Ad Laos - To the People of God – May 2025

Dear People of God, 

Having traversed Passiontide, celebrated Easter and embarked on the path towards Pentecost, I feel compelled to express my deep gratitude to God for His sustaining power throughout our journey as the people of God. As I write, some congregations are already preparing for services on Ascension Day, which is a significant moment in our liturgical calendar. 

I find the Christian calendar, divided into what I like to call “chunks”, incredibly helpful for providing a structured liturgical rhythm to our lives amidst all the competing demands and voices that vie for our attention. It gives me a sense of relief and security, knowing that we can move predictably from one season to another, from the contemplation of Lent, to Easter with its promise of renewal and light, to the celebration of the Ascension, then to Pentecost and once again to Christmastide and the Epiphany. This divinely-ordained structure provided by God through His church serves as a guiding framework that helps us navigate our spiritual journeys more effectively.

During the tumultuous times we are living through, many of us and our neighbours face numerous challenges ranging from political crises to economic uncertainty, and the recent stand-off between India and Pakistan reminds us of the continual potential of nuclear war which always seems to loom on the horizon. Young people in particular often feel anxious and uneasy in our uncertain world.

In light of this reality, I write to encourage everyone: take a deep breath; allow yourself time; walk slowly; remember that God remains sovereign over all. The God of hope reassures us that even amid difficulties, if we not only acknowledge the problems we face but identify them clearly, we can gather others around us in prayerful support while seeking constructive ways forward. As I said in my sermon at the Easter Vigil, we can draw confidence from the words of Jesus, as quoted by Julian of Norwich, that ultimately “All manner of things shall be well”.

In that spirit, after the Easter celebrations my wife Manala and I travelled to the United States, where I was blessed with an opportunity to preach at St. Thomas' Church in New York and to participate in adult class discussions afterwards—a truly enriching experience! It’s noteworthy that while most parishes in our province offer confirmation or baptism preparation classes for newcomers or those exploring faith initially, very few provide adult classes aimed at discipling already committed individuals who desire deeper spiritual growth within their everyday lives or professional environments.

Also in the United States, I had the privilege of addressing God's people at an inspiring gathering of the Church Club of New York. During my talk there, I made two heartfelt pleas: one was directed towards seeking humanitarian aid—such as that offered by the American government's PEPFAR HIV-Aids relief programme—while another focussed on fostering trade relationships with communities in need of support and development opportunities. 

Back at home, I convened an urgent meeting involving mining CEOs plus diverse business representatives across South Africa to reflect upon the potential impacts of the withdrawal of American aid, not only locally but across our church Province regionally, since neighbouring countries are impacted too. I am hopeful that, after also hearing valuable insights from government regarding PEPFAR's role across various nations, we can soon engage in dialogue with South Africa's Health Minister on the issue.

I returned from New York for the Elective Assembly which was scheduled to choose a new bishop of Port Elizabeth. Regrettably it had to be postponed to a date which has not yet been set as a result of a legal challenge. Subsequently, the Elective Assembly for the Diocese of Pretoria went ahead, but no candidate received the requisite support, so the election has been delegated to the Synod of Bishops in August or September.

Also back at home, Lungi and I had an enlightening opportunity visiting Nelson Mandela University, where former parishioner Wendy Luhabe, best known for her economic empowerment of women, spoke eloquently about values-based leadership in a lecture sponsored by our family foundation. Since she was addressing how to move forward together in pursuing broader community engagement strategies, her topic was particularly apt for a church dealing with disputed and deadlocked elective assemblies! 

Following this event, my chaplain, the Ven Mcebisi Pinyana, and I attended an insightful book launch at the University of the Western Cape centred around how slogans like “Rhodes Must Fall” and “Fees Must Fall” relate to efforts to decolonise education. The book looked at how to transform pedagogy beyond traditional Western constraints and replace conventional educational frameworks with justice-oriented local curricula.

As we move towards Pentecost, may each one of us be inspired by the Holy Spirit to find a centredness in our faith experience which will enable us to take on board Jesus's words in John 20:21: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. As you accept his call, be empowered to go out into the world to serve our communities faithfully wherever we are needed.

Blessings from Rome! 

††Thabo Cape Town