Winter School
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WINTER SCHOOL FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY TUESDAY 16 JULY – THURSDAY 18 JULY 2019 REFLECTING ON 25 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY - IN DIALOGUE WITH RELIGION PROGRAMME TUESDAY 16 JULY 2019 08:00 Registration 09:00 Welcome and Arrangements 09:10 Word of Welcome: Prof Reggie Nel, Dean, Faculty of Theology 09:15 Devotion: Rev Mabel Goliath, Methodist Church 09:45 Keynote Speaker: Ms Melanie Verwoerd 10:45 Refreshments 11:15 Morning Parallel Series 12:45 Lunch 14:00 Afternoon Parallel Sessions 16:30 Spit-Braai WEDNESDAY 17 JULY 2019 08:00 Registration 09:00 Welcome and Arrangements 09:10 Devotion: Rev Euodia Volanie, United Congregational Church 09:45 Keynote Speaker: Dr Pali Lehohla 10:45 Refreshments 11:15 Morning Parallel Series 12:45 Lunch / Reconciliation Lunch REFLECTING ON 25 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY YEARS OF ON 25 REFLECTING WITH RELIGION – IN DIALOGUE 14:00 Afternoon Parallel Sessions THURSDAY 18 JULY 2019 08:00 Registration 09:00 Welcome and Arrangements 09:10 Devotion: Rev Trevor Hebert, Apostolic Faith Mission 09:45 Morning Parallel Series 11:15 Refreshments 11:45 Keynote Speaker: Prof Allan Boesak 12:45 Closing WINTER SCHOOL 2019 FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY TUESDAY 16 JULY – THURSDAY 18 JULY 2019 Church pastors, students, academics from schools of religion and all interested persons are invited to the 2019 Winter School, presented by the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with Communitas, Ekklesia and the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology. The venue for the Winter School is the Attie van Wijk Auditorium, Faculty of Theology, 171 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch. REFLECTING ON 25 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY– IN DIALOGUE WITH RELIGION As a faculty we commemorate 160 years of The Winter School aims to recognise the theological formation in Stellenbosch in 2019. significance of these milestones by creating a platform where community members, leaders The founding of the seminary in Stellenbosch and academics can reflect critically on the on 1 November 1859, envisioned theological road travelled. The conference will reflect on formation as opposed to what was considered the public calling of religious communities a “liberal” theological stream at the time. But in building democracy, in dialogue with key it would also stand for indigenous formation conversation partners. In our view, religious – from Africa, in Africa and for Africa. communities continue to play a significant role We are an African community, an African in the South African society – not only in the faculty – and proudly so. For us that means lives of individuals, but also in various publics. a deep commitment and connection to our What individuals and religious communities mother continent, an umbilical cord from confess, has public significance, and cannot Africa, in Africa and for Africa. What does be isolated from public matters and political this connectedness mean in 2019, in South life. Religious communities should therefore Africa, in Stellenbosch – a year which also, be constructive dialogue partners in matters significantly, marks 25 years of democracy in of public life. South Africa? Previous themes of the Winter School: • 2012: My story – our story – thé story • 2013: For a time like this – hearing the Gospel, the Hope for our times • 2014: Christ, the Hope for Africa – the next 20 Years • 2015: Changing the world? An invitation to faithful discipleship and responsible citizenship • 2016: A home for us all – the future of Christianity and our youth in Africa • 2017: Reforming the Church, Society and Ourselves • 2018: Justice, Reconciliation and Unity: Rediscovering the power of the gospel 3 WINTER SCHOOL 2019 | FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Looking back, reaching forward Ms Melanie Verwoerd Melanie Verwoerd is an independent political analyst. She is a former Member of Parliament for the ANC (1994-2001), South African Ambassador to Ireland (2001-2005) and Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland. In 2007 she was awarded the Irish Tatler International Woman of the Year award. She is the author of “The Verwoerd who Toyi-Toyied”, “Our Madiba”, and “21 at 21”. In 2018 she was ranked one of the top two political analysts in South Africa by the Financial Mail. She writes a weekly column for news24.com. Withholding good undermines democracy Dr Pali Lehohla Dr Pali Lehohla is a former Statistician General of South Africa and served in this position for 17 years; before that he worked for StatsSA for 34 years. He served as co-chair of PARIS21 and chair of the United Nations Statistics Commission. He was the founding chair of the Statistics Commission of Africa (StatCom Africa) and chairs the African Symposium for Statistical Development (ASSD). He was the Vice President of the International Statistics Institute (ISI) and sponsors the Young African Statistician (YAS) movement. He served as one of the 25 member panel on Data Revolution appointed by the