Our last day of official Regent business in South Africa begins with a breakfast meeting with Reverends Fred May and his wife Lucille, who lead Shofar Ministries in South Africa. Fred May is among the brightest men I have met over these ten days, and it is clear that he values the intellectual and spiritual excellence that Regent brings to the critical discussions occurring in Africa. God has particularly called him to reach out broadly to Africa, and work with scholars and church leaders to ensure that the transforming power of Jesus Christ has full sway upon the country he loves. Fred and Lucille have endured fierce opposition as one of the few biracial couples ministering in South Africa. (Later in the evening, we meet members of their congregation at Stellenbosch University, and their deep love and respect for both Fred and Lucille is evident. They are the kind of spiritual leaders who instantly impress you with their lack of guile and deep faith). We commit to bring more opportunities to the townships, which are in desperate need of leadership.
We have a nice break in the afternoon, and Dr. Bekker, Karen and I take a drive to Cape Point, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean meet at the southernmost point on the continent. Driving along the jaw-droppingly beautiful coast, we marvel at seascapes that would draw double-takes from Malibu residents. Yet, as has been true during our entire stay, we are shocked by the abject poverty just across the roadway, where numerous squatters’ camps blight the landscape. Children push a broken shopping cart, a dog runs through a filthy rivulet of water, passing from shack to shack, a man peddles a sack of grapes, his bare feet impossibly scarred with years of exposure to the indifferent elements. The squalor is so jarring that we cannot bear it, and as we look across again at the glittering sea, its beauty is somehow dimmed. We wonder aloud how faith survives in such degradation and misery, but we know that God is there among them, perhaps more vital than elsewhere. Mercy, dear Lord.
The evening ends with Dr. Bekker delivering another command performance, this time to students and business leaders at the prestigious Stellenbosch University. They have been invited by Shofar ministries and nearly 100 sit in rapt silence as Dr. Bekker tells them that they have the opportunity to fulfill God's very plan of salvation to the continent of Africa, as he expounds on the "Sign of Jonah," urging us to use the past and the future to inform the present--and be present as leaders.
As we drive up the hill one final time through Devon Valley, I look back over my shoulder at the black expanse of Southern Africa. I realize that the need here can be seen as a cavernous abyss, ready to swallow up the best intentions of anyone who would offer help, as much of Africa has done for centuries. Yet, there is a steady light of hope growing stronger thanks to the many people who will not stand idly by and watch Africa sink into destruction. As Beryl Markham has written, "Africa is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one." Lord God, by your mercy and in your strength, give us the wisdom to help transform this rich nation through your resurrection and power.
Thank you to the Regent community for your prayers, for we have sensed them time and again, thank you to Dr. Bekker for his friendship, leadership and love for this nation, thank you to Dr. Bruce Winston for sowing life into this country for years, and thanks to the African people for making Karen and me feel so welcomed and blessed.
February 8, 2011
Today's activities begin and end at Michael Louis' Cornerstone Institute (CI), which brings 'Christian higher education' to Africa. In the morning's meetings with Mr. Louis and his executive team, we hear the stunning story of CI's birth: Mr. Louis, after visiting with Dr. David Gyertson and seeking the Lord, felt strongly that he needed to bring an overtly Christian institution of higher ed to South Africa. He decided to 'tour America's finest' Christian colleges and universities, and visited a number of schools over the next months. His travels took him to Wheaton College, Azusa Pacific, Greenville and Regent University. While at Regent, he visited the library's chapel and prayed. God moved upon his heart and--as a photo taken of the prayer ledger in the chapel reveals--on July 10 of 2008, Mr. Louis felt directed by God to launch a university in South Africa that was founded on the 'Spirit of Regent University' that he sensed while praying on campus. Cornerstone Institute was born. Today, they boast some 300 students, and are seeking the Lord's guidance and direction from a new campus, with innovative ideas to help solidify their future.
We then visited Parliament, and were greeted by Mr. Steven Swart, a member of Parliament and of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP). Mr. Swart was gracious and clearly a deeply committed Christian, and hosted us exceptionally well. We had the extraordinary privilege of lunching with ACDP president, the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, who spoke with hope about the future for South Africa, despite the fact that his party is currently marginalized by many. President Meshoe asked about "Dr. Pat," whom he had met in the past. He detailed how many Christians in Africa revere Dr. Robertson as a "true spiritual leader" and a "father in the faith." We agreed that the Lord's purposes for South Africa will not be thwarted by any weapon formed against her.
After this visit, we strolled through the Palace Gardens, to the South African National Gallery (where we saw some disturbing images from SA photographer Roger Ballen) and then to St. George's Cathedral, where we could almost hear Bishop Tutu intone against hatred and inequality.
The evening concluded back at CI, where some 70 business and church leaders met to discuss "Change Leadership." Dr. Bekker--called 'his royal highness' by Mr. Louis (they are good friends, and Mr. Louis was reflecting SA's deep love for their 'lost treasure,' Corné
Bekker), opened the evening by sharing his heart about leading as Jesus did with the rich young ruler, looking upon him intently and loving him. I then shared a few thoughts about "Leading Change: Lessons from Literature." As the evening ended, a journalist from "Joy" magazine (SA's only Christian magazine) asked a number of questions about Regent's hopes to engage South Africa. We responded that we have come here as much to learn as to teach, to invest in lives and not for financial reward, to live out our mission and be a blessing to the nations--for God's kingdom and glory.
It is nearly 11pm when we arrive back in Devon Valley, but our exhaustion cannot dim our exhilaration at all God is doing here.
