Ref: Pastoral Letter-Tribute to Mandela

REF: Pastoral Letter/Tribute to MANDELA 06 December 2013

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

REF: PASTORAL LETTER-TRIBUTE TO MANDELA

Last night some of us heard the sad news about the passing away of the father of the nation. Our beloved tata Nelson Mandela. Today we all woke up to the first of the ten days of mourning as a nation. We thank God for the gift of Mandela’s life to us as South Africans and the world in general. He lived a life of selflessness and fidelity to the liberation struggle for all. Madiba was a stalwart of peace, human dignity, justice and reconciliation.

Although we have been praying for his health for sometime but nothing could have prepared us for his passing away. We encourage all the UCCSA and partner churches to observe the ten mourning days by organizing prayers at our local churches. We encourage you all to dedicate this coming Sunday services towards the life of Madiba and to pray for his family. We encourage all our ministers and lay members to participate in ecumenical prayer events during and beyond these ten days of nationalmourning. Should you need any assistance you can contact the SA Synod office.

We are encouraged by the Holy Scriptures that inform us that death is not the end of life but a beginning of a new life for those who believe. May we all be inspired by the life of Mandela “who fought a good fight and kept his faith until the end”. As a nation we worked hard to achieve the democracy and multi-cultural society that we enjoy today. However, there is more work that still needs to be done in order to get our society and our church, the beloved UCCSA more united and reconciled. As Mandela himself once said:

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”

May we be inspired by Mandela’s legacy to do more work towards building a community of faith believers who are not only reconciled with each other but also see themselves as equal partners in Christ.

May your soul rest in peacetata Madiba. We’ll always love you and be inspired by your legacy.

Yours in Christ’s service,

Rev Thulani Ndlazi

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(Synod Secretary)

“Christ is Calling Us: Participating in Suffering & Struggle”