19th January.
Spent the morning at Universitas Hospital’s cardiology clinic.
All OK: BP 120/60; BG 6.2; Pulse slightly irregular.
Kept on same muti and told to come back only in 12 months. (Used to be 6 months).
Found a splendid Spar supermarket near the hospital. Bit too far to go on a regular basis, but the one up Andries Pretorius is not so good.
Invited to bible study this evening at Pat’s.
Bible study went well. Kept a low profile.
22nd January
Went to ordination in Cathedral. An OK 3 hour service except for some incredibly slow singing.
Main reason was to catch up with old friends who had also come. Was good to see them again.
24th Jan.
Audited African Martyrs’ books for 2010.
Dentist again. Another R1,000 later was pleased with the result: 3 more broken teeth patched by Dr Marx.
Then spent a lot of time in Standard Bank trying to convince them of my new address. Failed!! The most unco-operative person in enquiries who seemed to be of the opinion that because I didn’t have an account at Edgars I wasn’t entitled to be a Standard Bank customer!! I have no accounts and owe nobody anything and so the bank isn’t interested in me. I closed my Standard Bank Card Account. Which meant that I also lost my garage card which was linked. It’s apparently impossible to unlink that card. It has to be destroyed and I have to apply for a new one. The miracles of banking IT!!
25th Jan.
Called in Diocesan Office to collect some figures for African Martyrs & some post, including a beautiful Lesotho calendar from Masite’s SPB Sisters.
Again in the bank. Applied for a new garage card and was told that the application would be declined because the destruction of the old one hadn’t yet taken effect!! My change of address also hadn’t taken effect and I had to do it again. SMSs tell me that new cards & cheque books have been sent to Harrismith. (Add your own !!). How does Standard Bank stay in business?
Spent the last of my Woolworths gift voucher (from St John’s Ladies’ Guild) on some goodies in the food line. That improved the day somewhat.
Got lost driving home again from Preller Square.
Finished audit.
26th Jan.
First day of some sunshine after what seems like forever of wet & miserable weather. So did some laundry.
Went to Pat’s Bible Study again. Colin from St Margaret’s was there and at the end asked me to take it over. I really don’t want to do that.
27th Jan.
Went nowhere and did nothing – had a day off, except for trying on the phone to get the Traffic Dept to accept my new address for car licence. Failed. I apparently have to pitch up in person to do something so very esoteric! They must have been taking lessons from Standard Bank. What happened to the good old days when you slipped someone a nip of cane spirit and everything fell into place?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
First Few Days in Bloemfontein
It’s been a busy (even traumatic) first few days in Bloem.
The removal people pitched up at 06:30 on Monday morning. We got things packed and out of the Rectory by 11 and I left for Bloem. They eventually arrived at my flat at 19:30 and got everything in by about 21:00. Mountains of boxes everywhere But they were good: every box labelled with its contents and which room in the rectory it had come from. I did little that night except break a tooth on a toasted sandwich, but had a massive job for the next few days.
I ended totally exhausted with an aching back, making lists of necessary shopping.
Yesterday, I found a dentist and spent 1 ¼ hours in the chair having all sorts of things done. It took 2 of them about 10 minutes to pull the broken tooth, which broke into several pieces in the process. Getting the last root out took a lot of cutting and digging. Amazingly, I survived the experience and have had no subsequent pain, even though the dentist – a beautiful young blond called Dr Marx – said I would and gave me painkillers. I go to see her again in 10 days for more work.
I also found a new barber – Simone – who did a great job straight after the dentist when I couldn’t talk and was dribbling blood. She seemed to think this was perfectly natural! A new pharmacist completed my searches – and all within walking distance of Woolworths! All I need now is a new doctor.
This morning I did some laundry and tomorrow I have a maid – Agnes – who’s coming to iron it. Hard life?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we accumulate far too much “stuff” – I’d be doing perfectly well with less than half of what I have.
The traumatic part of the experience was leaving Harrismith and all my friends. Martie keeps in touch and Bernard came to see me when he brought Judith to Med Clinic for scans.
My 1st visit to St Margaret’s on Sunday should be interesting.
The removal people pitched up at 06:30 on Monday morning. We got things packed and out of the Rectory by 11 and I left for Bloem. They eventually arrived at my flat at 19:30 and got everything in by about 21:00. Mountains of boxes everywhere But they were good: every box labelled with its contents and which room in the rectory it had come from. I did little that night except break a tooth on a toasted sandwich, but had a massive job for the next few days.
