Serve South Africa

GBM has never had long-term missionaries serving in South Africa, yet we have good links with the country—particularly through our Radio ministry and Envision programme. These connections led Paul Brunning to visit there in June 2024.

It came about through a conversation with Clinton Stone, Pastor of Honeyridge Baptist Church in Johannesburg and my former classmate at London Seminary. We were chatting about his church’s ministries, and it sounded like there would be plenty for Envisionees to do there. I already had in mind to restart Envision Placements at Morning Star Children’s Centre in Welkom, after several years’ break. So Clinton suggested, ‘Perhaps you could come to preach at some churches and conferences, and visit the Envision opportunities while you’re here?’

Serving Today in southern Africa

So it was that I flew to Jo’burg on 20 June, arriving the next morning. After a warm welcome from my hosts, Mike and Gill Marsland, I went that afternoon to visit Trans World Radio Africa, in Kempton Park on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg. TWR Africa is the main broadcast partner for GBM’s Serving Today programmes. Andrew Cook has a good relationship with them, and especially Karen Barkhuizen, who leads the audience relations team. Karen showed me around, introducing me to office staff and presenters—live and recorded programmes are made here, although the transmitter for southern Africa is in Eswatini. Karen and her team receive messages (mostly WhatsApp and email) from listeners. Karen responds to English messages, assisted by Zoee who also handles Zulu correspondence; Angelika answers Afrikaans and German messages.

Serving Today is broadcast five days per week by TWR across southern Africa. It is aimed at pastors and church leaders, especially men who have had little—if any—theological training. The programmes include biblical studies to help pastors prepare their sermons, and theological and pastoral subjects—tackling issues that have particular relevance in the African context, like Andrew’s recent series ‘The Spirit World’ and ‘Poverty and Prosperity’. Karen told me, ‘Serving Today is at the top when it comes to that [focus on teaching pastors].’

Zoee’s office has several shelves laid out with GBM’s Serving Today and Sound Words booklets. These are an important part of the resources that TWR send to listeners who write in wanting help on various topics. Zoee would love to get some of our booklets translated into Zulu, giving them an even wider audience—and we would be delighted for that too! Please pray that it can be done soon.

Envision openings in Jo’burg

The next morning Clinton took me to his church campus on the north-western side of the city. The congregation has outgrown the building, making it necessary to hold the morning service twice for groups of about 250 people each time. Clinton showed me three aspects of the church’s wider work, which could make for a worthwhile Envision Placement.

Kingsway Christian School is based on the church site. Good schooling in South Africa can be expensive and out-of-reach for many disadvantaged families. Parents may be allocated places for their children in a government-run school quite a distance from their home—which can mean expensive, lengthy or dangerous travel each day. Kingsway aims to help such families, particularly from the nearby townships, providing their children with a good and affordable education. While the school teaches the regular South African curriculum, they maintain a clear Christian culture and include good Bible teaching too.

Another Honeyridge ministry is the Thandanani House of Refuge orphanage. Originally based in Zandspruit, a township about 6km from the church, Thandanani has moved into lovely premises very close to the church campus. Boys and girls are accommodated in two houses, each with Christian houseparents who provide a loving Christian ‘family’ feel.

The third ministry is the Holiday Bible Club. Clinton showed me the main church meeting hall, decorated with an enormous illustrated backdrop and other props based on this year’s theme—the life of David. In another hall the team—seventy or so young people— were being briefed in advance of the club starting the following Monday. The club draws about 300 children from the surrounding areas, so it is a major undertaking!

These three ministries would provide the opportunity for an Envision Placement or Team to serve for four weeks: one week assisting in Kingsway Christian School; one week preparing for the Holiday Bible Club and another week helping at it; and one week at Thandanani doing activities with the children during their school holiday. In 2025, the dates would fall from the second week of June until the first week of July.

A warm ‘Welkom’ at Morning Star

After a busy Sunday preaching at Honeyridge and at Christ Church Horison (the church that Mike pastors), I had two days at the Grace Ministers’ Conference in Pretoria, where Bill James (Principal of London Seminary) and I shared the ministry. On the Thursday, Ron and Joan Adams drove me to Welkom, a city in the Free State known for its gold and uranium mines. I saw nothing of these apart from the vast mountain of spoil from the mines that greets you as you approach the city.

Our destination was Morning Star Children’s Centre, which Joan founded in 2000 to support children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. As this was school holiday time, the normal activities were not taking place. Instead, Morning Star was running a Holiday Bible Club for local children—a joyous sight! Two local pastors were teaching the children about the armour of God—speaking in Sesotho. Later, we watched as the children’s wonderful cardboard armour costumes were judged.

Morning Star has a well-developed volunteer programme, making this an excellent place for an Envision Placement. Volunteers would help with a wide range of activities with the children, in the kitchen, and other practical tasks.

There are also opportunities to serve the local churches. One pastor, Pastor Revival, took me around his area of Hani Park and Thabong township on the east side of Welkom, then to his church building in the suburb of Riebeeckstad. Joshua Bolaji, Morning Star chairman and pastor of Welkom Baptist Church, was away in Zambia, but we had previously discussed his desire to have helpers—particularly younger men—for their outreach to local young people.

Zeal and love

My last week in South Africa was spent at the Evangelical and Reformed Conference, at Skogheim Christian Conference Centre near Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu Natal coast. Bill James and I again shared the ministry, enjoying fellowship with a lovely group of believers from across the country and beyond.

South Africa has its troubles. The post-Apartheid hope of a bright future as the ‘Rainbow Nation’ has largely faded. The gulf between rich and poor remains stubbornly large; crime and insecurity remain a concern. HIV and its associated miseries have not gone away. Yet churches are, generally speaking, larger than in the UK. There is a strong Reformed constituency that is raising up a new generation of pastors and church planters. I also saw a zeal for the gospel and sacrificial love for the people of this beautiful country. And above all, the Lord is at work in South Africa, building his church. Could you play a part—in prayer or in service?