Active Babies can go a long way in alleviating these feelings. If Moms want to join in both groups, that is even better!

Please log onto the Parent Centre website and read about the wonderful work my colleagues do with families in communities all over the , and LIKE The Parent Centre Facebook page as well, where there are posts of interest to parents.

Margaret Davison PAGE 22 BMC Ladies Social Club 8 November 2014 The BMC Ladies Social Club had its third meeting on Saturday 8 November 2014. This appears to have become a popular and well-attended event, and as we go forward into 2015, the committee have agreed that this will become a regular twice-yearly get-together.

We believe that any teething problems have been ironed out, but would welcome feedback - good or otherwise - from the BMC ladies.

The BMC ladies were most fortunate and privileged to have Hilary Mauve as the speaker. Hilary is a well-known “local” having lived in the Bergvliet area for some 34 years. Hilary spoke about “The Fascinating History of the Constantia Valley” and her talk was peppered with highly interesting facts and humour. And she didn’t even look at her notes once! Hilary has a rich background, having travelled extensively to many corners of the world - destinations that most of us would give our eye teeth to visit. Hilary is also a prolific writer and currently writes a monthly gardening article for the Cape Argus. It was a pleasure to listen to this exceptional, creative, well-travelled and highly interesting lady.

Again Pastis in Constantia excelled with their service and delicious breakfast. Kudos to Pastis! BMC ladies and their friends won some awesome prizes donated by Pastis, Stodels Nursery in Constantia, Little Orchard Nursery in Constantia and a local beauty therapist. Maureen Carney won the Clicks hamper - well done Maureen! Margie Gerber again donated two bottles of Groot Constantia wine and GC wine-tasting tickets (thank you Margie!) Well done to all the lucky prizewinners! It was a lovely event - and we do hope that other ladies in the congregation will consider giving this a “go” in 2015. Many thanks to the committee members for the Social Club, without whom the event would not have been the success that it was - a big pat on the back to Cecily Campbell, Sandy Burke, Zanette Walker, Krista de Villiers and Pam Warburton.

Article by: Marilyn Hallett PAGE 23 Farewell tea for Rev James Gribble and celebration of his 50 years in ordination!

We had a wonderful farewell tea for Rev James Gribble in the Hall after the Combined Service on Sunday, 9 November 2014.

I would just like to express my admiration and thanks to the ladies who prepared the beautifully colour-co-ordinated tables and wonderful eats provided by members of the congretation.

This was a lovely way of showing James how much we all appreciated his ministry and care for all of us. He will be sorely missed!

Dee Cornhill

HOLY HOTLINES

WORRY HOTLINE...... 1 PETER 5:7 FEAR HOTLINE...... ISAIAH 41:10 TEMPTATION HOTLINE...... 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 DOUBT HOTLINE...... ROMANS 10:17 SICKNESS HOTLINE...... ISAIAH 53:5 DEPRESSION HOTLINE...... PSALM 34:18 LONELINESS HOTLINE...... DEUTERONOMY 31:8 LINES ARE OPEN 24/7 PAGE 24 Heatherdale and Marsh Memorial Children’s Homes Christmas Party We teamed up with the District Youth Unit and had a combined party for the two homes on 23 November 2014. Together we made and filled 89 Santa shoe boxes! The party started at 2pm, where the children each received a cupcake and party pack as they entered the hall. We had an opening prayer, warm-up action songs, a dance by Zebulun Dance Production (group from Methodist church) and a story done by Anton Du Preez, who grew up at Marsh Memorial Home. As you can imagine the highlight was receiving their Santa shoe boxes, which had the children clapping and cheering for each one whose name was called out to receive a box, just as if they had won an award. The carers from the two homes were given chocolates and thanked for what they do for the children.

There was a special visit from Mr. Pritt who walked around and handed out sweets to the children. They were very happy to wave and interact with him. All the excitement was followed by some free play time on a jumping castle and a bouncy boxer which helped to get rid of pent up energy. A BIG thank you to all who helped and donated, making this a special day for the children! Special thanks to Black Ball and Cathy Slade for letting us use their jumping castle and bouncy boxer at no charge. Once again I was blown away by the kindness and compassion that people have shown to support and make this event possible. Have a blessed Christmas! Sonika Gerber PAGE 25 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... and he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...” - Isaiah 9:6 Christmas is, once again, around the corner. We send warm wishes to you and your family during this Season. May your home be blessed with love and happiness.

Sunday 30 November - Advent Sunday Services at 07h45 and 09h30 - Rev Dawn Slabber

Sunday 7 December - 2nd in Advent Services at 07h45 (Holy Communion), and 09h30 - Rev Dawn Slabber

09h30 service: Youth Church Year End party

18h30 Carols by Candle light

Sunday 14 December - 3rd in Advent Services at 07h45, and 09h30 (Holy Communion) - Rev James Gribble

Suday 21 December - 4th in Advent Services at 07h45, and 09h30 (All Age Worship) - Rev Ken Leverton

Wednesday 24 December - Christmas Eve 18h00 - Crib Service - Rev Steven Lottering 23h00 - Christmas Eve Communion service - Rev Steven Lottering

Thursday 25 December - Christmas Day 08h00 - Family Service in Bergvliet High School hall - Rev Steven Lottering

Sunday 28 December 09h00 - Combined Service - Rev Steven Lottering

Sunday 4 January 09h00 - Combined service with Holy Communion - Rev Steven Lottering

Sunday 11 January - 1st after Epiphany 09h00 - Combined service - Rev Steven Lottering

Sunday 18 January - 2nd after Epiphany Services at 07h45 and 09h30 - Rev Steven Lottering PAGE 26

Pre-sale for tickets are available between services on Sunday and at the office during the week. This will help us with catering.

Date: 7 December 18h30 - Picnic starts (Boerie rolls on sale) 20h00 - Carols start Boerie rolls - R20 Entrance - R5 (incl. candle and booklet) Refreshments on sale. Best Christmas hat wins a prize! There will be a few stalls selling Christmas related products.