Newsletter #22

Dear Southcity

Just a short note to let you know that this Sunday we have the privilege of having Mark van Pletsen with us. For those of you who were here last year over the time 'Live the Life' was happening (the youth event where a few hundred youth gather on our campus for a few days), you will remember our incredibly special morning together with the youth and more than that, the incredible blessing Mark was to us in his preaching.

Well, 'Live the Life' starts on Monday and as we gear up for the youth of KZN to invade our campus for the sake of Jesus, Mark will be with us on Sunday morning. So may I encourage you to join us on Sunday as we enjoy worshipping our Father together.

See you then.

Much love

Rich

Newsletter #21

Dear friends

Can you believe we find ourselves racing towards the end of another year? With the Christmas season upon us and the holiday makers starting to flock to our shores, I find my attention constantly being pulled back to the words of Jeremiah when he was speaking to Israel:

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." - Jeremiah 29:7

My prayer for our city over this season is that we would know the peace of God. As people come for holiday and perhaps drop their guard, or as family comes to visit and perhaps places a strain on you, I ask that peace would be your governor and peace would reign over our city.

I also pray that those businesses who rely on holiday seasons would experience incredible prosperity, and that those businesses who struggle over the holiday season would find the sustaining hand of our loving God over them.

And I pray that both the peace of God and the favour of God over us at this time would be for his glory.

May I encourage you friends to use this holiday season wisely. If this is your busy business time, work hard and influence people for the Kingdom of God. If this is your rest time, rest well and give God the time to reassign you so that you come back running and full of purpose. And always see people as God sees them, as his creation who he is busy redeeming back to himself.

Have a good couple of days and I look forward to seeing you this coming Sunday as we share some big Southcity family news.

Much love

Rich

Newsletter #20

Dear friends

I find myself utterly amazed at the Kingdom effect some of you are having on our city. Having just spent some time studying Isaiah 49 and working through God's reassignment of our desolate inheritances (Isaiah 49:8), I am more convinced than ever of our need to continue the work Jesus started when he came to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We understand that our position as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven is due solely to the finished and complete work of Jesus Christ as he defeated the effects of sin in our lives on the cross, and through his resurrection, lives daily to intercede for us. But beyond that now exists the churches responsibility to make known the blessing of God through Jesus Christ to the nations, revealing his goodness, kindness, power, mercy and grace.

As I take this moment to stand back and look upon the influence Southcity is having on this city (remembering that Southcity is us, the people) I can only smile. I think about the Phakamisa project currently under way training and equipping men who would not have access to or the ability to run their own businesses, but now being skilled to do just that. I think about the work some of you are doing into KwaNzemakwe. I think about the work being done into the South Coast Recovery Centre with the past two weeks having seen incredible times of worship and preaching at a service with the residents. And I think about our expanding influence in education as we launch a pre-school in 2012.

These are just a few ordinary people doing extraordinary things as they allow the Spirit of God to lead them on their journey of faithfulness to the task God has assigned to them.

What a privilege to be a part of this community!

Be encouraged Southcity and may I urge you to give our incredible Father the time to speak with you and to reassign you in order that the inheritances which have been laid to waste due to our pasts without Christ, may be restored to the full and rich inheritances that our Father intends for us.

I pray for the blessings of our Father to be known by you, in order that you may be a blessing to this coast on which we live.

Much love

Rich

PS - I would appreciate your prayer this weekend as I have the privilege of speaking into a local church context in Durban, a church called COGS. And may I also remind you that as we desire to influence the people of this coast, we have built new and great facilities for moms with young babies as well as toddlers in order that they may be part of a worshipping community during a difficult season in their lives, and to that end, we will be taking up a special offering this Sunday in order to cover the costs of being a blessing to these new moms. Let's show our generosity and our willingness to bless others!

Newsletter #19

Dear Southcity

"Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed." Proverbs 11:11

What an incredible joy it is to be amongst this wonderful community of believers called Southcity. These past two weeks have seen two cities influenced by the blessing of the upright; firstly our own city, which we love so much, has seen a few men being trained and equipped to run their own businesses in the field of hairdressing. Thank you to Mark Russell, Fred Jacobs, Rob Hoatson and Nadia Engelbrecht for carrying the heart to see lives and circumstances changed and for blessing these men and our city through acting on what you believe.

Secondly, the city of Maseru, in Lesotho, was lifted up as a team of 10 men went to labour with a local church, both in physically building a meeting place, as well as in the gospel. So  thank you to the team that gave their time, money and skills toward the establishment of the gospel in Maseru (we will be sharing our trip with you this Sunday so you can share in our joy!).

It is a great privilege to live amongst men and women like these who gladly give of themselves for others.

This Sunday sees us starting a few weeks in Isaiah 49 as we look at the people we are because of God's kindness to us, and as a result, who we are to be to others. I am really looking forward to preaching this series as God has been building this up in me over the past few months, so come along and let's be encouraged and inspired by being together and allowing the Spirit of God to work in us as God's word is taught.

