Easy Peasy!

by | Mar 3, 2017 | Health, South Africa

Easy Peasy – want to support our ministry in Southern Africa? It’s easy…check out the links below!

https://samsusa.org/johann-and-louise-vanderbijl/

https://give.samsusa.org/missionaries

OR…make checks out and send them to:
SAMS-USA
P. O. Box 399
Ambridge, PA 15003

Please be sure to clearly state that the check is intended for Johann and Louise van der Bijl.

Is you wish to support our vehicle/travel fund, do so via check only and write in the memo line: van der Bijl vehicle fund

From Growing the Church South Africa…

by | Feb 23, 2017 | Health, South Africa

The GtC Staff Is Growing!
LATER this year, Johann and Louise Vanderbijl will be joining the GtC team. Johann and Louise will be focusing on the mandate for GtC to train diocesan teams in how to engage in intentional discipleship and
discipleship-making. The Vanderbijls will be coming as SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) missionaries.
Their last posting was in Ethiopia.
Johann is originally from Namibia and Louise is originally from the Western Cape. After spending considerable time in the USA, the Vanderbijls are happy to return to southern Africa. We know that they will be a blessing to GtC and to ACSA.
Before the Van Der Bijls can move to Cape Town, they have to raise enough support for their ministry and livelihood. Since your diocese already has a partnership with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we thought that a partnership with the Van Der Bijls might be a natural extension of your international ministry. Would you please prayerfully consider making a contribution – one-time, monthly, quarterly or annually to the Van Der Bijls missionary account? I know they would be most grateful for any contribution.
SAMS makes it easy to give to its missionaries. You can give to the Van Der Bijls online at https://give.samsusa.org/missionaries or call SAMS at 724-266-0669 or write them at SAMS, PO Box 399, Ambridge, PA 15003. (Please note that all checks need to be made out to SAMS with the missionary’s name in the memo line. All donations are tax-deductible.)
If you have any questions that you wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact Trevor Pearce at trevor@growingthechurch.org.za

Breathing Under Water

by | Feb 14, 2017 | Health, South Africa

A bit of a long quote from Richard Rohr’s “Breathing Under Water”, but worth reading to the end.

“Almost all religion, and all cultures that I know of, have believed in one way or another that sin and evil are to be punished, and retribution is to be demanded of the sinner in this world – and usually the next world too. It is a dualistic system of reward and punishment, good guys and bad guys, and makes perfect sense to the ego. I call it the normal economy of merit or “meritocracy”, and it is the best that prisons, courtrooms, wars, lawyers, and even most of the church, which should know better, can do.

The revelation from the cross and the Twelve Steps, however, believes that sin and failure are, in fact, the setting and opportunity for the transformation and enlightenment of the offender – and then the future will take care of itself. It is a mystery that makes sense to the soul and is entirely an “economy of grace”, which makes sense only to those who have experienced it.”