32 minute read
Tis the season to be jolly
BY TINA BOYLE-WHYTE
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Global Music Link Editorial Team
“‘Tis the season to be jolly…” Is this your testimony? Indeed, this year has truly been an experience. For me, this year has been a year of CLARITY, FAITH and REST. We remained steadfast in FAITH despite all that the year has presented.
My husband survived COVID-19 and a pneumonia diagnosis. I must admit that if I had stopped and thought about it, I would have become scared and reacted. The Bible reminds us, in James 5:16, that ‘the prayers of the righteous avail much’. We have prayed for times like these, and it has made much available to us. Are you praying this season or worrying?
My heart is overwhelmed with JOY with what God has in store for you. He has JOY, PEACE and REST for you. Paul describes his state of contentment below. I believe God wants you to get the revelation of REST, just like Paul shared with the churches. I like The Message translation of Paul’s contentment:
Content - Whatever the Circumstances (The Message)
James 5:10-14 - “I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess - happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me - it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.”
Paul helped us to see that we needed to be content with whatever circumstances we are confronted with. I truly believe that when we REST in God, He will help us through anything.
I want to encourage you to stay in PEACE and REST during the holiday season. Resist the temptation to get in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Take this season to find some meaningful ways to connect with the people you really love, and the people that God wants to show love through you. Enjoy safe and socially distanced fellowship, conversation, laughter and memories. Those will truly exceed the potential stress of the holidays.
As we close out this year, I implore you to CHOOSE to REST. As we are ambassadors for Christ on the earth, we must remember that we are the light and the salt of the earth. You are the message of hope for someone who doesn’t have hope. Remember to count it all joy when you find yourself working through the circumstances in life. God has chosen you to be a vessel for the world. PRAISE GOD!
As the New Year 2021 approaches, commit to Matthew 6:33. Make your confession to minimise FEAR and walk in FAITH.
God’s Promise When We Seek Him First
Matthew 6:30-34 (MSG) - “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works, fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
We have hope in God! FAITH IT OUT in 2021.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN: A family Christmas story
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house our voices were raised in singing and praise. Dad sat down and Mum gave him the book. We all cuddled closer with a curious look. Hot chocolate was brewing in the kitchen nearby, when Grandma shouted: “Don’t start without I.” Dad paused with a smile on his face; she moved a bit slow, but got to her space.
‘He whispered a prayer, turned in the book to the angelic prophecy of Jesus’ birth. The story is found in Luke 1:26. He opened his mouth and stated it like this:
‘During the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent from God’s presence to an unmarried girl named Mary, living in Nazareth, a village in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph, a true descendant of King David.
‘Gabriel appeared to her and said: “Grace to you, young woman, for the Lord is with you and so you are anointed with great favour.”
‘Mary was deeply troubled over the words of the angel, and bewildered over what this may mean for her. But the angel reassured her, saying: “Do not yield to your fear, Mary, for the Lord has found delight in you, and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift.
‘“You will become pregnant with a Baby Boy, and you are to name Him Jesus. He will be supreme and will be known as the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will enthrone Him as King on His ancestor David’s throne. He will reign as King of Israel forever, and His reign will have no limit.”
‘Mary said: “But how could this happen? I am still a virgin!” Gabriel answered: “The Spirit of Holiness will fall upon you, and Almighty God will spread His shadow of power over you in a cloud of glory! This is why the Child born to you will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your aged aunt, Elizabeth, has also become pregnant with a son. The ‘barren one’ is now in her sixth month. Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God!”
‘Then Mary responded, saying: “This is amazing! I will be a mother for the Lord! As His servant, I accept whatever He has for me. May everything you have told me come to pass.” And the angel left her.
‘Afterward, Mary arose and hurried off to the hill country of Judea, to the village where Elizabeth lived. Mary entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the moment she heard Mary’s voice, the baby within Elizabeth’s womb jumped and kicked. And suddenly, Elizabeth was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit! With a loud voice she prophesied with power:
‘“Mary! You are a woman given the highest favour and privilege above all others. For your Child is destined to bring God great delight. How did I deserve such a remarkable honour to have the mother of my Lord come and visit me? The moment you came in the door and greeted me, my baby danced inside me with ecstatic joy! Great favour is upon you, for you have believed every word spoken to you from the Lord.”’