UN Secretary General. Mr Lehohla has been a forceful advocate for improving civil registration and vital statistics systems in Africa. In 2015 Stellenbosch University conferred on him an honorary degree in Commerce, and in 2018 he received an honorary doctorate in Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Dr Lehohla is Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg. No nation can win a struggle without faith: the struggle, religion, and the future of our democracy Prof Allan Boesak Prof Allan Boesak served the church in various ecumenical positions, including as Moderator of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, Senior Vice President of the South African Council of Churches, and President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Under his leadership the WARC declared apartheid a sin and a heresy and suspended the two white Dutch Reformed churches in South Africa for their moral and theological justification of the apartheid system. Over the years, Prof Boesak became a world renowned liberation theologian and a coveted speaker at world events. His involvement in public life and South Africa’s freedom struggle began in 1976. In 1983 he called for the formation of the United Democratic Front, which would grow into the largest non-violent, non-racial anti-apartheid formation in the history of the struggle. He worked with President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev Frank Chikane and a whole array of world leaders to end apartheid. Prof Boesak has taught across the world, and continues his teaching and preaching, while remaining active in global struggles for human rights. WINTER SCHOOL 2019 | FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY 4 PROGRAMME OVERVIEW The programme will start every morning with a devotion session led by ministers from different faith communities: 16 July: Rev Mabel Goliath, Methodist Church 17 July: Rev Euodia Volanie, United Congregational Church 18 July: Rev Trevor Hebert, Apostolic Faith Mission The devotion session will be followed by a plenary session with a keynote speaker on the main theme of the Winter School: 16 July: Ms Melanie Verwoerd will focus on how democracy was strengthened and enhanced during the past 25 years, but also, how it is threatened. 17 July: Dr Pali Lehohla will reflect on democracy using data, making information available in a quantitative manner that can be translated into real life stories and realities on the ground. PROGRAMME OVERVIEW PROGRAMME 18 July: Prof Allan Boesak will speak on the role that religion is playing and should play (or not play!) in strengthening the values that undergird democracy. Morning parallel sessions will follow the plenary sessions (participants choose one broad theme presented over three days): P1: Biblical perspectives on democracy P2: Democratic values and the formation thereof by communities of faith P3: Democracy, land and ecology P4: Youth, democracy and religion After lunch, the programme will break into afternoon parallel sessions participants– choose one session on Tuesday and one session on Wednesday. REGISTRATION Closing date for registrations: 28 June 2019. No late registrations will be accepted. The following registration categories are available: • Early bird registration fee before 31 May 2019: R350* • Standard registration fee from 31 May to 28 June 2019: R450 • Single day fee: R150 (spit-braai excluded) • Theology students may attend the Winter School at no cost, but still need to register. Should they wish to attend the spit-braai, a fee of R120 must be paid before 28 June 2019. * URCSA and DRC pastors from the Cape/Western Cape Synods will be subsidised by their local Synods and will pay R200 for early bird registration. A number of scholarships are also available – please contact Escois Benjamin at ebenjamin@sun. ac.za for more information. Please complete the attached registration form and return it to Wilma le Roux, [email protected] or fax: 086 563 7128 before 31 May 2019 to qualify for early bird registration. 5 WINTER SCHOOL 2019 | FACULTY OF THEOLOGY, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE The Winter School is attended by people from different denominations, some of who do not follow Afrikaans. The programme will be conducted mainly in English. Chairpersons for each session are carefully selected so that they can translate if a person wants to ask a question in his / her mother tongue, e.g. Afrikaans and English, and in some cases isiXhosa. WINTER SCHOOL CHAPLAIN Canon Desmond Lambrechts, Anglican Student Chaplain at Stellenbosch University, will be on duty for the duration of the Winter School. In the past the need for a pastoral safe space became apparent. These pastoral conversations will provide an opportunity to listen and reflect with those for whom the Winter School may evoke strong, even turbulent emotions, and pray with those struggling with issues arising from the discussions. His office is next to the Chapel. REFRESHMENTS AND LUNCH Tea/Coffee/Refreshments will be served at the times indicated in the programme. Please note that provision cannot be made for special dietary requirements. These are delegates’ own responsibility.