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Articles and Letters

A Letter from the Anglican Archbishop 13 June 2008

March 2008

Easter is almost upon us. This is the most important Sunday of the Christian year; the day when we celebrate one of the central truths of our faith – that Jesus Christ is alive! As the apostle Paul said, ‘…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile’ (I Corinthians 15:17).

Our Lent Course this year has introduced some of you to Bishop Tom Wright, Anglican Bishop of Durham. He is an historian, theologian and scholar, having taught at Cambridge, Montreal and Oxford. Since reading and enjoying ‘Simply Christian’ I have gone on to read one of his major works, ‘The Resurrection of the Son of God’. In this book Tom Wright sets out to show that Jesus’ resurrection was a bodily resurrection and that it is historically true. He opposes the scholars who claim that the earliest Christian writers did not believe in a bodily resurrection but held a more spiritual view. This is the view that they did not meet the risen Jesus but had instead some kind of religious experience rather like the conversion experience of Paul.

Dr Wright examines the world into which Christianity was born. He shows that outside Judaism, nobody believed in resurrection. Within Judaism a belief in resurrection emerged only in the second temple period. By the time of Jesus most Jews (apart from the Sadducees) believed in some form of resurrection. This was based on passages like Daniel 12 and Ezekiel 37. The hope was for the restoration of Israel and the newly embodied life of God’s people who had died. This would happen on the last great day when all God’s people would be raised from death.

Nobody imagined that any individual had already been raised or would be in advance of the great last day. There are no traditions about a messiah being raised to life. Many Jews hoped for a messiah but nobody linked the messiah to resurrection. The world of Judaism was completely unprepared for the early Christian claim of the resurrection of Jesus.

In his exhaustive study of the New Testament, the Apocryphal books and other non Christian sources Tom Wright concludes that the gospel writers believed that they were writing about events that actually took place. The Easter events were real, not fantasy; historical as well as historic. The early Christians believed that they had met the risen Jesus and that this was the only thing that accounted for the empty tomb and the missing body. All the major books of the New Testament make resurrection a central and important topic. Christians believed that Jesus had a resurrection body and that we too look forward to his coming when we will be raised to be with him. This is not an escape from the world that God has created but the final revelation of the kingdom of God.

The early Christians met on the resurrection day (Sunday) because the resurrection had transformed their lives. It is this event, the historical resurrection of Jesus, the messiah, the ‘firstfruits’ of our own resurrection that is at the heart of our faith. We are resurrection people!

Mike Keggie

There has been a dearth of HIV & AIDS articles in the media recently. The fall-out from the ANC’s Polokwane conference in December 2007, the electricity supply crisis and the impact of global economic pressures on the everyday lives of South Africans seems to have attracted the limelight. The Mail & Guardian still has its weekly “HIV & AIDS Barometer” column and the Sunday Times continues its “Everybody Knows Somebody” campaign and is promoting that all South Africans should know their status and also encourage five family members or friends to take the test.

The complexity of the HIV & AIDS problem is illustrated in Helen Bamford’s article (Argus 26.01.2008) headed: “PROOF – ANTI-RETROVIRALS REDUCE DEATH BY 87%. PEOPLE DYING BECAUSE OF A DIRE SHORTAGE OF HEALTH PERSONNEL”. The journalist refers to a study conducted by Dr Lara Fairall of UCT’s Lung Institute and 14 other specialists both in S Africa and overseas, who proved that the South African régime of active triple anti-retrovirals (HAART) is as effective as that used in top clinics in the UK and USA. This study points to the fact that people are dying from AIDS not because the drugs are ineffective, but because we do not have the man/woman power to implement the ARV roll-out.

The article gives two sets of statistics. It first states there are 5,6 million South Africans infected with HIV, of whom 700 000 need treatment, but are not getting it and later quoting figures given by Dr Nomonde Xundu (chief director for HIV & AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the Dept of Health) who claims 850 000 need treatment of whom 490 000 are enrolled on the treatment programme, 80% in the public health facilities.

