FORTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF DIOCESAN SYNOD KWANZIMELA, 1-3 October 2009

THE BISHOP’S PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

1. Preamble

Ukristu uyiNkosi. Uyabusa. Christ is King. He reigns.

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve...with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” (2 Tim 1:2-3)

In the name of God I wish to warmly welcome you to this Forty-seventh Session of Synod of the . These few days will be hard work, requiring concentration and application but from the outset let us remind ourselves that we are not in this alone, that the Holy Spirit is the one who calls us together and who is present and active within and 1 among us. I am confident that, during the course of ths Synod, we will see and experience plenty of the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit, that is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22).

In the midst of the hard work, the debates, the conversations and, ultimately, the decisions we are going to make, let us not lose sight of the presence of God’s Spirit among us and let us rejoice in the signs of life, hope and holiness we see in each other.

Let me begin by praising God and giving thanks to him for the ongoing love and support I receive from my family, my wonderful wife Nobelungu, affectionately known by many of us as uMa Dlems, our children and, the latest addition to the family, our grandchild, Renzo Nkanyiso.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to God for the wonderful people, lay and ordained, who make up the membership and leadership of this amazing Diocese:

S the Bishop’s Chapter, my closest advisors, made up of Archdeacons and Canons. For the first time in the history of this Diocese, Chapter enjoys the presence and the capable contribution of three lay canons, namely, Mrs Buyiswa 2 Ntshangase, Adv William Gwala and Mr Musa Myeni.

 Bishop Lawrence Zulu and Ruth, his wife;

 all the wonderful clergy of this diocese who love our Lord Jesus and give themselves sacrificially to serve God and his church;

 the Rector and the churchwardens of the Good Shepherd, KwaMagwaza, for allowing us to worship and work here;

 the lay and ordained members of Diocesan Council, Finance Committee of Diocesan Council, the Diocesan Board of Trustees and the Directorate of the KwaMagwaza Agricultural Lands;

 the Bishop’s secretary, the Diocesan Secretary and the staff at the Diocesan Office;

 The Diocesan Chancellor and Diocesan Registrar;

 all members of Boards of Diocesan Departments, Institutions, organisations and task teams;

 all churchwardens, treasurers and members of Parish Councils; 3

 the people of God as a whole, who are striving to hear God and grow in love and obedience to his will;

 the many volunteers that give of their time and expertise freely and generously;

 a very special greeting to the youth of the Diocese, the present and the future of our church;

 a special greeting for all those who are attending Synod for the first time. Welcome. Relax and enjoy it!

Thank you, my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Without you we would be nowhere. May God reward you for your faithful service.

But, above all, we want to give thanks to God who has given us himself in his Son Jesus Christ, and continues to give us life through his Holy Spirit.

It is our good custom to acknowledge those in our midst who have joined the clergy since our last Synod in 2006. We congratulate them and wish them many years of faithful ministry in this Diocese. For a full list see Appendix A. 4

We give thanks to God for three clergy persons who have joined the Diocese from other parts of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa or from other churches: the Revd Raymond Mbonambi and the Revd Eugene Ngcamu from the Roman Catholic Church, and the Revd Thokozani Mcineka from the Salvation Army.

Since our last Synod we have also said goodbye to the Revd Russell Mngomezulu who moved to the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, the Ven Nkosinathi Ngcobo who joined the ministry in the neighbouring and the Ven Clement Khumalo who serves the people of God in the . We wish them and their families all God’s blessings in their new ministries. With sadness, we acknowledge the resignation of the Revd Khulekani Sono. I take this opportunity to wish him well in his present and future endeavours.

We remember with deep bonds of affection the members of our clergy who have died since our last Synod: the Revd Mineas Zungu, Rector of St John’s, Inhlwati and the Revd Nalson Mdlalose, a self-supporting at St David’s, Vryheid. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

We also remember with gratitude all members of past Diocesan Synods who have died since December 2006. 5

I wish to acknowledge in our midst the presence of Bishop Michael Vorster, of the Methodist Church of South Africa, Bishop of the Northern Coastal Region of KwaZulu-Natal; the Revd DNP Luthuli, representing the KwaZulu Regional Christian Council; Bishop Kumalo of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eshowe; and Bishop Buthelezi of ELCSA.

