Mission congregations in the north

We have several mission congregations in the northern part of the Archdiocese. composed of groups of people who want to become Orthodox. Several of these grops are in or near Soshanguve, in north-western Gauteng. There are other congregations in the North-West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces.

 People in these places speak a variety of languages, including  Tswana, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Ndebele and Zulu. We have some liturgical texts  translated into Northern Sotho and Tswana, and hope to get others translated  when we can find suitable people to do the work.

In July 2002 three people from Soshanguve  were baptised , and one of the, Johannes Rakumako, was sent to the Patriarchal  Seminary in Nairobi, Kenya, to train as a priest.

 In June 2002 we were joined by Deacon Athanasios Akunda, who  is soon to be ordained priest. He is a Kenyan who has studied in the USA, and  speaks English, and has been leading the catechetical teaching, and will serve  the various congregations until they can get their own priests.

Mission congregations in the south

In Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, there are a number of coloured people, mainly children, who were baptised in July 2001 . Eldorado Park is inhabited mainly by Afrikaans-speaking coloured people.

 The children have been attending Sunday School at St Nicholas  Church, Brixton, some distance away, which means that they have to travel by  a specially hired bus, which is very expensive. We are hoping to buy land to  build a church in Eldorado Park itself, where an Afrikaans-speaking priest could  serve the Divine Liturgy.

VISIT TO SOSHANGUVE

On an overcast Saturday morning, the Metropolis in Houghton was buzzing with excitement. Just a day after the blood drive, everybody was full of energy and ready to tackle another day of community service. A convoy of people gathered to depart for Soshanguve Township. The Archbishop had organised a day visit to this black location, just a few kilometres outside of Pretoria. The purpose of the visit was to meet members of the congregation that will soon convert to Greek Orthodoxy.

In high spirits, the Archbishop and Mr. Pappas, kept us all entertained with their abundant sense of humour. It is in on this trip that we discovered the Archbishop’s sweet tooth and keen appreciation of biltong. A treat that Evangelia, our guest from Greece, found rather unusual. Thank goodness we had ample supply of refreshments. En route, we were amused by the simultaneous cellphone conversations of the Archbishop, who was preparing his agenda and Mr. Pappas, who kept losing the rest of the convoy. Luckily, the cellphone connection connected us all and we finally reached our destination.

At Soshanguve, we were welcomed by the choir, who used small cushions to clap, thus creating an enigmatic ambience. The parish priest of this local congregation delivered his message from the book of Acts, verse 26, which refers to baptism.

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," Archbishop Seraphim said that: "it is an honour to be here, because only a few people are privileged to be lead by the light of Christ, only special people are invited to take over the responsibility of being apostles, therefore our church is called an apostolic church."

Aware that he has a certain mission, the Archbishop began to relate the story of "Christ in Palestine during his three- year ministry, and how the apostles followed Him and He baptised many nations and spread the gospel. He compared this history of humanity to events that are happening in the world today, addressing everybody as brothers and sisters since we all share common grandparents, Adam and Eve. This is why we need baptism, to receive the blood of Christ, thereby becoming part of the church."

Today one third of the world’s population is Christian. Over 300 million are Orthodox. Archbishop Seraphim continued to explain that "the uniqueness of the Orthodox Church lies in tradition. Foremost the essence of the church is based on love and unity, the Holy Trinity, which brings us closer to salvation and to the Grace of God…So today, we have been called here to carry on the Ministry of the apostles of Christ. We are gathered here today, to meet one another, to gain strength through faith, to become good Samaritans, and to be reminded of the right orientation of our church."

Following the orders of His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, Petros VII, funds have been collected to build a Greek Orthodox Church in Soshanguve. After a lavish lunch prepared by the locals, Millie pap and a wide spread of traditional African food, we went to visit the plot that has been acquired for this purpose. Group discussions were also held to enforce all the knowledge that was preached.

Father Bert(Iakovos)  also addressed the congregation, giving them his love and blessing. He thanked everybody for welcoming him over the past four years but has now chosen to go back to the U.S.A. soon. He ended by saying: "In the Old Testament, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, into the promised land, but I’m not Moses, now Joshua will lead you into the promised land." Let’s hope that this congregation will be led to the Holy Land soon.