Regarding the lack of health-care personnel, it seems that the biggest stumbling block is that the AVR treatment has to be initiated by a doctor and there are just not enough medics to extend the programme to everybody. Dr Fairall estimates it can take 4 – 5 months or longer to get access to drugs. The OFS provincial health service has started nurse-initiated treatment but the workload for South African nurses is great, many are HIV+ themselves and suffering from burn-out.

The national health department is not planning to use nurse-initiated programmes as an intervention but it may have to re-think especially in the rural areas. (In the public sector 10 nurses and 2.4 doctors per 10 000 patients – Lesley Odendal CT 01.02.2008).

Margaret Bewick.

February 2008

In the History of the first century of St Andrew’s, it is noted that the kneelers which attract the favourable attention of visitors were made by members of the tapestry group, the oldest group in the parish. It had been started in 1967 under the guidance of Barry de Villiers. The meetings were held at Papenboom, the residence then of Sue Stapleton-Cotton, and under the tutelage of Mrs Magda Sprenger, an expert in canvas work, who had been involved with a similar task as a parishioner of St Saviours.

The earliest initialled kneeler was completed in 1968. Designs were collected from individuals and/or patterns in ecclesiastical magazines, and so began the task of providing the approximately 160 needed. Colours were limited to six for the design: light and dark gold, red and pink, blue and light blue, all with a plain blue background.

On the demolition of the Papenboom house, the venue became the home of Mrs Lesley Frith, with six to eight parishioners meeting monthly in the evening.

Two milestones have been achieved. Invited to submit five kneelers for an exhibition in London, it was Barry’s “Crown of Thorns” that was chosen as the only exhibit from overseas to be pictured. Next came the enormous task of making the altar kneelers for the church centenary in 1994. The designs copied those of the altar frontals, made four years earlier, and those who had stitched were asked to sign on the back of each one. Breaking away from all wool, a Perle No. 5 was used to enhance the designs.

The most recent task has been to make ten kneelers for the prayer chapel Here the background is grey and the design follows that of the Leo Theron window given by the late Ms Anne Killen and installed there in her memory.

John and Thelma Selfe.

As parishioners will remember St Andrew’s has dedicated the rental from the Kildare Pre-Primary School to a bursary scheme for school leavers in the Manenberg and Bonteheuwel areas. At this moment we are considering applications for support in 2008.

Although we always plan to have bursary applications in by November, we realise that this is not a practical expectation and it is only in January that we can actually get down to processing applica-tions. Understandably students take little interest in post matric study until they know that school is behind them and they are assured of a pass in their Senior Certificate.

Our policy of favouring students who want to follow careers in build-ing and engineering trades is suffering modification. This is because the Technical Colleges are finding it difficult to adjust their courses and teaching methods to suit learners who are at a Grade 9 or 10 level when, in the past, it was only successful matriculants whom they had to teach. Regrettably the confusion resulting from these adjustments at Technical Colleges makes us wary of students applying for these courses.

In spite of all these problems we have three new applicant who appear to be well motivated. In addition Andre Henry, who was doing a chef’s course with great success, is continuing this year and so is Lukhanyo Kongisa, who is doing electrical engineering. Tracy-Lee Fredericks, who started late in 2007, is also continuing. Most of the students who finished last year obtained very satisfactory results. Some have managed to find employment in their chosen fields, but the others have had to accept less suitable jobs until such time as they can get the work that they have been trained to do.

Bea Law

This fuzzy, blind and hungry little soul with a nasty split lip arrived at my parlour from St Andrews church wrapped up in a tea towel. The thought of rearing yet another squirrel was quite daunting as my new business was itself a very demanding new baby and any spare time seemed non-existent. But, as usual, the minute I picked him up and he curled in that classic little ball in the middle of my palm I was a gonner.

