| My dear friends The Bielstein brethren will appreciate your prayers for their first
Christmas celebration during the Sunny-way (the special children's ministry) hour
tomorrow. Some children come from very difficult family backgrounds. Parents are also
invited.
Our Berlin brethren will appreciate your prayers for their
TAK Radio programme on Sunday afternoon. To mark the first Advent Sunday they have invited
children from Dargezin to share about their Christmas preparations. Michael Mueller will
also be their guest.
Lionel Roosemont from Belgium requests that we pray for a
prayer meeting at the European Parliament on Thursday, 7 December. The meeting is part of
6 days of exchange and network functions in the Netherlands and Belgium around the theme
'United for Life.' This initiative is led by Ds Bert Dorenbos of 'Cry for Life' in the
Netherlands.
Michel Hege and Daniel Kalisky request that we accompany the
Eurochor in prayer as they will be doing Christmas concerts for the next three weekends.
The plan is as follows:
Saturday, 2 December Wiesbaden (Germany)
Sunday, 3 December Salach (Germany)
Saturday, 9 December Kaltbrunn (Switzerland)
Sunday, 10 December Biel (Switzerland)
Saturday, 16 December Belfort (France)
Sunday, 17 December Epinal (France)
It was a joy and privilege for me to meet the Congo
delegation as they came by with Rev Erlo Stegen and Didier Schott. The Congolese are
thankful that the final round of the presidential election seems to have off reasonably
peacefully. They would value your prayers for the reconstruction process in that
war-ravaged country.
Our prayers are also with the Domino Servite School - South
Africa staff and students as they make final preparations for tomorrow's year-end function
-the Prize-giving ceremony.
1 December is World Aids Day and some of our young
presenters at Radio Khwezi today made sure that it would be a memorable day. The young
team voluntarily manned the station for 18 hours and did their best to run the HIV/AIDS
theme throughout the day. That South Africa has one of the highest Aids rates in the world
- 5.5 million infected and more affected - is a big challenge to us. May the Lord guide us
in our response to this pandemic.
Preparations are on for the KwaSizabantu Youth Conference on
8-15 December. Early next week, there will be services and briefings for the volunteers
that will be assisting co-workers with different aspects of the conference. Keep praying.
On Sunday, 10 December, the youth at the conference and
those who have accepted the open invitation will have the privilege of listening to yet
another rendition of Handel's 'Messiah' by the Natal Bach Choir and the PAMS Choir under
the direction of Lutz Kohrs. All glory be to the Lord.
Some of you probably took note of a story in international
news about a school in Spain that has cancelled its Christmas celebrations so as not to
offend children who are not Christians. Their main concern was that celebrating Christmas
might upset Muslim children.
As much as we would wish this to be an isolated incident,
the sad fact is that it is not. It is shameful to see the compromises and abdication by
Christians in the name of tolerance.
As I pondered this matter a frightening thought occurred to
me: What would have happened if Christ had taken into consideration who would all be
offended by His coming to this earth? Where would we be if in respect to existing world
religions Jesus had decided to put His foot into it by becoming flesh and dwelling among
us? No Christmas. No Saviour. Where would we be today? Too ghastly to contemplate.
"If anyone is ashamed of me and my
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when
he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)
Have a blessed weekend.
Pressing on!
In His love
Fano Sibisi |
