Sabbatical Report

I started my ministry as Pastor of Discipleship at RUC in January 2007. After 5 years of ministry I was privileged (as allowed in my contract) to take some time off for rest, enrichment and input that would not only benefit myself, but those who benefit from my ministry. My major focus was to receive some foreign mission exposure and experience. As a result I spent time in Malawi, teaching a course to pastors and leaders, followed by a trip to Turkey, Ukraine and Europe to experience something of the history of our Christian faith, the challenges of reaching a different world “out there” and to simply take in the scenes and smells of different cultures and countries.

My conclusions and impressions include the following:

• Teaching trip to Malawi: 21-30 April

  It was great spending time with Alick, who was a great host. I arrived in Blantyre and preached in two churches. We then took a 9-hour trip to Mzuzu in the North of the country, where I spent 5 days teaching a full semester course to about 55 pastors and leaders working with Alick in Peace Ministries International, every day from about 9.00am to 4.00pm.

  This was a very rewarding exercise and resulted in closer relationships between RUC and the church movement in Malawi. I will continue to assist Alick in getting some of the administrative and structural issues within Peace Ministries sorted out.

• The Revelation Seven-Church tour: 8-18 May

  Fourteen of us left on the 8th May for Western Turkey to visit the ancient sites of the churches to which Jesus addressed letters at the end of the First Century AD. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this tour, took plenty of photographs (that will in future form part of many a presentation!) and learned SO much about the background of these letters and locations.

• Eastern Turkey Prayer Journey: 19-28 May

  We joined Marc Morrell and 7 others people (most from RUC) on the East-Turkey prayer mission. The exposure and environment were drastically different from the 7-Church tour, but what an experience! The need for the Gospel in these regions is overwhelming! It was a privilege to travel with Marc, who speaks the language, understands the culture and has a major passion for the people of Turkey.

• Odessa, Ukraine: 1-10 June

  We crossed the Black Sea to stay in Odessa in our “own” apartment, essentially to spend time with Arkadiy and Anneke Naydenov. The main purpose was to see what they do, how they live and to spend some time with them as a family. I also taught a three-hour course to some Evangelical pastors and leaders of churches similar to that which Arkadiy is leading. I preached at his church on the second Sunday of our stay in Odessa. What an interesting experience! They still deal with the vestiges of Communism and are facing an uphill battle reaching the minds of the new generation of Ukrainians.

• Luxembourg and Europe: 11 June-1 July

  We were privileged to visit our son and daughter-in-law, Jacques and Kristy, in Luxembourg. They took us around to see most of the city and country of Luxembourg. Included in out time with them were visits to Trier (oldest city in Germany), Strassbourg, Nancy and Metz (all three in France), a 2-day visit to Paris and a day in Brussels, Belgium. It was an awesome experience – many of our visits consisted of visiting the churches, cathedrals and basilicas of Western Europe. We also attended their church, an English-speaking, Evangelical church (All Nations Church, Luxembourg), as well as their small group (we were 14 people representing 6 or 7 nationalities!).

• Rome, Italy: 2-5 July

  Visiting Rome, Italy. We concluded our overseas journey with a 4-day stop in Rome, a delightful and insightful experience. The visit took us back in time to the Roman era and the spreading of the Gospel by the first Century apostles and the rich Christian heritage they left behind.

We’ve had an unforgettable experience – a time of growing, joy and building relationships. My overwhelming sense is that there is a big need to build relationships with local people in all these countries in order to disciple them to faith and maturity in Christ. As true Christians we are always just one generation away from extinction! The challenges of taking the Gospel into the world are great, but we also serve a great and mighty God. I will always remain committed to foreign missions, but don’t necessarily feel called to go to tackle a strange culture and language at my age!

Thank you Rosebank Union Church for allowing me this privilege. I am especially grateful for the financial support given to assist us in making the travels possible. We travelled well and thoroughly enjoyed everything we did and experienced – even in some of the not-so-good experiences there was something to be gained and learned. Our time away also coincided with our 35th wedding anniversary and we praise God for keeping us together and giving us a happy marriage.