We then visited Parliament, and were greeted by Mr. Steven Swart, a member of Parliament and of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP). Mr. Swart was gracious and clearly a deeply committed Christian, and hosted us exceptionally well. We had the extraordinary privilege of lunching with ACDP president, the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, who spoke with hope about the future for South Africa, despite the fact that his party is currently marginalized by many. President Meshoe asked about "Dr. Pat," whom he had met in the past. He detailed how many Christians in Africa revere Dr. Robertson as a "true spiritual leader" and a "father in the faith." We agreed that the Lord's purposes for South Africa will not be thwarted by any weapon formed against her.
After this visit, we strolled through the Palace Gardens, to the South African National Gallery (where we saw some disturbing images from SA photographer Roger Ballen) and then to St. George's Cathedral, where we could almost hear Bishop Tutu intone against hatred and inequality.
The evening concluded back at CI, where some 70 business and church leaders met to discuss "Change Leadership." Dr. Bekker--called 'his royal highness' by Mr. Louis (they are good friends, and Mr. Louis was reflecting SA's deep love for their 'lost treasure,' Corné
Bekker), opened the evening by sharing his heart about leading as Jesus did with the rich young ruler, looking upon him intently and loving him. I then shared a few thoughts about "Leading Change: Lessons from Literature." As the evening ended, a journalist from "Joy" magazine (SA's only Christian magazine) asked a number of questions about Regent's hopes to engage South Africa. We responded that we have come here as much to learn as to teach, to invest in lives and not for financial reward, to live out our mission and be a blessing to the nations--for God's kingdom and glory.
It is nearly 11pm when we arrive back in Devon Valley, but our exhaustion cannot dim our exhilaration at all God is doing here.
February 7, 2011
We traveled to Cape Town today, leaving behind many new friends and looking forward to the people and places the Lord has prepared for us to meet in South Africa's glistening seaport.
After a two hour flight, the intrepid Dr. Bekker drives us to our home base for the next three days: the Stellenbosch area just 40 minutes or so from the airport.
Our first meeting of the day is with Vice Chancellor (the title is SA's equivalent of a university president) Russell Botman,who is the first black man to lead the prestigious and historically white University of Stellenbosch--regarded by many as South Africa's finest institution of higher learning. President Botman describes the university's programs and aspirations, chief among them his hope to increase the enrollment of black students to 50 percent (from the current level of 33 percent, up from 11 percent in the four years of his tenure) by 2015. He recounts the government's support of scholarships that create pathways for students who would not otherwise be able to attend university. Honored as a "champion for reconciliation," he has a clear vision for his school of 24,000 that includes retaining excellence and reaching out to a broader student body.
Our evening meeting, hosted by the charismatic Michael Louis of Cornerstone Christian Institute, features a veritable "who's who" of Cape Town's educators and other notables. Among the attendees are Minister of Education Donald Grant, Graham Power (the force behind the 'Global Day of Prayer') and prolific evangelist Michael Cassidy. By the dinner meeting's end, Regent's impact in this area is clear. Thanks to Dr. Bruce Winston's efforts to bring Regent's leadership programs to South Africa, our reputation here is outstanding, and the doors for further academic outreach are wide open.
Note: the photo is of Parrot Mountain in the morning mist.
February 6, 2011
This morning at 7 a.m., we are driving to the Soweto township to share the word at the 9 a.m. service at Grace Bible Church, pastored by Mosa Sono. The Soweto township’s scarred past comes into focus as the city appears just off the freeway. I think of the fires that burned here one month after my high school graduation in 1976, as the “Soweto Uprising” made headlines across the world. Some of the current images from Egypt’s protests hearken back to those days, when students refused to abide by the government mandate that they be taught in Afrikaans rather than English.
Soweto today has many of the vestiges of its segregated, oppressed past, but there are a number positive signs: a new University of Johannesburg Soweto branch campus, a number of stunning shopping malls, and even a soccer stadium used for the recent World Cup on the outskirts.
We see Grace Bible Church looming on our left, and watch streams of people winding their ways through the streets to attend the 9 a.m. service. More than 3,000 congregants wait outside as the early service erupts in a closing song of worship, and Karen, John and I know that we are in for a life-long blessing. After greeting the charismatic Pastor Mosa Sono—who wowed audiences across the world when he spoke at the Willow Creek Leadership Conference in Chicago this year—we are escorted into the service and join in the roof-raising joyful sound of legions of worshippers lift the name of Jesus in Zulu and English. When I walked up on the platform and shared from Matthew 7:24 and encouraged them about examining our “foundations,” I was humbled and moved by the sight of this sea of bodies listening intently to this stranger from the U.S. At one moment, I paused and just listened: the stillness spoke to me of a people hungry for God, disciplined in spirit, worshiping in unity—a formidable congregation.
Soweto today has many of the vestiges of its segregated, oppressed past, but there are a number positive signs: a new University of Johannesburg Soweto branch campus, a number of stunning shopping malls, and even a soccer stadium used for the recent World Cup on the outskirts.
We see Grace Bible Church looming on our left, and watch streams of people winding their ways through the streets to attend the 9 a.m. service. More than 3,000 congregants wait outside as the early service erupts in a closing song of worship, and Karen, John and I know that we are in for a life-long blessing. After greeting the charismatic Pastor Mosa Sono—who wowed audiences across the world when he spoke at the Willow Creek Leadership Conference in Chicago this year—we are escorted into the service and join in the roof-raising joyful sound of legions of worshippers lift the name of Jesus in Zulu and English. When I walked up on the platform and shared from Matthew 7:24 and encouraged them about examining our “foundations,” I was humbled and moved by the sight of this sea of bodies listening intently to this stranger from the U.S. At one moment, I paused and just listened: the stillness spoke to me of a people hungry for God, disciplined in spirit, worshiping in unity—a formidable congregation.
A tour of Soweto—which included a stop at the “Nelson Mandela House”—brought the afternoon to a close: how privileged we feel.
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