April / May 2014

New Homepage:
www.stpetersbythelake.org
Index
Voice Message - Pg. 2-3 St. Peters Child Care Jumble Sale - Pg. 5
Bishops Post - Pg. 3-5 Co-Worker Training - Pg. 5-6
eQuip Retreat - Pg. 6-7
Message
Dear Readers!
The watchword for April is: You will grieve, but your grief will turn to
joy. John 16:20
The time of Lent is a time of reflection and thinking about what Jesus and
his disciples experienced on their way to Jerusalem. I would like to take
you on this journey and just think of our lives as we reflect on this path of
Jesus:
- You will grieve, Jesus says to his disciples. He knows what lies ahead and
the disciples will go through difficult times. He prepares them and tells
them that they will grieve, but their grieving will turn to joy. Jesus knows
where we are in life and prepares us for whatever lies ahead. Your current
experiences and what He is teaching you, is to prepare and take you where
he wants you to be. We need to be open and allow Him to teach and lead
us and He will prepare us for our journey with Him.
- The disciples often do not understand what Jesus is saying and why things need
to happen. On our journey with Jesus we also experience things that we do
not understand and we do not know why they happen. When we look at
the stories of the disciples and see them from our perspective, it is difficult
to understand why they struggled to get it. It is easy to see it in the right
perspective from our view, where we know about Jesus death and
resurrection and what these words mean. When you journey with Jesus,
allow Him to speak to you even if you do not understand things in your
life at the moment. Trust Him and allow Him to determine what you do,
where you go and how you do it. You will see that He is trustworthy and
will allow you to grow and develop in faith as you face the challenges of
everyday life and as you journey with Him.
- Your grief will turn to joy. Jesus says these words to the disciples and they
experienced this joy when He rose from the dead. When the living Lord
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reveals himself to us, He brings overwhelming joy, even in the face of the
difficulties we encounter. Jesus wants us to have life and live to the full and
if we trust Him and allow Him to lead us, He will fill us with His joy. Real
joy fills our lives when we listen to Jesus and follow Him.
It is my prayer that you will take time for Jesus and see how He worked in
the life of His disciples. But also, that you experience how He works in
your life and increases your faith.
Shalom
Edwin Dedekind
Easter Program
Lenten Service 9 April 2014 18:00 Lent Wednesday Evening Service
Palm Sunday 13 April 2014 09:00 Liturgical Service with Childrens
Church
10.30 Contemporary Service with Holy
Communion and Childrens
Church
Maundy Thursday 18:00 Service with Holy Communion
Good Friday 09:00 Meditative Service
12:00 Devotion in Church
15:00 Devotion in Church
Easter Sunday 20 April 2014 06:00 Sunrise Service with breakfast and
Easter Egg Hunt
09:00 Liturgical Service with Holy
Communion
"You are the salt of the earth" Mt 5, 13
April and May are two months with major events. Christians will be
remembering the suffering and death of Christ, and then celebrate his
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victory over death on Easter morning. Ascension Day on 29 May will again
pass unnoticed by many Christians, since it is not listed in most calendars
and is a normal working day. However, we as Christians this year celebrate
that Christ is King in the same month that a political party will celebrate
its victory in the elections. This should encourage us to make more of this
day.
Our country is in dire need of Christians confessing that Christ is King -
not only with their mouths, but with their whole lives!
In the run up to the elections, many politicians will continue to make
empty promises, which they will conveniently forget soon afterwards.
Once again many people will fall for these promises, and be more
embittered afterwards, when nothing happens.
For two thousand years Christians have been living with the statement of
Jesus: You ARE the salt of the earth. When these words were written
down in the gospel of Matthew, Christians were facing difficult times.
Many had been imprisoned, some even killed.
Still the writer penned down these words of Jesus, which challenge us not
to withdraw into a protected, secluded Christian community, but rather to
live our lives as followers of Christ in this world. Our lives should not be
empty promises, but testimonies to Christ the king, his powerful word, and
his healing, loving power.
The elections are coming. Each one who can, should vote. In 450 BC
Pericles, the "mayor" of Athens stated: "If you do not participate in the
affairs of your city, you are not a silent, but a bad citizen" - This is not very
different from Jesus' statement: When salt loses it's saltiness, it is useless"
Let us not be useless citizens! We should carefully discern whom we vote
for. Let us then also pray for those who are going to be elected, that they
may become wise leaders.
On Easter and Ascension Day we should raise our voice and "vote" for
Christ, proclaim that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He did not
seek his own advantage and pleasure, but gave his life to set us free. He did
not make empty promises to please the listeners. His words are active,
powerful, life giving and life changing!
We, as salt of the earth, are part of his movement and called to live and
proclaim: Christ is Lord!
May this Lord guide, protect and bless us through the next two months!
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Yours in Christ,
Horst Mller
News from the Church:
After the coll-time of Pastor Udo Ltge ended, Wartburg congregation
elected him as their new pastor. He was inducted on 16 March. May God
bless him and the congregation, as well as the KZN youth work, for which
he has a 25% post.