Suddenly, Dad closed the book and said: “That’s enough for now, time to go to bed.” We need not read of Him in a manger for He is risen and lives in our hearts.
The Lord bless you, and keep you, The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you, The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Marnita Coleman is host of The Marnita Show, a parenting show heard daily across the globe. For more parenting information, log on to TheMarnitaShow.com.
DIONNE GRAVESANDE
Global Ecumenical Relations at Christian Aid
Keep the light of Christmas shining
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
As the Christian world gets ready to celebrate Christmas, public gatherings around the ‘turning on’ of the Christmas lights will look and feel very different this year. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the climate emergency, and the Black Lives Matter movement, 2020 has seen some dark days. As I reflect, I know that this Christmas I will be lighting several candles (albeit in my home) to remember friends and family. For me, the single flame of a candle is a striking and powerful symbol of hope and good things to come. Every light in a dark place can dispel despair, illuminate hope, and provide needed perspective of things as they really are.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many churches have mobilised their leaders, congregations and other community networks to respond to the tragic COVID-19 outcomes near and far. Over the months, we learnt that individuals and networks within communities of faith also took action to find ways of supporting vulnerable people through the emergency. However, as well as providing practical support in the here and now, we also need to act to make the necessary policy changes, so that our collective hope is translated into real actions. We as leaders, congregations and members of civil society need to get better at asking questions about social norms, academic research and political policies, because in this space we go beyond our commentary to influence the social and political agenda. For example: 1. Nobody could have imagined some months ago that global air traffic would be moving down by 80% or more in some regions. The uptake of tele-conferencing and
Zoom-communication technologies, which have become the default for conferences, workshops and webinars, has taught us we can do things differently. While not glamourising the limited conditions of working from home, we are aware of the negative effects of narrowing down human communication to audio-visual digital technologies. That said, work as we know it has and will continue to change, so what will future employment for our communities look like? Will it be ethical and, in the interest of reducing our carbon footprint, can the churches support a move towards more glocalised forms of consumption and production?
2. Every global crisis has hidden or overt actors, which benefit from this crisis, meanwhile many ordinary people will carry on with a huge amount of debt - and this includes national governments. The question of who is going to pay the long-term cost is not going away, so let’s get involved. Here is where we need more voices from African and Caribbean churches and ecumenical bodies to speak as to how the international financial system and its actors need to be called to reforms, so as to make the financial system into a vital and reliable partner in solving the crisis, and not only as one who benefits from the dilemmas created. 3. The coronavirus pandemic for many has also brought a more sceptical view on who has access to healthcare provision and protection. Good governance of national authorities is essential. African and
Caribbean church leaders need to be present and visible at decision-making tables on issues and decisions affecting the lives of BAME constituencies.
More than ever before, Christians need to speak up and speak out on the decisions that affect us and our communities. Today, we face enormous social, moral and economic challenges, and it is imperative that our churches and leaders play their role in creating a cohesive, safe and prosperous society where individuals flourish.
So, here is my hope. Paul writes: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NLT). We need to be ready to share the burdens of people impacted by the health and economic crisis. Together, we have the potential to be a thousand points of light that can effectively advocate and take action to build back better, by playing our part in calling for a just and peaceful kingdom during this time of heightened stress and tension.
We acknowledge that the reason for the season is to celebrate the birth of Him who is the Light of the world: Jesus Christ. He is the Light that shineth in the darkness and brings hope and healing to all, and my prayer this Christmas is for each citizen to shine their unique light in ways that can make a difference for someone else. Don’t underestimate the power of the multi-coloured lights of Christmas that are the good deeds of good people everywhere.
GARY CLAYTON
is Copywriter and Editor at Mission Aviation Fellowship:
www.maf-uk.org
In his 2019 Christmas message, Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the opportunity to “wish [the British people] all a merry little Christmas… a day of inestimable importance to billions of Christians the world over.” The song he referenced – ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ – is probably one of the season’s most popular secular songs.
And yet the season to which it refers can actually be quite stressful.
To misquote Jane Austen, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man who seeks to celebrate Christmas in a Christ-centred manner must often be in want of success.’
Christmas, as experience over a number of decades shows, isn’t always the easiest time of year.
Last year was great but, by the time it was over, my family felt a little deflated – a bit like of one those giant plastic Father Christmas figures once the air is let out.
