Duke Divinity students... Update on John Wesley College!

Here is a copy of an email that I sent to the Methodist Ministers' email list to share some news about students from Duke Divinity School who visited John Wesley College in South Africa, and to update them on some developments at the seminary.

Dear friends,

In the midst of celebrations over our victory at the Cricket and the Oscars, I thought we may wish to celebrate some more good news about our nation and Church.

Each year John Wesley College receives lecturers and students from our sister seminary, Duke Divinity school, in the United States. Last year we had 4 MDiv students who spent some time at John Wesley College, and two months of the year working Churches in South Africa.

All four of them have spoken of the transformative impact that this trip has had on their lives and ministry. It is truly a joy to know that we have such a rich asset to offer to the world! We are a wonderful nation and a wonderful Church! It was wonderful to see the interest from world class scholars when I visited Duke in 2005. This year we look forward to hosting Dr Willie Jennings (the Academic Dean, an incredible African-America scholar and theologian). Next year we hope to host, Dr Stanley Hauerwas, who was chosen as the world's leading theologian in 2004!

To read the full story of the Duke students' visit to South Africa please follow the link below (if the link is cut over two lines by your email client, please copy the whole link into your browser).
www.divinity.duke.edu/publications/2006.01/features/story/story-print.htm

Then also just to offer you a brief update on the Church's seminary, John Wesley College.

We are very pleased to have a wonderful group of students studying at John Wesley College! Yes, I do tell each year's group that they are the best... Because they are!

This is the first year that we have enrolled students for the Bachelor of Theology and Ministry Degree (the majority of our students have upgraded to this qualification), we still have a few students doing Diploma's in Theology. Among the probationers studying at John Wesley College this year we also have 4 students doing Honours degrees, and one student doing a Masters degree.

It was a wonderful joy to welcome the Revd. Dr Neville Richardson as the new Director of the Education for Ministry and Mission Unit. Dr Richardson is a highly regarded scholar who has brought a great deal of depth to our academic programs, and wonderful leadership to the general working of EMMU. We were also pleased to welcome the Revd Ruth Jonas on staff, since the Revd Matsepe returned to circuit at the end of 2005. Ruth is teaching Pastoral Theology at the College, and spends a great deal of her time working as the co-ordinator for training for lay ministries (Local Preachers, Evangelists, Bible Women and a host of other groups of Methodist laity). Ruth is currently working on a Doctorate in Pastoral Theology which she hopes to complete next year. The Revd Madika Sibeko is still the life of the Unit! She has taken over her new portfolio as the co-ordinator for training for Ordained ministries (looking after the 260 or so probationers in circuits). It is incredible to think that one person can manage to do so much! She is a real asset to us. As you can tell from this email, I am still on staff as Dean of the college, teaching Systematic Theology, Ethics, some Greek and few other odds and ends. I am also pleased to be completing my Doctorate in the next month or so! Please pray for me as I pen the last few pages.

As always we do still have some needs among our students at the Seminary. In particular we are always keen to hear from circuits and societies that may wish to sponsor or support a student family, or single student, whilst they are at College. This is truly a wonderful way to share in developing ministry and mission from you Church! Our families at College get about R500 per month, whereas the single students get approximately R300. Of course we are also always pleased to get donations of books for our library. So if there is anyone who is moving, retiring, or just wanting to get rid of some books, please do make contact with me! We would love to receive these into our Library.

Thank you so much for all the care and support you offer us in the training of ministers and laity for ministry and mission! Please continue to keep our work in your prayers.

Best regards,

Dion

Comments

[Arthur]

I have just returned home after having had dinner with two wonderful ladies visiting us from the USA. One from Chicago who has extensive international travel experience, the other from Pittsburgh. They had spent the morning worshipping at Grace Bible Church in Soweto and had been really blessed by the service there. Pastor Mosa Sono had delivered, in their opinion, the best Mother's Day sermon they had ever heard. They were truly awestruck by the warmth and hospitality of the people and the depth of the love for Jesus shown in their uncompromising love for each other.

These two ladies have also spent time in other more affluent areas in Johannesburg and they commented to me this evening that the picture of South Africa represented in both Christian and secular media in the US is so skewed.

It is in this light that I read with interest the report of the Duke students who visited our shores last year. Their experience was obviously a life-changing one and I praise God for that. However it would seem from their report that they only experienced God in South Africa in areas of poverty and pain. Yes, I believe God is very real in these places and I too have experienced this in powerful ways. However I would want to know if they also visited middle to upper class families, both black and white. Here they would have experienced a different reality but the same awesome, powerful, forgiving and loving God.

HIV/AIDS does not just affect those living in townships. The pain of divorce and the sorrow of watching your child spiral downwards into substance abuse are not experiences limited to areas of impoverishment.

South Africa's often unique socio-economic challenges present a mountain of opportunity for the Church. It would be sad to lose sight of the fact that many of our challenges are shared across the colour bar, endured by people in all economic strata and ministered to by people from all walks of life.

Where then would I find Jesus ministering today if He were to arrive in Johannesburg in His physical presence? I believe I would find Him among the poor and the lonely, the weak and the strong, the lame and the healthy. He would certainly not leave those in the final stages of AIDS and He would definitely be found among the poorest of the poor. I do believe though that He would also be among those who are poor in spirit and who lack the connectedness of true relationships. He would be in the heart of the Sandton business district telling people to value people more than possessions and opening His arms to hug a mother whose son had just died of a drug overdose. He would be inside the homes of teenagers whose value systems have been corrupted by over-exposure to the sex-saturated media.

Christ died for us all. I worship a God who walked and dined with sinners from all walks of life. While not for one minute minimising the huge challenges our great country faces, I trust that our visitors from foreign lands are given the full picture of our beautiful land and the challenges it poses to the Church. I would want to see balance in the way our countries challenges are presented to our own people and to the world out there.