2020 1 2020 YEARBOOK THE METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA PURITY NOMTHANDASO MALINGA Presiding Bishop MICHEL WILLIAM HANSROD General Secretary JAMES MABHALANE NKOSI Lay President Methodist Publishing House, Cape Town ISBN: 978-1-920464-49-3 2 2020 The Mission Statement of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa 2020 3 THE CHARTER OF THE MISSION CONGRESS ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA IN JOHANNESBURG ON 30 AUGUST 2005 Where there is no vision the people perish. Where there is no passion the vision dies. God has given us the vision of “A Christ healed Africa for the healing of nations.” As members of the Methodist Family our challenge is to share more deeply God’s passion for healing and transformation. We believe the Holy Spirit is guiding us to continue the pilgrimage which has led us through Obedience 81 and the Journey to the New Land to the present day. We recognise the importance of the local church and rejoice in the many Circuits and Societies where life-giving mission is taking place. In trust and obedience we commit ourselves to the four imperatives for mission in our time: A deepened Spirituality as individuals and a Christian Community. Justice and Service in Church and Society. Evangelism and Church growth which build up the people of God. Empowerment and Development which give dignity and new purpose to those who have been deprived. We resolve to take intentional and sustained action to implement these imperatives in such areas as: The Healing Ministry. Deepening our understanding of African and other spiritualities. Co-ordinated programmes for Christian Education, information and communication. Building meaningful relationships that transcend racism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination. A vigorous response to the crisis of HIV and AIDS. Informing our prophetic ministry by research into socio-economic issues. Identifying land for sustainable livelihood. 4 2020 Sacrificial giving. Becoming a church in solidarity with the poor. Providing training in evangelism. Training ministers for the African context. Implementing anti-bias training. Becoming a more Youth and Child centred Church. We invite the people of God throughout Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland to join us as we put ourselves at God’s disposal to carry forward God’s mission in this sub-continent. Let us each renew our personal commitment to Jesus Christ and seek to grow in grace and in love for God, one another and the world. Let us ensure that our mission of healing and transformation is holistic, embracing all the imperatives for mission. Let us participate in God’s mission in ways that are appropriate to our local contexts and in partnership with the wider church and community. Let us celebrate our diversity and the gifts God has given to each of us; support each other, challenge each other and pray for each other. Finally, we encourage every Circuit to set aside the last Sunday in May each year to celebrate what God is doing among us and to commit ourselves once again to our high calling in Christ. God bless this Africa which is our home. Give us grace to follow Jesus the healer, Jesus the peacemaker, Jesus the Saviour of the world, Jesus the Lord of all life. Restore us and make your face shine on us That we may be saved. 2020 5 CONTENTS The Mission Statement of the MCSA . 2 Charter of the Mission Congress 2005 . 3 The Presiding Bishop’s Address to Conference 2019. 7 The Presiding Bishop-Elect’s Address to Conference 2019 . 16 The General Secretary’s Report to Conference 2019 . 23 The Lay President’s Report to Conference 2019 . 31 The General Treasurer’s Report to Conference 2019 . 38 The Synods’ Reports to Conference 2019 . 43 Chapter 1 Conference 2019: Message to the Methodist People . 91 Chapter 2 Conference 2019: Resolutions . 94 Chapter 3 Minutes of Conference . 111 Membership Returns. 119 Chapter 4 Amendments to Laws and Discipline . 120 THE UNITS OF THE CHURCH Chapter 5 The Finance Unit . 185 Appendix 1: Policy on Effective Financial Management . 201 Appendix 2: Institutional Competency Assessment . 210 Appendix 3: Stipend Augmentation Fund . 214 Appendix 4: Connexional Gifts Policy . 217 Appendix 5: The Supernumerary Fund Reserve and the Church Reserve . 219 Appendix 6: Mission Resource Fund . 222 Appendix 7: Treasurers Code of Conduct . 224 Chapter 6 Ecumenical Affairs Unit . 228 Chapter 7 Education for Ministry and Mission Unit . 238 Chapter 8 Seth Mokitimi Seminary . 266 Chapter 9 Communications Unit . 273 Chapter 10 Connexional Children and Youth Unit . 276 Chapter 11 Human Resources Unit . 279 Chapter 12 Mission Unit . 282 6 2020 THE ORDERS OF THE CHURCH Chapter 13 Order of Deacons . 296 Chapter 14 Order of Evangelism . 299 THE COMMITTEES OF THE CHURCH Chapter 15 Connexional Chaplaincy Committee . 