I wonder if others found their Christmas similarly tiring, with hours spent shopping for presents, wrapping presents, opening presents, making a note of who bought which present, so they can be duly thanked, then spending ages separating the rubbish – some of it broken presents – out for recycling.
And that doesn’t even take into account the time spent shopping for food; preparing food, cooking food,; eating food (the easy part!); then clearing it all away again (“Leftovers, anyone?”); doing the dishes and putting everything back where it came from.
Like me, you’ve probably heard the song, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, and possibly noticed that, despite its beauty, it’s also surprisingly melancholy.
There seems to be a kind of disconnect between the pensive, wistful tune and the positive, hopeful words – a bit like the joy Christmas promises (and can sometimes bring), as well as the regret and sadness the season potentially offers.
In fact, as one of my more poetic friends pointed out: “There are times I think Hugh Martin’s sorrowful song is more suited to a funeral than a festive feast.”
For many, Christmas without Christ really is one of the saddest times of the year. A period, for some, of shopaholic excess, overindulgence, loneliness and stress – with crushingly sad thoughts of friends and family passed on, long gone, or memories of a Christmas past that was decidedly less poignant.
But why does the song – though undoubtedly popular – sound so sad? Well, there are at least four versions!
The original lyrics - written for the 1944 musical Meet Me in St Louis, about a family about to be uprooted to New York – are deeply depressing: ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be our last. Next year, we may all be living in the past... No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.’
But the actors involved felt it was too disheartening, and asked composer Hugh Martin to amend it. So he changed the words to: ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight... Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more.’
Later, in the 1950s, Frank Sinatra thought the words were still too maudlin. So the lines, ‘Through the years, we all will be together, if the Fates allow. From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow’ were altered to: ‘Through the years, we all will be together, if the Fates allow. Hang a shining star upon the highest bough!’
But what of the man who composed the famous tune?
Although he’d had tremendous success writing songs for hit musicals, Hugh Martin suffered from depression, and had a nervous breakdown at the age of sixty. While in hospital, he “begged the Lord to heal me”, and eventually committed his life to Christ. His life, he explained, had been self-centred, and he had “hit rock-bottom. God had to bring it to my attention that I was not all I thought I was.”
After his recovery, Martin spent his last decades playing gospel music and speaking at Christian events. “It was my pleasure to talk about Jesus,” he once said. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.” He died in 2011, at the age of 96.
Ten years before his death, Martin wrote a ‘sacred’ version of the song, containing lyrics even more upbeat and upbuilding than those he had written earlier:
‘Have yourself a blessed little Christmas, Christ the King is born. Let your voices ring upon this happy morn. Have yourself a blessed little Christmas, serenade the earth, tell the world we celebrate the Saviour’s birth. Let us all proclaim the joyous tidings, voices raised on high. Send this carol soaring up into the sky, this very merry blessed Christmas lullaby.’
Gary Clayton is married to Julie, the father of Christopher (16) and Emma (13), and works for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). To learn about MAF’s fleet of 131 aircraft help bring the Christmas message to some 1,400 remote destinations, visit
www.maf-uk.org
interview with... BISHOP DR JOE ALDRED
Bishop Dr Joe Aldred is an ecumenist, broadcaster, speaker and author/editor of several books and articles, including: Preaching with Power; Praying with Power; Sisters with Power; Respect – Understanding Caribbean British Christianity; The Black Church in the 21st Century; Thinking Outside the Box – On Race, Faith and Life, and From Top Mountain – An Autobiography. He is a regular contributor to magazines and periodicals, including Keep The Faith and The Preacher.
Bishop Aldred is Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University; a trustee of Movement for Justice and Reconciliation and of NCLF – A
Black Christian Voice; Patron of Housing Justice and Patron of the Nurses’ Association of Jamaica, in addition to several other voluntary roles.
He has vast experience as bishop and pastor, chair and member of strategic councils, boards and committees, mainly in the areas of religion, education, health and community relations, including a member of the
Government’s Windrush Working Group. He also has a Master’s Degree with Distinction and a PhD in Theology from Sheffield University.
Bishop Aldred has been responsible for
Pentecostal and Multicultural Relations at
Churches Together in England (CTE) for the past 17 years, and is a bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy. After many years of long and dedicated service to CTE, he has decided to step down from the role. He took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with Keep The Faith to share how he feels about retiring, life challenges, and his hopes for the future.
