Methodist Church of Southern Africa

07/08/2019

14/06/2019

Someone must hear this

11/06/2019

Mathews 18:21-35

Peter tells Jesus that he knows that he has to be kind, loving, caring & forgiving but how long? How many times must he forgive? There must be a limit & a point where one gives up.

Jesus tells him a parable of a master that forgives his servant & free him from all his depth. But yet the servant takes his fellow servant to jail for he owns him. So his master heard about this & brought back all of his depth on him.

So shall it be in heaven, if we claim that we went through many things by the grace of God, but we don't deserve to. Than we ought to forgive those who trespass against us.

I challenge you today to pray for forgiveness & forgive everyone who has anything against you. Think of you being unworthy to God but He made you worthy. Forgive that person for the sake of God.

11/07/2018

Thixo ova izikhungo
Obaxhas'abantu bakho
Othe wena kule ntlango
Wakhokhel'oobawo wethu

Naanga amadinga ethu
Siwabeka phambi kwakho
Naazi nezikhungo zethu
Siphe impendulo yakho

Thixo! Wab'oobawo wethu
Yiba ngowosapho lwabo
Yiba nguy'ubawo wethu
Usiphathe kwanjengabo

Solahleka emhlabeni
Sihambise endleleni
Usidlise,usiseze
Usigcine,usambese

Tweza amaphiko akho
Ulufihl'usapho lwakho
Side size kuwe bawo
Sihlanguwe kongendawo.....AMEN

Hymn 289
Xhosa

11/05/2018

"circuit 1415" is a designation that is given to ministers without station. District 14 is pretty much "administrative district" where ministers at the connexional office, ministers on leave, ministers on suspension, ministers beyond the connexion and that kind of thing are "stationed"