The injury of the split lip is fairly common in baby squirrels that fall from trees as they tend to land face first. His was quite bad but it cleaned up nicely and I put him straight onto an electric blanket to get his body temperature up. His lip healed fast and he was a greedy feeder. All the baby squirrels I’ve reared loved being tickled under their arm and will happily keep it raised while you do this. He used to grumble when I stopped and then half roll on his back with bliss when I continued. He slept in box on the electric blanket under my desk and my clients children loved coming to visit him.

I showed Mutt to one little boy of about five who then rushed off to drag his mum over and solemnly told her that I had a kangaroo behind my desk. Admittedly, with his huge back legs on that little body that was exactly what he looked like – a little shrunken down kangaroo. After a few weeks between work and home his eyes finally started to open – one eye at a time .They then hit that super-cute stage where they start becoming aware of their surroundings and explore everything. Fast becoming a handful and after several successful escapes into my parlour and with much interest from my clients dogs I decided it was no longer a safe environment for him. The only things dogs love to chase more than cats are squirrels!

The dogs always made a bee line for my desk – usually for biltong but squirrel won hands down. Luckily Lindsay was working for me at that time and was wonderful at taking care of many different foundlings. A big plus is the aviary we established in her garden a few years ago for squirrels. The problem with rearing these babies is that they cannot just be released from a home environment straight into the wild. You need and aviary system to acclimatise them to the outdoors and foraging for natural foods.

Anyone wanting to keep an adult squirrel in their house will soon discover there is very little they can’t get into, chew through and generally destroy to their great delight. Electrical cords and anything wooden being fair game. Also, as they mature the majority of them can become quite aggressive. Mutt on this count being the exception to the rule. The time had come for Lindsay to take over and offer him a safer and more natural environment.

Jeni

When Mutt was a few weeks old and stabilized, Jeni asked me to take over rearing him. I’ve come to regard cooler bags with a certain amount of apprehension as when they arrive on my doorstep they tend to contain something small, fluffy and very hungry. In this case a baby squirrel. Mutt went backwards and forwards to work with me in his cooler bag and at home he slept on top of my cupboard in a cage I had set up for him next to two cats and a young Egyptian goose. I was hand-rearing three slightly older squirrels at the time but Mutt never took to them. Whenever he was introduced to them he would hang on to the sides of the aviary and scream and then bolt inside my jacket. This was unusual behaviour as they are normally very social at a young age. Mutt had decided that hanging out with other squirrels was just not his thing.

He likes best to careen up and down my house, hang out on top of the parrot cage and press sticky bits of fruit and peanuts into my ears, down my neck and in my pockets. He is very agile, never knocking things over and loves going downstairs to find his acorn stash in the kitchen. When he is tired he retreats to my rucksack which hangs behind my door to sleep. The cats take a dim view of him because he is always landing on them with great exhuberance . This is usually done while the cats are fast asleep in the laundry basket. The next thing you see is cats levitating into the air and his cheeky face gleefully peeking over the edge of the basket before claiming it as his own. I have given him my entire collection of old socks which he loves dragging around and stuffing in his nest box. He has customized this to include a skylight. He really enjoys to help fold washing – in one sleeve and out the other, dive into the middle of a t-shirt or jersey while he waits to get rolled up and put away…then pounces out and starts all over again. He can roll around with a ball of socks for ages while I’m working and likes strange things like old lighters.

Mutt now shares an aviary with a four year old squirrel called Sprite who is wonderful at helping injured baby squirrels settle down. She has been released many times but always comes back. Mutt and Sprite get a diet of fruit, vegetables, acorns, peanuts, fancy nuts, sunflower seeds and peanut butter sandwiches. I also collect lichen, mushrooms, wild figs, young green fruit, oak buds, loquats, acorns and so on. Wild squirrels visit them each day. I called him Mutt because he was reared amongst my dogs and sometimes he must have felt – by dogs. He is about 10 months old now and is still completely tame and playful and not at all aggressive. He loves company and although he is a hooligan we all treasure him. My parrot Noah calls him ‘sweet baby squirrel’.