Keep The Faith (KTF): How do you feel about stepping down and retiring from your role as Principal Officer for Pentecostal Relations for CTE?
Bishop Joe Aldred (BJA): It’s quite a sobering feeling! For the first time in my life, I am leaving a job and not looking for another. There’s somewhat of an ‘end-of-life’ feel to the moment, a reminder of my mortality. The country boy from Top Mountain, St Catherine, Jamaica, is retiring from full-time work - becoming a pensioner - and entering the evening of his life’s day. Viewed from another perspective, I feel I have put in a productive shift in this position and in others before it. It’s time to vacate the space and cheer from the gallery.
KTF: Your work entailed building relationships across the Church. What were the three main challenges you faced in your work?
BJA: Indeed! We call it ‘ecumenism’ in the trade. The three main challenges I encountered I would describe as: first, those associated with encouraging respectful Christian relationship between traditions that range from theologically liberal to conservative. Second, building understanding that all ethnicities and cultures are equal before God, and should be among us – not by asking permission to be, but by being. Third, by informed involvement with the press and media, helping it to be more friend than foe in matters of faith and community relations.
KTF: You can look back on many years working ecumenically across church denominations and within the Black Church. In your view, what have been the three greatest developments that have occurred in the Black-majority Church over the past 20 years?
BJA: There have been many welcome
developments. First, there has been a significant increase in the take-up of ministry and theological training - some in-house and others in external, accredited institutions. This has been accompanied by a proliferation in the authorship of books and other publications. Second, the relationship between the various types of Black church traditions - from Trinitarian to Oneness, for example, has vastly improved. Third, there has been continued building of a strong socio-economic community presence, including the prominence of Black gospel music, housing associations, credit unions, personal political involvement and mega churches.
KTF: What in your view are the greatest challenges now facing the Black Pentecostal church movement in Britain, and how can they be overcome?
BJA: The Black Church in Britain certainly faces some stark challenges. I could name several, but here are three: First, there is a generational challenge of a church initially built by a largely Black working-class, migrant community, whose children and grandchildren may not see their
Black Britishness reflected in the churches of their grandparents. Second, there is a social challenge of a conservative faith operating in an increasingly liberal and secular society. Third, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a clear racial justice agenda needs to be embarked upon. Foreign headquarters, for example, now appear starkly neo-colonial and empirical.
KTF: What was your childhood in Jamaica like, and what role did faith play during the early years of your life?
BJA: I recall a happy childhood in Jamaica. The eighth of eleven siblings, I was born in a deeply rural area, with none of the creature comforts I have now become accustomed to, like running water, electricity, TV, cars, etc. My father migrated to the UK for economic reasons, and my mother was our only parent present for most of the years until I was a month shy of 16 years old when I came to England. Community life was strong, though, with great neighbours, friends, local schools and churches. I feel like I have been a Christian from birth!
KTF: What made you decide to become a Christian? And when you became a Christian, did you ever envisage that you’d become a bishop?
BJA: It’s hard to say when I became a Christian, since it was all around me. But, young as I was, and going to church every day, with smoking a definite ‘No No’, I recall puffing on dried chocho leaves and rosemary bush, amongst my little ‘shall-remain-nameless’ misdemeanours. Then at church one night, when the altar call was made, my little sister and went up and ‘got saved’ – lol. I can honestly say at no stage did I ever think I would be a bishop in the church. Pastors and bishops were scary beings when I was young!
KTF: What were your reasons for coming to live in Britain? How did you find the early years of living here?
BJA: As I mentioned earlier, my father came to the UK as an economic migrant when I was very young. My mother followed much later, along with some of my siblings, and it was my turn to join them. Because I was nearly sixteen, I had finished school in Jamaica, which got a
Bishop Dr Joe Aldred and The Most Revd Justin Welby, The Archbishop of Canterbury
little messy in the last year when my mind was preoccupied with going to the UK! When I arrived here it was cold, gloomy and strange. It helped that my church in Winson Green was almost exactly like back in Jamaica.
KTF: What role did the Church and your faith play in helping you overcome racism and become an achiever?