303 Chapter 16 Connexional Trust Properties Committee . 305 Annexure A: MCSA Property Strategy . 308 Annexure B: Visit to Kenya . 310 Chapter 17 Doctrine, Ethics and Worship Committee . 313 Chapter 18 Methodist Archives . 316 Chapter 19 Methodist Publishing House . 318 Chapter 20 Women In Ministry . 320 Women In Ministry Task Team Report . 323 Chapter 21 Structures Committee . 325 ORGANISATIONS OF THE CHURCH Chapter 22 Music Association . 331 Chapter 23 Local Preachers’ Association . 336 Chapter 24 Women’s Work . 340 Women’s Association . 340 Women’s Auxiliary . 343 Women’s Manyano . 347 Young Women’s Manyano . 350 Chapter 25 Men’s Work 355 Young Men’s Guild . 355 Chapter 26 Conference Awards . 360 Chapter 27 Elections and Appointments . 361 Connexional Diary 2020 . 363 2020 Lectionary . 369 List of Conferences, Presidents and Secretaries . 374 List of Future Conferences . 379 In Memoria . 381 2020 7 THE PRESIDING BISHOP’S ADDRESS TO CONFERENCE Bishop Ziphozihle Daniel Siwa Theme: Shaping tomorrow today; walking humbly with God Readings: Jeremiah 8:4-22 and Luke 3:1-6 Greetings, Welcome and Gratitude The Lay President, the Presiding Bishop Elect, the General Secretary, the General Secretary-Elect, Bishops and Lay Leaders of our Synods, Unit Leaders, members of the 2019 Conference, distinguished guests and visitors, I greet you warmly this evening in the Name of the Triune God – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. th I extend a word of welcome to all of you to the 130 Conference of the MCSA. A special word of welcome to the leaders of the soon-to-be-inaugurated new Synods, Rev Charmaine Morgan of the Namibia Synod, Rev Louis Williams of the Camdeboo Synod and Rev Dr. Matshedisho Molale of the Molopo Synod. It is my greatest joy to welcome and introduce two special persons, the Chairperson of the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, Dr. Phumla Mnganga and the new President of the Seminary, Dr. Rowanne Marie. On behalf of the Methodist people, I welcome the new Chief Pastor, Rev. Purity Malinga who will lead us in our journey of sharpening mission effectiveness. It has indeed been a special privilege for me to be afforded the opportunity to offer leadership at various levels of the Church and even allowed to occupy what is also known as ‘Mr Wesley’s Chair’ in our Connexion. I thank God for being with us as a family at this time; God has been so good in surrounding us with a reservoir of support from Methodist people and leaders. The church and all her people have shown me God’s love, sometimes in tough ways, but I have never doubted the care of the Methodist people. On behalf on my whole family, I thank you. I do not normally thank my wife Yoliswa Nokulunga in public because we have enough time to do so in our own space. On this occasion however, it is proper that I do so. She has been a very strong pillar of support throughout my active ministry, or rather, our ministry. She has sacrificially given of herself to this ministry at great personal cost. I salute you MamNqarwane, Ziduli, Hintsabe! I love you! We are on an exciting journey of shaping tomorrow-today. This includes the strategic activity of multiplication, reorganising and reshaping in order to minimize exclusion in our mission endeavours. The 2015 Conference address in Port Elizabeth ends with an appeal for all of us to go and reflect on the shape of our societies, circuits, districts and organisations with the intention of sharpening our discipleship movement for effective mission. Much work has been accomplished as reports to subsequent conferences indicate, but there is also much still to be done. 8 2020 Context and Introduction We are in Cape Town in the Cape of Good Hope Synod. This is a place of many contrasts: a place of pain and hope; a place of so much beauty and hazardous settlements. It is here that Bartholomew Diaz, the Portuguese explorer sailed around the Southern tip of Africa and “found” and named this region the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. He was followed by Vasco da Gama about a decade later in 1497. Jan van Riebeeck was sent by the Dutch East India Company to set up a refreshment station for Dutch ships on their way to the east. This ushered in an era of occupation, settlement and dispossession. Upon his arrival on 6 April 1652 on 3 ships, De Reiger, De Dromedaris and De Goede Hoop, he was accompanied by 82 men and 8 women. Since then, there has been a clash of cultures and interests. The settlers started farming on the land of the Khoi and the San, who lived a semi-nomadic life. The landscape of this part of the world was irretrievably changed to date. In response to the deadly skirmishes with the local population, van Riebeeck planted a wild almond hedge to protect his settlement in 1660 – a symbol of division that we are struggling with to this day.