Mrs Lotte Engblom, who, together with her husband Austin, had been
caring for our theological students at our Church's training centre in
Pietermaritzburg from 1979 to 1990 passed away on 26 February, aged 92.
We thank God for all the good things that the Church received through
her.
The Church's brass festival is planned for 11 May in New Germany. May
it be a blessed, joyous occasion. I encourage you to join in!
Pastor Olaf Gieseke from East Rand Parish married Tintswalo Khosa. We
congratulate them. May God richly bless the couple!
St. Peters Child Care Jumble Sale - 7
th
June at St. Peters by the Lake
Please donate adult and childrens cloths, shoes, accessories, bric and brac,
toys, books, etc. all in good condition. Please bring before the 30.5.2014.
You can also donate a cake for the coffee bar. Please contact Julietta if you
can help on the day, or for any other quarries: 071 503 9619
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Co-worker Training for 2014
We have a program to train co-workers in the ELCSA(NT) that is working
very well. It is to prepare people for working in our congregations, eg. to
hold devotions, learn more about the Bible, our Lutheran understanding
of scripture, and perhaps even to become a lay preacher in our church.
Would you like to take part in the following training:
1 to 3 August Weekend in Pietermaritzburg
- Lutheran Theology Foundation
- Homiletics Foundation (Preparing a devotion)
- Liturgy Advanced (Role of Music & Songs)
- Christian Education
2 August at St Peters in Pretoria
- Lutheran Theology Foundation
- Homiletics Foundation
- Lutheran Theology Plus (Ecumenism - Lutheran understanding
of Church)
- Counselling
6 September at Kelvin/Midrand
- Bible Foundation
13 September at Kempton Park
- Lutheran Theology Advanced
- Homiletics Advanced
- Bible Plus
- Counselling
If you need more information please contact Liselotte Kncklein at: 011
979 7137 or l.knocklein@elcsant.org.za.
eQuip Retreat in Hermannsburg
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1,14). As we
embarked on the first eQuip retreat after Christmas, we started off reflecting on
these words. We reflected on the wonderful fact that in Christ God came to us. In
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the Old Testament, as in all
other religions, the challenge is
on mankind to make its
way to God. But in Christ
God comes to us. This is His
new beginning, the new
creation, His New Testament!
Jesus comes into this world.
He does not isolate himself.
He celebrates with the people,
laughs, cries, is angered by evil.
God enters this world
completely.
When he greets his disciples at
his ascension, he does not bid
them farewell, but rather says:
I am with you always, till the end of times! (Mt 28,20)
As eQuip met in the lush and green Hermannsburg, we also reflected on this world,
and what it means for us as Christians to belong to Christ (being not of this world)
whilst at the same time saying yes to this World and the people that we live with
(being in this world). All too easily we Christians dissolve ourselves into this world,
being just like every body else. Alternatively many devout Christians distance
themselves from the world, isolate themselves in an attempt to keep their faith and
live pure and undefiled.
In John 17 Jesus prays for his disciples - and for us, the Christians. He prays that we
will be able to live this tension of being in, but not of, this world. For three years he
had been preparing his disciples for this, teaching them what it means to be a
follower of Christ. This training does not stop with Ascension. Rather, Jesus sends
the Holy Spirit, who continues the training, who teaches us and reminds us of what
Jesus has taught. (John 14, 26)
To be a Christian means to be with Christ IN this world. Our words, deeds and
attitude show that God made a new start in Christ, that he is present in our midst
as Saviour of the World.
Just as the Father has sent him, he sends us! (John 20, 21)
With kind regards,
The next eQuip Retreat will be from the 2
nd
to the 7
th
January 2014 in
Hermannsburg. Diarise it and come along.
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Congregational Council
Sindi Koyana Chairperson 083 390 0699
Karsten Mller Treasurer 083 376 3315
Markus Heise Evangelism 083 259 8340
Innocentia Tjale Childrens Church &
Young Adults 079 964 0070
Eloise Knoetze Counselling 083 222 1609
Joseph Mainama Property 083 459 1472
Tutu Zwane Organisation 082 454 1030
Louis Thom Social Ministries 083 779 9398
Andrew Falkson Youth Pastor 082 320 4556
Edwin Dedekind Pastor 083 324 7505
Secretary: Shelley Styger 072 429 4039
Secretaries Office Hours: 8 am to 1 pm
Address Physical Address
P.O. Box 72207
Parkview
2122
43 Lower Park Drive
Entrance in Ennis Road (2
nd
gate)
Parkview
Contact Details
Phone: 011 646 1308
Fax: 086 605 5617
Email: info@stpetersbythelake.org.za
Homepage: www.stpetersbythelake.org.za
Banking Details
Acc. Name: St. Peters by the Lake
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Rosebank
Acc. No.: 001948962
Branch Code: 004205
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