BJA: I didn’t always appreciate the role of the Church in my life, and I didn’t feel like I was fighting racism either. In retrospect, belonging to a Black church community that continued living in relationship throughout the week - with education, concerts, gospel groups and choir rehearsals and conventions, etc. - where almost all the leaders were Black, has been indispensable for role-modelling. I grew up seeing successful people in sacred spaces. When racism became a ‘thing’, it was like any other life obstacle to be overcome and succeed. Had I remained in Jamaica, the obstacles would just have been different.
KTF: What path did you tread, from being normal Christian to Bishop in the CoGoP?
BJA: I was a Sunday school teacher at about seventeen – training came later. I was a singer for many years - singing solo and in church choirs - as well as part of a gospel group called Spiritual Rhythm. We even contributed two tracks to a vinyl record cut in the early 1970s. I successfully completed all my church’s courses available, and served variously as youth director, Sunday school teacher and superintendent, public relations officer and assistant pastor, before being posted to pastor churches in Coventry, Ashford, Oxford and Sheffield, where I was consecrated as bishop.
KTF: What would you say are your three greatest personal achievements?
BJA: First, having a wonderful nuclear family (three daughters and grandchildren) that my wife Novelette and I have grown from a standing start as youngsters. She was nineteen on the day we married, and I was twenty-one - with no money. We walked everywhere on our honeymoon in Paris. Second, together Novelette and I have grown academically: her with a Masters and me a PhD. I was so proud to return to my alma mata, Paul Mountain School, as Dr Joseph Aldred! Third, a testament to love and a commitment to being happily married for 46 years and counting.
KTF: What do you plan to do following your retirement?
BJA: Rest, write, and visit Jamaica as often as possible. Maybe a little gardening, watching West Indies cricket, and Chelsea playing football… and, of course, more time with my family.
KTF: How will you be spending Christmas?
BJA: Increasingly it’s looking like it will be Novelette and me in our bungalow for Christmas!
KTF: And what message would you like to leave with KTF readers?
BJA: That, whatever the season, love and commitment with faith in an ever present, ever faithful God will see you through.
PASTOR DOUG WILLIAMS
Doug Williams is one of the most influential Black pastors in the UK. He is Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Christian Centre (ECC) in Walthamstow, East London. During the UK lockdown in March, news swept through the Christian community that Pastor Doug was seriously ill with COVID-19. The much-loved Pastor has lived to tell the tale. This is his story.
KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): Before the lockdown in March, there was a lot of talk about COVID-19. What were your initial views about the pandemic?
PASTOR DOUG WILLIAMS (PDW): My initial reaction to news of the pandemic was shock. I kept asking, how could something of this magnitude be allowed to happen? I was so disappointed at how China concealed the true genesis and impact of the issue in their country, and also concluded that the political manoeuvring on the issue within the World Health Organisation was unacceptable.
KTF: How did you discover you had COVID-19?
PDW: After an ambulance crew arrived at my house! My family noted the degeneration of my health with horror. My wife then decided to make a call to the emergency services and they came. The ambulance was outside our home for some time, and they conducted a number of doorstep tests. I asked to remain at home, as I didn’t need a ventilator. My family stepped up my care in an amazing way. One day I said to my youngest daughter, Leanne: “This could be COVID-19.” She said: “Could? Dad, the medical notes say that your presenting complaint IS COVID-19!” I was stunned, and just had to let that sink in.
KTF: In what ways did COVID-19 affect you physically, mentally and spiritually?
PDW: Physically, I was subject to profuse sweating, shivers and chills. I lost my appetite. I had intense aches in all my joints. The coughing was ugly and rocked my whole body, as it filled my lungs with a disgusting substance that had to be expelled. My breathing was heavily laboured. It would take me two or three attempts to go down or up the stairs. Mentally, I was constantly tired, and my family said sometimes I actually appeared to lose consciousness for short periods of time.
KTF: How did the wider Christian community learn about your illness?
PDW: My church leaders stepped in to manage ministry requirements, sharing with the local church and wider Christian community what was happening to me. They asked that folk seriously pray for me. This prayer cover was to prove more significant than anybody really knows.
KTF: At what moment did you feel that you were on the road to recovery?
