Worship at Imfume
(Sunday, 22nd April 2007)
Text of report letter to Littleton church:
Sanibona, Littleton!
We are now just connected, phone and internet-wise, and so can 'report in'. This e-mail will give a bit of information about our Sunday visit to Imfume. Nine additional separate messages will forward some photos from the visit.
We arrived in Durban Friday evening from Boston by way of Atlanta and Dakar and Johannesburg, as it happens complete with our four suitcases of checked baggage; we had, just in case, prepared for the tight schedule by segregating the Littleton gifts to Imfume into our carry-on bags, so that we, one change of clothing, and the things we were delegated to get to Imfume, at least would be together and, we'd hoped and it was so, in Durban together, in time for our scheduled visit to Imfume on Sunday. So we stayed with friends in Durban Friday night, and rushed around Saturday getting rental car and accomodation in place, and retrieved our 'stash' of printer, office supplies, sheets and towels, Zulu hymnal, specially favored kitchen implements, and other such things, from missionary friends who keep them stored for us while we're back your side.
And then, Sunday morning, we drove down to Imfume. It was a nice, warm (not the hottest we've experienced for a Sunday service, but warm enough) late summer to early autumn day.
We're pretty familiar with the route to this place, by now, as this is our fifth visit to Imfume. The road inland from the coastal superhighway hasn’t made much progress from last year; actually, it seems like no progress at all. The road is very much a dirt one, and then a dirt one with some earthmoving for a new roadbed, and then it becomes paved, just before you get to Imfume; we understand it stops being paved just beyond Imfume. Just as we reached the paved portion, we spied a woman In an Isililo uniform walking along the road, and offered a ride to a Mrs. Luthuli who was, as we'd guessed, on her way to the meeting at the Amazibu outstation. Rev. Gumede had alerted us that this Sunday was mainly intended as a meeting for the Isililo women's group of the Circuit, preparatory to their delegates going off, this next weekend (Friday is a public holiday), to the KZN Isililo's annual conference to be held in Noodsberg, inland north of Durban. We dropped Mrs. Luthuli off at the Amazibu outstation, where singing could already be heard, and continued the couple of kilometers up the (still paved) road to the central church and the manse, where Rev. Psycology Gumede was waiting for us (Zanele was back at Amazibu, beginning the meeting). We exchanged greetings with Psycology, and talked briefly before accompanying him back down to the Amazibu outstation. We had to alert him that as we'd spent the week, including the flight over from the US, each battling severe colds, we probably wouldn’t be up to staying the full time for the combined meeting and service -- a couple of hours would be best for us, and he thought that would be fine, we could get a slot somewhere early on in the proceedings, to address the congregation and make the presentations from Littleton.
The Amazibu outstation is a fairly typical building structure for an American Board church, much plainer than the larger central, Mission church at Imfume itself. It is located next to a school.
When we arrived, the packed meeting was well underway. It had been started as a breakfast meeting, it was clear, as there was tea and coffee and juice available, and muffins. Zanele, in her caped uniform signifying her role as the minister's wife and thus the head of Isililo, was running the meeting, and impressively so. We had the thought, as we were watching and listening to this, how significant the church structures, however they are sometimes scoffed at as ineffectual by some, have been in establishing a true democratic, civil society within the context not just of the church but into the broader community of this land. In this meeting there was firm procedure, and while there was usually a report or request followed by general acquiescence, there was free discussion on some points, and a regularity to things in any event. And there was respect for the activity itself and the participants. There was a sense of worth and worthiness in what was going on. Whatever its shortcomings in the view of many with a commitment to things being efficient in terms of implementing something, the very fact of the organization, and the commitment of the members to it, and the responsibility that they took upon themselves for it, were all to the positive. The participants cared about what was happening, they had, in the current phrase, ownership, and they treated the process and the organization as a thing of value, and gave and received respect and responsibility in their roles in it. We've been to a fair number of these meetings, as well as gatherings of Amabutho (the 'men's' group, mainly) and of the churches as such, and these gatherings can be as boring and detail-fixated here as they often times are in our churches in Massachusetts. But they represent the actual control of the church, when it's chosen to be exercised, by the parishioners themselves. It is worth remembering that things are this way because of the history that they and we share.