Much love to you friends.

Rich

Newsletter #18

Dear Southcity

I write this morning with my heart full of joy and feeling incredibly encouraged in being a part of this community called 'Southcity'. Please give me a brief moment to tell you why:

When I received an email last week mentioning to me that our dear friends in Maseru, Lesotho had been asked to vacate the building they were meeting in as of immediate effect, my heart broke. Since then, it has been overwhelming to be a part of what has happened!

Having asked Moses, the man entrusted to lead Zoe Bible Church in Maseru, what we could do to help, he asked for a building team. I phoned a few men who have skills in different areas and not one of them hesitated in reorganising their diaries and finances in order to help. The call was made generally on Sunday for people to give up their time and money to come be part of a labour force to bless this community. Long story short, we have a team of 10 men who have responded. And to be fair, more have asked to come and in the interest of also taking care of Southcity, I have had to ask for them to stay behind.

With this, three men have also made their vehicles available for traveling. What a testimony to generosity! As well as two people having made financial contributions towards the situation. I am overwhelmed by the response of Southcity.

Beyond that, just this week, I have witnessed two new families to our community asking how best they can make regular financial commitments for the sake of the Kingdom. This greatly encourages me, since Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:21, 'For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'

So I want to thank all of you who have responded to God and to the cry for help, and been so generous with your treasure, your talents, and your possessions, and for those who consistently submit their finances before our heavenly Father.

This coming Sunday, we take up our second special offering for investing into the lives of our young moms, babies, and toddlers. Again, at a difficult time for these moms to be out with babies, as a community, we long to see families worshipping together and therefore want to make it as easy as possible for these young families to be a part of our Sunday, and various other event, meetings. So please prayerfully consider how you can give towards this.

And I end on a community note: This weekend sees the Sharks play the Lions in the Currie Cup final. So on Saturday the 29th, we will have the fires going and would love to invite all of you to come for a late lunch braai from 2pm onwards, and then to watch the game in the cafe at 5pm. Even if you are not a rugby fan, it will be a great afternoon for our families to spend time with each other.

Much love

Richard

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Newsletter #17

Hi Southcity

This is just a short note to let you know where we are going for the next couple of weeks from a teaching perspective.

Given the economic difficulties we face, I believe it is crucial as followers of Christ that we steward God's resources and His provision well, particularly the finances he has given to us in order to live, bless our families, and to be a blessing to the nations. In the next two weeks, we will be looking at 'a generous life' from a biblical perspective; the first week will see us try to understand the heart of a generous life, and in the second week we will be looking at how to order our finances so that we can still be counted good stewards, even when things are tough.

The bible gives some really practical insights into how to manage our finances, and I believe it is appropriate at this time to allow God to shape our stewarding and generosity, whether it be a reminder for us to realign, or whether it be the first time you hear something like this.

So, I encourage you to come along on Sunday and be a part of this community as we journey and mature together.

See you on Sunday!

Rich

Newsletter #16

Dear Southcity

What a great morning we are going to have together on Sunday. We will be wrapping up our time looking at Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and as I look over the past few months and see some of the issues and theology we have had to grapple with in order to stay faithful to the text, and context of Scripture, I am very grateful that God has taken us on this journey.

I believe, that if we have allowed God to minister to us through his word as it has been taught over this past series, we will have gleaned much, and be significantly the richer (in maturity) for it. The message this Sunday carries a pertinent reality for us as followers of Christ, so come expectant and open to hearing the voice of God as he speaks through Scripture to us, his sons and daughters in Christ.

I want to thank you for being faithful to this community of believers as we have placed a priority on the public reading and teaching of Scripture as we are exhorted to do in 1 Timothy 4:13. In today's age, many are striving after the latest hot topic, or the feel good sermons, and although these have their place in public preaching, they are just one aspect of Scripture. So again, thank you for being committed to being a community who seeks the whole counsel of God, and not just our favorite topics.

Can't wait to see you all on Sunday!

Much love

Rich  

Newsletter #15

Dear Southcity

What an incredible God we love! Last week as I was sitting writing a letter to you, I was looking forward with eager anticipation for the deposit God was going to place in us through Rigby Wallace. Now I write this letter to you trying to contain myself with all that God has fanned into flame.

Scripture teaches us in Ephesians chapter 4, that gifts are given to the body for our strengthening, encouraging, and maturing. Well, I trust you feel the same way I do today - strengthened, encouraged and matured!

I believe the visit by Rigby and his team came at a God orchestrated time as we as Southcity have been feeling the stirrings of more. Not more for our sake, but more in the sense that the gospel has to penetrate deeper into our communities. More in the sense that we have to be reaching more than the couple hundred of us that gather on a Sunday and in each others homes during the week. More in the sense that we have to be demonstrating the life-changing, life-transforming power of the gospel in our lives more boldly and fully. And more in the sense that God is just bigger then we can know or imagine, and therefore there has to be more!