Lindsay

It was very encouraging that so many from St Andrew’s supported Bishop Geoff Quinlan in an interfaith discussion with an Islamic Scholar at UCT on the subject ‘Signs of the Last Day’. I thought that Bishop Geoff expressed the Christian view very well but I was struck by the huge difference between Christians and Muslims in our understanding of the inspiration of the Bible and the Quran. As I left the seminar I was handed a booklet which gave reasons why the Bible is not the Word of God. Hopefully this did not come from the organisers of the seminar.

Muslims believe that the Quran was originally written on a tablet in heaven by God himself. God sent down this revealed message to Mohammed. Mohammed played no part in forming the contents of the Quran. The Quran’s picture of Jesus concentrates on him as a prophet and not as Son of God. His crucifixion and resurrection are denied. Muslims believe that the time will come when Jesus will return and marry and have children, after which he will die and be buried. In this way he will prepare for the final reign of Mohammed himself.

Our Christian understanding of the Bible is very different. We believe that the Bible is both the Word of God and the word of human beings, or if you like the Word of God through human beings. The Bible is a collection of books which contains the sacred writings of the Jews and the Christians. It is inspired because God inspired the authors of the Bible in their particular contexts. There is a progressive revelation in the Bible which culminates in the person of Jesus Christ. The books that were accepted into the New Testament Canon of Scripture were those that were recognized as being inspired and which bore witness to Jesus. The whole purpose of the Bible is to bring us to Jesus Christ. We believe that in Jesus Christ God has revealed himself and that the Bible bears witness to this truth.

Because the Bible is both the Word of God and the word of human beings our approach to it is different from that of Muslims to the Quran. On the one hand we study it critically, taking into account the context of the original writing and the type of literature. We are not afraid of critical methods of study. On the other hand we approach it reverently to hear what God has to say to us. The Bible is a record of God speaking in different contexts and in different ways.

It is not possible for me to say more in the space available. May God give us all a love for Muslim people, a desire to understand one another better and a willingness to work together in the areas where we have shared values.

Mike Keggie

St Andrew’s runs three on-going projects, which are well known to the parish:

THE SOUP KITCHEN IN LANSDOWNE:
In this project, we work in conjunction with other churches to provide soup and bread to hungry folk, most of whom are out of work. St Andrew’s runs the soup kitchen on alternate Mondays in a well-supported, efficient operation, which has been directed by Johann Barnard for several years. We would like to thank him for his valuable contribution and wish David Sykes, who takes over, good luck and our unstinting support.

THE HIV/AIDS TASK TEAM:
Ably captained by Frank and Eleanor Wright, the Task Team is, likewise, an impressive operation, which provides food and hygiene parcels for many AIDS sufferers each month. As we all know, the monthly packing of these gifts is the occasion for a happy gathering of St Andreans, experiencing the satisfaction of useful team effort. Our contribution in this respect is considered outstanding in the diocese and we have to thank the Wrights for their wonderful leadership.

THE BURSARY FUND:
The bursary fund is the third major, on-going project. Money from the Kildare School rental is dedicated to helping school leavers from the areas of Manenberg and Bonteheuwel in their post-school studies. We hope that, by directing these students into successful careers, we shall provide role models for the youth of these depressed areas and give them hope and encouragement in their view of the future.

OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS:
Nearly every year, St Andrews also supports some development project with a considerable injection of funding. These projects vary in accordance with the news of particular needs that we receive. At this moment, we are looking at the need for a church building at a parish in Cross Roads, where the structure used previously was severely damaged in a winter storm. Such projects call for relatively heavy funding, often in conjunction with other concerned donors, and have to be researched carefully. They nearly always involve buildings and the expertise of the engineers and builders in the congregation is an invaluable asset to us, allowing us to assess needs and costs in a realistic way.