The portion of the meeting that we attended included a short new-membership moment, with a sole woman joining up. She came to the front, being introduced by the leadership and responding to a short series of questions, and then presented her 'blouse' [the white uniform coat] and cap that she'd brought with her, and received the blessing of the uniform and a longish prayer by Rev. Psycology Gumede to that purpose. In the usual manner, she then departed with her sponsor into a side room to change into the uniform, and upon her return received the light blue badge and ribbon (also) signifying membership in the group, and was welcomed by the leadership with the right hand of fellowship. There was one little quirky moment, when there wasn’t an available ribbon and badge to pin on, so one of the other leadership ladies was approached by Zanele to yield up her ribbon and badge, and this Zanele used to pin on the new member. This was handled without missing a beat.
We had been there for rather more than an hour, mainly listening to a financial report and Psycology giving road directions to the Noodsberg meeting place for the next weekend, or so it sounded, and then we were told that we could take the floor. When we were done, we took the opportunity to leave with our colds, as they were moving on to other things … Zanele reopened matters asking them to join in a hymn announced as being one that was to be used at the upcoming conference.
We had asked for the opportunity to address the congregation here, to the same purpose as we spoke to you at Littleton, and so the opening was a variation of the ‘Sinilethela imikhonzo …’ greeting that we opened up with at Littleton last fall, followed by specific greetings from CCOL, and a reminder of the occasions of our earlier visits to Imfume, and recently to Littleton, and the things brought to them last time (the stole for Psycology's installation), and taken back to you from them, and -- like what we did to you! -- an exhortation about everyone participating in the links between the churches, etc. This included the hope that in time, the sense of the relationship will expand to include those in the nine churches of the Circuit OTHER than the main, mission church at Imfume with which the contacts to this point have been.
We emphasized that the relationship between Imfume and Littleton wasn’t supposed to be only about the things being taken back and forth by Ruthann and me, but …
We did, of course, have things for them from Littleton, so got to bring forward Phumzile Ndlovu to receive a letter and gift to her, and a Bible stories book for the Sunday school; and Gladys Msweli who got a little book and letter and mention of the hope of the expansion and deepening of the prayer connection between the churches; and Zanele ended up receiving -- on behalf of the congregation -- the 2 DVD’s of the services at Littleton, as well as the framed photo, with explanation, of the stained glass window at the front of the Littleton church; and Psycology was presented the several items from and around Gail Wright’s ordination, including her letter to him. The various items were well received, and we closed this segment to some applause.
Jan returned to the pulpit to urge the significance of the links between the churches and people, especially of these two particular churches, the ‘children of Ubilanti’, and quoted and excerpted also in Zulu (of a sort) the 1st Letter of John verse and the ones from Ephesians that were prominent in the message to Littleton in the fall.
After we were done, there was an attempt at once through the i3L chorus, the voices really not up to it, but hey, the church people here will join in anything, and sing vigorously!
Mr. Khathi, the Secretary, gave a nice thank-you speech for the gifts, and the visit, and talked about how it would be great if, in time, they – he referenced the minister and wife, and himself and his wife, for starters – could visit the Mass church – and he said how they understood (picking up on the Ephesians text) and would seek to move forward with Littleton as ‘fellow citizens’ of the one church. He commented on how the gifts from Littleton were especially valuable as they included many written items which would, he suggested, continue to give as they had the opportunity to read and re-read them in the days and longer time ahead.
We left the Amazibu church after a bit more than two hours there, given our medical dispensation. Mr. Khathi and Rev. Gumede came outside as we left, to wish us well and to thank us again for the visit. Over the next days and weeks, we will be seeking to follow up regarding the relationship with Littleton, including particularlly with Phumzile Ndlovu, who wanted to talk about the Sunday school links, and we need to call her soon, and with the rest of them as well, but there's no need (from either side) to wait for us!
And then we hit the road back towards Durban, the first of our deliveries made.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your extended church family, of Littleton and Imfume.
Best, Jan and Ruthann.