We also welcome the Honourable Mayor of Mthonjaneni Municipality, Councillor William Harris. I take this opportunity to thank the Rt Revd , retired in the , for his support and co-operation during his episcopacy and congratulate the newly appointed Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd James Newcome, formerly and Suffragan of Carlisle. Bishop James will be enthroned on Saturday 10th of October 2009. To him, his dear wife Alison and family go our sincere prayers at this time.

We send greetings to our link in the Province of Southern Africa, to Bishop Donald Harker and Joan, his wife.

We also acknowledge with gratitude the ongoing financial support offered to us by the Emmanuel Church in the Diocese of Northampton, Church of England, St James’ Church, New York and the Diocese 6 of Sydney in Australia.

2. DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN 2007-2016: “UNITED TO BE SENT” OR “MASIBE MUNYE SITHUNYWE”

Our last Synod of December 2006 gave its blessing to the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, “Communion for Mission” or “Masibe munye sithunywe”, as an instrument to bring to fruition or implement the Diocesan Vision of “Wait upon the Lord and reach out”. We, then, confirmed our commitment to nurture our fellowship with God and one another (communion) and to be sent into the world (mission) to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom and make disciples according to God’s heart.

In my charge today I simply aim to draw your attention to some practical points to be borne in mind as we move forward, together, in the implementation of the Pastoral Plan.

Emil Brunner, the Swiss theologian, wrote that “The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning”. In other words, no mission - no church. Jesus called the Church to share in his mission of restoring the beauty and harmony of creation and humankind distorted by sin. “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you”, 7 Jesus said. Like Jesus, we are sent.

But, before you can go out, or reach out, to somebody else to help them to a closer walk with God, you and I somehow need to go into ourselves and see what it is in our own heart that needs God’s transforming grace.

2.1. SPIRITUAL GROWTH: A CALL TO PRAYER

Before you reach out you have to look deep into your own soul and see what needs God’s cleansing love. Mission quite literally begins at home, by looking deep into oneself and seeing what needs conversion in me before I look for conversion in others.

We are reminded that the first priority of our Pastoral Plan is “call to holiness”. This call is for everyone and is the foundation of our mission. This call to holiness is manifested in each one through a life of prayer and worship.

A life of personal holiness is one that, embodies personal prayer and regular worship; sees personal life as part of God’s unfolding plan; imitates the life of Christ in such a way that living his way just becomes second nature, and, last but not least, wants others to share in it too.

8 In my last Pastoral Letter to the Diocese entitled “Lord, teach us to pray”, I attempted to express, beyond any possible doubt, that there is no effective and transforming mission unless it is accompanied by a deep and sincere life of prayer.

Our prayer life cannot and must not be reduced to our corporate, liturgical prayer once a week, on a Sunday. The rhythm of our day needs to be punctuated by well planned, faithfully kept, quality times spent in the presence of God. Prayer needs to become more and more the “ordinary stuff” of our Christian lives, in our homes, in our organisations and in our parishes.

As I pointed out in my last Pastoral Letter, “our parishes without exception should be schools of prayer”. To this end, our KwaNzimela Diocesan Pastoral Centre should become more and more the venue where our people are encouraged to come and be coached in deepening their prayer life.

I believe that our corporate, liturgical worship will only be meaningfully transformed when each one of us, individually, will have taken seriously this call to a deeper experience of the love of the Lord in prayer.

If we look at spiritual revivals in the life of the Church, we will recognise that no revival was birthed without intense, persevering prayer. Revival in the mission 9 and ministry of our diocese will only happen when we dare to learn to pray always, in all circumstances.

2.2. ENCOURAGING INDICATORS OF GROWTH

The foundation of Church Growth is a theology of mission which sees God at work in the world, healing, reconciling and renewing. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God launched a new creation and through the Spirit God is now, and will be, at work in the world spreading the ramifications of the resurrection until the new creation is fulfilled. We, as the Church, are caught up in this work of the Holy Spirit. The Church is, in fact, the community of the Spirit, sent by Jesus as he was sent by the Father, to carry through the work of new creation.

