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May 2005
Anathoth is the headquarters of Africa Upper Room Ministries. On five acres of land near Johannesburg, South Africa, it takes its name from the Jeremiah passage in which land at Anathoth is purchased as a sign of hope for the future. Anathoth is, for Upper Room Ministries, a sign of hope for the future of Africa. This newsletter from staff-person Roland Rink brings news from this important ministry.
Greetings to all of you during this Pentecost season! Autumn is well advanced in these parts, and the cold weather somehow again reminds us of the genuine warmth of friendship and love.
There is so much to be joyful about at Anathoth! My visit to the United States in April/May was again a time for personal reflection, renewal and rejuvenation. Rev. Jerry Haas and I spent a marvelous weekend in Tucson, Arizona with the folk from St. Mark's United Methodist Church. My sincere thanks to all at St. Mark's who helped to make it such a memorable time.
Through the generosity of the St. Mark's congregation, work can now begin to bring The Upper Room daily devotional guide to the people of Kwa Zulu Natal through the medium of radio broadcasts. Trans World Radio, the leading Christian broadcaster in Africa, is our partner in this initiative. The broadcasts will allow approximately 9 million rural people and urban dwellers the opportunity to spend time each day with God through the daily broadcasting of the devotional in their own language, isiZulu. We hope to begin test transmissions of the devotional over a one-week period soon; and then we will begin planning for regular daily transmissions. (We'll keep you posted on the actual launch dates, etc.) With time and the very necessary inflow of donor funds, we hope to reach more people in many more inaccessible and remote regions in Africa. There have already been calls for broadcast of a Swahili edition to Eastern Africa and a Xhosa edition for the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. With the rising costs of airfreight shipments (due almost entirely to the global rise in oil prices) radio is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to the print medium.
More excitement! Another brand new feature for AURM is the announcement that you can now view the Anathoth Newsletter as part of an Africa Upper Room Ministries web page on the official Upper Room website. The web address to directly access to our site is: http://www.upperroom.org/international/
The website will allow you (most of you for the very first time) to actually see Anathoth, to view pictures of our staff, and to have a much better understanding of who we are, where we've come from, and where we feel God is leading us in Africa. Enjoy! Any feedback will be gratefully received. Our sincere thanks goes to Beth Richardson, our web mistress for her unflagging enthusiasm and energy in this project.
You may notice a picture of a metal mug and plate on the AURM web page. You may even wonder about the presence of this somewhat odd and out of place photograph. The picture serves as a reminder. The meaning and symbolism behind these two humble utensils is this: They represent the challis and paten used in the sacrament of Holy Communion. They are the everyday utensils that millions around the world use each day for their meals. Jesus himself said to the disciples during their last meal together, "Do this in remembrance of me." Thus, when we stand together to receive the sacraments of Holy Communion, we do so in unity with Christ, we stand in unity with Christians around the world, and importantly, we also stand in unity with the vast majority of this earth; the disadvantaged, the marginalized, the poor. The symbols of a tin mug and plate therefore help to remind us of them. From the very first months of our existence as Africa Upper Room Ministries, these two symbols have endured; they continue to serve as a reminder to us.
An urgent call! We need your old/unused textbooks. We recently spent a morning with Rev. Dion Forster, the Dean of Students at John Wesley Seminary. Part of our joy was to hand over a cheque from sales of the book: Listening at Golgotha. Whilst visiting JWC, Dion mentioned an urgent need for theological textbooks. Some of the textbooks that are desperately needed include the following titles:
- Church History -- The Story of Christianity -- Justo L. Gonzalez.
- Systematic Theology -- Christian Theology: An Introduction -- Alister E. McGrath. (**Very urgent need.)
- New Testament -- The Writings of the New Testament -- Luke Timothy Johnson.
- Old Testament -- The Living World of the Old Testament -- Bernhard W. Anderson. (**Very urgent need.)
If there is anyone who has a copy to spare, or would like to donate their own copy of the above titles, please contact Rev. Dion Forster at dion@spirituality.org.za. Better still, simply post the book(s) directly to Dion at this address:
John Wesley College
PO Box 2144
Silverton
0127
South Africa
In this small way you will be contributing significantly toward fully equipping those who are called by God and alleviating the current situation where up to 30 students have no option but to share one textbook.
Finally, a thought that comes from The Beatles' song, "Strawberry Fields Forever" (by John Lennon and Paul McCartney). The lyrics say, "Living is easy with eyes closed." Is that a valid commentary of the vast majority of peoples' lives? We all find it so much easier to live with eyes closed? Doesn't that imply that we're asleep? Asleep to God? Asleep to the other? Each of you, in your own special way, gives me every good reason to think otherwise.
May God bless and sustain you as your journey continues to discover God's purpose for your life here amongst us.
Peace is my Sister.
We go forward --
Roland Rink
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