South Africa Update 

Lucas Scheepers

Preaching & Pastoral

Kempton Park

We are blessed with a growing Youth Group and Sunday School, connecting with other youth every Sunday via Zoom. All who attended thoroughly enjoyed a Holiday Club organized for the Junior and Senior youth. A mix of Bible study sessions, games, and creativity classes kept the young people entertained while learning many valuable principles for godly living.

A group of people sitting in a small room engaged in a discussion. Some have notebooks and pens, while others have laptops. The room is filled with various items, including clothes and storage boxes. The atmosphere appears informal and collaborative.

Pretoria West Group (Congolese refugees)

Two visits on two consecutive Sundays in March were jam packed with teaching. A mini fraternal, including two additional Bible study sessions, was also attended by the senior youth group. Everyone enjoyed good fellowship and good food during the lunch break.

A holiday club activity was held for the Congolese youth. Bible Class sessions, games; fun activities; a substantial lunch, and the senior young people helping with a lot of the maintenance work at the community center made it a very productive day.

A group of children gather around a woman sitting outdoors, engaging in an activity. One child is painting a surface, while others appear to be observing or participating. The background shows a yard with grass and trees.
Group of people working in a backyard, moving bricks and clearing debris.

Parklands Group (Cape Town)

Beach cleanups continued from February to May. They provided opportunities to discuss our beliefs with people and invited them to attend our meetings and Bible classes.

The Fundani Center provides a wonderful venue for a growing Saturday Bible Club. Up to 40 children attend at times. Recently, a 6-year-old boy learned to use scissors for the first time during one of the craft-making activities. The look of delight on his face was priceless. We are blessed to also be able to give many of the children food parcels.

The Kingdom Kids’ group in Cape Town enjoyed an informative outing to the Butterfly Sanctuary. Young ones join virtual Sunday School (KINGDOM KIDS) every Sunday morning. Sister Lilandi Furstenburg does impressive work preparing classes, and resources and coordinating all the class presenters.

Group of people posing near a beach with Table Mountain in the background, wearing casual outdoor clothing.
A smiling child showing paper puppets on both hands, sitting at a table with art supplies. Another child wearing a jersey focuses on crafting activities, surrounded by paper, crayons, and glue.
Group of children posing inside a museum next to a skeleton exhibit and a green banner featuring butterflies and animal eyes illustrations.

Hopefield Group

Beach cleanups continued from February to May. They provided opportunities to discuss our beliefs with people and inviteSister Leona Scheepers, brother Michael, and sister Lilandi Furstenberg continue to bring a lot of joy, food parcels, and warm meals to about 40 children at Green Village. The children really enjoy the activities and learn a lot about the Bible in a fun and interactive way.

Sisters Liezl Viljoen and Leona Scheepers host an international weekly sisters’ Zoom class in Hopefield. A variety of exciting and informative topics from different sisters all over the world provide edifying spiritual food for the sisters.

The monthly “Men of Faith” class facilitated by Bro.Hendri, via Zoom, has been very thought-provoking. Brethren from South Africa and the USA have shared studies regarding life as a brother in Christ’s service.

Bro.Hendri and Sis.Liezl started a Friday evening Bible class for young people. They were very encouraged by the interest shown by eight young people who turned up for the first three sessions. Activities are planned for the rest of 2023 to strengthen the group's friendship and have them meet other Christadelphian young people.

Brother Michael hosts a mobile Bible Education Center monthly at a farmstall near Hopefield. Bibles and Bible-related literature are provided for those interested. He has had some very interesting discussions with a few people about the Gospel message.

Children engaged in a group art session around a table, using colored pencils and paper, in a well-lit room.

Cuddle Trust Outreach

The demand for the creche course (child care training) has remained the same. Courses were presented in Kempton Park as well as Hopefield. The subsequent courses will take place in June and are already fully booked.

Food parcels are provided for over 600 children throughout South Africa every month. The process of procuring the food items, making up the parcels, and ensuring they are handed to the recipients personally is time-consuming. Still, it ensures that the funds donated for the food parcels are spent appropriately. We will continue with this project as long as donations from donors (other than WCF) continue to be made to us.

A man handing out food bags to a group of children outdoors next to a blue truck and a decorated building.

Little Brinks

Weekly visits are made to the Little Brinks foster care home. Educational play, exploration of creative art mediums, and making music develop their physical and mental abilities. A healthy variety of snacks are always a hit, and most of all, the children learn that they are valued for the unique individuals they are.

Adults and children sitting around a low white table outdoors, coloring pictures with markers. There is colorful artwork on the wall and green matting on the ground.

Days For Girls

Monthly visits to the 8 ladies of the Hermetia Enterprise enable them to produce high-quality washable sanitary products. Two primary and high schools were also visited. Information that helps children understand how their bodies work, how to care for themselves and others, and how to use the products they receive are shared. Visits to 6 more schools are planned for June and July.

P2P

We are looking forward to the P2P (Prepare to Preach) group that will join us for the first two weeks in July, God willing. There will be a full-on two-week program that will enhance the work we are currently doing. In addition, the Holiday clubs; Youth camps; Workshops; Creche upgrades, and enhanced food parcel distribution will be run in Gauteng and Cape Town. This will bring rich blessings to the young people and families involved.

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