PDW: I knew something was going to happen, when people I hadn’t spoken to for a while began to make random calls to me, asking about my well-being. I had calls from around the UK, USA, Holland, Portugal, Estonia, Ghana and Malaysia. Perhaps the most intriguing of all of these calls was from a man called Gilmar Carmo from Brazil! He had found me in a Cross
Rhythms magazine article, and felt a burden to pray for me and the band! He told me he was part of an intercession network that prayed for musicians, artists and worship leaders. That article was written when I was in my mid-twenties; I am now 61! I knew God was planning something. I had emailed Gilmar on the Wednesday, and his team were committed to pray that following weekend. On the Tuesday morning after the prayers, I woke up feeling weak and heavily congested. As I had attempted to clear my nose, the discharged mucus was black and contained blood clots. I had to move quickly to the bathroom, and cough up all the substance in my lungs. I then convinced myself that the condition was getting steadily worse, so tomorrow I would ask my wife to call the ambulance again, as we had promised.
The next morning I woke up, ready to call the doctor again. I sat up carefully, to minimise the pain in my joints but, to my utter surprise, I experienced no pain! I checked my breathing and it felt normal. So I sat on the side of my bed and just began to weep. I thanked God that He was still my Healer, and as I worshipped, I suddenly smelt bacon! I hadn’t been able to smell for weeks and weeks. I knew my wife was cooking breakfast, so I threw on my dressing gown and headed for the kitchen. I walked down the stairs, then suddenly realised I had done so without stopping, and without holding onto the stair rail. I promptly turned around and walked back up the stairs, just to test this! When I reached the top, I felt like I had conquered Mt Everest, and punched the air in sheer joy! I hollered out to my wife, and she came running to the stairs to join me in praising God! From that day my recovery kicked in. It had been a long struggle, and I was happy and blessed to be on the mend.
KTF: What are the key lessons you learnt about life and faith in God whilst going through and overcoming COVID-19?
PDW: My lessons were: 1. Life is more fragile than we would like to admit! Don’t take it for granted. 2. Treat your family well; the favour does get returned! 3. Do all that is medically possible during your illness, and be wise. 4. Upgrade your devotional habit, and ask people to pray for you like never before. 5. Trust God, and choose to worship through your crisis. If you can’t sing, YouTube can!
KTF: You are now back, working at church. How was your congregation impacted by COVID-19, and how is ECC supporting members?
PDW: Life goes on... and it has to! We had to develop our online presence and services to a new level, and find ways of keeping in touch with our members in small virtual groups via
Zoom! Amazingly, we have had few major COVID-related tragedies amongst direct members, but some of them have lost relatives who had underlying illnesses, etc. We have also increased a hardship fund to provide financially as much as we can for families in dire need, and we have also delivered food parcels.
KTF: It seems that we are over the worse of it. What is your focus as a church during the next six months?
PDW: The threat of a winter spike in the virus is still a possibility, so complacency on this issue isn’t recommended! There are still regional lockdowns, and we are encouraging our members to have caution. However, on another level, the changes in church have given us the opportunity to overhaul the ministry as a whole. We are now in the middle of a process called ARQ (asking the right questions). In consultation with Dr Joel Edwards, we are reviewing and adjusting just about everything inside the church structures, to clarify vision, maximise venues, and develop fresh leadership models. This process is going to be challenging and exciting at the same time, but it’s needed if we are to love God passionately, build church biblically, and serve our community relevantly. Pray for us!
KTF: What lessons do you think the wider church needs to learn from COVID-19, as well as from the BLM protests that took place in May and June?
PDW: The pandemic highlighted the need for church to seriously pray for government. The political handling of this crisis has been found wanting on so many levels. Our leaders need prayer, but most churches don’t step up to this very well at all.
In terms of the BLM protests, I have been very clear that in my saying “Black lives matter”, I am not saying that others don’t! George Floyd’s death has put fresh focus on an unresolved issue for the Black community, and if justice for Black people is withheld, then justice for ALL people is under threat! In addition to my holding sentiment for the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’, I still hold the right to NOT embrace all the stated agenda and objective items of the BLM movement, with its leanings toward Marxist political philosophy.
As a Christian leader, the movement’s apparent aversion to heteronormativity and traditional family values is something that I cannot embrace. The wider debate in this movement, about how human sexuality is to be understood, is at odds with my theological perspective, and something I really question being tagged to a Black Lives discussion. If true Christian discernment is compromised here, our prophetic credibility is lost. The focus must not be lost; racism, prejudice and the abuse of power are all to be challenged in the most robust and socially appropriate manner.
KTF: How will you be spending Christmas?
PDW: Quietly…in my family bubble… with heartfelt thanks to God!