09/05/2018

MCSA BRAND POLICY
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa brand is our unique promise to all our stakeholders. It defines the relationship we have with them and signals a consistent image and promise, shaped by our experience and our vision to be ‘a Christ healed Africa for the healing of nations’ that “Proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ for healing and transformation.” Our brand captures our values as an organisation that respects diversity, embraces the poor, encourages innovation and the preservation of our heritage. Our brand represents our identity, our work, our distinctiveness and our competitive advantage.
Remaining a strong member of the Body of Christ, with what we believe is an approach vital to a healthy Doctrine and Ministry and unique, whilst displaying considerable growth, requires consistent and coherent custodianship of our most important asset, our brand.
Our brand consists of all the identifying symbols, words or marks that distinguish the Methodist Church of Southern Africa Brand and all its related services and offerings across the world.
The image of the church and how it is portrayed by and to all our stakeholders is paramount as it is a representation of who we are and what we stand for and has a direct impact on perceptions that develop about the MCSA brand.
P
URPOSE
The purpose of the Branding Policy therefore is
(i) To ensure that members and staff of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa who use the MCSA brand and its various expressions throughout the church including but not limited to the organisations, the units, the departments and ministers, do so consistently and coherently, in order to maintain the integrity of, and build the MCSA brand;
(ii) To protect the intellectual property of the MCSA.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all members of the MCSA and any third parties who have been granted permission to use the MCSA brands.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this policy is to ensure clear and consistent presentation of the MCSA brand by
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• Standardising the presentation of communications and key messages to all stakeholders and the public;
• Controlling the use of all church insignia/logos to ensure high quality standards are applied at all times these are used;
• Controlling the use of the church insignia/logos/identity in all marketing, communication, publications and any for-sale items;
• Providing for regular monitoring and evaluation/review of the MCSA brand/identity.
BRAND IDENTITY
The brand identity of the MCSA includes all identifying symbols (logos, badges, uniforms), words, and or marks that distinguish the church’s brand and its related products, services and programmes in the market place.
MCSA is distinguished by firstly the Shell logo and the wording that accompanies it “The Methodist Church of Southern Africa”. All organisations and units are entities that fall under the MCSA and so their emblems etc. are subordinate to the main logo.
These insignia include but are not limited to:
• The shell logo with the wording “The Methodist Church of Southern Africa” and the colours should always be red, black and white.
• The Local Preachers Association, their badge and their uniform.
• The Women’s Manyano badge and their uniform and related colours.
• Young Women’s Manyano badge and their uniform and related colours.
• The Young Men’s Guild badge and their uniform and related colours.
The trademarks of the organisations above have all been registered and the MCSA is the sole proprietor of these trademarks in terms of the Trademarks ACT 194 of 1993. Consequently, no person or entity may use any trademarks of the MCSA or anything similar to them without the express permission in writing from an authorised officer of the MCSA.
Violation of a trademark of the MCSA may result in legal action in terms of the laws of the Republic of South Africa or some other corrective measures established by the church.
Application of the Identity
The identity/ies shall be used on all the official MCSA materials. The Shell logo should be prominently placed on the left hand corner of any document with organisational logos on the right or below. The proportion and integrity of the shell logo and the colours has to be maintained – a high resolution logo will be made available on the website for those who will be granted permission to use it.
The proportion and integrity of all other insignia including organisational badges also have to be maintained. Our trademarks distinguish us from others such as the
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Anglicans or the Catholics and should also serve as an indication of consistent quality.
Managing and protecting the MCSA brand constitutes a specific responsibility for all stakeholders who call themselves Methodists. It is within this responsibility that any Methodist found slandering the church on any media platform can be put under church discipline.
The MCO and District Offices will ensure that all internal stakeholders are educated and fully aware of the MCSA Brand Protection Policy and Guidelines.
The MCO and District Offices will have the right to enforce compliance.
P
rocedures
More than ever before, brands drive business and organisations, making them (the brand) one of the most valuable assets an organisation can own. With the advent of the digital world, it is more important and more challenging than ever to protect them.
The MCSA shell logo and related trademarks are our invaluable assets; they are protected by trademark and other relevant intellectual property laws.
Procedures to be followed when making products for re-sale:
• Within District: A request form with the District Bishop’s Office will be filled out; once permission is granted, sample of product to be sold shall be availed for quality checks; a commitment to pay the district 10% of all money made from the sale of products carrying organisational or church insignias.
• Within Circuit: A request form with the Superintendent will be filled out; once permission is granted, sample of product to be sold shall be availed for quality checks; a commitment to pay the circuit 10% of all money made from the sale of products carrying organisational or church insignias.
• Connexional Events: A request form with the MCO will be filled out; once permission is granted, sample of product to be sold shall be availed for quality checks; a commitment to pay THE CONNEXIONAL COMMUNICATION UNIT 10% of all money made from the sale of products carrying organisational or church insignias.
• We also encourage all products for resale to be obtained through negotiations with the MPH.
The use of the brand must conform to the dictates of the Brand Protection Policy to ensure that the church is branded appropriately, consistently and coherently. The brand identity must always be used to promote the general interests of the MCSA.
Monitoring and Application
Compliance with all these new rules will be problematic at first because we have had a free-for-all for so long.
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Protecting our logos will be the duty of everyone who calls themselves Methodist and identifies with the brand.
It will be our job to call out anyone producing and selling inferior products and selling them in the name of the Methodist Church. We ourselves should not be found wanting when we produce any promotional material for our conferences or similar gatherings.
Because our logos have been registered, we are well within our rights to call out any company or organisation infringing on our territory by using any of our insignia and related symbols such as our uniforms.
Because the logos and badges have been registered, whenever they are used and encircled R® or “TM” if the registration in pending, should be indicated so that whoever sees it knows that it is protected and cannot just be used w***y nilly.
To maintain quality, uniformity in terms of colour, shape, font, and design are integral.
Corporate Identity
Corporate identity in terms of the MCSA refers to not just our logos and symbols but our colours as well. These can also be termed our visual identity.
The power of how people perceive us as a church is in our hands. The emotional and psychological relationship the church will share with her stakeholders solely depends on how we handle and present our brand.
Brand Image
Brand image is the character and image of the MCSA. It is the total impression of the church in an individuals’ mind and what it means to them.
Misuse/Abuse of the MCSA Identity
• The identity may not be used to promote political, ethnic, sectarian or any issues that distinctly go against or flout the dictates of the Bible and the Book of Order.
• The identity may not be used to promote commercial undertakings unless a contract has been signed which will ensure that the MCSA derives some benefits from such use or that the use is for the greater good of the MCSA.
• The Office of the General Secretary in conjunction with the Communications Unit is the custodian of the brand and is responsible for training, coordinating and advising in this regard. It will also deal with requests, clarifications and deviations.
• Only Conference-recognised organisations may use the logo and insignia of the MCSA.

09/05/2018

ASCENSION DAY 10 May 2018
Psalm: 47
Acts: 1: 1 to 11
Ephesians 1: 15 to 23
Luke 24: 44 to 53

Introduction:
The ascension of stars above us makes for beauty beyond our comprehension.

The Ascension of Jesus the Christ invites us to be part of beauty beyond our comprehension.

At the core of our faith we say:

“On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT OF GOD … He will COME AGAIN IN GLORY to judge the quick and the dead, and his Kingdom will have no end.” (Nicene Creed).

Today marks 40 days after Easter Sunday. During this period we reflected on the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ.

From now on we move into a different phase. In a sense, through this moment of ascension, Jesus is saying, the work of the Kingdom of God cannot be dependent on one person; of one human, but must become the collective work of all who share the vision he had for the liberation and salvation of humanity and all of creation. Creatio continuum (the continuation of creating new life), is now with those who are willing to be part of this.