In September 2008, our Diocese, together with all the other Dioceses of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, embraced the exciting initiative of “Growing the Church”. I must admit that this vision of growing the Church is nothing new to us. In fact, our Diocese has always been, by its very history and character, very much aware of this fundamental task assigned to it by Jesus himself, to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom and make disciples. Growth therefore involves growth in the quality of our faith, quantitative growth in congregations, growth in generosity and 10 growth in service.

Now I do not think we often recognise the extent to which God is actually doing this in our midst already. This is not simply wishful thinking on our part or day-dreaming that denies reality. We can actually point to significant signs of growth that God has brought about among us recently. They are indicators, I believe, of God’s presence among us and of what God’s future holds for us.

# Development of lay ministry:

The ministry of Christ in every parish is being exercised through every member of His Body, in the Church and in the world.

A significant shift is taking place in the understanding and exercise of lay ministry in the diocese. We are in the process of challenging and expanding our traditional understanding of lay ministry, which has tended to limit the impact of lay ministry to a reduced number of people in our parishes. In most cases, lay ministry has been confined to a liturgical role, exercised within the boundaries of the sacred space, the sanctuary.

While we acknowledge with gratitude the crucial 11 role played by our lay ministers in the life of the diocese, we nevertheless remain strongly convinced that lay ministry needs to take many different forms and has to adapt to each community which it serves. Each and every member of our congregations needs to respond to God’s call to ministry according to the gifts of the Spirit given to them. In his charge to the on the day of their ordination, the Bishop says

“You will help God’s people to discover and use to his glory the gifts he has given them” (APB, p. 587).

In January 2008 our Diocese embarked on an unprecedented effort to requalify our lay ministry and has given the opportunity to 60 men and women in the diocese to prepare themselves for lay ministry by enrolling them for a two-year course with the Theological Education by Extension College (TEEC). Half of them will be specifically trained for the ministry of the Word as Evangelists, while the other half will be trained as Christian Counsellors. God willing, early next year, this first crop of lay ministers will be licensed by the Bishop. They will be known as the Episcopally Licensed Lay Ministers (ELLM).

At parish level, all other forms of lay ministry will need to be developed and such ministers will have 12 a wide variety of specific roles in their own communities, for which they will be commissioned by the local incumbent or the Archdeacon of the area. They will be known as the Parochially Commissioned Lay Ministers (PCLM). They will not need the Bishop’s license to perform their ministry in their local congregation.

At this juncture, I wish to acknowledge the pivotal role played by Cyprian Mncwango, Sr Zamandla CHN, and the mentors in facilitating this new and challenging ministerial initiative.

# Candidates to the Ordained Ministry:

Another clear indicator of growth is the number of candidates for ordination. Presently, we have three seminarians at the College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown and five at the Evangelical Seminary of South Africa in Pietermaritzburg. We give God praise and glory because he continues to give us signs of his grace and presence.

The Fellowship of Vocation continues to offer young people the opportunity to enter into a process of discernment of their vocation. Training for Ordained Ministry (TOM) also moves 13 on in a meaningful way, aptly monitored and evaluated.

It is encouraging to note that the number of people offering themselves for stipendiary and self-supporting ministry has risen during the last few years. The average age of the clergy in the diocese is encouragingly falling. These are significant developments which augur well for leadership in the future.

I pay tribute to the hard work of Archdeacon A. Kibirige and Canon J. Mhlungu of the Department of Ministerial Formation, together with the FOV wardens at Archdeaconry level. Their meticulous following up of people, their pastoral care for them and their families has been outstanding and is an excellent investment in the future of the Diocese.

May I also pay tribute to you, clergy and lay leaders. This increase in the number of people enquiring about ordination and entering formation for ordination is very heartening. It is a reflection of the effort we have all put in over the last few years.

On of the challenges that will flow from this, a happy challenge I must say, is that, we will be stretched as a Diocese to find sufficient finances for 14 stipends of assistant . I hope parishes will respond to the challenge and see part of their ministry as providing training grounds for newly ordained clergy and in that way investing in future leadership in the Diocese.