Thank you friends for taking the opportunity God gave us and for being a part of the various meetings that took place these past few days. My prayer is that the 'bigness' that God showed us this weekend would not be swamped by the detail of our lives, but that increasingly, our lives would be shaped around the bigness of our God.

This past weekend has highlighted the incredible people that many of you are as you served Southcity and the city by making every event what it was and I want to celebrate your kindness to us by thanking you. And although I run the risk of leaving names out, and knowing that there are many who do the unseen things, please allow me to thank Ursula and Brett who work in the office and held so much of the administrative detail in place. Heidi and your team for the catering of the men's evening. Nadia and your team for the catering, decorating and coordinating of the ladies time on Saturday morning. For the car guards, coffee servers, and kids facilitators on Sunday evening. For Sarah and your teams on worship and the choir. For Gert and Lu on the technical side of every event. And I do reserve my deepest thanks to Daine and Clif for the incredible servant hearts they displayed in giving to Southcity in every event their utmost, in order that we may benefit from the ministry and the occasion.

I am so looking forward to teaching out of Ephesians 5 on Sunday on the back of this platform, as we tackle a much debated global topic today of the church, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and their relationship to each other.

So see you during the week at your connect groups, on Thursday evening at 5:30pm as we pray together and then on Sunday as we gather to exalt our Father and our Saviour and show this city of ours the glory of our God.

Much love to you Southcity

Richard

Newsletter #14

Dear Southcity

What an incredible few days we are in for! Thank you God that you hold true to your promises and that you do not leave us to our own devices. Thank you for the gift of apostolic ministry and that it is your purpose that we mature because of it. And thank you that these next few days are your gift to us in order that we may be strengthened, encouraged and move on to being a bride without stain, wrinkle or blemish.

Friends, apostolic ministry is a gift from our Father to us. Ephesians 4 teaches us that apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers are given "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..."

What a privilege we have in Rigby Wallace being with us this weekend. Thank you to all of you who have responded to the various get togethers that are taking place, and I urge those of you who have not yet responded, in light of Scripture and God's goodness, to be a part of these gatherings for your benefit as well as ours as God uses this time to continue to shape and mould us into a bride befitting his Son, Jesus Christ.

So allow me one last time to run through the events taking place:

On Thursday evening, the men are getting together for a meal and this time is open to you men and your friends. We get going at 7pm. Bookings essential for catering purposes.

On Friday evening, the Southcity leaders are getting together at 6:30pm. Please pray for your leaders as they are God given for your protection and health.

On Saturday morning, the ladies are getting together at 9am. This is open to all ladies and their friends. It is the start of a journey called 'A woman worth cherishing.'

And then on Sunday, Rigby will be ministering to us as Southcity in the morning and to us as churches on the South Coast in the evening.

I am aware that this is a lot to take in, but I do encourage you to make the most of this opportunity. As we read on Sunday in Ephesians 5:16, we are to make the best use of our time and take opportunities that come our way, and since apostolic ministry is a gift from God, I for one am taking hold of this with both hands. I hope you will do the same?

See you through the week.

Much love

Rich

Newsletter #13

Dear Southcity

What a journey Jacs and I have been on the past few weeks. We first had Kade in hospital for 5 days which meant Jacs in hospital for 5 days, and then to have a lady I had the privilege of introducing to Jesus die in a tragic car accident on Saturday leaving behind two very young girls, and then to have a very dear friend of ours die on Tuesday morning having gone into a coma on Monday, also leaving behind a three-year old and a two-year old.

Moments like these help bring perspective and readjust what our lives are aimed towards!

We have today, we have this moment to be faithful to our God. James writes in chapter 4 of his letter, warning those who live their life according to their own plans to be careful. "Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'if it is the Lord's will...'"

The writer to the Hebrews says in chapter 3 that we ought to fix our eyes on Jesus, and in verse 13, "but encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today."

Friends, I don't write this to dampen your mood, but rather to share something of my life these past few weeks. Our hope is in Jesus, and our hope is eternal. We long to leave this world so we can leave the corruption of the body, the pain, the suffering, the difficulties, and be with our perfect Father forever, but as Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians in chapter 1 and verse 22, "if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me."

I end this email with a quote from DL Moody - "It is a thing to weep over that we have thousands of church members who are good for nothing in extending the Church of God."

Oh please do not let my life count for nothing Lord. While it is called Today, I will speak of your love and kindness toward us, a fallen humanity.

Thank you Southcity for making a difference in the lives you touch. Continue to speak of the love of God shown through his son Jesus Christ because we have this moment to effect a persons eternity.

I am so looking forward to praying with you all tomorrow night as we gather at 7pm.

My love for you is deep friends.

Richard