I ended totally exhausted with an aching back, making lists of necessary shopping.
Yesterday, I found a dentist and spent 1 ¼ hours in the chair having all sorts of things done. It took 2 of them about 10 minutes to pull the broken tooth, which broke into several pieces in the process. Getting the last root out took a lot of cutting and digging. Amazingly, I survived the experience and have had no subsequent pain, even though the dentist – a beautiful young blond called Dr Marx – said I would and gave me painkillers. I go to see her again in 10 days for more work.
I also found a new barber – Simone – who did a great job straight after the dentist when I couldn’t talk and was dribbling blood. She seemed to think this was perfectly natural! A new pharmacist completed my searches – and all within walking distance of Woolworths! All I need now is a new doctor.
This morning I did some laundry and tomorrow I have a maid – Agnes – who’s coming to iron it. Hard life?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we accumulate far too much “stuff” – I’d be doing perfectly well with less than half of what I have.
The traumatic part of the experience was leaving Harrismith and all my friends. Martie keeps in touch and Bernard came to see me when he brought Judith to Med Clinic for scans.
My 1st visit to St Margaret’s on Sunday should be interesting.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Leaving St John's
Farewell Sermon: Harrismith Jan 9th 2011 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
This is my farewell sermon here at St John’s, after 5 years of ministry. Normally, I give a report at our Annual Vestry Meeting, so you may think of this as a variation of that. But without the facts and figures.
It’s been a very good 5 years for me - better than I could have imagined. I hope that most of our congregation have benefitted as much as I have.
Much at St John’s has impressed me: firstly the quality of worship. As I’ve said and written many times before: this is our number one priority. We come to church to worship God and, then, to receive his many blessings in the sacraments and in other ways. It’s great that the congregation joins in the worship enthusiastically and not just as an audience – which is the case in some churches. The object is not our entertainment, even though we’re entitled to enjoy ourselves. I suspect that God often finds us entertaining and has a good chuckle, especially when we manage to get things wrong! Anglicans the world over are famous for being frightened to sing – but not at St John’s. Led by Martie & our little choir, our singing has echoed around the halls of heaven, to the joy of the angels & saints. It’s no accident that the biggest book in the Bible is a collection of 150 songs.
My ministry at Eliza Lidddell has been a blessing to me. I shall miss my work at the Hospital as a member of the Board and chaplain to the staff. We have a wonderful new hospital – be proud of it.
It’s wonderful that we have been able to be a blessing to so many in the community, mainly through the dedication & hard work of our tiny Ladies’ Guild. By way of mealie meal and blankets, they have fulfilled Jesus’ instruction to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. They, and others, have also enriched our church community by beautifying the church and enabling the fellowship of Sunday breakfasts. Their Friday morning teas are famous throughout the whole of Harrismith.
I'm very grateful for the Guild's most generous birthday/Xmas gift and will enjoy spending it at Woolworths when I get to Bloem.
We have a good collection of Lay Ministers, Readers, Servers, sidespeople & sacristans. The more people involved in leading the worship, the better. Our Sunday School & Teenz group are the envy of the diocese.
As I said last week, I don’t normally talk about myself & my experiences, but it may be useful to tell you how I came to St John’s. I was in Ficksburg for 12 years, which is more than long enough for anybody anywhere, and was looking to retire in less than 3 years. The Bishop asked me if I would come to St John’s and I explained that this was impossible. I had at most 3 years to go to retirement, which wasn’t long enough to start something new. The Bishop accepted this – it made perfect sense.
Then, I was preaching on the Sunday before Christmass when the Gospel was the Annunciation: The angel Gabriel came to Mary and asked her to be the mother of the messiah. Mary said that it was impossible for all sorts of good, sensible reasons. Gabriel’s response was “Nothing is impossible with God” (and that was the theme of my sermon). I suddenly realised that I was, even more than usual, preaching to myself. Gabriel wasn’t only speaking to Mary but also to me.
A few weeks later I happened to be speaking to the Bishop and mentioned that I would go to St John’s if he still wanted me to and if they would have me. I came here for interviews, and even though this old bachelor bore no relation to what St John’s wanted in the way of a priest (young, married with children), I was accepted. The rest is history. It’s not hard to see God’s clever, scheming, plotting, guiding hand in all this.
Retirement from St John’s is not my idea. I never felt less like retiring. But there is a time (God’s time) for everything. So, now I’ll read my Gospel for today. It’s not the one prescribed by the Lectionary, which is the Baptism of Christ, but verses from chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes. (1-8) It was a hit song ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’, by a little Irish girl, Mary Hopkins, when I was a teenager. I think I’ve only ever used it before at funerals.
