Responding to widespread flooding in South Africa

Archbishop Thabo today sent messages of solidarity and condolence to Dioceses affected by flooding in different parts of South Africa: the Diocese of Johannesburg after flooding in Alberton, Mthatha because of the dire situation in Port St Johns, Natal after floods in areas around Durban and Zululand over those in Empangeni.

He writes: "Our hearts go out to those affected and those who have lost loved ones. We send our love and prayers to them, our condolences to the families of those who have died, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured or displaced. We are concerned about the weather patterns in areas where there is not usually as much rain as they have experienced.

"We appeal once again for Anglicans to pray for those affected and and to show practical support and solidarity through food, shelter and other assistance that is needed."

To the Laos - To the People of God – October 2017

Dear People of God

I am writing this as I prepare to travel to Canterbury, where I will attend a meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion over the next week. Following that I will chair a meeting of the Lambeth Design Group, a body which oversees planning for the next Lambeth Conference, to be held in 2020. Our Province is committed to faithfully showing up and participating in these key meetings of the Communion, doing so because our reward is to be faithful servants of God and God's witness and mission in the world. Please pray for both meetings.

The Communion meetings follow a busy week of debates and decisions, first at the second session of the Synod of Bishops this year, then at the annual Provincial Standing Committee (PSC), at which bishops, clergy and lay representatives from every diocese in the Province are represented. The Dean of the Province, Bishop Stephen Diseko, “embarrassed” me, almost marketing my new book to both meetings by congratulating me on it. I appreciated it but as you all know me, I always try to push attention to Jesus, the church and not me. 

The bishops dealt with a wide range of important issues, including the election of a new bishop for Mthatha, the situation in the Diocese of Umzimvubu, the future of the College of the Transfiguration and the Archbishop's Commission on Human Sexuality. You can read the details in our Pastoral Letter.

At PSC we also considered in detail a very wide range of questions ranging from theological education and the environment to how we should organise our youth work and our role in combating substance abuse. Of particular note was the statement we received from the special conference marking the 25^th anniversary of the ordination of women as priests in ACSA, which was held at the same venue and simultaneously with the Synod of Bishops. At the end of their conference, we all celebrated a special Eucharist with arriving members of PSC.

While those who met in conference celebrated the 1992 decision to ordain women as priests as “a victory over exclusion, inequality, and injustice in the church,” they said these features continued in our leadership, structures and practices. They called for a series of changes, including the election of more woman bishops. You can read their statement on the ASCA website, as well as a pledge to which they committed themselves.

Apart from the challenging task of presiding over the deliberative bodies of the Province, the life of an Archbishop is also taken up with difficult pastoral issues. Before the recent Provincial meetings got under way, my ministry and that of a number of my fellow bishops in a number of dioceses in the Eastern and Western Cape were overshadowed by tragedy.

Firstly, I had to preach and preside at the funeral of a senior priest, Archdeacon Lunga Vellem, in Kokstad in the Diocese of Umzimvubu. As someone who held an MBA, he was a valuable asset to the Diocese but was killed when he sustained head injuries in a car accident. Then in Cape Town we had the sudden death of the Revd Mark Abrahams, Rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Heideveld. He died just after undergoing an operation and only a week before his 54th birthday. Large numbers came both to the Church of the Resurrection in Bonteheuwel and to Holy Spirit to commemorate his life and ministry.

Soon after that, I buried a young priest in the Diocese of Mthatha, Archdeacon Sibulele Njova, his wife, his son and his younger sister. They all died in a head-on collision with a van which was allegedly forced out of its lane by a taxi – which then sped off without stopping, apparently realising what it had inflicted on this young family. As we lowered the four coffins into the grave in Mqandule in rural Transkei, not far from the picturesque Wild Coast resorts of Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall, the wailing of the mourners seemed – very painfully – to be matched by the sound of the sea. After the funeral I went to Mthatha Hospital with the Dean to visit the two surviving daughters, aged 11 and four. The 11-year-old was battling with her injuries but the four-year-old could hold a conversation with me and even gave me a high-five. She was happy that we were in cassocks because we reminded her of her dad. But she had not yet been told her parents had died and thought they were arriving back from a conference later that day. I suspected she must have sensed that her parents had gone – she was, after all, in the car with them – and I felt that I was betraying her by not saying anything. But I was on my way back to Cape Town, so I resisted the temptation to tell her and then to leave her and fly off. If her sister pulls through, they will both be orphans. Their grandparents are ageing, so they will have to stay with an aunt in conditions far inferior to those of a rural Anglican rectory.

