Pray for South Africa on Sunday August 1, 2010

Pray for South Africa on Sunday August 1, 2010

Lectionary Text and Prayers for South Africa: Luke 12:13-21

God, you have given South Africa so many treasures here on earth.  South Africa is blessed with beautiful seas and majestic mountains.  With green forest and vast farmland.  Bless the land with rain and nourishment to produce crops and new life.

Our partner church, the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, is a treasure.  The members are our sisters and brothers who have much to teach us, for they have endured the horrors of apartheid and retained their faith, love, and joy of serving you.  Be with the UCCSA as it seeks to stand now for the rights of the poor, the marginalized, and especially those suffering from HIV and AIDS.  Continue to be with the many projects such as the Bedford Congregational Church HIV and AIDS ministry, the Samaritan Care Centre, and the Masakhane Project as they seek to share the love, hope, and peace of Christ with those living with HIV/AIDS.

God of grace, as you have blessed us, teach and empower us not to store our own treasures here on earth, but to rather share them in the African spirit of ubuntu.  Teach us to care for all of your creation – the land, the water, the resources, ourselves and our brothers and sisters, so that we can share them today and for many generations to come.  Amen.

(Prayer by Jon and Dawn Barnes)

Global Ministries International Partners in South Africa:

  • South African Council of Churches: This council consists of the joint work of 26 member churches.  The SACC focuses its ministry on social justice, the integrity of creation, and the alleviation of poverty.
  • Theological Education by Extension College: This college, supported by nine member churches, helps prepare students for ministry, whether lay or ordained.  The college is ecumenical and students come from Catholic, Anglican, Reformed, and African Independent backgrounds.
  • United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) – South Africa Synod:  The UCCSA – South African Synod consists of over 250 churches, divided into 11 regions.  Within the Synod one can find many different cultures and languages, making the SA Synod an example of reconciliation in the new South Africa.

Global Ministries Missionaries in South Africa:

Jonathan and Dawn Barnes, members of the Seventh Street Christian Church, Richmond, Virginia, served the Kei Regional Council of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA). They worked as a development officers in the Kei region of the Eastern Cape of South Africa. They are currently sharing their ministry in churches in the U.S. and are up for re-appointment to the UCCSA in Mozambique.

Scott Couper and Susan Valiquette are members of First Congregational Church, Winter Park, Florida. Scott serves with the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA). He assists the Inanda Seminary in strategic planning and serve as a management consultant. Susan serves with the Inanda Seminary, Durban, South Africa. She works as the school chaplain and a class instructor.

Kristine Tisinger, a member of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Fort Worth, Texas, will serve the Theological Education by Extension College (TEEC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. She will work as an administrative assistant in the Academic Department and Library. She will begin her term of service as a Global Mission Intern this summer.