# “Rooted In Jesus”: Faith sharing groups and discipleship

Another indicator of growth in the diocese is the steady, though not always easy, growth of faith sharing groups or small groups. You might remember that this is our third priority in our Pastoral Plan. I am convinced more than ever before that spiritual renewal and growth in our parishes is directly proportional to the intentional development of small faith-sharing groups.

I have a dream. I dream of the Diocese of Zululand of the future as a dynamic network of cell groups where brothers and sisters are nurtured in their spiritual and human growth and equipped for mission.

During the last twelve months or so, the Lord has put an urgency in my heart for a Christian Discipleship course called “Rooted in Jesus”. As I write this charge, Dean Lewis Gumede and the 15 Revd Dumisani Dlamini are attending the launch of “Rooted in Jesus” in the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist, Polokwane, Limpopo. I have sent them, like the two men sent by Joshua of old, not as spies though, to get as much information about this course in view of a possible launch in the Diocese sometime next year. I am looking forward to listening to their report sometime during the course of this Synod.

“Rooted in Jesus” is envisaged to enable groups of Christians to meet together, under the guidance of a leader, in order to learn to live in close and effective relationship with Jesus, with one another, and with those around them. It was piloted in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, where it was introduced in 2002, and is currently in use in Anglican Dioceses in Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and DR Congo. At the moment, there are something in the order of 2,000 “Rooted in Jesus” groups with some 20,000 members.

I pray that this Synod will send a very strong message to the Diocese as far as our call to make disciples is concerned.

It is beyond any doubt that there is growth taking place in the Diocese. But it is also just as important that we keep on moving forward, 16 focussed and intentional, growing God’s mission by extending our footprint in our communities and inviting people to consider their spiritual life and help them foster a healthy relationship with God in Christ.

The “Growing the Church Diocesan Ministry”, soon to established as the catalyst of the many mission-shaped initiatives in the Diocese, will need to operate in synergy with other institutions and organisations towards the achievement of this crucial objective.

# Growth in congregations:

Another indicator of growth is the quantitative growth in our congregations. It is great that new congregations are being planted in the Diocese. This is happening in several areas of the Diocese. Very recently, I happened to baptise a good number of children and adults in a previously unreached area within the Parish of St John, Ubombo, called KwaGedleza. How exciting to witness the birth of a brand new church! I know that many of us, if given the opportunity right now, would be able to bless us with similar testimonies of church growth in their own contexts.

There are key areas in the Diocese where 17 multiplication of parishes is a very real priority. I am thinking of places such as eKuvukeni, Mzingazi, Richard’s Bay; St Alban’s, Mvunyane; St George’s, eMondlo; St Peter’s, KwaHlabisa. Again, the need for intentionality in the process is of paramount importance, as well as good, thorough planning. The guidelines to facilitate the process of multiplication of parishes is being finalised at the moment and, if well applied, it will ensure the future viability and well-being of the new congregations.

The emphasis on numerical growth and the drive towards multiplication of existing congregations are not ends in themselves. They will need to go hand in hand with an increased awareness of the responsibility of each and every congregation to look after its own clergy.

On several occasions and in no uncertain terms, the Diocese has been made aware that, by the end of 2011, the financial viability of the so called “subsidised” parishes will need to be evaluated. If necessary, we will have to consider and negotiate alternative pastoral solutions. The potential harvest and growth in other targeted areas of the Diocese necessitates a more effective and wiser utilisation of the resources available. # Growth in generosity and giving: 18 stewardship

Over the last few years we have had several financial conferences and stewardship training events at either parish, archdeaconry or diocesan levels. We are grateful for the work done and for all those involved in it one way or another. While there is no effective way of evaluating these efforts, in fairness, one can quite confidently affirm that a discreet level of improvement of our giving has taken place. We must admit, though, that we are still a long way away from where we should be. Our giving patterns seem to be changing, albeit at a slow pace.

As people of faith we need to realise that what we hold in common is God’s mission to the world, and that the collective knowledge, wisdom and experience on the issue of stewardship if shared, could serve to benefit the whole Diocese at every level. Instead, quite often, one can sense a sort of jealousy to share what one has achieved and even, at times, pleasure in witnessing somebody else’s failure.