As I reflected on the lives of these three clerics and their families, I thought of the Gospel assurance that “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4) – but also of the Psalmist's words: “Why are you so full of heaviness, my soul: and why so unquiet within me?” (Psalm 46) We all have finite lives, and as St Paul says to us, “We do not want you to be uninformed... about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (Thessalonians 4:13) Well done, good and faithful servants, and may you enter into your Father's rest.

Fortunately I can end this letter to the laity on a note of hope and new life. On my return from the Communion meetings, Bishop Martin Breytenbach of the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist will marry Colleen Thomas of Cape Town. After they both suffered the loss of their spouses in tragic circumstances in recent years, we celebrate and rejoice that they have found new happiness and give thanks for this life-giving sacrament, marriage. God be praised!

God bless,

†Thabo Cape Town

To the Laos – An Invitation to Hear the Archbishop of Canterbury - May 2014

To the Laos – To the People of God, May 2014

Dear People of God

In just over a month’s time, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd. Justin Welby, will be visiting Johannesburg as one of the stops in a series of visits to Primates across the Anglican Communion.

His initial purpose was to visit Lungi and me as part of a “getting to know you” trip to a number of African archbishops. However, wanting to share our time with Archbishop Justin with our bishops, their spouses and at least some clergy and lay people from around the Province, we asked him also to give the keynote address to the Anglicans Ablaze Conference and to join a dinner with the bishops, and he generously agreed.

Anglicans Ablaze will take place from July 2 to 5, and I warmly encourage you to join the conference. In particular:

• All our clergy are invited to join me and all our bishops;

• You are urged to bring a team along – including young people;

• Parishes, please help with fund-raising; and

• Please announce this invitation from the pulpit.

To help the organizers with their planning, I urge you to book early. For details, go to: www.anglicansablaze.org or call 021 763 1315 / 021 797 9997. If you are from Gauteng, and you simply cannot make it to the whole conference but want to hear Archbishop Welby, please call the organisers to register for a shorter visit. If you are from outside Gauteng, never fear: we will be inviting the Archbishop for a formal visit to the whole Province just as soon as he can accommodate us in his schedule. 

Talking of archiepiscopal visits, by the time you read this I will be on my way to the Diocese of Zululand for a visit during which, among other things, I will be blessing the diocese’s new Mothers’ Union Hall and Skills Centre – a great achievement. We congratulate the MU, Bishop Dino, his Chapter and the whole diocesan family on this milestone.

Then, later in June, I am asking for your prayers as I visit northern Mozambique, where we will consecrate the Ven. Manuel Ernesto as the new Bishop Suffragan of Niassa on Saturday June 14 and commission him at a celebration on Sunday June 15. We congratulate the Diocese at being able to elect their new bishop.

Back in South Africa, please continue to pray for the Diocese of Mthatha and the candidates who offered themselves for election as suffragan bishop in the recent election. Sadly the Diocese was unable to elect and after seven ballots they have used their right to refer the matter to the Synod of Bishops.

Still in South Africa and on an ecumenical note, I ask every parishioner to soak theMarikana area in North-West Province in prayer. A human disaster is unfolding there as a consequence of the crippling strike, and the hardship will continue even after the strike is settled. Together with ecumenical and academic leaders in Gauteng, I have joined an appeal for food donations for the Marikana community. If you are outside Gauteng, you can make donations to the Provincial Disaster Relief Fund. Details of how to donate appear below.

Finally, do join me, the Province and the Diocese of Niassa in praying – as we will pray at the consecration of Bishop Suffragan-Elect Manuel Ernesto – that “by the indwelling of [God’s] spirit he may grow in holiness and serve [God’s] people in wisdom, truth and love.”