THE MANY OTHER RECIPIENTS OF OUR DONATIONS:

Besides the large projects mentioned above, St Andrew’s is concerned with a wide range of charitable institutions and NGO’s. They include pre-schools, centres for abused women and children, homes for the mentally challenged , shelters for the homeless, feeding schemes and projects involved in both medical and spiritual outreach in Africa. To these we make annual donations – usually directed towards particular needs, which are identified early in the year in discussion with the recipients. These donations are not big enough to provide basic support to the institutions receiving them, but they are an opportunity for us as a parish to come to grips with some of the problems in the world beyond Newlands. We can provide equipment, materials, help, advice and moral support – all of which are valued by these charities.

Last year I suggested that two or three parishioners might associate themselves with each of these charities, so they could learn about them and so spread the parish involvement beyond the MTN Committee. In fact, that only happened to a very limited degree. There are, of course, good reasons for my suggestion not bearing much fruit. One is undoubtedly that we are all busy people, living lives, which are uncomfortably pressurized. Another is that parishioners are unwilling to make personal commitments, especially if that involves travelling into the less salubrious areas of Cape Town. I wonder whether the established prayer groups could be used as nuclei of outreach activity ? Then the burden on any one individual would be relatively light.

As the convenor of the MTN Committee, I am not trying to shed the load, but rather to share it. Involvement does bring many positive rewards. There is also the consideration that, if by chance I were to drop dead, no one in the parish would know what these charities are, where they are located or who runs them.

On a more positive note, I would like to thank the congregation for their generous giving. A few years ago, we were using accumulated funds for much of our MTN work and expressed the opinion that we would not be able to continue with the large donations which we were able to dispense at that time. However, the generous giving in the parish is enabling us, at present , to maintain the level of our donations. Let me assure you that we continue to give with caution and monitor the use of the funds that you make available.

Bea Law

December 2007

Simply Christian

The above is the title of a new book by Bishop Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham. His aim is to describe what Christianity is all about, both to commend it to those outside the faith and to explain it to those inside. He begins by exploring four areas of contemporary concern: the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty. He suggests that each of these concerns points beyond itself to something more, he calls them the echoes of a voice, the elusive sound of someone speaking just around the corner, out of sight.

These themes resonate very deeply in our modern world and in our country. We have a longing for a just and peaceful country, we have a hunger for something more than the consumer society can offer. We all have a deep need for loving relationships. We also acknowledge that beauty, either in the natural order or within human creation, is so powerful that it evokes our deepest feelings of awe, wonder, gratitude and reverence. These themes are like a whispering in our inner ear of someone who cares very much about our present world, and ourselves, and who has a purpose which involves us, and will involve the world being rescued at last.

Parts two and three of the book go on to look at the central Christian belief about God, revealed in Jesus. This leads into what it means to follow Jesus, energised by the Holy Spirit. Then finally, he goes on to look at the purpose of the church. This book is written in a lively and accessible style and it describes the relevance of the Bible and the Christian story for the contemporary world.

I am hoping that our Lent Course for 2008 will be based on the book. Bishop Tom Wright has produced a DVD to go with the book together with a course guide. The plan is that we will do the course in small groups. You will be able to watch the DVD and then discuss the material. If you want to buy the book you will be encouraged to do so. Ash Wednesday is on the 6th February next year so our Lent Course will begin on Wednesday 16th February in small groups. I hope you will all plan to sign up for this worthwhile course. Tom Wright is a popular and well known speaker on radio and television in the UK.

As the end of the year and our Christmas celebrations will soon be upon us I want to express my thanks to all of you for a good year at St Andrew’s. I am so grateful for our very meaningful times of worship and the very real sense that God is at work amongst us. In particular I would like to give thanks for:

• New leadership in the Children’s Church. William Tough and John Gloor (ably assisted by Janine and Karen) have taken over from Tony and Marie Gliddon. Tony and Marie have done wonderful work to get the Children’s Church established and we were able to express our thanks to them at the last family service.

• The new Junior Youth Group. Alison and Nigel Gwynne Evans have done very well in getting this group going effectively. They are assisted by Bruce Coomer and Jeanne Fontaine as well as Brendon Beeming and Emma.