I need to emphasize the need for transformation in the area of stewardship and parish development with a parish based stewardship programme. Transformed thinking would make money a tool of 19 mission instead of an idol. Are we prepared to meet this challenge?

Today I wish to reiterate a statement I made in my enthronement charge in 2005 which, unfortunately, has been left to a great extent unanswered. “It is urgent that we do away with the comfort zone of the ticket system which is still to be found in many of our parishes and which has borne as a result an unbiblical, legalistic and minimalistic understanding of giving.” I have the suspicion that many of our members and leaders much prefer to “play it safe” and remain in their comfort zone. If tithing were our standard and our rule, and if it were duly followed, we, as the Diocese, would be wondering what we might do with the abundance!!!

I wish that all of us in a position of leadership in our congregations, whether lay or ordained, would make a public commitment to tithing when admitted into office. There is no better way to send a strong, credible message than to lead by example.

3. GROWTH IN MISSION: CHALLENGES AHEAD

# Incarnational spirituality: 20

I am well aware that so far in my charge I have been rather inward looking, trying to identify those indicators of growth for which to be thankful to God. We need, though, to remind ourselves that we are what we are, the church of God, for the sake of God’s mission in the world. We have a very definite call to be actively visible in society, in the communities in which we operate.

To make my point quite clear, I wish to use these words of Paul: “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world”(Rom 1:8). Yes, this is very true of this our Diocese. We are known and appreciated for our spirituality.

Yes, we strive to reach out to all people and “win souls” for Jesus.

Yes, we endeavour to nurture people into a life giving relationship with the Lord Jesus. Yes, we make disciples of the Lord.

The big question is: are we making apostles? Are those disciples challenged to go out into the world and make a difference in the lives of people in our communities? A truly Charismatic-Pentecostal church - as all our Anglican churches should be - a 21 church in the power of the Spirit, is a church committed to live with and care for all people in all their needs, enabling them to respond to God’s call to fullness of humanity in Jesus our Lord.

I must say that many of us are still struggling with this. Parishes need to guard against becoming cosy clubs with comfortable pews. We need to guard against creeping complacency about the Good News. Good News for whom, for what?

I want to state quite categorically that a change of gear is needed in this respect. I challenge all the Diocesan organisations and the Diocesan Youth Organisation in particular, to honestly evaluate their ministry and take up this urgent challenge. It is not enough to investigate issues affecting our communities in conferences. We need to be seen to be doing something within our communities, together with the people we live with everyday. This is what I mean when I speak of the “liturgy of the hands” as I did in my previous charge. I want to repeat myself. The liturgy of the heart becomes credible when accompanied by a real and honest liturgy of the hands.

# Social Development:

The hard work and commitment of the Director of 22 this department, Canon Ignatius Zwane, have not gone unnoticed. His enthusiasm and single mindedness, even in the midst of challenging circumstances, both personal and organisational, have greatly contributed to the first steps of Masinakekelane. Needless to say, there is still a lot to be done. We are in the process of rethinking and, possibly, restructuring, this Department of Social Development to make it more functional and efficient.

A sizeable contribution to the development of our people has been made by the programmes which are being implemented in the diocese under the auspices of the Anglican AIDS and Healthcare Trust, namely, Siyafundisa, OVC or Orphans and Vulnerable Children and Vana Vethu. This provincial Trust needs to be thanked for its ongoing partnership with the Diocese.

I need to make the Diocese aware that, as from yesterday, 30th September, the Siyakha Programme funding has come to an end. While on one hand this is very unfortunate and worrying for its implications in this vital ministry of the diocese, on the other hand, it is a wake-up call for all of us to take more responsibility and begin to rely more heavily on our own resources. In our last Synod I made a passionate call for 1000 people of good will 23 in the diocese to contribute a minimum amount of R 50 per month towards the development of this ministry. How many of us heeded that call? Hardly anybody. If we consider that the members of this Diocese are in the region of 40,000+, what is 1000 people? It is an average of 20 people per parish.

If we really believe that this ministry is crucially important for the growth of our mission, then, we must do something about it. Together we can make a huge difference. We cannot always expect help from others. We must learn to help ourselves and rely on our own resources.

