Worship at Woodlands
(Sunday, 24th June 2007)
Report letter to the Medfield church:
Greetings, Medfield -- There follows an account of our visit on Sunday to Woodlands. Pictures from the day are being forwarded in a separate series of seven e-mails. --
Within 36 hours of our return to Durban from two weeks’ alumni travel to Madagascar, a tour we’d joined ‘since we were already in the neighborhood,’ we were on the road in KZN, traveling this morning up to Pietermaritzburg to worship with the Woodlands United Congregational Church. We joined them this morning for a rather livelier service than we’ve experienced there before, as it was a new, ‘praise service’ format that they have begun to employ, with greater roles for the youth as music providers and, this day, with the youth and their leaders as the ‘choir’ leading initial music during the service. For the first time in our experiences at Woodlands, this included choruses like ‘Jubilani Afrika,’ and another one with either Zulu or Xhosa phrases in the lyrics. These may have been introduced by Mr. Hoffman, a very competent music teacher who’s come in from another church to help train a new group of youthful musicians for the church – this day was the premiere of a young lady keyboardist, and there’s a guitarist who they hope to unveil in the next week or two. And some short while after that, Mr. Hoffman thinks he can bow out and return to his home church. The music was rather livelier than we’d heard it here before, and a sense of youthful spirit appeared to be livening up the congregation as a whole. We know Rev. Pietersen has been struggling with this for some time [all eight years he’d been there, he indicated], and while they’re not ‘there’ yet, there’s certainly movement in the desired direction.’
The youth also put on a ‘skit’ – well, call it a dramatic reading – about ‘Henrietta the chicken who hatched an eaglet,’ an ugly duckling / importance of motherhood morality play, very spirited as well, and well received.
Ed’s prayers for the day included thanks for the ongoing relationship effort with Medfield.
The church has elected a new Secretary, it seems, as a Mr. Williams gave the announcements, and Andre Abrahams told us he’d cycled out of his earlier heavy involvement in church affairs. One announcement solicited articles and items for the upcoming ‘newsletter’ for July; we pounced on this, of course, pointing out that they should be sure that Medfield is on their mailing list (as well as making certain that they’re on Medfield’s mailing list).
The service ran about an hour and a half, longer than we’d remembered here. The last half hour was given over to the sermon, a musing on regretted choices, peer pressure, right and wrong, and heeding one’s own well-formed counsel rather than false prophets – on a text from 1 Kings 13:7 ff. It was a first for us.
About mid-way through the service, we were provided the opportunity to bring greetings, and give our pep talk about increasing the involvement of individuals and groups at the church in fostering the relationship(s) with Medfield. People were receptive and responsive, so we’re hopeful. The two letters, from Phil and Susan, were held for the after-church tea, and read out then as a second chance to urge their participation. The Mefield letters sparked quite a bit of interest. Again, we’re hopeful. Copies of the letters were given to Ed, and to Shariefa for herself and Glenys, and we know of a couple of individuals who were asking for copies to be distributed more broadly.
Ruthann spoke with some folks in follow-up to our urgings to broaden the individual and group involvement in contacts with Medfield including to several youth following the service, keying on those who had presented the reading during the service and verifying that they were members of the youth group. She talked to them about connecting with the Medfield youth, perhaps through a general letter from their group that we could take back with us in August. They seemed quite interested in this idea, and impressed when it was mentioned that the Medfield youth were currently in NYC on a mission trip (this preceded the reading of Phil's letter).
Ruthann also spoke to Moegsheda Pietersen after talking to the youth. She indicated that most probably the 3 girls that had been spoken to were actually members of the junior youth who have been reluctant to leave that group and move into the new senior youth group. Well, that was left it as it was, hoping that some progress will be made through one of the youth groups.
The conversation with Moegsheda also reminded about the possibility of connecting the Woodlands women’s Bible study group with a similar group at Medfield. This was after trying to find a member of the new men’s Bible study group and batting .000. Moegsheda indicated that the women’s group is growing, as a few younger Zulu women have joined recently. Ruthann again suggested that the group might write a letter to Medfield, telling something about the group, and Moegsheda said she would see if there was interest. Evidently last year’s scrapbook that they sent to Medfield included a picture of this group, but we really don’t have a specific recollection of this, nor of whether the scrapbook would have included any contact information for the group or individuals in it.
Moegsheda related that not everyone who sent a letter with us last August had received a reply, and there is disappointment over this. On the other hand, people like Sal May (and Ed, during the service) talked about their own failures to follow through on intended contacts by letter or phone. And checking with Glenys about the re-sending of the pen pal package that Susan had asked about, that had been bounced back earlier this year, the indication was that they'd thought they'd just send that back over with us when we left (which seems to have taken Phil's letter's suggestion of summer sluggishness, rather than Susan's impassioned plea for pen pal replies, the more to heart). But clearly, the desire to reach out and expand the points of contact between the churches seems to be shared between them, while so also the slowness in following through.
Our time during the service had sought to remind the folks at Woodlands of the significance of the joint mission that the two churches can share, as they each seek to 'be mutually encouraged by each other's faith' (Romans 1:12). We are hopeful, and prayerful, and continue the effort.
-- See y'all after our return to Massachusetts in August. Best, Jan and Ruthann.