Pentecost gives a more intense picture of this moment. We now live in a time between Ascension and the ushering in of the coming glory… yet it would seem that there are moments when we will experience this glory in the now.

In Martin Luther King's Final Speech he said: “The pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night.

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind.
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!
And so I'm happy, tonight.
I'm not worried about anything.
I'm not fearing any man

MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE COMING OF THE LORD.”

The next day he was assassinated.
The ascension happens so that Counsellor; Advocate can do her work within us.

On Ascension day In the Refugee shelter in Isipingo 2015 in the aftermath of Xenophobic violence midst of chaos during a worship in one of the tents, we worship together in the following way -
Time of adoration every one prays
Song
Time of confession every one prays
Song
Time of Thanksgiving every one prays
Song
Time of invoking the spirit every one prays
Song

HAVE A BLESSED ASCENSION DAY REMEMBRANCE. Shalom Rev Mike (10/05/2018)

05/03/2018

As promised last week my first book "The Creative Passionate Genius by Rev.
Mogomotsi D. Diutlwileng"
IS OUT & AVAILABLE ON SALE NOW,
R150.00
To get it, you can speak to me directly or
through inbox or call me on (011) 452-1135 (Office)
All deposits for orders must be sent to:
Account Holder: Self - Expression
International
Bank Name: Standard Bank
Account number: 372718094 Branch Name: Alberton
Branch Code: 1234245
Ref: your name
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

30/01/2018

W E A R E L E A D ! ! !
________________________________________________________________________
30 January 2018 Dear Presiding Bishop
Rev Zipho Siwa CC: General Secretary
Rev Charmaine Morgan Bishop Gary
Rivas Ms. Nancy Herron Justice and Service Desk Ms. Vicky Sikhakhane Child
Care Desk The People Called Methodist
in Southern Africa Her siblings were
shocked and furious Gen: 34: 7 It is with
really deep sadness as I write this letter
to express my thoughts and feelings on what has transpired at Pretoria Central
City Mission Methodist Church. This
relates to the video, which went viral on
social media this past Sunday the 28th
of January 2018. The video revealed a
very unpleasant situation where young people were protesting against a male
steward who was preparing to present
notices. The video indicates very clearly
that the mood was not pleasant,
however it is also subjected to different
interpretation. The main point of the letter is to register and express our
prayers, support and solidarity with the
young people who are clearly
protesting in the video. We are inspired
by three fundamental conventions as
young people of the Methodist Church; these being Scripture, Tradition and our
current context or experiences of
vulnerability of young people inside
and outside the church - they should
see that as their leaders we understand
and can interpret what they are going through. The great prophetic caution by
Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, “In the end,
we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends”.
So we can’t keep quite. One of the
stories of the Old Testament that has been used to expose the abuse of
women in its most extreme form is the
story of Dinah who was r***d and
sexual violated by Shechem. Genesis 34:
2-3 reads, “When Shechem son Homor
the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and r***d her. But
he found the young woman so
attractive that he fell in love with and
tried to win her affection”. As much as
the story went to bring about the
corrective measures, even those corrective measures were just a
perpetuation of a patriarchal society.
Our take or role in interpreting this
scripture is that we are siblings of Dinah
who the bible says were “shocked and
furious”. Maybe I can add that as siblings we are “hurt and angry”; we
are angry at many things. We agree at
the accused must await church process,
but since our human nature and weak
hearts which knows that we should
wait for the full investigation to be completed but because of anger and
pain we are impatient. We believe that
he should suspended pending the case.
We are angry with ourselves; we
imagine that Dinah’s siblings would
have said “if we didn’t go to the fields”. We are asking ourselves as young
people of the MCSA why such an act is
even possible under our watch. We are
angry with the lady who continues to
sing instead of allowing the voice of
Dinah to be heard. We are angry towards the leadership of the church,
which seems to believe Jacob, Dinah’s
father, who in the story started
“waiting” verse 5c “he said nothing”.
This act cannot be separated from the
history of humankind that tells us that men are a dominant force and women
are subject to that dominance. Even
worse is the notion that if you are a
woman and young your humanity does
not matter. We will stand up as young
people of the MCSA, to mobilize society, NGO and other Ecumenical bodies to
face this evil tradition head on. The
MCSA Youth have already initiated the
Siyaphakama Campaign, which was
adopted as a program of action. This
was mainly inspired by one of the Christian Activist Rev Dr Martin Luther
King Jr in the letter from Birmingham
Jail he writes “Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere. We are
caught in an inescapable network of
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever effects one directly,
affects all indirectly” That is the pain of
Children and Youth of the MCSA and the
world. Siyaphakama in its attempt to
express vigorous dignity of all people in
the church particular declared that: We accordingly ultimately declare that: °
We will speak and act against any form
of gender based violence towards
women, children, the vulnerable and
minority groups such as the LGBTIQ °
We will advocate for inclusive language in all our programs and all our spaces
and denounce any ideology that
encourages homophobia We will speak
and act against any form of the
commoditization of women and
children whether for sexual exploitation, selling or trafficking ° We
will encourage and provide support to
women and children in employing
available civil avenues to facilitate
towards the prosecution of the
perpetrators of violence °×We will work hard towards the deconstruction of any
form of theology which aggravates the
inferiority of women and heightened
patriarchy We will use our spaces, both
in church and society to teach men the
art of communicating versus “mere talk” ° We will further use our churches
as safe spaces and healing while
partnering with other organizations of
same interests ° We will seek to
capacitate those who will want to help
the abused when in need We will create more awareness on the subject of
human trafficking in relation to culture
and general security ° We will seek to
speak with and for the children and
ensure that their voice finds expression
in our churches . These declarations are for breaking that evil tradition. We
should understand that we are in
context of Khwezi. As much as
Johannesburg High Court
controversially acquitted the President
Jacob Zuma back in December 2005 we still relive the sad reality of what
transpired everyday of our lives. These
scenes of Pretoria Methodist City Mission
replayed the scenes of 06 August 2016
when four young women staged a
silent protest in remembering Khwezi - scenes on the
evening of acceptance of the local
government election results. Two things
that caused the publice uproar was how
these young woman were handled and
forced to silence, the actions of senior people in the video at Pretoria
Methodist City Mission were the
epitome of that. Second to that was
how the church seeks to be normal after
such a brave stance of young people.
This no doubt will compromise our witness as the church. The argument I
want to state very clearly is that the
church needs to be very wise in dealing
with such public incidents particular
because of Jesus’ statement in Matthew
7:5 “You hypocrite, first take he long out of your own eye, and then you see
clearly to take the speck out of you
brother’s eye”. The context that all
these things are happening under is the
context where the church is facing
challenges to be regulated my state. The reality is that such incidents, if they are
not handle with deep sense of justice,
will comprise our witness. While we
acknowledge that we are operating in
times of great complexities – while we
operate in the times of innocent until proven guilty we also in times of social
media prosecution and you are found
guilty by the society before you are
tried by legal institutions. Dinah is our
sister and many other Dinah’s, therefore
we can’t keep quite. “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness
like an overflowing stream”. Rev
Simphiwe Siyabonga Mthembu MCSA
Youth Unit Coordinator