In other parts of our Anglican Communion, as well as within ACSA, Dioceses have heeded the recommendation of Lambeth 1998 by giving 0.7%of diocesan income to projects of social development internally as well as internationally. Can we do likewise? It is never too late.

We also acknowledge the developing partnership with HOPE Africa. The latest fruit of this fledging co-operation is the profiling of the Diocese which is taking place as we speak. This Diocesan profile is meant to help us all as we seek to respond effectively and creatively to the needs of the communities in which we serve. 24

# Stewardship of God’s land:

This Synod needs to reflect on our stewardship of the land God has entrusted to us as the Diocese of Zululand.

The KwaMagwaza Mission Agricultural Lands continue to be professionally managed and contribute significantly to the growth of the ministry of the Diocese. We will never be grateful enough to our providing God for the financial support we receive from the farming activities taking place here at KwaMagwaza. We thank the Farm Directorate for their untiring work done for the good of the Diocese. A special message of gratitude goes out to Mr Derek Jacklin, the farm manager, who will be retiring at the end of this year.

But what happens with the land entrusted to us in our parishes? Are we good stewards? Do we know how much land we own?

We know how expensive food is at the moment. We all experience the economic recession. Unemployment is still rising at an alarming rate. We are all well aware of the need for food security 25 especially for the elderly, orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV-AIDS and on anti-retroviral medication.

What are we doing about it? In our rural communities we need to rediscover a culture of ploughing, sowing and producing food for ourselves and for others.

We are in conversation with USPG in England (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) in view of developing a pilot project consisting of food gardens in seven parishes within our Diocese. We need to “pull up our socks” and begin to get involved.

# Creation care: the environment

Environmental issues are more and more taking central stage in the world and in our country. Global warming, climate change, the ”greenhouse effect”, water conservation are widely debated issues. Issues about power sources, questions of nuclear energy and carbon trading schemes are very much in focus in the mass media.

It would be wonderful if our churches, parishes, and all our organisations could be seen to be giving a lead in this area. It would be great to think that 26 each of our sites, whether it be parish, rectory, or community project, could be seen as an environmentally as well as spiritually creative oasis in the community. Just beautiful places! Moving around in the diocese, I notice the dullness, the “greyness” of many of our premises.

I challenge Synod to send a strong message to our people out there. What can we do in terms of water conservation, waste disposal, adequate sanitation etc.? We need to put our house in order and do whatever is realistically possible to strike a healthy balance between care for the environment and development.

4. THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION AND AN ANGLICAN COVENANT

I believe that the prophets of doom, those who held the view that Lambeth 2008 was going to mean the death and burial of the Anglican Communion, were painfully disappointed. The overwhelming impression was, back then, that Lambeth had succeeded in bringing people together, giving them the opportunity to make their voices heard and listening to other voices in love and respect. This is by no means a small achievement. It was unfortunate, though, that a sizeable number of bishops did not accept the invitation to come to 27 Lambeth and stayed away. We missed them very much.

Lambeth 2008 confirmed Resolution 1.10 of Lambeth 1998 on Human Sexuality and has sent a strong message to continue to work with the Windsor Continuation Group Report, the proposed Anglican Covenant and the Pastoral Forum, as a holding bay for dissenting North American parishes and dioceses, to resolve disputes over episcopal authority.

The three moratoria proposed by the Windsor Continuation Group Report need to be upheld, namely, on the ordination to the episcopate of persons in same gender relationships, the blessings of same-sex unions and cross-border incursions of bishops.

It is unfortunately common knowledge that, fourteen months down the line, the Anglican Communion is still in a very fluid state of affairs.

There is much happening at the moment in the Anglican Communion in as far as the proposed Anglican Covenant is concerned. It is hoped that such Covenant will provide a framework for dealing with significant disagreements throughout the Communion. The fourth Draft of the proposed 28 Covenant, knows as the Ridley Cambridge Draft is being circulated in all the Provinces of the Communion for further debate. The recent Synod of Bishops of ACSA, held in Midrand from 7th to the 9th of September, unanimously expressed, in principle, its support for an Anglican Communion Covenant. It is at the moment doing the rounds of the Provinces for formal consideration. It will come before our Provincial Synod due to be convened in 2010. In the meantime, a diocesan process of consultation will be put in place to bring about more awareness and, eventually, ownership of it.

