Welcome To St Andrew's Church, Newlands, Cape Town

I am truly grateful to the St Andrew’s family for bringing my work in Lebanon into your prayer time - and this, throughout my recent time away. I felt I was being accompanied and supported by resources of incredible richness, and I say a very sincere “thank you”. Despite being demanding in many ways, the experience was exhilarating and exciting; fascinating and fulfilling. A humbling journey of learning, growing, discovering and connecting. Thank you for being “witnesses” from afar and for staying close. Pat asked me to write about my experience and so I share something of its what, where and how. I start with a little background.

On 23 March 2010, I paid a long-overdue visit to The Warehouse, 12 Plantation Rd, Wetton where I was shown around by Caroline Powell. Craig Stewart’s sermon at one of our morning services had triggered my visit. Up to that time I had been labouring under the delusion that The Warehouse was an Anglican enterprise, linked to Fikelela and devoted to the relief of problems associated with HIV/AIDS. It was good to know the real story.

Ask people around the world which they think is the biggest day of the year for Christians. Most would say ‘Christmas’. The true answer is of course Easter. This is the moment of new creation. If it had not been for Easter nobody would have dreamed of celebrating Christmas. This is the first day of God’s new week. The darkness has gone and the sun is shining.