• The growth of the evening service and the number of students attending. Penny Middlekoop has a great team of young people in the music group.

• The St Andrew’s website (www.standrewsnewlands.org.za) Raphael Ricketts together with Douglas Lee Jones and Jill Schoonraad have done all the work and Andreas and Clair Nel made the whole thing possible through their firm Sybaweb.

There is so much to give thanks for at St Andrew’s. May God richly bless you all this Christmas and in 2008.

November 2007

The God of Surprises

We have had one of those weeks when we have been bowled over by the goodness of God. First of all, our son in law phoned from England to say that our daughter Joy is pregnant with twins! This was mind blowing news as we had resigned ourselves to our daughter not being able to have children. Then on Sunday our son Andrew announced his engagement to Nancy Graham, a lovely Christian girl. These are both wonderful answers to our prayers for our children and we are so grateful to God.

Things don’t always work out in the way we hope they will but I have been reminded by preaching four sermons on Ezekiel that God is a God who keeps his promises. The famous vision that God gave to Ezekiel in chapter 37 of the valley of dry bones is very powerful. The dry bones are a metaphor for the people of Israel in exile in Babylon who had lost hope. Not only were they living in exile, Jerusalem had been conquered and the temple destroyed. Could they really believe in God?

The skeletons scattered across the valley represent all the situations in our lives and in the world where there is no hope. Ezekiel is instructed to preach to the bones. Can you imagine preaching to skeletons! It is when we respond to the Word of God that the bones begin to come together. At this point we are reminded of the creation story in Genesis 2 where God forms a man from the dust of the earth and then breathes life into him. God is the only one who can create life. The bones are all joined up (you know the song!) the sinews are added, then the flesh and the skin. Then God breathes life into the bodies.

It is only the Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) who can create new life. It is interesting that Ezekiel was told to prophesy to the spirit (breath). This seems to refer to prayer. God is the Sovereign God, referred to in this passage as the Lord God (Yahweh). He is the God who keeps his promises. As we obey God’s Word and look to him in prayer, God is able to bring new life through the Holy Spirit.

For so many, life is like a valley full of dry bones. In Israel’s case the exile was a result of their own rejection of God his ways. Many suffer as a result of the evil of others but there is no situation that is beyond God. He is able to raise the dry bones and give them life. Think back on the times in your own life where God has brought new life through his Spirit. Then continue to bring to God the skeletons that are before you!

Ultimately Jesus is the fulfilment of this prophecy because it was only through his death and resurrection that those who are spiritually dead can receive new life. The Apostle Paul discovered this on the Damascus Road. The exile comes to an end when we trust in Christ and when we follow him as disciples.

Mike Keggie

Archbishop Elect – Thabo Makgoba

The Elective assembly for the new Archbishop ended with a great sense of joy that God had guided us to the right person to be the new Archbishop. He strikes one as a godly, humble man but one who has great presence. He is highly qualified and an outstanding linguist and at 47 will be our youngest archbishop. He will assume office from the 1st January 2008. Do pray for pray for Bishop Thabo, his wife, and two young children as they prepare to move to Cape Town.

AIDS WATCH - CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY

Looking back on the past couple of months, it has been a winter of discontent if one focuses attention on health matters. It is said that truth is stranger than fiction and indeed the revelations (dominated by leading figures in the national government) as reported in the local media could be summarized under the following titles:

1. Dr M’s Beetroot and Garlic Quick Fix for HIV/AIDS
2. 5 Easy Steps to a Liver Transplant, a personal recollection
3. How to Eliminate Any Opposition with sub-title
ex Deputy Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and the Frere Hospital Saga.
These are all must-reads but you will not find them in the science-fiction section – they are for real.