On the much debated issue of pastoral care of those in committed same-sex relationships, the Bishops have this to say in their statement released to the media: “We have also received the resolution of the Diocese of Cape Town requesting us to provide guidelines for the pastoral care of those in committed same sex relationships. Despite the misconceptions created by the media, Cape Town is not intending to proceed with the blessing of same sex unions. We recognise the request to be pastoral in nature and not in any way in conflict with Resolution 1.10 of the Lambeth Conference of 1998. The task of responding to this request has been referred to a task team, which will prepare a 29 preliminary paper building upon the resolutions and statements made so far by ACSA”.

In conclusion, I have no doubt that the Anglican Communion has great value for all of us. It has a unique contribution to make to the world-wide Christian Church and its effectiveness depends to a large extent on maintaining its unity in diversity. We would all be much poorer were the Communion to suffer further fragmentation.

5. Epilogue:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I believe there are clear indicators that God is creating growth among us. Let us be thankful and celebrate that growth in all its dimensions. And the brief glimpses I have been able to give here are by no means pretending to be exhaustive. I am very aware that in virtually every parish creative work is being done as we strive to grow our ministry. I want to encourage you to realise that growth is not only possible, but it is already happening. How am going to strengthen those indicators of growth? I have also highlighted some challenges we need to face together. We must not let the guard down 30 and drift along. We will really start to move when every Anglican asks himself or herself what am I going to do now. Me, not my neighbour.

If we decide to remain focussed and intentional on the tasks ahead of us, then, we will be more likely to notice when the Spirit moves and be in a position to align ourselves with what God is already busy doing. Let us then enter into the work of this Synod prayerfully, confident that God is at work among us, around us and through us, bringing into being his new creation.

Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. AMEN.

+Dino: Zululand

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APPENDIX A DATES OF ORDINATION TO THE DIACONATE AND PRIESTHOOD

Priesthood 16 / 12 / 2006 Diaconate 23 / 06 / 2007 Brian Mahlambi Musawenkosi Nkwanyana Mduduzi Gumede Bhekithemba Zulu Motsamai Sebowane Solomon Zwane Elsie Nsibande Solomon Baloyi Khulekani Sono Bongani Mbatha Cedrick Buthelezi Bhekefini Mthethwa Khulekani Sibisi Priesthood 15 / 12 / 2007 Sibongile Mdunge Zamokuhle Myeni Robert Mthembu Bivolo Ngwane Sibusiso Ngema Nalson Mdlalose Erick Ndlela Diaconate 22 / 06 / 2008 Sipho Nhleko S’fundo Sikhakhane Bonisiwe Ngubane Priesthood 14/12/2008 Samson Zulu Nicholas Ngwane Jabu Seyama Bhekithemba Zulu Sipho Ntanzi 32 Robert Mthembu Vusumuzi Zungu Musawenkosi Nkwanyana Sibusiso Ngema Emily Motloung

Diaconate 21 / 06 / 2009 Khulekani Sibisi Mbusi Cele Sandile Mabaso Bongani Masinga Thokozani Mcineka Sizwe Sikhakhane Emilio Kasaba Mbuso Ximba

APPENDIX B DATES OF DEDICATED CHURCHES 2007: KwaMsindisi Sundumbili: St. Simon of Cyrene, KwaSithebe 18/02/2007 Holy Name Mvulazi 22/07/2007 St. Mary’s, Ingwavuma 28/10/2007 St. George Mondlo: St. Faith’s, Nceceni 16/12/2007

2008: Holy Name, Mvulazi: St. Philip’s, Nhlahleni 05/10/2008 St. John, Inhlwathi; Holy Cross, KwaTebha 09/11/2008 Holy Name, Ngwelezane: Ekubikweleni, Mevamhlophe 21/12/2008

33 2009: St. Aidan’s, Nongoma 31/05/2009 St. Stephen’s, Mthonjeni 05/06/2009 St. Margaret, Nongoma: St. Thomas’, Ekubuseni 25/07/2009

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