God bless you,

+Thabo Cape Town

Marikana appeal:

Food parcels can be donated at:

1. Gift of the Givers (call toll-free 0800 786911 for details)

2. SkyNet courier branches anywhere in South Africa

3. All campuses of the Universities of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand

4. Khotso House, 62 Marshall Street, Johannesburg

5. St George’s Cathedral and Anglican Church Warehouse, 12 Plantation Road, Wetton, Cape Town

6. Alternative Information and Development Centre, 129 Rochester Road, Observatory, Cape Town

7. St Alban’s Cathedral, Frances Baard Road, Pretoria

Further drop-off points will be announced on the Gift of the Givers website: www.giftofthegivers.org

Monetary donations can be deposited in this account, using "Marikana" as the deposit reference number:

ACSA Disaster Relief Fund

Standard Bank of SA Ltd

Thibault Square

Branch code: 02 0909 00

Account number: 07 007 8394

Statement from the Synod of Bishops, February 2014

Statement from the Synod of Bishops, 3-7 February 2014, Linga Longa Retreat Centre for Healing, Limpopo, South Africa:

“For you shall go out with JOY and be led forth with PEACE; the mountains and the hills shall break forth in singing.” (Isaiah 55:12-13)

The Synod of Bishops met at Linga Longa, in the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist, from Monday 3rd to Friday 7th February 2014.

Integral components that have become part of rhythm and practice of our bi-annual meetings included spending time together in prayer and worship as well as receiving the word of God through the sharing of our colleagues at morning Eucharist.

It was a blessing to be ministered to through music and singing by the Diocesan choir at our opening evening prayers.

The meeting included a pastoral visit and walk of witness to the local Parish in the Phahameng community of Modimolle, where we prayed and engaged in dialogue with parishioners and community leaders.

We use the February meeting of the Synod of Bishops to enhance and enrich our leadership by reflecting on current and emerging issues through contributions by invited guest speakers who assist us to move beyond reflection to praxis in our varied contexts.

General Bantu Holomisa challenged the Bishops through his address on the importance of adequate prior planning if we are to be visionary and effective leaders.

Mzolisi ka Toni from the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities addressed the bishops on the need for churches to be accessible and accommodating to persons with disabilities, while also urging the Synod of Bishops to be sensitised to issues of language and attitudes that discriminate against people with disabilities.

The Revd J P Heath spoke of his HIV positive status as well as the fact that he was in a civil union with another cleric, and now working in the church in Switzerland. His sharing helped us to reflect realistically and openly on guidelines we are drawing up for those living in civil unions. The Synod of Bishops resolved to discuss these guidelines at this year's meeting of the Provincial Standing Committee, since Provincial Synod 2013 urged the Synod to finalise the guidelines.

We reflected on Anglican Communion matters, especially the recent debates on sexuality. We reaffirmed our position of seeking to be bridge-builders within the continent and the worldwide Communion.

The Synod of Bishops also dealt with the issue of “transitional leadership” – that is the need to prepare bishops for the transition from active diocesan roles towards retirement. The Archbishop will assist in this process and ensure that it becomes an ongoing agenda item at the Synod.

Of note was an agreement to give the Diocese of Mthatha permission to have a Suffragan Bishop following its enormous growth over the last years.

The Synod of Bishops also agreed to introduce a second award for both laity and clergy who have distinguished themselves within our Province.

Synod of Bishops warmly and heartily endorsed the forthcoming Anglicans Ablaze conference, under the theme “Hope is Rising”, from July 2nd to July 5th, 2014. All bishops together with their spouses have registered to attend the conference.

We welcomed with joy the news that the diploma at the College of the Transfiguration (Cott) in Grahamstown has been accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority and that the college has now also been conditionally registered. This is an exciting milestone, for which we thank Prof Barney Pityana, his team and God. We have more students than we can allocate places for at Cott this year. We thank the bishops and their dioceses for this support, and the Province for funds raised on Theological Education Sunday.

We also received with excitement and anticipation the news about the upcoming visit of Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby to our Province in July this year.

We ended the Synod of Bishops giving thanks to God for the ministry of Bishop Dinis Sengulane who retires from our Province and his diocese after 38 years as a bishop. The bishops gathered around Bishop Dinis and prayed for him in a very moving service.

We ended by encouraging our faithful to continue to be Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God’s mission and Transformed by the Holy Spirit.

As the Synod of Bishops ended, we joined in singing and praying with Deutero-Isaiah as we wish joy and peace to all parishioners and communities within our Province.