Professors Reynolds and Sanders’ article on infant mortality made compelling reading (Cape Times 27.08.2007). Set against the fundamental structure of globalization and our present economic conditions and drawing attention to the ideals of the UN’s Rights of the Child which SA ratified in 1995, these two dedicated paediatricians describe an ailing public health-care system in which 70 000 children under the age of 5 die annually. Of this number 40% die because of HIV/AIDS…. and the numbers are increasing all the time. Those who do survive are often physically and mentally impaired and prone to contracting other diseases which has a negative knock-on effect on health care services. Poverty, social and economic exclusion, malnutrition, poor housing, sanitation and water supply, plus ineffective roll-out of AVR and mother to child prevention programmes all play a part.

At the beginning of August the latest figures from the Department of Health’s national HIV prevalence survey were released, showing for the first time a drop – from 30,2% in 2006 to 29,1% with a significant decline in the number of young women under the age of 24 infected. Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimanag claimed that HIV could be showing a downward trend at last. This ‘cause for hope’ is offset by an article in the August issue of DENOSA’s Nursing update.


Titled ‘THE BURGEONING NEED FOR PALLIATIVE CARE’ Leane Dodridge writes: “The HIV/AIDS epidemic and the large number of HIV infected and affected people living with the disease has made the need for palliative care a very necessary medical specialty.

Southern Africa is in the centre of the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the largest number of people living with the disease. One third of all people with HIV globally live in Southern Africa and 34% of all deaths due to AIDS in 2006 occurred there. In South Africa some 5.5 million people, including 240 000 children under the age of 15, were living with HIV in 2005. Having emerged a little later than most other HIV epidemics in the sub-region, South Africa’s epidemic has reached the stage where increasing numbers of people are now dying of AIDS. In 2006 there were 2.1 million deaths (that we know about). The majority of these patients are dying in pain (some patients can experience three or four different kinds of pain simultaneously) and suffering and often in impoverished circumstances. The hospice movement in SA started in 1982, initiated by a visit from Dame Cecily Sanders who founded St Christopher’s Hospice in London. There are now 74 hospices registered in SA. Palliative care services using the integrated home-based care model bring together an inter-disciplinary team to provide care for the patient and the family. At Nairobi Hospice it has been calculated that 3 nurses, 1 doctor, supported by 2 vehicles and drivers, can carry a patient load of 100.

Let us try in our outreach to our brothers and sisters suffering from HIV/AIDS to remember the words of Dame Cecily Sanders: “You matter because you are you, you matter to the last moment of your life and we will do all we can do, not only to help you die peacefully but to love until you die.”

Margaret Bewick

To give someone clothes is to give someone dignity

In his adult hands was a small pair of shorts that would fit an eight year old. Looking at these brought back memories of his own childhood upbringing in a rural village. At eight years old he was caring for his parents’ cattle. The only clothing that was his own was a large shirt that barely covered his naked bottom. Now an adult, he considered how much we would have loved a pair of shorts back then.

Today Sam Karethi head of the Department of Community Development at Cornerstone Christian College, is volunteering at The Warehouse by preparing clothing packs for children who have been orphaned. With him is a group of students from Cornerstone, practically engaging in serving the poor at The Warehouse. Much of their time was spent packing Love Packs – parcels carefully packed according to the age and gender of each child. This is usually done by teams of volunteers, some coming once or twice every week, others once a month. About 300 clothing packs were distributed during this last winter to orphans and vulnerable children through The Warehouse.

Sam did not expect to be so personally moved by the experience of being a volunteer. He merely intended to be a ‘pair of hands’ to help with the packing, but as he packed his mind wandered into thoughts about the children who would receive the clothes. From his own life experience he knew about the shame of not having clothes. When his cousins from the big city would come to visit his family he would run away and hide in the bushes! His cousins were always dressed in smart clothes that were in fact similar to the clothes he was not packing. He remembered how they had laughed at him. “To give clothes is to give dignity,” says Sam.

That night Sam shared with his family how volunteering at The Warehouse had touched him and had reminded him about his past. His ten-year old daughter was so moved by his experience that she went through all her clothes to find items hat she could donate to The Warehouse . She too wanted to be part of the joy of giving dignity.
 

Erica Greathead