New initiatives at Emmanuel Haven Farm
Mariana Cromptom, Miriam Strydom & Jayne Scholtz
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1. Prayer Initiative
- The decentralized Global Day of Prayer was once again held at 16 different venues across the city. This year saw new initiatives launched in Gqubera, Motherwell, KwaZakhele and Rosedale in Uitenhage. The programme was also broadcast from Kingfisher FM and Radio Nkqubela which together have a listenership of over 200,000.
- The City Hall Prayer Initiative (Yizani Sakhe 217 – Come let us work together Nehemiah 2:17) took a huge step forward during July. The Chief Whip of the NMMM invited all 120 councilors to consider participating in the prayer initiative 2.1.7 held in the City Hall every Tuesday morning from 07:00 to 07:30.
- The United Prayer Movement (Masithandaze) continues to grow from month to month. Breakfasts are held regularly while prayer pointers, identifying the current needs of our city, are communicated to thousands of people via newspapers, radio, e-mail, sms, Church notices etc.
2. Mission Initiative
2.1 HIV and Aids & Poverty
- Our involvement in the Emmanuel Haven Wellness Centre Project is very rewarding. The Christian response to HIV & Aids in Motherwell is benefiting greatly from its multi-facetted marketplace approach where the Church, Business, Education, Government and the community are all working together. Substantial local, national and international donations have made it possible for us to move to our newly renovated Siyalinga building.
- The clinic run in association with IYD is becoming a provincial flagship as it plans to appoint a number of additional professional staff which includes fulltime doctors, pharmacists, social workers and nursing sisters.
- Plans to establish a “Step Down Centre” with Lifecare, a radio station – Emmanuel Haven FM and Emmanuel Haven Bible College are reaching implementation stage.
- Emmanuel Haven Farm has extended its operation to a third “greenhouse” which brings our production up to 180 tons of tomatoes and 630 000 cucumbers per annum, while new products such as leeks, beetroot, onions and spinach are being grown successfully in the field outside the greenhouses.
- Our next project will be the establishment of 250 “family tunnels” which will be positioned on portion of land adjacent to the current “greenhouses”. These tunnels supervised by our staff, utilizing their expertise, will provide opportunities for aids effected and affected families to meet their own needs and to sell any surplus to generate income for their families.
- Our first SMME projects such as brick making, dress making and footwear enterprises should start being rolled out in September 2007.
2.2 Crime, Corruption & Violence
- Initial discussions have been held to expand the above ministry to the Correctional Services and the entire justice system.
- Prayer meetings continue to be held weekly with staff members of SAPS at numerous police stations throughout the Metro. Under the leadership of Joan Keeling and Lew Bickell, groups meet up to 4 days a week to pray for and support the SAPS.
2.3 Family in Crisis
- Our focus in this area has been working with “Heartlines” on their National Conversation Project on values. Heartlines are extending their initiative from Churches to the rest of the marketplace, with emphasis on schools and business. The second stage of this initiative was launched at the Edward Hotel on Tuesday, 21 August 2007.
2.4 Youth Leadership Network (YLN)
- The YLN has taken a big step forward and appointed Alison Gooch to focus on the promotion of the Youth Leadership Network.
- The focus continues to be on arranging events to attract youth participation in social activities in our city as an alternative to those demeaning the moral values of our children and young adults.
- Meetings are in progress to discuss embarking on a citywide strategy to bring the youth back to “church”. We believe that presently only 4 churches in our city have youth groups with a membership of over 100. Maybe the time is right for us to call a “City Youth Convention” and work together to win back the hearts of the youth in the Bay..
2.5 Churches
- The highlight of 2007 so far has been the progress made in the area of unity between churches
- The example set by the senior clergy of the city by their willingness to meet together and start networking on a regular basis, is already bearing fruit.
- Part of the process of building bridges and relationships in the city was extended by arranging a “getting to know you” tea party for the wives and personal assistants of our senior clergy.
- The city will again host a Global Leadership Summit on 12 and 13 October 2007. This premier leadership event does wonders to equip local church “leadership” to stay abreast with the latest leadership developments and assist the local church to remain effective and relevant in an ever demanding society.
2.6 Transformation Business Network
- After months of preparation by a working group of interested business-persons, the Transformation Business Network (TBN) was launched. The network, using the TCN Office as a base, will be referred to as the NM Bay “9.2.5. Marketplace Ministry”.
- We believe this ministry is unique in that it is a partnership between Christian business-persons and their pastors. The idea being that together pastors and business persons in their congregations will strive to breach the perceived gap between the church and the marketplace. A key part of this ministry is to form a support group for owners, directors, prayer partners and group fellowship members of commercial, industrial and professional businesses. In addition TBN will provide a link for business-persons who wish to link on a national and/or international level to the International Transformation network (ITN) Africa.
- Mike Smith, a former President of Percci and retired managing partner of KPMG (PE) has accepted our invitation to drive this initiative.
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