Ermioni Athinakis

Report on Orthodox Rally In Soshanguve

10 November 2001

By Dr. Steve Hayes

On 10 November 2001 a rally was held in Soshanguve for Orthodox Christians and people who were interested in the Orthodox Christian Faith. Among those attending was His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim, the Archbishop of Johannesburg and Pretoria, members of the Mission Committee of the Archdiocese and other members of Orthodox parishes in the Archdiocese, and about 80 non-Orthodox people who were interested in Orthodoxy.

introduction

For several years now groups of people who live to the north of Pretoria have been interested in becoming Orthodox. Some have been given catechetical instruction in preparation for holy baptism, and in July 2001 three people from Soshanguve, Simon Thamaga, Johannes Rakumako and Mark Manyeke were baptised.

It was hoped that others could be baptised on 10 November, but it became apparent that more preparation was needed, both for those who sought Holy Baptism, and also for people who were already Orthodox Christians who could be their godfathers and godmothers. The Mission Committee of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and Pretoria therefore decided to hold a rally on that day, where those who were interested in Orthodoxy could meet His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim and the members of the Archdiocesan Mission Committee, and learn more about the Orthodox faith.

Preparation for the meeting was undertaken by the local people of Soshanguve, led by Simon Thamaga. They arranged the venue, and collected money for the hire of the hall, and to provide refreshments for those who would attend.

the rally

The rally was held in a hall on the Satellite College Campus at Soshanguve. In addition to the members of the mission committee and people from Orthodox parishes in Gauteng, there were people from Soshanguve itself, and from Mamelodi and Dennilton.

Welcome

His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim then spoke to the gathering about the Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Christian faith. He pointed out that while there are many groups that claim to be Christian, the Orthodox Church is founded on the faith and succession of the apostles, that goes back to Christ himself. The teaching of the Church has been passed down in unbroken tradition since then. Though at various times people have sometimes questioned or tried to change the doctrine of the Church, the Church has, through apostolic and ecumenical councils, clarified and reaffirmed its basic teaching, which is that of the apostles and our Lord Jesus Christ himself.

The teaching of the Church is found in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the teachings of the Church Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils, and is summarised in the Symbol of Faith (a copy of which, in five languages, was made available to all present).

His Eminence also announced that land was to be acquired in Soshanguve to build a church.

Simon Thamaga welcomed all those who had come to the rally, and especially His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim, as this was the first time that most of those present had met him. He asked those who had come from various places to stand up to introduce themselves.

Address by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim

Group discussions

The gathering then broke into smaller groups for teaching and discussions, and for people to ask questions.

Leaders

A group of local leaders from Soshanguve, Mamelodi and Dennilton met with His Eminence and members of the Archdiocesan Mission Committee. Several said that the meeting had encouraged them and was a sign of progress on the road to Orthodoxy. His Eminence said that it was the aim of the Archdiocese to build churches in each of the places, and that a possible site had been identified in Soshanguve.

Mrs Linah Mahlangu of Phooko, near Dennilton, said that they had identified a suitable site there, and had paid a deposit of R50.0 for it. It was agreed that Athos Pappas and Stephen Hayes should go to see the site, and get information about the title to the land.

Children

Stephen and Nicky Reynders presented a lesson to the children, and taught them the Jesus prayer.

Youth

Grace Njeri Magu and Zipporah Muraura met with the youth, and had dealt with many questions.

Women

Valerie Hayes and Catherine MacDonald led women’s groups, and also had questions and discussions. The mothers expressed their joy at the decision to buy land for an Orthodox church. They asked questions about baptism, and the Symbol of Faith, and there was a general sharing between the Orthodox members of the group and those who wish to become Orthodox.

Meal and closing

A meal was served by the local people at Soshanguve, and a collection was taken to go towards the building fund of the new church, and some of the expenses of the meeting, such as hire of the hall and stoves. The children of the Soshanguve Sunday School presented His Eminence with a bouquet of flowers.

church site

After the rally members of the mission committee and some others went to see a possible church site. His Eminence made an offer for the land on behalf of the Archdiocese, but the owner was not willing to accept it. The search for a suitable church site in Soshanguve will continue.