30/01/2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 January 2018

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is greatly perturbed by what happened at the Central Methodist Church in Pretoria this past Sunday where a group young ladies protested against alleged sexual harassment. Furthermore, we are disturbed and saddened by what gave rise to such action.

We are disappointed that the need for the girls to protest arose from the fact that the church processes that had been set in motion where experienced as slow and ineffective. We acknowledge and regret the frustration and anger this obviously caused.

“We are ashamed that any members of our church be they female or male would be allegedly victimised in what is considered a safe space. No abuse of any nature should be tolerated anywhere, especially in the church, a space within which people are meant to feel welcome and safe,” said Bishop Zipho Siwa, Presiding Bishop of the MCSA.

As prescribed in our Sexual Harassment Policy:
“God, our creator and redeemer, has called each of us to a basic and deep respect for all humankind. We desire to give leadership in holding each other accountable to this call as well as calling society to this standard. Sexual harassment and abuse violate this sacred call, as does all harassment based on race, gender, religion, national origin, disability or any other class protected by discrimination laws. We seek to apply our values of communication, community, diversity and integrity to our work in a harassment-free environment.”

We do not condone abusive behaviour of any kind which is why, when an informal complaint was made by the accuser, it was taken seriously and an investigation immediately set in motion.

The accused leader has been relieved of all official church duties with immediate effect and counselling services have been availed to the affected lady and her family.

We extend our deepest apology, not just to the young lady affected but to all the women in the church who have felt that their pain and hurt has gone unnoticed or has been inadequately dealt with by the church.

We call for a period of lamentation and repentance as a church for the times when we have been silent when we should have spoken; the times when we have not acted and the times when we have been slow to in ensuring justice for all.

Loving God help us to remember that all people are made in your image and are worthy of care, love and respect. When we have ignored the needs of the most vulnerable people; Forgive us. When we have believed the powerful and disregarded the cries of the voiceless; Forgive us. Help us to transform our church into a place of safety where we can tell our stories; where we can choose to show the scars of wounded bodies, hearts and minds; Where there is a possibility of healing and a willingness to stand the pain, to stand as pain bearers for one another. God who bears all things, help us and bless the people. Amen ( Creating Safe Spaces, Methodist Church of Britain)

Statement released by Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa