SUMMER 2015 the
EAST COAST COVENANTER A TRIANNUAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST COAST CONFERENCE OF THE EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH
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"PEOPLE STANDING ON THEIR OWN TWO FEET" HOWARD K. BURGOYNE S UP E R I N TEN D EN T, EAST COAST CO N F ER EN C E
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At the end of April I was privileged to travel to South Africa with a small group of ECC leaders to visit a mission partner supported by Metro Community Church in Englewood, NJ and Covenant World Relief. The organization is called Zimele, a Zulu term that means, “people stand on their own two feet.” Founded in 2007, it is a Christ inspired organization that helps develop community self-reliance, especially among women. Zimele focuses on empowering women with skills, resources, and support networks to start businesses and social service projects to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. (www. zimelecommunity.co.za/) Zimele staff workers enter a Zulu community and invite people to form small self-help/savings groups as a beginning place of empowerment. They ask a simple and straightforward question: “What do you have?” Their focus is not on entitlement, or creating dependency, but on empowerment. Empowerment begins with a focus on naming the assets that are present, not on naming the deficits all around. From one powerful question emerged self-awareness, self-confidence, and the faithful courage to act.
For more than a week we visited a variety of Zulu townships. In each of them we met women who are rich in faith, aglow with the spirit of Jesus, fully engaged in serving as leaders of community development and transformation. I have heard the South African version of Hannah’s Song and Mary’s Song and Elizabeth’s Song. In their third world environment they are clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, adopting the orphans, pursuing justice, doing mercy, walking humbly (and courageously!) with God. In the desperate and drought stricken days of Elijah, the prophet was placed under the care of a young widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17). The woman’s great faith, which is later commended by Jesus as most noteworthy (Luke 4:26) begins with a confession of what she has: “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug.” Powerful words – what she did not have did not overshadow her confession of what she did have. Her faith grew as the dough raised daily – enough to feed her, her son, and the prophet until the drought was ended. God never asks us to be responsible in what we do not have – but surely and truly in all that we have received.
On the move,
have a question for howard? Email him at howard@eastcoastconf.org
IN THIS ISSUE: Howard's Visit to Zimele
1
Measuring Missional Vitality
Recap of the 125th Annual Meeting
2-3
Seafarers Mission Update
Farewell Thoughts - Dave Cairns
4
In Memoriam: Beverly Freeman
5 6-7
Farewell Thoughts - Alicia Sturdy
8
Transitions
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7
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