April 6th .. Diary Continued

Bloemfontein Diary Cont….
Preached at St Margaret’s for first time on Lent 1 – really enjoyed that. Have continued to assist at Wednesday Mass (as Lay Minister).

After more how’s-your-father with Spar, my new coffee filter was couriered to my flat on the 23rd. Took a lot of time & effort, but worth it in the end..

Someone told me it was a public holiday on the 21st – I never noticed. Isn’t retirement great?

I was in Kimberley on April Fools’ Day & had a nice plate of prawns with the Bishop, Ossie Swartz.
I came away thinking I had arranged a solution to their problem which wouldn’t involve me but a call from the Bishop yesterday proved me wrong. He still wants me there.

Haven’t seen my maid, Agnes for some time: her husband died and then she found herself admitted to hospital. I hope she’s going to be OK. She’s such a nice woman who doesn’t deserve all this tsouris.

I spend some time doing housework, which I don’t mind. However, ironing isn’t one of my talents – takes me a whole morning to do what Agnes would do in an hour or so.

Will be at St John’s Harrismith from Palm Sunday to Easter doing the Holy Week thing & a couple of baptisms. It will be good to see everyone again and I feel very complimented to get the invitation. Now that the World Cup cricket is over, I have time to prepare.

A friend in CT, Daphne (a cricket fan like me), SMSed each other during the games and got all our result forecasts wrong except for the final: Daphne got that right while I continued my losing streak.

Diary continued

Diary continued … (by popular request)

I have acquired a maid. Agnes. She comes for a Saturday morning twice a month. Mainly to do ironing. (I do the washing). She cleans the flat in the time remaining. Marvellous!!

February was fairly quiet. Mass on Sundays & Wednesdays; bible study on Wednesdays. Ongoing fights with Standard Bank: they’ve stolen R7-29 from my account and some woman on the phone said that “terms & conditions” allow them to do this. Notwithstanding all the times & hours I’ve spent in Preller Square branch, I’m still not FICA compliant. Going there again tomorrow – eventually they’ll learn.

Similar fight with Spar. I bought a coffee filter machine in Harrismith which died just before the guarantee expired – bad planning on their part. Local Spars (lots of them in Bloem) are not interested. For last 3 weeks have been in contact with Spar’s Customer Service in Durban. They express interest but have not achieved anything (yet). Spoke to them again today. By the time I’ve won (and I will) I’ll have spent more on phone calls than the thing is worth. Meantime, an antique filter I bought at Cash Crusaders about 10 years ago is working perfectly – which is just as well – can’t do without decent coffee.

From 20th Feb I spent a week at Masite in Lesotho with the holy sisters. I did their accounts for 2010 and nearly balanced them. Said Mass & preached every day. Spent a good deal of time on their stoep watching the mountains, reading catholic magazines and being bitten by mosquitoes. Must do it again sooner rather than later. They’re very much easier to reach from Bloem than from Harrismith.

March started well: a friend from Vrede (Titose) pitched last Friday. Will assist at St Margaret’s on Ash Wednesday. Had a “haircut” at Maison Costa: shampoo, conditioning, scalp massage, cut & dry, another rinse to get rid of loose hairs. The massage was a delight & took about 15 minutes. And all for R85 – well worth it!!

I won the English football pools: a whole 3 pounds 40 pence!! Don’t know what to do with the cheque. Standard Bank would charge much more than it’s worth. Also won the SA Lotto: about R30. Might buy a packet of fags.

St Valentine

A very loving Valentine's Day to all who read this.
An unusual picture of the Saint: more realistic than most!

St Valentine

A very loving Valentine's Day to all who read this.
An unusual picture of the Saint: more realistic than most!

Second Few Days in Bloemfontein

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?

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.

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!

Vic's Christmass Leter 2010

Dear Friends & Family,

I turned 67 last month and I got my pensions after a lot of form-filling. So I’m very much a pensioner. But I continued to work for 2010 and saved the pay. So I was able to buy a car for my retirement which takes effect in January. (It’s a Chev Aveo hatchback). Being a pensioner gets me a 5% discount at the local supermarket (Spar) once a week. No such thing as bus passes or any other benefits. (No busses at all in most places, so a car is a necessity).

We had a severe Winter – very cold with not much snow. The Summer is funny: hot one minute and perishing cold the next. Not enough rain so far. I was in Durban a few months ago for a short holiday and it was beautiful. I stayed in a retirement hotel (Park View), just off the beach and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I was in Zululand, I used to stay there when it was an ordinary hotel. I could buy or rent a suite. But I’ve also been offered a flat in Bloemfontein together with a part-time job. And this is what I’m doing. At least until the middle of Winter when I may change my mind & go to Durban.

I’m renting a 1st floor 2 bedroomed flat, just outside the forest on Naval Hill – a great place for walks. (Plenty of room for visitors). A couple of little shops near by, but a car drive to supermarkets. St Margaret’s church is just down the road and that’s where I shall be based. Arranging the furniture removal is proving a slight problem (no removal firms in Harrismith) but I hope to get away by the middle of January.

We had our Parish Family Feast Day last Sunday, with the Bishop present. A good time was had by all. This included a farewell to me and my assistant, Edwina de Wet, who is also retiring and leaving for Cape Town. So, St John’s will have no priest at all for the foreseeable future. (Anybody interested?) Carols by candlelight next Sunday.

I may go over to England next year for a few weeks after Easter. It would be good to see everybody again. I’ve now got family there who I’ve never seen and my generation is getting older and fewer.

My diabetes is still under control. But now have a heart condition as well. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation - which is nowhere near as bad as it sounds. I was put on rat poison to lessen the risk of a stroke. This alternates with ‘ventricular extras’ for which I’m taking a beta blocker. I wouldn’t have known about these things if I hadn’t been going to the diabetic clinic where they found them – not unusual for diabetics I understand. I feel perfectly well most of the time.

From mid January, my address will be 16, Prosper Court, Brompton Road, Navalsig, Bloemfontein, 9301, SA. Postal address: Box 411, Bloemfontein, 9300, SA. E Mail and cellphone as above, but no landline.

Love & Blessings to everyone,
wishing you a very holy Christmass and a peaceful Year in 2011.

Christ - A Most Unusual King!!

One Solitary Life

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an travelling preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never travelled more than two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Those are the facts of his human life. He rises from the dead. Twenty long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centrepiece of the human race and leader of all progress.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of people upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

All of us have been affected by the birth of this one man.

Christ the King

Shortly after her coronation, Queen Victoria attended a splendid performance of Handel’s Messiah. She’d been told in no uncertain terms that members of royalty do not stand with the others when the Hallelujah chorus is sung. It was simply not proper.

But when the singers lifted their voices to shout “Hallelujah! The Lord God omnipotent reigneth” she could only just stay in her seat. She didn’t want to violate the traditions of royalty. But when the chorus came to the climax, proclaiming Jesus Christ the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”, repeating the phrase with increasing crescendos, the queen of all England rose and bowed her head before the King of all, including kings and queens.

There will come a day when every knee in heaven and earth will bow before him. And he shall reign for ever and ever! King of Kings and Lord of Lords!.

Pithy Sayings
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

War does not determine who is right - only who is left.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
.
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target..


Out of Context
It’s easy for us to take Bible stories, sayings, verses, out of context.
If we don't take the time to look at what else is around the particular piece of Scripture, why a particular story or parable was placed right where it is, then we can be totally misled. For example:
Matt 27:5 "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself."
Luke 10:37 "Go and do likewise"
Or
Gen 19:26 "But Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt"
Luke 14:34 "Salt is good"

The Good Shepherd