Read it ………………………………
The point is that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. It’s now my time to go elsewhere and do what I don’t yet know. It’s also time for a change at St John’s. You may well be without a resident priest for some time. But it’s happened before and St John’s has flourished. You will do so again. The Cluster Leader, Fr Ben Mafereka will be in charge and will ensure that sacramental ministry continues. While the lay leadership will look after everything else. God will bless you if you co-operate with him & give him half a chance. Noting is impossible!
This is my farewell sermon here at St John’s, after 5 years of ministry. Normally, I give a report at our Annual Vestry Meeting, so you may think of this as a variation of that. But without the facts and figures.
It’s been a very good 5 years for me - better than I could have imagined. I hope that most of our congregation have benefitted as much as I have.
Much at St John’s has impressed me: firstly the quality of worship. As I’ve said and written many times before: this is our number one priority. We come to church to worship God and, then, to receive his many blessings in the sacraments and in other ways. It’s great that the congregation joins in the worship enthusiastically and not just as an audience – which is the case in some churches. The object is not our entertainment, even though we’re entitled to enjoy ourselves. I suspect that God often finds us entertaining and has a good chuckle, especially when we manage to get things wrong! Anglicans the world over are famous for being frightened to sing – but not at St John’s. Led by Martie & our little choir, our singing has echoed around the halls of heaven, to the joy of the angels & saints. It’s no accident that the biggest book in the Bible is a collection of 150 songs.
My ministry at Eliza Lidddell has been a blessing to me. I shall miss my work at the Hospital as a member of the Board and chaplain to the staff. We have a wonderful new hospital – be proud of it.
It’s wonderful that we have been able to be a blessing to so many in the community, mainly through the dedication & hard work of our tiny Ladies’ Guild. By way of mealie meal and blankets, they have fulfilled Jesus’ instruction to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. They, and others, have also enriched our church community by beautifying the church and enabling the fellowship of Sunday breakfasts. Their Friday morning teas are famous throughout the whole of Harrismith.
I'm very grateful for the Guild's most generous birthday/Xmas gift and will enjoy spending it at Woolworths when I get to Bloem.
We have a good collection of Lay Ministers, Readers, Servers, sidespeople & sacristans. The more people involved in leading the worship, the better. Our Sunday School & Teenz group are the envy of the diocese.
As I said last week, I don’t normally talk about myself & my experiences, but it may be useful to tell you how I came to St John’s. I was in Ficksburg for 12 years, which is more than long enough for anybody anywhere, and was looking to retire in less than 3 years. The Bishop asked me if I would come to St John’s and I explained that this was impossible. I had at most 3 years to go to retirement, which wasn’t long enough to start something new. The Bishop accepted this – it made perfect sense.
Then, I was preaching on the Sunday before Christmass when the Gospel was the Annunciation: The angel Gabriel came to Mary and asked her to be the mother of the messiah. Mary said that it was impossible for all sorts of good, sensible reasons. Gabriel’s response was “Nothing is impossible with God” (and that was the theme of my sermon). I suddenly realised that I was, even more than usual, preaching to myself. Gabriel wasn’t only speaking to Mary but also to me.
A few weeks later I happened to be speaking to the Bishop and mentioned that I would go to St John’s if he still wanted me to and if they would have me. I came here for interviews, and even though this old bachelor bore no relation to what St John’s wanted in the way of a priest (young, married with children), I was accepted. The rest is history. It’s not hard to see God’s clever, scheming, plotting, guiding hand in all this.
Retirement from St John’s is not my idea. I never felt less like retiring. But there is a time (God’s time) for everything. So, now I’ll read my Gospel for today. It’s not the one prescribed by the Lectionary, which is the Baptism of Christ, but verses from chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes. (1-8) It was a hit song ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’, by a little Irish girl, Mary Hopkins, when I was a teenager. I think I’ve only ever used it before at funerals.
Read it ………………………………
The point is that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. It’s now my time to go elsewhere and do what I don’t yet know. It’s also time for a change at St John’s. You may well be without a resident priest for some time. But it’s happened before and St John’s has flourished. You will do so again. The Cluster Leader, Fr Ben Mafereka will be in charge and will ensure that sacramental ministry continues. While the lay leadership will look after everything else. God will bless you if you co-operate with him & give him half a chance. Noting is impossible!
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